Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said he wanted to sign to starting pitchers in the offseason and pending a physical for left hander Doug Davis, he will have pulled it off.
Davis agreed to a free-agent contract that’s a 1-year deal with a mutual option for a second season.
Melvin tried to acquire Davis last season but couldn’t work out the details with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Durability is a key for Davis and a key to the deal. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, he’s the only major-league pitcher to reach at least 200 innings and 34 starts in four of the last six seasons.
Davis went 9-14 with a 4.12 ERA last season for the Diamondbacks, posting 203 innings. Included in that is 22 quality starts, with a 2.10 ERA in those outings.
Davis now joins Yovani Gallardo and newcomer Randy Wolf as guarantees in the rotation. Manny Parra, Dave Bush, Jeff Suppan and possibly a fourth pitcher will battle for the final two spots in the rotation.
Davis first pitched for the Brewers from 2003 through 2006. He went 37-36 with a 3.92 ERA in 111 starts.