Brewers News: Team won't offer arbitration to five free agents

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MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee Brewers have decided not to offer salary arbitration to five free agents – Mike Cameron, Jason Kendall, Felipe Lopez, Braden Looper, and David Weathers.

Lopez was considered the most likely candidate for arbitration. But he made three-and-a-half million dollars last season. And general manager Doug Melvin said he didn’t want to run the risk of Lopez accepting the arbitration – which would resulted in a pay raise at a time when the Brewers need money to bolster their pitching. Lopez hit a career-high .310 last season, and Melvin said all five free agents did a nice job for the Brewers. But he said the team has other players at the positions, and they want financial flexibility to add pitchers.

The Brewers had rejected options for pitchers Looper and Weathers, and they already told Cameron he wasn’t coming back. Still, Melvin says the Brewers are willing to negotiate with all of them later in the off-season if they’re still available.

The Brewers have invited left-hander John Halama to spring training, after signing him to a minor league contract. He’s a nine-year veteran but has not pitched in the big leagues since 2006 with Baltimore. Halama was 4-and-7 this past season at Atlanta’s Triple-“A” club in Gwinnett, with an E-R-A of almost four-and-two-thirds. Halama pitched in Oakland in 2003 under manager Ken Macha and pitching coach Rick Peterson – both of whom are now with the Brewers.

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