DrugBust wrote:If the Brewers wanted to they could offer Marcum arbitration and bring him back for $12 million. They could pick up Wolf's $10 million option. Next year the rotation is 
Gallardo
Marcum
Fiers
Estrada
Wolf
Add Thornburg and Peralata to the pen, make another minor signing and leave the offense the way it is. That's a razor thin rotation but I don't know what else you do WEFFPIM unless you start dealing prospects and that's the absolute last thing I want to do.
So the rotation is average, offense is probably great, bullpen is a total unknown.
We've done the thing where we had the winning season. Then we took the wildcard and then the division. I don't know about others here but I'd like to field a team that can win the World Series and I don't think that's likely in '13. Since that's likely Hart's last year in Milwaukee and Ramirez's last season before he's insanely overpaid I'd rather move them now and constinue to build up the system.
If the Brewers want to contend in 2013, it really wouldn't be that difficult.
Trade Greinke for Randall Delgado and Tyler Pastornecky
Offer Marcum a QO and he accepts.
Sign an everyday CF, maybe BJ Upton? They have about 7 mil if MA approves another 100 mil payroll)
Trade for James Shields or Josh Johnson (maybe Thornburg and Jed Bradley?)
Keep Axford, fill out bullpen with retreads. Melvin usually is pretty solid filling in bullpens. 
Cheap bench
SS is either a cheap Defensive guy, or maybe Pasternecky is he shows something
Rough sketch. 
Rotation
1) Shields/Johnson   8-13 
2) Gallardo                8
3) Marcum                12
4) Fiers/Peralta/Estrada/Narveson   1 mil
5)
Rotation 30-35 mil
Lucroy   2
Hart       10
Weeks     10
SS           .5
Ramirez    10
Aoki        1.5
CF           
Braun      8.5
Starters   40 mil plus CF
Bullpen
Axford         3
8th inning guy   3
other dude    2
400 k guys (Parra, two rotation losers, )
Kintzler? 400k
bullpen 10 mil
Bench
Green      .4 mil
Gamel        .4 mil
Bianchi         .4 mil
random veteran 1 mil
MM          .4
bench     3 mil
That team contends in a weak central division, or at least for the WC.