By Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com Published Mar 27, 2007 at 9:48 PM

PHOENIX -- With Brady Clark en route to Los Angeles, Laynce Nix headed for the disabled list and Mike Rivera on his way to Class AAA Nashville, it appears that outfielder Tony Gwynn, Jr., and utility man Vinny Rottino are the candidates for the final spot on the Brewers' roster.

Rottino, a 26-year-old native of Racine who played in college at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, could have the upper hand because of his versatility.

Rottino, who appeared in nine games for the Brewers last season, can play catcher, third base, first base, left field and right field. Gwynn is strictly an outfielder. Although Gwynn has hit better than Rottino this spring (.333 to .222) and may have the brighter big-league future, the Brewers probably would rather see him get regular playing time in Nashville than sit the bench behind Bill Hall, Geoff Jenkins, Kevin Mench, Corey Hart and Gabe Gross.

With a few days left in camp, several pitchers are vying for the last bullpen spot. Francisco Cordero, Derrick Turnbow, Matt Wise, Elmer Dessens and Carlos Villanueva appear to have wrapped up their spots, which leaves Jose Capellan, Chris Spurling and Greg Aquino as the likely candidates to win the final job.

Trade: The Brewers shipped minor-league right-hander Ben Hendrickson to Kansas City on Tuesday in exchange for catcher Maxim St. Pierre.

Hendrickson, 26, put up solid numbers in the minors but faltered in a handful of big-league opportunities (1-10, 7.41 ERA). He was removed from the 40-man roster last week and requested a trade.

St. Pierre, who was born in Quebec City, Quebec, hit .254 in 10 minor-league seasons with Detroit. He signed with Kansas City as a minor-league free agent during the winter and will likely begin the season with Class AA Huntsville.

Drew Olson Special to OnMilwaukee.com

Host of “The Drew Olson Show,” which airs 1-3 p.m. weekdays on The Big 902. Sidekick on “The Mike Heller Show,” airing weekdays on The Big 920 and a statewide network including stations in Madison, Appleton and Wausau. Co-author of Bill Schroeder’s “If These Walls Could Talk: Milwaukee Brewers” on Triumph Books. Co-host of “Big 12 Sports Saturday,” which airs Saturdays during football season on WISN-12. Former senior editor at OnMilwaukee.com. Former reporter at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.