Milwaukee signed free agent Eric Young to a two-year, $5M deal on Wednesday. I think this is a very interesting move for the Brewers. Although they already had several middle infielders including a starting second baseman in Ron Belliard, the team needed a lead-off hitter. Young isn't an ideal lead-off man with a career OBP of just .365, but he at least has some speed, which is more than Milwaukee's other candidates have proven.

I suspect that Belliard will be moved to third base or traded. Jose Hernandez should be their starting shortstop, with Mark Loretta as their main middle infield backup and Tyler Houston as the backup corner infielder and third catcher. Luis Lopez may have trouble holding on to his roster spot, and I don't think there's any room on the team for Elvis Pena.

Young will receive $2 million dollars each of the next two years and a $1M buyout if the Brewers don't exercise their $3M club option for 2004. Based on the limited talent present on the Milwaukee roster, I think this is generally a good move for the Brewers. If they complete the rumored three team trade with the Rockies and Mets, the signing should look even better for the top of the batting order.

On Monday the Chicago Cubs signed free agent outfielder Darren Lewis to a one-year, $500,000 deal. Chicago was short a backup outfielder after some of their late-season and off-season moves, so Lewis is probably a good pick up at this salary. What concerns me about this acquisition is the amount of playing time that he might receive.

Lewis' role should be as a late inning defensive replacement to spell the regulars and keep them fresh. With Moises Alou's recent injury troubles, he's not a bad guy to have around. However, if Don Baylor begins to play Lewis over Corey Patterson, this is a bad pick up. While Patterson has struggled at the plate during his major league time, he still has a lot of potential, and he's not going to improve sitting on the bench with Lewis playing centerfield. Scouts have also had good things to say about Patterson's defensive upside, so that should not be used as an excuse.

I hope my concerns turn out to be unfounded, but the following Baylor quote from the suburban Chicago Daily Herald is troubling. "We all know about his defense, I'm going to bring him in, take a look at him in different spots and see what he does with the bat." There have also been comments from the Cubs front office about possibly using Lewis instead of Patterson against tough lefty pitching, which is another bad idea given Patterson does not currently have a platoon split while this could encourage him to develop one. Lewis improves this team as an extra outfielder; as a roadblock in front of Patterson, he might be the worst player on the roster.

Last Friday, the Oakland A's signed free agent Randy Velarde to a one-year, one million dollar deal. I found this move troubling, as Frank Menechino was a decent starter for the A's last season, and I felt Esteban German should be in the majors as Oakland's starting second baseman this season, with Menechino becoming a back up middle infielder when German is called up. Now Spring Training will determine the split in playing time between Velarde and Menechino, leaving the A's roster overcrowded with middle infielders if they were to promote German even without utility prospect Mark Ellis, also ready for the majors. I sincerely hope that Velarde will not stand in the way of German reaching the majors before September.

On Friday the Braves and Mariners completed a small deal, with Seattle sending RHP Kevin Gryboski to Atlanta for RHP Elvis Perez. While not a spectacular trade, it should work out well for both sides.

The Mariners designated Gryboski for assignment after signing Shigetoshi Hasegawa, so this trade was a way for them to receive something in return for the pitcher instead of just allowing him to be lost on waivers. Gryboski, a 28-year-old right-handed reliever, pitched well at AAA last season for Seattle and looks to be finally ready to contribute to a major league bullpen. I suspect that he will receive some time in the Braves' pen this season and could stick if he has success.

Elvis Perez spent last year playing full-season A-ball. While the 22-year-old is a little old for his league, he put up acceptable numbers and reportedly has a good low-90's fastball, so he shows some future promise. Perez is a good acquisition for the Mariners, as they already have a solid major league pen but might have room for him by the time he matures.

In other news, Bernard Gilkey received his sentence for multiple drunk driving offenses on Friday. Gilkey has been arrested on drunk driving charges at least four times. The last three arrests originated from incidents in St. Louis County. He was sentenced to 500 hours of community service, drug and alcohol treatment, and had his license revoked for the next five years. Unbelievably, he will not serve jail time for the drunk driving charges. The judge sentenced him to five years, but then suspended the time and ordered probation. He will receive 4 months for driving with a revoked license and was given 15 days of time for misdemeanor speeding, although the 15 days will be served simultaneously with the 4 months.

Gilkey is not currently affiliated with a team, as he became a free agent at the end of the season. It would be a sign of progress if there were no interested teams when he is once again available to play. Drunk drivers often receive too many chances. He endangered lives every time he stepped behind the wheel drunk. It's a pity that this story has not received more widespread coverage. A fatal accident need not take place before attention can be paid.