Warm up the Rumor Mill

The Brewers front office has lived up to one of its promises by jettisoning the enigmatic Alex Sanchez. Ulice Payne, Bob Melvin and Ned Yost promised the attitude of the organization would change first and they are delivering. The previous regime would never have had the wherewithal to show Sanchez the door, whether for mid-level prospects or even a used pine-tar rag.

The Brewers have started the trading barrage and it needs to continue up to the annual trading deadline. The Brewers have a handful of serviceable players that have enough value to contending teams that the Brewers could pry away prospects for players that aren't included in the long-term rebuilding plans of the franchise. Those players range form the slumping Royce Clayton to the Brewers only star, Richie Sexson.

Last year the Brewers were able to trade a couple of veterans for younger players with potential. The best trade was Tyler Houston for Ben Diggins. Diggins, who began the year at Double AA Huntsville, is now at extended spring training nursing a sore right elbow. Diggins may be the closer of the future and was pitching strongly as a starter in Huntsville before he came down with the sore wing.

The Brewers also parlayed players like Alex Ochoa and Mark Loretta into the likes of Pedro Loriano and Keith Ginter. The Brewers have many more valuable options on the roster this year. Taking advantage of teams desperate to stay in the pennant race will be a key to the rebuilding process of this franchise.

The Brewers top tradable commodity is Richie Sexson. The Brewers' rebuilding process to that of the Twins in the late '90s, who kick-started their effort by trading their only all-star Chuck Knoblauch to the impatient Yankees for Eric Milton and all-star shortstop Cristian Guzman. This trade was maligned in Minneapolis but has been the key to back-to-back division championships the past two years.

The Yankees are in exactly the same position this year that they were back in 1997. George Steinbrenner is ready to implode if he doesn't get another slugger in the line-up now that Bernie Williams is hurt, Jason Giambi is slumping and Hideki Matsui looks more like second coming of Wade Boggs than Barry Bonds. The Yankees still are stocked with talent in the minors, as are other teams that could use a .280-45-120 hitting first baseman. Teams like the A's and Dodgers are stacked with pitching but have no punch in the lineup. The Braves and the Twins are also getting it done with second-rate first basemen.

The Brewers need not ring the death bell on their current situation, since it is already dead. It would definitely hurt the already slumping attendance to trade their best and only marketable player, but for a franchise that is building from the ground up, it is an option that needs to be done. Brad Nelson and Prince Fielder offer hope for the future of the Brewers first base position.

Other players on the trading block include Mike DeJean and Curtis Leskanic. All teams could bolster their bullpen for the stretch run, but teams like Boston and St. Louis should be climbing over each other for the opportunity to get a proven reliever/closer.

The Brewers have no need for both Leskanic and DeJean—or either of them for that matter. A team that only wins 60 games offers very few opportunities for the bullpen to close out games. A couple of blown saves from less experienced guys like Jayson Durocher would not kill the team. In fact, how much difference is there between 52 and 60 wins?

A player that Brewers need to move is Jeffrey Hammonds. It wouldn't exactly be a trade because the Brewers would probably have to foot the bill for the rest of Hammonds' ridiculous contact. Getting a young player for him would be the only value the organization received in his three-year tenure with the club. Hammonds should yield a mid-level pitching prospect from a team looking for a fourth outfielder. When healthy Hammonds produces—but “when” should be in caps.

Teams fighting for the pennant also may be interested in veteran role players. Eric Young is having his best season in years, proving that he still has some life in his 36-year-old legs. Young is also proving that he can lead off with a respectable OBP. If the Brewers were able to get value for Loretta, they should definitely be able to get value for the season Young is having.

Finally, there are a bunch of Brewers that should have “for rent” signs on their chests—namely Royce Clayton, John VanderWal and Eddie Perez. Clayton, the only player in this group signed past next year, could fit into a defensive role on a team that doesn't need him to step to the plate. VanderWal is no stranger to the postseason having put up good number with the Padres in 1998 and the Yankees last year. The same goes for Eddie Perez, who was the NLCS MVP in 1999 with the Atlanta Braves. Greg Maddux might not mind having his personal catcher back.

The only player mentioned that should rightfully be considered part of the Brewers' future plans is Sexson. He is also the only player that the Brewers could trade for top-notch talent. Sexson is still only 28 and has a year left on his contact, which makes him even more valuable. He wouldn't be a rent-a-player and still has his prime years left in front of him. It is a tough decision, but Melvin should strongly consider a blockbuster deal if it comes along.

The rest of the Brewers are mostly in their 30s and not part of a long-term plan. The Brewers need to turn their major league talent into minor league prospects to add to what they have going at Huntsville, High Desert and Beloit.

This team is being built for the 2005. Making some of these trades will continue the rebuilding process that they have started. Sometimes unpopular trades need to be made in order to move a franchise forward (see Ray Allen for Gary Payton/Desmond Mason). In Doug Melvin we must trust.

Draft Notes:

At the 11th hour the Baltimore Orioles came to terms with their 2002 1st round draft choice Adam Loewen. Loewen received a signing bonus in the four million dollar range to go along with his five year four million dollar contract. This means the Brewers most likely will select Southern University's Rickie Weeks. Weeks is a middle infielder with all of the tools. He has a shortstop's arm and hit .493 in 48 games with 15 HR, 62 RBI and 27 stolen bases in 27 attempts.

This is contingent on Tampa Bay selecting California high school star Delmon Young, who has emerged as the top prospect in the draft. Young took batting practice at Miller Park and some of the Brewers officials still haven't picked up their jaws after the 17-year-old's display of power. There is a possibility the Brewers might select Wake Forest right-hander Kyle Sleeth, but Weeks' all-around skills might be difficult to pass up.