Bullpen makeover begins with Choate

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MILWAUKEE -- The Brewers signed free agent reliever Randy Choate on Wednesday, but may have to wait a while for Francisco Cordero.
Two days after making their first formal offer to Cordero, the team signed 32-year-old left-hander Choate to a one-year contract and added him to the 40-man roster. Choate pitched in two games for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2007, but spent most of the year at Triple-A Tucson, where he posted a 2.98 ERA in 55 games. He is currently pitching in the Dominican Republic.

A career reliever, Choate has a 4.64 ERA in 196 games with the Yankees and Diamondbacks. The sidearmer has relatively even splits against left-handed and right-handed batters -- lefties have hit .242 against him and righties .258 -- but Choate could win a spot as a complement to left-handed relief specialist Brian Shouse in the Milwaukee bullpen.

The Official Site of Milwaukee Brewers: News: Milwaukee Brewers News (http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20071114&content_id=2300418&vkey=news_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil)

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MILWAUKEE -- The Milwaukee Brewers today signed LHP Randy Choate to a one-year contract. He was added to the 40-man roster, which now stands at 35.

Choate, 32, spent most of the 2007 season at Triple-A Tucson, where he went 3-1 with a 2.98 ERA and three saves in 55 relief appearances. He also made a pair of relief appearances with the Diamondbacks. Choate is currently pitching for Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League, where he is 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA and one save in 12 relief appearances while holding opponents to a .195 batting average.

The Official Site of Milwaukee Brewers: Official Info: Press Release (http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20071114&content_id=2300409&vkey=pr_mil&fext=.jsp&c_id=mil)