Carlos Gomez

As Brewers fans slowly thaw this spring from a cold and unforgiving winter, they will be pleasantly surprised to see a Milwaukee team that addressed a much needed weak spot this offseason: Starting pitching. 

With the additions of Zack Greinke and Sean Marcum to a rotation already consisting Yovani Gallardo and Randy Wolf, the Brewers may now have enough pitching to compete with division rivals St. Louis and Cincinnati. 

It doesn't matter who is on the mound when an offense puts up 13 runs.

The Milwaukee Brewers find themselves at a pivotal crossroads as a franchise.

Unlike most mid-market franchises, the Brewers woes aren't the surefire sign of a fire sale and lengthy rebuilding process. Although there are structural issues with this team that point to bolstering their talent pool by trading some major league talent to this year's contenders. 

When the Twins and Brewers swapped Carlos Gomez and J.J. Hardy in the off-season, Minnesota GM Bill Smith and Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin were looking to improve their squads.

As both teams crank up the second half of the season they find themselves in third place of their repsective divisions. Both players have spent time on the DL list this season; Gomez for a strained rotator cuff and Hardy for a wrist injury. They also share the same number on their jersey, but the similarities end there.

So who's gotten the better end of this deal?

It has been a while since I've written anything in this space. The reason for that is two-fold.

First, I am the proud parent to a new baby boy (he's a month old today, as a matter of fact)! Second, the team hasn't exactly given me much in the way of motivation to sit down and really put forth any concerted effort.

As Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha fills out a lineup card that he hopes will remain consistent for six months this spring, summer, and fall, the task proves to be rather simple—not painstaking work. But upon second glance, one would realize that the two hole has been left empty by the Brewers' skipper. And the two names missing are Alcides Escobar and Carlos Gomez. 

Everyone knew J.J. Hardy would be traded from the Brewers after the 2009 season. Most felt his departure would bring the Brewers a starting pitcher to compete for a spot in the rotation in 2010.

No one expected a trade for a center fielder—especially when Mike Cameron said he was willing to sign for less than market value to remain in Milwaukee. GM Doug Melvin decided it was time for the team to move on, and he pulled the trigger on the deal to bring Carlos Gomez to Milwaukee.

It appears the Toronto Blue Jays have two options for Roy Halladay and the 2010 season. Get a deal done before Spring Training ends or face the consequences of losing their ace pitcher to free agency.

According to Jeff Berry, one of Halladay’s representatives, if Halladay reports to Spring Training, all bets are off.

“One thing is certain—once Roy reports to Spring Training as a member of the Blue Jays, from that point forward he will not approve or even discuss any potential trade scenario,”

Now that a day has passed, and Brewers' GM Doug Melvin has spoken about it, it's time to figure out what the acquisition of Carlos Gomez means for the Brewers this offseason.

Melvin commented at his press conference yesterday that he received no offers for pitching that he felt was worth trading Hardy for. Gomez fit a need for the Brewers, and he was comfortable enough with the offer to make the deal.

Now that everyone is starting to calm down over the initial reports of dealing fan-favorite Carlos Gomez for JJ Hardy, it's time to evaluate the trade from several angles.

This trade from a Twins perspective is good. While Gomez is one of the best defensive outfielders in the league, he yielded playing time in center field to Denard Span and when Delmon Young started hitting late in the season, Gomez saw seldom playing time.