The Milwaukee Brewers today acquired right-handed reliever Jose Veras from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for third baseman
Casey McGehee
Casey McGehee.
Veras went 2-4 with a 3.80 ERA and 1 save in a career-high 79 relief appearances last season. He allowed just 54 hits in 71.0 innings while holding opponents to a .206 batting average and producing 79 strikeouts. His 79 appearances tied for second in the National League and his 27 holds ranked fifth.
The 31-year-old Veras owns a career record of 14-13 with a 4.11 ERA and 4 saves in 255 games, all in relief. Milwaukee will be his fifth stop in the Majors after previously pitching for the New York Yankees (2006-09), Cleveland (2009), Florida (2010) and the Pirates (2011).
McGehee hit just .223 with 13 HR and 67 RBI in 155 games last season. He spent three seasons with the Brewers and was named the 2010 team MVP by the Milwaukee Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America after batting .285 with 23 HR and 104 RBI in 157 games.
Brewers sign Kottaras
The Brewers also signed catcher George Kottaras to a one-year contract, avoiding arbitration. Kottaras batted .252 with 5 HR and 17 RBI in 49 games last season, making 31 starts behind the plate.