Milwaukee Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers are leaving no stone unturned as they head into the 2011 baseball season. They already addressed their starting rotation in a major way when they acquired both Shaun Marcum and Zack Greinke via trades.

Okay, before anyone totally freaks out, this is not a "Brewers are looking to trade Prince Fielder" story. This is strictly a what-if scenario, plain and simple.

As we know, there are some teams out there that have had a disappointing offseason thus far. Their fans are clamoring for their team to do something. As a result, a team might be looking to make a splash the size of Prince Fielder doing a cannonball into the proverbial MLB pool. 

With the acquisition of Zack Greinke, the Milwaukee Brewers are telling the rest of the National League they are a team to be reckoned with in 2011.

With Prince Fielder being a free agent after the 2011 season, the team could look a lot different in 2012. So why not go for it?

Veteran reliever Takashi Saito has agreed to a one-year deal with the Milwaukee Brewers, according to the team's spokesperson.

Saito will be 41 years old when next season arrives, which leaves fans wondering why any team would want to sign him.

It's because of the fact that he has been very effective and a reliable pitcher out of the bullpen. For example, last year with the Atlanta Braves, he posted an ERA of 2.83 in 54 innings.

Yes, I know the Brewers just traded ostensibly their top four prospects. Getting Greinke and Shaun Marcum in return was the shocker. I've been beating my head against the wall for a while, trying to get people to understand what the meaning of the word prospect is. At least the Brewers finally got it.

Even though the very top tier of the Brewers' system is now virtually bare, the big club is stocked. With the Brewers' 2010 first round pick, Dylan Covey, opting to stay close to home as a result of a medical condition, they will receive an additional first round pick in 2011.

The Boston Red Sox have been linked with Milwaukee Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder for several seasons now, but with Boston's recent acquisition of Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego, are they finished with their pursuit of Fielder?

Gonzalez is a first baseman too, and has a better glove than Fielder. With Kevin Youkilis likely to begin the 2011 season at third base, there is no room for Fielder at Fenway Park.

With extravagant talk about newly acquired superstar Zack Greinke on his way to the Brew City, a majority of experts are now dubbing Milwaukee's pitching staff the foremost pitching staff (on paper) in the league.

It's about time.

In recent years, the Brewers have been a prime example of how maintaining an embarrassingly under-talented pitching staff can halt the rest of the team's success—as well as dishearten the entire Milwaukee fanbase, for that matter.

Zack Greinke got his “Welcome to Milwaukee” press conference yesterday and he seemed genuinely happy to be there. He had made it very clear over the past year or so that he wanted to play for a winner and now he has his wish.

I don’t have a problem with Greinke wanting to play for a winner and eventually forcing his trade. Over the years, many star players were stuck on bad teams and several ultimately demanded a trade to get the chance to win.

I get it.

Now that the initial shock and excitement from the Zack Greinke trade to the Milwaukee Brewers is beginning to wear off, it's time to analyze and look more closely at Greinke's roll for the Brewers in 2011. 

I’ve seen lots of speculation about how effective Zack Greinke will be in the National League.