Milwaukee Brewers swing anothe...

For the second time this winter, the Milwaukee Brewers have reached an agreement with the Seattle Mariners. On Saturday, the Brewers traded reliever Justin Topa for pitching prospect Joseph Hernandez, part of a congested bullpen picture. Topa, 31, pitched for the Brewers for portions of three seasons, totaling 17 appearances.  Topa's stint with the Brewers was hindered by injuries, first with a flexor tendon strain that kept him out for most of 2021, and then with elbow difficulties that caused him to begin 2022 on the 60-day disabled list. Topa, who was signed out of independent league baseball prior to 2019, entered the major league picture due to his power sinker and slider combo. He made his debut with Milwaukee in 2020, giving two earned runs in seven and a third innings and projected to be a significant part of the bullpen going forward before injuries struck. Hernandez was named the California League Pitcher of the Year in 2022 after leading the league in ERA (3.39), strikeouts, and walks (143). Because of his outstanding slider, FanGraphs ranked him as the Mariners' No. 13 prospect. Hernandez has a 4.04 ERA in 196 23 innings of minor league work. Earlier this offseason, the Brewers acquired Jesse Winker and Abraham Toro in exchange for Kolten Wong.