California native Randy Wolf's first Milwaukee appearance as a member of the Brewers couldn't have come on an uglier day.

Gray and gloomy skies with temperatures in the low 30s greeted the left-hander, who signed with the team last week during baseball's winter meetings.

"There's a dome here," Wolf said. "I won't have to worry about the (weather)."

The forecast aside, Wolf was nonetheless happy to be in the Brew City.

"They made it obvious that they wanted me here and the feeling is very mutual," Wolf said at a Miller Park press conference. "I want to be here."

"It goes back to my desire to win. I pay attention to what goes on in baseball They made a huge effort to bring CC (Sabathia) back (last season). They went against a team with a little bit bigger bank account, but the effort was real. They want to win.

"Making that trade, making that push... seeing effort continue is good to see."

In Wolf, who went 11-7 with a 3.23 ERA last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers, General Manager Doug Melvin hopes to have added a stablizing force to what was a battered starting rotation last season.

Wolf made a career-high 34 starts last season, striking out 160 batters in 214 innings. Opponents hit just .227 against him.

In 11 major league seasons, Wolf owns a 101-85 career record with a 4.13 ERA.

Melvin said that his staff did a thorough analysis on the available free-agent pitchers and, in the end, Wolf was the right fit for the team.

"He had extreme interest in coming here," Melvin said. "We held that in high regard."

"I wanted to know why the want to come to Milwaukee. He was sincere about having Milwaukee on his list."

Counsell brought back: The Brewers also announced Monday that the team reached an agreement with free agent infielder Craig Counsell.

At age 39, Counsell had an outstanding season, batting .285 in 140 games. He saw his role increase after second baseman Rickie Weeks went down with an injury and was one of the team's more consistent players.

"We're fortunate to have him come back here," Melvin said. "It's another sign of how sincere we are about winning."