The Brewers continue to tweak the roster in the wake of the Winter Meetings, th is time focusing on the unsettled situation at third base. The team avoided salary arbitration with slugger Russell Branyan, who agreed to a one-year contract that could pay as much as $1 million, and added insurance with veteran Kevin Orie, who agreed last week to a contract with Milwaukee's to p minor league affiliate. Half of the Brewers' arbitration-eligible players are now accounted for. Branya n and catcher Chad Moeller signed one-year contracts and pitchers Dan Kolb and Luis Vizcaino were traded, leaving pitchers Ben Sheets and Brooks Kieschnick, i nfielder Junior Spivey and outfielder Brady Clark yet to sign. All four were tendered contracts before Monday's deadline and will be back in 2 005, Melvin said. The Associated Press reported last week that Branyan had agreed to a one-year, $800,000 contract and could earn another $200,000 in performance incentives. The team picked up Branyan from Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate just before the 2004 trading deadline, and he arrived just as advertised: plenty of strikeouts and plenty of power. The Brewers were desperately in need of the latter. In 51 games, Branyan hit .234 with 11 home runs, 27 RBIs and a whopping 68 stri keouts in 158 at-bats, winning the starting third baseman's job away from slump ing Wes Helms. Before the trade, Branyan hit .279 with 26 home runs and 79 RBIs at Triple-A Buffalo. "He struck out a lot, but the tradeoff is that he played pretty good defense fo r us," Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. "And he showed a lot of power, something we didn't have a lot of last year." The Brewers partially addressed that weakness during the Winter Meetings, acqui ring outfielder Carlos Lee from the Chicago White Sox. Branyan and Helms will b e expected to provide some pop in 2005 and will compete for the starting third baseman's job. "Wes has to prove that he can get back to where he was [in 2003]," Melvin said. Branyan, who hit a career-high 24 home runs while splitting the 2002 season wit h the Indians and Reds, turned 29 years old on Friday. In a minor league transaction last Wednesday, the Brewers signed veteran infiel der Orie to a minor-league contract. He will compete for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds' third base opening in 2005. Orie, 32, brings 316 games of Major League experience with the Cubs and Marlins . The 12-year pro split the 2004 season between the Indians' and Astros' farm s ystems after missing all of 2003 and the first three months of 2004 following s urgery on his right shoulder. He batted .299 with 20 home runs and 63 RBIs in 8 6 games for the Iowa Cubs in 2002 during his last stop at the Triple-A level. Orie is down on the depth chart, but he gives the Brewers more infield options in the wake of Wednesday's trade that sent utilityman Keith Ginter to the Oakla nd A's for a reliever and an outfield prospect. Branyan and Helms are expected to vie for the starting job at third base with Bill Hall as a backup. Trent Dur rington, who spent some time with the Brewers in 2004 and has the arm for third base, also signed a minor league contract and was invited to Spring Training. The Brewers have been one of baseball's busiest teams since the Winter Meetings . The team engaged in the meetings' two most significant trades, acquiring fire baller Jose Capellan from Atlanta before landing Lee from the White Sox two day s later. The Brewers then dealt Ginter to Oakland last Wednesday for reliever J ustin Lehr and outfielder Nelson Cruz. Non-tender news: The Brewers non-tendered pitching prospect Chris Saenz on Mond ay, momentarily making him a free agent. But Saenz, who underwent Tommy John su rgery on Sept. 23, was then re-signed to a minor league contract and will spend 2005 rehabbing his right elbow. He is working out five days a week at the team's minor league complex in Phoeni x, and Melvin said trainers will begin mulling a throwing program for Saenz nex t month. Seanz spent the majority of the season with Double-A Huntsville but dazzled in a brief Major League stint. He made his Major League debut on April 24 against St. Louis and pitched six shutout frames, leading the Brewers to a 3-1 win. More moves coming? The Brewers are still in the market for relief pitchers and outfielders, and Melvin planned to scour the list of 41 players non-tendered on Monday. With Saenz off the 40-man roster, the Brewers have two openings. Non-tendered o utfielders included Jorge Padilla, So Taguchi and Dustan Mohr. Mohr, a former Minnesota Twins prospect, batted .274 in 117 games last season f or the San Francisco Giants. However, the Brewers may have more interest in a p layer like Taguchi in the wake of the recent Podsednik trade. "We might take a look at him," Melvin said. "We have a bigger need for a guy wh o can play some center field." More invites: The Brewers signed journeyman pitcher Julio Santana to a minor le ague contract and invited him to Spring Training, and also invited minor league prospects Prince Fielder and Lou Palmisano to big league camp. Santana, 31, spent most of the 2003 season and all of 2004 playing for the Yomi uri Giants in the Japanese League. In 161 Major League appearances with Texas, Tampa Bay, Montreal and Detroit, he is 14-26 with a 5.33 ERA. Milwaukee has extended 11 Spring Training invitations to non-roster players. Jo ining Fielder, Palmisano, Santana and Saenz are catchers Pat Borders and Mark J ohnson, infielders Matt Erickson and Trent Durrington, outfielder Chris Magrude r and pitchers Rigo Beltran and Tommy Phelps. --

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