By Andy Tarnoff Publisher Published Nov 25, 2015 at 9:57 AM

Any time we see "Ryan Braun" trending on Twitter, we need to take a second look, especially when it’s November and he’s coming off back surgery.

Obviously – as Braun would say – it’s because he’s in Milwaukee to take donations for the Hunger Task Force. Right?

Obviously – as Braun would say twice by now – the Brewers are in major rebuilding mode, but no real credible sources have any credible information to share about when, where and why Milwaukee might send him (San Francisco and Cleveland have been mentioned, but not by anyone with inside knowledge). Just because some guy tweets it doesn't make it real.

And it looks like we weren't the only ones wondering what's up:

After all, check these numbers out. This is his salary over the next five seasons:

  • 2016: $19 million
  • 2017: $19 million
  • 2018: $19 million
  • 2019: $18 million
  • 2020: $16 million

That's a lot for a team that has dumped most of its "aging," high-priced talent.

Also, Braun is coming off a surgery that I, myself, had in 2011. He had a microdiscetomy to repair a herniated disc. Doctors told both of us it was a chip shot, but my body is still not the same. Granted, I’m not an elite athlete like Braun, but I certainly didn’t find it to be the minor procedure I expected. I will be personally surprised if Braun ever puts up number like he did before 2011.

Or maybe he's just spreading some Thanksgiving cheer.

So what do you think? Will we see Braun in a Brewers uniform in 2016 or beyond? My gut says yes, then no. Obviously (as he would say again), it just doesn’t make sense. Something to think about as you make your donation to a worthy cause this holiday season.

Andy Tarnoff Publisher

Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.

Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.

Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.