It’s possible the Brewers will always have their work cut out for them if they’re going to compete in the National League Central. For decades now they’ve shared a division with the Cardinals and Cubs, two teams with big budgets, smart front offices and enormous fan bases.
At the same time, however, the bottom teams in the division should serve as a reminder that things could be much worse in Milwaukee. The Reds have had another near-silent offseason and continue to do next to nothing to surround Joey Votto, arguably the National League’s best hitter, with any of the talent necessary to snap a streak of three consecutive seasons with 94 or more losses. Meanwhile in Pittsburgh, the Pirates are tearing down and casting doubt on their willingness to commit resources to winning anytime in the foreseeable future.
If there was any question about what direction the Pirates are headed as an organization it’s been answered within the last 10 days as the organization traded away two of the faces of their franchise: Gerrit Cole, who Pittsburgh selected first overall in the 2011 draft, and Andrew McCutchen, who won the National League MVP when the team ended a 20-year postseason drought in 2013 and represented Pittsburgh in five consecutive All Star Games. The return on these deals generated largely mediocre to negative reviews. At a bare minimum, it’s likely safe to say the Pirates failed to get even star potential in exchange for their stars. It’s entirely possible there are more moves to come, as infielder Josh Harrison has asked to follow McCutchen and Cole out of town.
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It’s worth noting that both Cole and McCutchen were likely worth more in the eyes of many Pirates fans than their actual performance on the field would indicate: Cole was injured for a large portion of 2016 and healthy but significantly less effective in 2017. McCutchen’s offense has tailed off a bit over the last two seasons and his once-highly regarded defense has degraded to the point where he should likely be moved to a corner outfield spot. The pair will combine to earn $21.5 million in 2018 and McCutchen will be a free agent next winter, while Cole is expected to be eligible for the first time following the 2019 season.
Nonetheless, the fact that the Pirates already acknowledged their likely inability to re-sign either player and moved on from them early sent up a red flag for Pittsburgh fans, and owner Bob Nutting threw gasoline on that fire by telling reporters that his franchise will continue the “develop, then sell when it gets too costly” cycle indefinitely barring a “fundamental redesign of the economics of baseball.” Forbes recently estimated the Pirates’ franchise value at $1.25 billion and more than two thirds of their projected $75 million payroll for 2018 will now be covered by an estimated $50 million each MLB owner is receiving as part of the sale of BAMTech, a digital media company spun off from MLB Advanced Media.
The Pirates have experienced some recent success (three consecutive postseason appearances from 2013-15) but it was dark for a long time before the sun rose on their recent resurgence: From 1993-2012 the franchise went through 20 consecutive losing seasons, including seven consecutive losing 90 games or more from 2005-11. They lost 100 games in 2001 and had the second worst season in modern franchise history in 2010, when they went 57-105. That season netted them the #1 overall pick in 2011, which they turned into Cole. Now Cole is gone and the fans that weathered one of the worst droughts in recent MLB history are left to wonder if it will take this franchise another 20 years to find a window to win.
The Brewers haven’t always put themselves in a position to compete with the big spenders at the top of the NL Central, but at least their plan has typically been clear and their front office and ownership has demonstrated some willingness to spend when it makes sense. Those two facts by themselves put Milwaukee ahead of two of their division rivals.
