The Milwaukee Brewers (8-19) are likely headed for a rebuild. The question yet to be determined is just how big that rebuild will be.
Since Ron Roenicke was fired on Sunday night, the Brewers have gone 1-1 under new manager Craig Counsell. Will Counsell be able to change the landscape with the Brewers and turn the poor start around? Maybe! But I think there’s more wrong with this team than there is right.
The Brewers are going to have to eventually change their roster and may have to go with a complete overhaul. They’ll have the next two months to determine who stays and who goes.
If the Brewers can’t turn their fortunes back to a level of respectability, then there could be a fire sale this summer. If it’s determined an all out overhaul is needed, the Brewers may have to be willing to deal anybody and everybody.
Players like Carlos Gomez and Jean Segura, two of the current building blocks, may have to go to attract young prospects and potentially high draft picks. It’s believed that the Brewers don’t want to part with Jonathan Lucroy, but they may have to if there’s an all-out rebuild.
The word out of Milwaukee is that GM Doug Melvin is the one who pulled the plug on Ron Roenicke, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the other way around, with owner Mark Attanasio actually making that call and Melvin executing the order.
Melvin is in the final year of his contract and there’s reportedly been an a standing offer to extend Melvin’s deal.
Attanasio was asked in Milwaukee on Tuesday night if he would consider a rebuild. He indicated that he would do whatever it takes to return winning baseball to Milwaukee.
So if Attanasio decides later this season to go that direction, will Melvin be willing to go through that grind. The other question you could ask yourself is this. Do you want Melvin directing a rebuild since he’s the man that build the Brewers into this potential rebuild position to begin with. Perhaps it would be in Attanasio’s interest to hire a new General Manager, somebody that is familiar new manager Craig Counsell. Those two will be spending a lot of time together.
Counsell would appear to be the right man to lead such a rebuild on the bench. He’s already familiar with the teams minor league system, its team’s and the players.
Perhaps the timing is right for an overhaul of the team’s entire structure.
Are the Brewers in need of a partial or total overhaul? Mark Attanasio will have to make that decision in the coming couple of months. Perhaps he’s already made up his mind. It’s too soon to start acting now, especially with Major League Baseball’s Amateur Draft coming up next month. But we should starting seeing signs by July.
Rebuilds aren’t always popular with the fans or even sponsors for that matter. But take a look at what is happening with the Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros to name two. Those organizations had to hit bottom before they could make their climb again and fans in those two cities are really excited about the future of their teams.