Claudio Vargas. Vargas was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in Spring Training, and looked to lock up one of the final spots in the starting rotation.
Brewers skipper Ned Yost said, "We feel, in all fairness to him, we didn't see him pitching in Triple-A. We feel like he's a big-league pitcher."
Yost said there was some slight interest in Vargas on the trade market but not enough to make a deal. When Vargas cleared waivers, the Brewers decided to release him.
As expected, Vargas was somewhat shocked by the move.
"I thought that when they signed me, they needed me here, so I'm kind of surprised a little bit," said Vargas, who was 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA in five spring outings. "And the way I've been pitching, I've been (as good) as any starter here, maybe except one or two.
"I understand, they want to keep Carlos and Parra in the starting rotation. And Yovani will come back soon, so someone (was out). I know I can start at some point in the major leagues for some other team."
The move paves the way for two young pitchers to stay on the Brewers staff. And they are Manny Parra and Carlos Villanueva. Villanueva looked to be the odd man out toward the end of Spring Training and was going to start the year in Triple-A. All has since changed after the move.
The starting rotation now looks like: Sheets, Suppan, Para, Villanueva, and Bush for the time being. Yovani Gallardo is expected to join the rotation in mid-April after recovering from knee surgery, bumping one of the 5 out of the rotation.
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