The Brewers, looking to lock up their core of young talent for the long-term, took a major step in that direction Thursday by signing leftfielder Ryan Braun to an eight-year contract worth $45 million.

"It's a great day for the Brewers and the city of Milwaukee," general manager Doug Melvin said at a press conference Thursday morning.

One of the National League's best young offensive players, Braun is batting .286 this season and leads the team with 30 runs batted in, 14 doubles, 94 total bases, 48 hits and a .560 slugging percentage. Hours after signing the contract, he hit his 10th homer of the season to surpass Bill Hall for the team lead.

Braun was called up to the Brewers on May 24, 2007 and hit .324 with 34 home runs and 97 RBI in 113 games. His National League-best .634 slugging percentage set a major league record for rookies. He was named Rookie of the Year.

It wasn't just those numbers, though, that made Braun a candidate for such a record-setting deal. Melvin noted that when Braun was selected fifth overall in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft, he wanted to sign quickly and get right into the system.

Braun played at every level in Milwaukee's minor-league organization, hitting over .300 at every stop except for a 59-game stint with Class A Brevard County to open the 2006 season (he hit .274 with seven home runs and 37 RBI).

"From the day we signed him to a contract ... he wanted to go out and prove himself," Melvin said. "He had the confidence to do that. He went out and played at every level in our system. We challenged him; every time a situation came up, he met every challenge we put forth in front of him."

Braun's work ethic was evident after making a switch from third base to left field prior to this season. A shortstop in college, Braun moved to third base after he was drafted. The team never doubted his ability to hit the ball; catching and throwing it, on the other hand, were a much different story.

Braun led the majors with 29 errors at third base last season. The acquisition of centerfielder Mike Cameron, along with the departure of Geoff Jenkins, opened a hole in left field for Braun, who has prospered in the new position.

He has not committed an error in 40 starts this season and ranks among the NL leaders with three outfield assists.

The agreement provides some cost certainty for the team, which now avoids going to arbitration with Braun down the road. Braun, meanwhile, also forfeited his first year of free agency. Players cannot become free agents until they have amassed six years of major-league service time.

Attention now turns to the rest of the team's young players, most notably first baseman Prince Fielder, who is eligible for arbitration for the first time following this season. Fielder was disappointed in the team's decision to renew his contract in 2008, rather than offer a new, higher-priced contract, after he posted a 50-home run campaign a year ago.

The Brewers use a formula based on performance when offering contracts to players not yet eligible for arbitration. How that decision will affect a potential deal with Fielder, who is represented by hard-line agent Scott Boras, remains to be seen.

Melvin must also decide whether or not to work out deals with Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy and Rickie Weeks; all of those players will become eligible for arbitration after the season.

Most have them have played their way through the minor leagues together. Braun, for his part, would like to see many of his teammates follow suit.

"I hope this starts a trend," he said. "It would be great if we could all play together for a while."

Attanasio was quick to point out that working out a deal with Braun was not a matter of picking one player over another; the owner would like to work out deals with as many of his young stars as possible.

"We picked this whole group of players, Attanasio said. "Ryan was just the first one that we connected with.

"I'm hopeful that the other younger players are able to take a look at this and think about, more specifically now that they have a teammate to look at, that they might like to (sign a long-term deal) as well."

As part of the deal, the Brewers included a no-trade clause. The team cannot trade Braun for the first four years of contract. The clause limits trades to 12 teams for years five and six and to six teams for the final two years.

"It's a commitment I was ready to the make to the city of Milwaukee," Braun said. "The fans here have been unbelievable to me. I've really enjoyed playing here and I really believe in the direction that this organization is headed."

Attanasio left the details of the no-trade agreement up to Melvin and Ash, but understood that such deals are a part of the game, and a necessary sacrifice to a player willing to commit such a large portion of his life.

"It's very much a part of the business of baseball," Attanasio said. "It's one of the things that got negotiated at the end, but it was always something to be negotiated. Ryan wanted it, considering the commitment he was making to the team and to the city."

Attanasio, along with Doug Melvin, quietly entered into negotiations a few weeks back with Braun's agent, Nez Baleo. Earlier in the week, Attanasio told reporters that no deals were imminent at the time.

While negotiations took place, a market was established for other young players with similar credentials. Early in the season, the Rockies signed Troy Tulowitzki -- who finished second to Braun in last year's Rookie of the Year vote -- to a six-year, $31 million contract and Tampa Bay signed third baseman Evan Longoria to a six-year, $17.5 million deal.

Both Braun and Longoria were considered "zero-plus" players in terms of service time, while Tulowitzki would have been eligible for arbitration a year earlier than Braun, who would not have been eligible for arbitration until after the 2010 season.

"The fact that I have less than a year in the big leagues is something that really puts into perspective how far I've come and how fast it's come," Braun said. "For me to have the opportunity to secure my future financially is something that means a lot to me."