News
Brewers lose Iribarren to Rangers
Inglett, Gamel among options for final bench spot
By Adam McCalvy / MLB.com
03/13/10 4:20 PM EST
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Infielder Hernan Iribarren's long Brewers tenure came to an end on Saturday when the Texas Rangers claimed him off waivers. Iribarren, 25 and a left-handed-hitting second baseman, was out of options, and Milwaukee obviously did not see a spot for him on the Opening Day roster. Texas had a need for infielders since free-agent pickup Khalil Greene opted not to report to Spring Training. "I think it's going to be good for my career because I didn't have a spot here," Iribarren told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel back at Maryvale Baseball Park, where another Brewers split-squad faced the Rockies. "I'm just going to go there and fight for the utility [role]. "I [have] a pretty good chance to make the team and I'll have a chance to show them I can play." The Brewers signed Iribarren out of Venezuela in March 2002, making him the second- or third-longest tenured player on the team's current 40-man roster, depending how you count. Outfielder Corey Hart was drafted and signed in '00, and pitcher Manny Parra was drafted in '01 but was a "draft and follow" player who didn't sign until the following summer, when Iribarren was already working at Milwaukee's complex in the Dominican Republic. In his eight professional seasons, Iribarren is a .316 hitter in the Minor Leagues and a .185 hitter (5-for-27) in two brief stints in the Majors. He has some speed (147 career stolen bases in the Minors) and has tried to develop defensive versatility by trying center field, third base and shortstop, but his true position is second base. Milwaukee team officials feel they have better options for the final bench spot behind utility man extraordinaire Craig Counsell. Joe Inglett, claimed off waivers from the Rangers in January, is also a left-handed-hitting second baseman but has much more Major League experience. Third-base prospect Mat Gamel also still has a chance to make the team, manager Ken Macha said Saturday morning.2010 Spring Training - Major League Baseball
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The Brewers also have several second-base prospects moving through the pipeline. Eric Farris batted .298 last season at Class A Brevard County, and 2008 first-round Draft pick Brett Lawrie hit .274 with 13 home runs and 65 RBIs for Class A Wisconsin.
Milwaukee had put out trade feelers on Iribarren in the past, but there were no talks recently, general manager Doug Melvin said. Twenty teams passed on Iribarren before the Rangers put in their waiver claim. "We wanted to be fair to Hernan, too," Melvin said. "He's been with us since he was [16] and has been at Triple-A the last two years. We thought there was a chance that somebody would claim him, and I was happy for him. ... I think he's a big league player. He can play in the big leagues in a certain role." Iribarren was supposed to play all nine innings of Saturday's split-squad game against the White Sox at shortstop, but he was scratched about two hours before the first pitch when the roster move was made official. Luis Cruz started instead. The Brewers' 40-man roster is down to 39 players, and 52 players remain in Major League camp. Melvin said Milwaukee figures to need "one or two spots" on the 40-man for nonroster invitees who make the club, and while Melvin did not name him, outfielder Jim Edmonds appears on track to be one of them. A rumor that Iribarren had been waived was circulating on the Internet since Thursday, when the same Web site, Brewerfan.net, also caught wind that the Brewers had begun the process of offering Rule 5 pick Chuck Lofgren back to the Indians. Teams must run such players through waivers before formally offering them back, and if the player clears, his new team and his original team have 72 hours to work out a trade. If trade talks don't go anywhere, the original team -- Cleveland, in Lofgren's case -- must decide whether to take him back in exchange for half of the original $50,000 Draft fee, or to let the Brewers keep the player. Asked about the Lofgren rumor, Melvin said, "There's nothing to report on it." Even if Lofgren had cleared waivers, Melvin said, he would not be able to tell reporters about it.Adam McCalvy is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
