It's Super Bowl week, and for me, that always meant baseball wasn't that far away. The Brewers are only a few weeks away from pitchers and catchers, and hopes are high after last season's playoff run. The outlook for The Crew is better than almost every one of our local teams right now (considering the Packers were 6-10, the Bucks hopes took a hit with the Michael Redd injury, the Badgers continue to stumble through the Big Ten season, and UWM just got blasted by Butler). In fact, outside of the Brewers, the only fans I know that are happy right now are Marquette fans.
The Brewers just had their Winter Warm Up this past weekend. Thousands of fans stopped by the Midwest Airlines Center to check it out. They also got a chance to meet some of their favorite players, and saw their new Hall of Fame closer on display as the team opened up Trevor Hoffman's introductory news conference to the public. The mood was generally upbeat.
And, on the surface, why shouldn't it be? The Brewers made the playoffs last season for the first time in twenty-six seasons. They were a uniting force in a city that has been hit hard by the struggling economy. For three hours a night, even though it was one big roller coaster ride, the Brewers made everyone forget about their troubles. Given their youth, shouldn't expectations for this season be sky high?
On paper maybe, but they don't play the game on paper. They play it on a diamond, and that's where the Brewers took some major hits this off-season.
We all know what has been lost in the starting rotation. CC Sabathia is a New York Yankee, and it doesn't appear as if Ben Sheets is going to come back to The Crew with his tail between his legs (the Mets, Rangers, and Yankees all appear to have interest). That means the rotation will consist of Yovani Gallardo (coming off a knee injury), Manny Parra (who needs to become more consistent), Jeff Suppan (The 42 Million Dollar Man), Dave Bush, and Seth McClung make up new manager Ken Macha's starting rotation. It doesn't quite compete with the five that the Cubs (Carlos Zambrano, Ryan Dempster, Rich Harden, Tedd Lilly, and Sean Marshall) are putting out there, does it?
But the two starters aren't all the Brewers lost. Even though Salomon Torres has been replaced by Hoffman, the rest of the bullpen looks a little weaker than it did a year ago. Brian Shouse, the lefty specialist, appears to be headed elsewhere, meaning Mitch Stetter takes over that role. Shouse wasn't spectacular, but he was steady, and for the most part, the runners he inherited stayed where they were. Guillermo Mota was up and down last season, but he was more up than down so his departure to the Dodgers stings. The Brewers seem confident in Jorge Julio as one of their new setup men, but Julio, after flaming out with the Orioles, has pitched for six teams in three seasons (the Mets, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Rockies, Indians, and Braves). That track record doesn't do much for me.
The Crew also lost Gabe Kapler to the Tampa Bay Rays. Kapler isn't a star, but he's the kind of player every team needs. How many clutch hits did he have for this Brewers team last season? You might not be able to play him every day, but he was more than solid as a fourth outfielder. The team took a flier on Trot Nixon, but it appears as if his best days are behind him.
Rickie Weeks and his .234 batting average are still playing second base. How much longer can the organization wait for Weeks to deliver on all of that potential? Bill Hall will probably get the bulk of the at bats at third base, and even if he doesn't, Mike Lamb isn't anything to write home about.
The Brewers were willing to spend over $100 million dollars to keep CC Sabathia here, but outside of signing Hoffman, giving a new deal to Prince Fielder, and some minor moves, the team looks weaker than the team that it did last October.
In the meantime, the team that finished above the Brewers in the standings last year - the Cubs, got stronger. They re-signed Ryan Dempster, handed hard throwing Carlos Marmol the closer's job, and signed Milton Bradley to a big money deal. Bradley can be a hothead, but when he is right he is very good.
That's how the Cubs got better. They're the team the Brewers have to beat in the NL Central. The Mets are probably the team they have to beat as far as the wildcard is concerned, and they got stronger with the K-Rod signing and the trade for J.J. Putz.
I know that pitchers and catchers are about a month away. And I know that both owner Mark Attanasio and GM Doug Melvin would tell me there's still time to sign one of the remaining free agent starters, that things can still happen.
But, given Attanasio's comments about the payroll late last week, it seems unlikely the Brewers will dip into the free agent pool before opening up shop in Arizona next month.
And if that's the case, 2009 could be a bumpier ride than 2008 was.
As I said, I'm trying to think happy thoughts, but my concerns are winning out right now.
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