MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers signed a pair of infielders on Friday, both bearing familiar names and both looking to bounce back in 2005. Junior Spivey agreed to forego his right to an arbitration hearing when he signed a one-year, $2.125 million contract with incentives that could push it to the $2.6 million he requested in arbitration. That news came minutes after it was learned that former All-Star third baseman Jeff Cirillo had agreed to sign a minor league contract that will pay the Major League minimum if he makes the cut. "His agent called me several times earlier in the winter and I told him we just didn't have a spot for Jeff," said Brewers manager Doug Melvin, who appeared set at third base with Russell Branyan and Wes Helms. So Cirillo, who batted .312 in 26 games this winter for the Mexican League's Los Mochis Sugarcane Growers, started calling on his own behalf. "Jeff kept calling and calling," Melvin said, "and he was very persistent about coming back. Finally I said, 'What the heck? There's nothing to lose with this.'" Melvin said the veteran, who was to earn $7 million with the Padres this year, agreed to a deal with "no outs, no incentives, no bonuses. He just wants to play." Now 35 and coming off three disappointing seasons, Cirillo will report to Spring Training in search of the sweet swing he first brought to Milwaukee in 1994. His .307 batting average over six seasons with the Brewers is a franchise record that still stands. But those days are long past for the team's former 11th-round draft pick. After being packaged in a multi-team trade with the Rockies and A's following the 1999 season, Cirillo had two good years at thin-air Coors Field. But he fell off dramatically after signing a lucrative multi-year contract and moving to his hometown Mariners in 2002, and continued to struggle after a January 2004 trade sent him to San Diego. Cirillo batted .300 or better in three of his seasons with the Brewers (1996, 98, 99) and both of his seasons in Colorado, but things got tough after that. He inked a four-year, $26 million contract with Seattle, but batted .249 in 2002 and .202 in 2003, prompting a trade to the Padres in which the Mariners swallowed much of the $14 million remaining on Cirillo's contract. He did not stick in San Diego, either. Cirillo hit.213 with one home run and seven RBIs in 33 games and was waived in August. Melvin said the team will look at Cirillo at first, second and third base and will consider using him as a bench player or an insurance policy against injury. Cirillo told the club he would be willing to accept an assignment to Triple-A Nashville. If he wins a job as a backup, Cirillo could play behind second baseman Spivey. The 30-year-old was one of two arbitration-eligible players with a hearing scheduled for this month (Ben Sheets is the other). In his first season with the Brewers, Spivey batted .272 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs last season, but was limited to 59 games by a shoulder injury that required midseason surgery. The injury made for a difficult arbitration case. Spivey, who earned $2.367 million last season, was asking for a raise to $2.6 million, while the Brewers proposed a cut to $2 million. "He recognized that, and he agreed to take a cut in pay," Melvin said. "If he goes out and plays every day, he has a chance to get to $2.6 [million]." Melvin said the team dispatched a doctor to Dallas, where he signed off on the health of Spivey's left shoulder. -- ★opengoodbook 你什麼時候設我為好友啦?!XD To opengoodbook: 第一次丟你水球之後阿XD ★opengoodbook 我會害羞(跑) To opengoodbook: :P ★opengoodbook 這麼主動...... --

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