It’s been a cold and blustery winter in Wisconsin, but things are beginning to heat up in Milwaukee as the Brewers have made some recent splashes in free agency.

Over the past month, the Brewers have made free agent deals with veteran Lyle Overbay, first baseman Mark Reynolds and big name pitcher Matt Garza.

You could point to any of these three guys and try to guess what you can expect from each of them, but truthfully no one really knows what to expect from these veterans. That’s the scary thing for Brewer fans as the offseason comes to a close.

Lyle Overbay, a 36-year-old former Brewer first baseman became a fan favorite years ago at Miller Park, when fans started holding up O’s with their arms and yelling the letter O during every one of his at bats. Now after making stops in five different cities over eight seasons, Overbay is back with the Brewers.

He is a powerful lefty batter with a solid glove that I believe could make solid contributions with a young Brewers squad while splitting time with Mark Reynolds at first base. Overbay hit .240 with 14 home runs for the Yankees last year, and is at the stage in his career where he is known as the crafty old veteran who will step in when you need him.

The next guy on the list is 30-year-old veteran corner infielder Mark Reynolds. Reynolds is a hit or miss type of player, he’s the guy who will either strike out or hit a homerun. But no matter what, at the end of the year he will always have over 20 long balls and that’s something that the Brewers covet.

Last year with the Indians and Yankees, Reynolds hit .236 with a .455 slugging percentage while belting 21 home runs. He’s a player who I think might surprise some people, he is the kind of guy who can step in and take a majority of the load at first base and put up solid numbers.

 Even though Reynolds strikes out way too much (he has recorded over 200 in three separate seasons), his ability to play the corner infield spots at a high level while putting up big numbers in the home run category is crucial to the franchise.

But the most recent signing for the Brewers this off-season and likely the final one is Matt Garza, a big name top of the rotation pitcher who could possibly anchor a struggling Brewer pitching staff. The knock on Garza is big though, he has been on the disabled list four times since 2009 due to elbow and shoulder problems.

Garza is a guy who won’t overpower you by any means, but he has solid command and a good fastball to put batters out. This signing can go one of two ways, it could be a major flop if Garza’s injury problems pop up again, but it also could resurrect a rather meager pitching staff after Kyle Lohse and Yovani Gallardo.

Many believe the four year 50 million dollar deal is too much, but I think the risk is well worth it because of what he has shown he can do.

As fans count down the days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training, current players and new signees will begin to prepare for a season that many seem to be pessimistic about.

Yes, these off-season moves aren’t big splashes by any means, but I think they give this young franchise and its wonderful fanbase something to look forward too.