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Melvin has much 'to-do' about Brewers

Dennis Punzel  —  9/15/2008 10:56 pm

Doug Melvin's to-do list just got longer.

That is, of course, assuming that Melvin will still be around as general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers to make all the critical decisions that face the team. Given the level of respect accorded Melvin around baseball and by owner Mark Attanasio, that seems like a safe bet. But then, two weeks ago Ned Yost was a candidate for manager of the year, and now he's looking for work.

Melvin, meanwhile, suddenly has his hands full as he goes about charting the course for this team, which suddenly seems to have lost its bearings. Some things on his checklist:

Manager

There's a chance that Dale Sveum will pull a Steve Fisher and earn the job on a permanent basis by taking the Brewers deep into the postseason as the interim manager. As Sveum noted during Monday night's press conference, "If I'm here in six weeks, I'd like to think I'll be the manager."

But if the Brewers continue to fizzle through the final 12 games and fail to make the playoffs, expect a new manager from outside the organization, with a largely different coaching staff (Bill Castro seems to survive all regime changes by hanging out in the bullpen). Expect that person to have a winning pedigree as a major league manager. Names that will be kicked around include Buck Showalter, Bob Brenly, Bobby Valentine and Davey Johnson.

They've all had success managing and they've all lost jobs, often with cause. Showalter has some intrigue in that he has a New York Yankee connection that might appeal to Attanasio, who grew up a Yankee fan. Showalter and Melvin also played together in the minor leagues and used to compare notes on players as they prepared for their careers in baseball after their playing days.

Then again, Melvin has shown he's not afraid of the unknown. In 2002 he hired Yost, with whom he had never worked, over candidates he had worked with -- Cecil Cooper, Bob Melvin, Ken Macha and Willie Randolph. So don't be surprised if he goes off the list for his next manager.

Starting pitching

The consensus is that the Brewers don't have the wherewithal to make a bid for CC Sabathia or the inclination to spend a lot more money on Ben Sheets. There's probably some validity to that belief.

Sabathia figures to become the highest paid pitcher in history when he goes on the free agent market this winter. Estimates run as high as eight years for $170 million or so. The presumption is that the Yankees will not be outbid for him. Another school of thought is that he wants to play and live in Southern California. And as dynamic as Sabathia has been since coming to Milwaukee in July, it would be a huge financial risk for the Brewers to commit a quarter of their salary budget on one player, no matter how good.

Sheets figures to come considerably cheaper -- perhaps four years, $60 million or so. That might be doable, but there's a sense that he might be looking for a change of scenery. He lives in Dallas in the off-season and has been recruited by his former Olympic teammate Roy Oswalt to join him in Houston.

The dilemma for Melvin and Attanasio is that after drawing more than 3 million fans this season, how do you sustain that enthusiasm by losing your top two pitchers? Does a rotation featuring Yovani Gallardo, Manny Parra, Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan scream pennant contender? If they lose both of their big guns, look for them to make bids for other free agent starters like A.J. Burnett, Derek Lowe, Jon Garland or Ryan Dempster. Another possibility will be trading an everyday player for a youngish pitcher like Matt Cain or Zack Greinke.

Which brings us to the next item on the list...

The Young Core

Besides Ryan Braun, who signed on for life earlier this year, who else is still considered an indispensable part of that core? Jason Kendall isn't exactly young, but he's guaranteed a contract for next year at catcher. But there's at least some level of doubt about every other position.

Is Prince Fielder, three years from free agency and sporting a distressingly larger torso, still part of the foundation at first base?

Can Rickie Weeks' iron skillet hands be tolerated for another year at second base? Or is he a center fielder in the making?

Is J.J. Hardy expendable, with the emergence of minor league shortstop whiz Alcides Escobar? Or is Hardy bound for a move to third base or second base?

Can the Brewers put up with another year of Bill Hall at any position?

Is Corey Hart an emerging speed/power guy in right field, or have pitchers finally figured out that they don't have to throw him a strike to get him out?

Mike Cameron has been productive and a positive clubhouse presence, but can they afford another high-strikeout guy in the lineup with a $10 million price tag next year?

Answering those questions should keep Melvin and his new manager plenty busy this winter.

And when they're done with that there's always...

The bullpen 

Eric Gagne was a disaster, but at least it was only a one-year mistake. His agent, Scott Boras, will earn his commission finding Gagne another deal. Salomon Torres has been a solid replacement at closer, but do they trust him to do the same next year? And the rest of the mix out there made it difficult for Yost to not make a bad call any time he went to the bullpen.

One of Melvin's favorite sayings is that players make decisions for management by the quality of their performance. Perhaps some of his decisions will be made easier in these final 12 games. Chances are many decisions will linger into the off-season.

Dennis Punzel  —  9/15/2008 10:56 pm