During the offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers made perhaps the biggest move this side of Cliff Lee by dealing four players for former Cy Young winner Zack Greinke and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt. Combine that with locking up Rickie Weeks for another four years and signing free agent relief pitcher Takashi Saito, and it's fair to say the Brewers have been busy this winter.
The NL Central looks to be competitive this year, as the Reds and Cardinals both had good seasons last year and are expected to replicate that effort in 2011. The Cubs and Astros are both looking to be surprise teams to make things interesting and the Pirates will most likely wind up still being the Pirates we are all familiar with.
The one wild card in the division is the Brewers. After finishing third in the Central in 2010 with a record of 77-85, the Brewers are looking to make a splash and turn things around.
Their projected regular starting lineup has the words consistency and solid written all over it. The corners of the outfield and infield both have proven producers in Casey McGehee, Prince Field, Ryan Braun and Corey Hart, while acquiring Betancourt should increase their production from the shortstop position by at least double in home runs and RBIs.
Zack Greinke will anchor the rotation in the media friendly and pressure-free Milwaukee area, which should help him settle in quickly. He leads an anticipated rotation that all had double-digit wins last year. These factors combined should help the Brew Crew turn a handful of the losses last year into wins.
However, the last remaining question mark is the bullpen.
The Brewers bullpen will feature new comer Saito, who has a career ERA of 2.19, but also just recently passed his 41st birthday and hasn't pitched more than 56 innings in a season since 2007. In all of his major league seasons, he has been extremely consistent, but against the dangerous lineups of St. Louis and Cincinnati, the Brewers are going to need him to take a bit more of their load to bridge the gap to the closer.
In 2010, the Brewers closer Trevor Hoffman passed the torch to closer of the future, John Axford. Axford finished the year with 24 saves and 76 strikeouts in 58 innings, and posted an ERA of 2.48. Numbers like that certainly give the impression of a bright future in the Cheese State, but Axford only has a total of 57 career appearances and will be largely unproven throughout the length of the summer.
Those aren't the only questions the Brewers have going into this season with their relief staff. Latroy Hawkins had a spectacular season in 2009, but shoulder surgery limited him to only 18 appearances last year. Can the 38-year-old come back strong or will his age and injuries limit his effectiveness?
Zach Braddock was a strong contributor last season, but like Axford, his age and experience will be a huge factor in shaping the bullpen. Will he keep it together or suffer a sophomore slump in 2011?
Can Manny Parra finally put all the pieces together and have an ERA under 5.00 for the first time since 2008?
While the batting order should put quite a few tallies on the board and the starting five keep quite a few goose eggs on the board, the bullpen is still their key to success.
Consistent holds and saves should keep the Brewers at the top of the division with the Reds and the Cardinals all season long, but a lack of experience and a few aging arms on the back end of the roster threaten to make it another long losing summer for Bernie Brewer and the Milwaukee faithful.
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