As the Milwaukee Brewers continue to work out under the Arizona sun, expectations back home continue to rise. An 81-81 finish last season was hardly earth-shattering, but it still represented an end to a dozen consecutive seasons of futility.
Contrary to popular belief, there were no parades after last season. And while fans and pundits alike have chided the team and other fans for what has been perceived as elation over a non-winning/non-losing season, you would be hard pressed to find anybody in the Brewers organization ready to rest on those laurels.
Listen to manager Ned Yost talk, and he'll explain to you that this is all part of a journey. A rebuilding process is not completed overnight, and getting through a season without losing more games than you win is a major step towards the eventual goal of winning a championship.
Winning a championship, though, is not the ultimate goal for this franchise. That's probably the single biggest reason you don't see general managers trying to get Mark Attanasio to break the bank to sign a "big name" free agent, and why Doug Melvin continues to look for top-flight prospects when he can get his hands on them.
Winning a championship would be fine and dandy for the Brewers, but Yost, Melvin and Attanasio expect more. Their ultimate goal isn't just to win a championship; the goal is to be in a position to win a championship year after year.
So instead of lambasting management for its off-season moves -- or lack thereof -- perhaps now would be an appropriate time to look at the big picture, and realize that the Brewers want to become a perennial contender, and not just a one- or two-year flash in the pan.
In order to do that, Melvin continues to scour the waiver wire in an effort to find the next Scott Podsednik, Brady Clark, Matt Wise, and Derrick Turnbow. He'll continue to pick up prospects where he can so his farm system is overflowing with talent that will either sustain a level of competitive play for years to come, or be used to pick up a veteran arm or heavy bat when the team is in the position to need somebody to get them over the hump at the trading deadline.
You don't hear the franchise using Milwaukee's small-market status as an excuse anymore. You don't hear Melvin saying the team can't win because it doesn't have the resources.
But you won't hear Attanasio saying he will spend his hard-earned money foolishly. Because Milwaukee is a small market, Melvin needs to be prudent when he opens the checkbook. Sure, the Brewers' sophomore owner has a pretty healthy portfolio, but he's not about to throw it away on a $10 million-a-year left hander who hasn't had much more luck keeping the ball in the park than Jorge De La Rosa.
At the same time, you won't see the Brewers' decision-makers spending a million bucks or more to bring in a malcontent outfielder who's attitude could destroy a positive clubhouse full of young, impressionable players, just because he's a famous name.
No, you won't see Melvin doing any of that. You'll continue to see him dig through the clearance racks for the best deal, and swindle his cohorts like he did when he gave up Richie Sexson for seven players two years ago.
It comes down to this; the Brewers are not being managed or operated by idiots. There are plans in place on both the baseball and business sides of the operations. Nobody involved with the team is content with finishing 81-81.
And whether the Brewers win 80 games this year or 90, the team is going to stick to that plan. While it would be great to go to the playoffs this year, it's not worth mortgaging the future of the franchise for it.
During the long, bitter, and embarrassing debate to finance Miller Park, the motto used by a previous administration was "Build it NOW." This time, the Brewers want to "Build it RIGHT."
