Bill Batterman is the The Brewers reduced their number of pending arbitration cases to two this week when they re-signed outfielder Brady Clark to a one-year, $1.15 million contract. That figure is just below the midpoint of the two sides’ offers; Clark had requested $1.3 million and the Brewers had countered with $1.05 million. The contract includes incentives based on playing time that could add as much as $275,000.
The soon-to-be-32-year-old Clark is the favorite to begin the season as Milwaukee’s starting center-fielder and leadoff hitter. Since joining the Crew in the Spring of 2003, Clark has been handed on-and-off-again starting roles while primarily filling the right-handed hitting half of a right-field platoon with John Vander Wal (in 2003) and Ben Grieve (in 2004). In each of those seasons, he has doubled his previous career high in at-bats (129, with the Reds in 2001) and has posted OPSes of 733 and 782, respectively. Considered an average or slightly-better defender at each of the three outfield positions, Clark relies on patience at the plate and good contact to overcome his lack of power.