Wright, who will be 26 on Sunday, was designated for assignment last week by the Yankees to make room on their 40-man roster after re-signing free agent left-hander Andy Pettitte. That move gave New York 10 days to trade him, release him or have him accept a minor-league assignment.

"(Yankees general manager) Brian (Cashman) didn't have to put him on waivers," said Brewers general manager Doug Melvin, who is on a scouting trip in the Dominican Republic.

"He had enough interest from other teams to get a player back. We had to step up and trade Fryer to get him."

The Brewers also announced the signing of former Yankees reliever Ramiro Mendoza, 36, who hasn't pitched in the majors since 2005, to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training. The right-hander spent the last couple of years recovering from shoulder and hip surgeries but impressed the Brewers in a workout last week in Tampa.

Wright was added to the Brewers' 40-man roster and invited to their spring camp. A third-round draft pick in 2001, Wright was 8-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 16 starts at Class AA Trenton last season and 2-1 with a 2.41 ERA in six starts after being promoted to Class AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

With only five established starters on their roster and a tight budget, the Brewers will give Wright a chance to make his case in spring training. With a minor-league option remaining, Wright at the least can provide depth at Class AAA Nashville.

"He has had a lot of success in the minor leagues," said Melvin. "We're thin in pitching prospects at the upper levels. Our scout who saw him liked him and our stats guy, Dave Lawson, likes his numbers. So, we had two thumbs up."

Wright had mixed results during his only stint with the Yankees early in the 2007 season. He went 2-0 in three outings (two starts) but compiled a 7.20 ERA and surrendered four consecutive home runs in a game in Boston, becoming only the second major-league pitcher to suffer that fate.

"He was the pitcher of the year in the Florida State League in 2006 and the Yankees rushed him to the big leagues," said Melvin. "They pushed him too hard and he had a setback. We figured he was worth a shot."

Wright depends on a two-seam fastball in the 89-92 mph range to get groundball outs. He also has a good curveball and decent changeup, with deception in his delivery.

In 131 innings last season, Wright allowed 111 hits with 43 walks and 72 strikeouts.

Fryer, 23, was a 10th-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2007. He played last season at low Class A West Virginia, where he batted a league-best .335 with 26 doubles, 10 home runs and 63 RBI in 104 games. Fryer started 39 games at catcher and 55 in the outfield.

"He had a good year, but we have (Angel) Salome and (Jonathan) Lucroy ahead of him, so we think we're OK with catching," said Melvin.

Mendoza was a staple of the Yankees' bullpen from 1996-2002 before pitching two seasons for Boston. He was a member of five World Series champion teams and went 59-40 with a 4.29 ERA in 342 appearances, with 16 saves.

Mendoza jumped back on the radar of scouts over the winter in Venezuela, going 4-0 with a 1.62 ERA in 21 relief outing for Cardenales de Lara. In 33 1/3 innings, he allowed 35 hits with three walks and 18 strikeouts.

"We worked him out and he was throwing 88-90 (mph) with sink," said Melvin. "He's a groundball guy. He threw the ball well in Venezuela and we're always looking to add experienced guys in the bullpen."

Mendoza is scheduled to pitch for Panama in the World Baseball Classic and Melvin said he would be allowed to do so.

Copyright 2009, Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved. (Note: This notice does not apply to those news items already copyrighted and received through wire services or other media.)