During another cold winter, with the state focused on Brett Favre’s potential retirement, the Milwaukee Brewers reached a critical moment in their development.
Optimism eroded last season. The team, thought to be a contender before being felled by injuries, failed to post a winning record for the 14th consecutive year. The Brewers needed help beyond healing arms and bones.
Over dinner, they recruited pitcher Jeff Suppan, the reigning MVP of the National League Championship Series. The Brewers’ free-agent budget is usually change in couch cushions. If they miss on a big-name signing, it can set them back for years.
But general manager Doug Melvin and his staff believed a perfect storm was at work, that it was time to act, to legitimize a youth movement with a proven arm. With a $42 million check, he bought four years of Suppan and six weeks of baseball that has Wisconsin buzzing about something besides the upcoming Summerfest musical festival.
The Brewers, for too long a punch line, own baseball’s best record and talent that suggest they will finally be playing in October for the first time since 1982.
“Suppan’s contract was a big number for us and people thought we overpaid,” Melvin said. “But the one thing about Suppan is that he wins, and he has that competitive fire. A lot of this is timing. If we had signed him last year it wouldn’t have helped. But we believed our young players were ready to take that next step and we wanted Suppan’s consistency.”
What’s refreshing about the Brewers is that they know who they are. Opportunity knocked on the door and Melvin greeted it with flowers. Even better, he told his manager, Ned Yost, to guide this team with urgency. Forget talking about the process and the kids and advertising slogans – just let it rip.
“Ned’s done the right thing, telling the players to focus on one game. We need to try to win every game and forget about tomorrow. I told Ned we will worry about tomorrow tomorrow,” Melvin said. “To just sit back and wait because it’s a long season, that doesn’t work for us. Wins are very important in April.”
Good luck and a strong direction cannot explain a start of this magnitude. The Brewers are bubbling with several promising young players. Melvin will be the first to admit that in any wave of prospects, you’re lucky if two all-stars come ashore.
Melvin has a threesome that causes fellow GMs to drop their jaws and show their fillings: 23-year-old masher Prince Fielder, who has 11 home runs; 24-year-old second baseman Rickie Weeks; and 24-year-old shortstop J.J. Hardy, who has clubbed 11 home runs.
Yet as Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski told me during the World Series, “You can’t win with just your prospects.”
This is where Melvin showed off his deft touch in the face of extreme backlash. He added closer Francisco Cordero last season, giving up unaffordable Carlos Lee. Claudio Vargas, Johnny Estrada, Dave Bush and Gabe Gross arrived by trade at the expense of popular players Doug Davis and Lyle Overbay.
Of course, there are those who aren’t buying in, believing the next 19 games against the Mets, Phillies, Twins, Dodgers, Padres and Braves will expose Milwaukee as a fraud. Smart money, however, is on the Brewers being this year’s Tigers.
Footnotes
The Rockies continue poking around for relief help and haven’t given up on Dan Kolb, Ron Villone or Jose Capellan…. Cubs fans have another reason to flood my e-mail box. I was dead wrong on the Jason Marquis signing. Thought it was a reach at the price. Marquis, instead, has been one of the season’s best pitchers….With all the money spent this winter, there’s a feeling that the Cubs won’t re-sign catcher Michael Barrett. He would have no shortage of suitors. … The Blue Jays’ slide could impact other playoff races if they stage a garage sale. Third baseman Troy Glaus is a prime trade candidate to go – San Diego would be a great fit – though he’d have to sign off an any deal….Giants announcer Mike Krukow came to Barry Bonds’ defense last week, calling Curt Schilling an “idiot.” Schilling labeled Bonds “bad” people and later apologized….Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine on Sammy Sosa’s terrific start: “He was determined when he came back to be a force. His goal was never just to get to 600 home runs. He told us all along that he expected to hit more than 35 home runs and drive in 100 runs.” … For Jeff Weaver, it’s déjà vu all over again. There’s a growing possibility he will be released by Seattle, leaving him in position to return to St. Louis….That broadcaster Rick Dempsey wasn’t suspended for his domestic violence joke is shocking. Dempsey is one of the game’s famous clowns, but some discipline was in order…. The outlawing of alcohol in home clubhouses is a symbolic answer to a legal issue. Teams don’t want to be a link in the chain if a player gets a DUI. Truth is, I have never seen a player drunk in the clubhouse. And these days guys don’t hang around and discuss the game over a few beers like they did even a decade ago.
