Sending the Wrong Message?

Posted on | March 24, 2009 | 2 Comments | by BigSnakeMan

In discussing the makeup of the team’s final roster going into the season, Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha said that factors other than performance might come into play when deciding which players will head north once the team breaks camp in Arizona.  The implication was that players with minor league options remaining could be sent down in favor of players that were out of said options, in order to maximize the amount of talent in the system.  That means that players such as outfielder Chris Duffy and third baseman Casey McGehee, who have been having fine springs, could be sent to Nashville while Tony Gwynn, Jr.,  Brad Nelson, or even Mike Lamb (who’s best days are clearly behind him) would remain on the club to avoid losing them to another team.  That may have been an acceptible policy while the team was in rebuilding mode and attempting to develop it’s younger players.  But now that the team is coming off a playoff season, that thinking is inconsistent with the club’s stated intention of returning to the postseason.  This is not to suggest that Duffy and McGehee would be better choices than Gwynn, Jr. or Nelson, who was once one of the team’s premier prospects and has had a good camp in his own right.  It does mean that, if the team is truly as committed to winning as they say, it’s incumbent upon Macha and General Manager Doug Melvin to pick the best team regardless of roster considerations.  After losing their two best pitchers from last year, the Brewers face an uphill climb as it is to reclaim a playoff spot.  They owe it to themselves and their fans to give themselves the best chance to win.

Comments