The Leader

Issue date: 8/30/06 Section: Sports

Finally, the Brewers have more upside than the Packers. The Brewers have not finished as high as second place since 1992, but there are enough seeds and sprouts on this team to rile up fans in anticipation for a second or even first place finish in the foreseeable future.

 

In July, several Brewers fans voiced their displeasure on the Brewers official website regarding the recent trade that sent Brewers top slugger Carlos Lee and arguably the team’s best five-tool outfield prospect (Nelson Cruz) to the Texas Rangers for a very adequate left fielder (Kevin Mench), a decent outfield prospect with past injury problems (Laynce Nix), a raw, left-handed pitching prospect (Julian Cordero), and a former all-star closer (Francisco Cordero—no relation to Julian) who had since been demoted to set-up man because of a Turnbow-like fall earlier this year.

 

While trading away one’s top run producer may seem like a huge loss on paper, there are many factors relating to this trade about which optimists can smile. Carlos Lee wanted at least a five year contract and while his bat may be worth the huge amount of money he is sure to demand, he would likely become a considerable defensive liability in left field before that five years is up due to his robust build and only-human legs. Because the Brewers are in the National League, they cannot make him a designated hitter, and a move to first base is out of the question because of a man named Prince. Therefore, Carlos Lee does not realistically fit comfortably into the Brewers long term plans anyway, so trading him this season and getting a little something in return rather than letting him walk away for nothing at the end of the season as a free agent was the right move.

 

Furthermore, if the Brewers did sign Lee to an expensive contract extension, it would have been difficult to retain key players like Bill Hall and Chris Capuano who are eligible for arbitration after this season and likely to get a significant raise.

 

Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture. The Brewers have two all-star caliber closers in Derick Turnbow and Francisco Cordero; they have a young and exciting infield consisting of Bill Hall, JJ Hardy, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder; they have an outfield full of possibilities with Geoff Jenkins, Kevin Mench, Brady Clark, Gabe Gross, Corey Hart, Tony Gwynn Jr. and Lance Nix; and they have starting pitchers Ben Sheets, Chris Capuano, Doug Davis, Tomo Okha, Dave Bush and hot prospect Zack Jackson. I know there are some question marks due to recent down years and injuries, but this is the team without considering what General Manager Doug Melvin will do in the off-season to address those potential problems.

 

Brewers fans should not be upset because the team does not appear World Series bound this year; they should be excited at the long-term possibilities. That cry may sound familiar, but now the team has the front office, coaches and players capable of backing up the claim. The current combination of Brewers Owner Mark Attanasio, General Manager Doug Melvin, and Manager Ned Yost, appear to be dedicated and capable of creating a powerful baseball franchise here in Milwaukee that will deserve as much respect from Wisconsin sports fans as the beloved Packers.

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