AT ISSUE
ARE 20 CLEMENS STARTS WORTH HALF THE ROCKIES’ ROSTER?
What: Brace yourself. Roger Clemens – and this really is hard to believe – was pulled kicking and screaming out of retirement for the fourth consecutive year. Boxers everywhere wonder why they are the only ones who get a bad rap for not hanging up the gloves for good.
Background: After starting 10 different pitchers in their first 30 games, after falling into last place in the AL East, the Yankees gleefully paid Clemens $28 million to rejoin them. The Rockies’ payroll is $54 million. Clemens will get approximately $1 million per start and not be required to be with the team when not pitching, a clause that had grown aggravating in Houston, an organization he helped lead to its first World Series two years ago.
Renck’s take: Clemens operates as the world’s highest-paid temp for the same reason rock stars date supermodels: Because he can. As tired as this silly high school courtship has become the past few years, Clemens lives up to his billing. Last season, his 2.30 ERA was baseball’s lowest after his return. But there are two factors working against the Rocket in his second tour with the Yankees: He’s returning to the American League Beast, er, East, which chews up aging legends (see Johnson, Randy), and the Yankees’ bullpen is ill-suited to protect leads for 12 outs if Clemens can consistently work only five or six innings. Don’t be fooled about this talk of him mentoring Philip Hughes. Clemens came back for two reasons: the money (he tints his hair and lifts weights, so the guy’s effectively vain, OK) and a shot at a ring. In that order.
EYE ON …
DAN HAREN, RHP, ATHLETICS
Background: Baseball’s importance to Haren was evident in his college choice. He went to Pepperdine. Any player who can concentrate while playing on a field overlooking the ocean – think scenes from MTV’s “Laguna Beach” – obviously loves the game. Haren breezed through the St. Louis Cardinals’ system before being shipped off with reliever Kiko Calero and catcher Daric Barton to the A’s for left-hander Mark Mulder.
What’s up: Haren is Exhibit Z in the dangers of trading a prospect for an established vet. He’s 31-27 with Oakland the past two-plus seasons and is working on a four-year, $12.65 million contract that carries him through the 2009 season. Mulder has gone 22-15 while making $18.25 million and won’t return until late June or early July because of arm surgery.
What’s next: Haren ranks in the top 10 in ERA (1.89), top 20 in strikeouts and isn’t afraid to throw his changeup in any count. If the A’s get hot, we could be looking at the All-Star Game starter. “He’s definitely worked his way into the group of pitchers that can be considered aces,” A’s assistant general manager David Forst said. “He is tireless in the weight room, and he is as dedicated to watching video and studying the advance reports as anyone we’ve had here.”
Renck’s take: One shot of mulligan, bartender. When I predicted Rich Harden would win the Cy Young, I meant Haren. A simple typo. Haren has a trait that separates him from most young pitchers: He doesn’t fear contact. He will continue to pump strikes and make hitters beat him. The only time he nibbles is presumably at the dinner table. Infielders love playing behind a pitcher who goes after guys and works quickly. Haren’s emergence explains why the A’s will consider trading Harden for a bounty of young players when he comes off the disabled list.
THE RISE AND FALL
TIGERS, TIGERS BURNING BRIGHT
THREE UP
1. Tigers: Even without Kenny Rogers on identical pace to last season.
2. Brewers: Remember the 2006 Tigers? That’s this year’s Brewers.
3. Braves: Welcome back to stardom, Tim Hudson. Missed you last season.
THREE DOWN
1. Blue Jays: Team ripped for lying about B.J. Ryan’s injury; Gibbons’ seat simmering.
2. Nationals: Raise your hand if you haven’t pitched for Nationals this season.
3. Padres: Need power as Kevin Kouzmanoff struggles to hit Kate Moss’ weight.
Staff writer Troy E. Renck can be reached at 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com.
