MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Brewers today acquired outfielder Carlos Gomez from Minnesota in exchange for shortstop J.J. Hardy. The announcement was made by Executive Vice President and General Manager Doug Melvin.

“Carlos brings to our club great speed, athleticism and energy at a position that we needed to fill,” said Melvin. “His defense will serve as a key component to us improving our pitching. At only 24 years of age, Carlos can further develop the offensive aspect of his game and give us a different look to our lineup.”

Gomez batted .229 with 3 HR, 28 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 137 games with Minnesota this season. He made 86 starts in center field and committed just one error. The highlight of his season came on October 6 vs. Detroit when he scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the 12th inning of the Twins’ victory in the American League Central tie-breaker game.

In 2008, his first full season in the Major Leagues, he batted .258 with 7 HR, 59 RBI and a team-leading 33 stolen bases in 153 games, including 143 starts in center field. He set a Twins single-season record with 30 bunt hits, leading the Major Leagues, and produced 50 infield hits overall, which ranked second only to Ichiro Suzuki (52).

Gomez was acquired by the Twins on February 2, 2008 as the key player in the deal that sent two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana to the Mets. He joined the Twins after being ranked as the Mets’ third-best prospect by Baseball America heading into that season.

Hardy, 27, batted .229 with 11 HR and 47 RBI in 115 games with the Brewers this season.

“J.J. has been a steady performer for the Brewers,” said Melvin. “His professionalism and popularity with our fans and his teammates made this difficult, but he has been given the opportunity to go to a great organization to play and perform at the high level he is capable of playing.”