MySportsRumors.com

Over the years the Milwaukee Brewers have been known for not spending any money. The team just keeps building semi-good prospects and meddling among the league’s worst teams. But over the past 2 or 3 seasons a new crop of youngsters of come up thru the system and the Brewers are now a factor. It’s taking quite a few years but they’ve finally found the right group of prospects that could bring this team back to prominence. With this the big question has been, Will the Brewers finally take the step up to perennial playoff team by paying their players?

Initially it didn’t seem so the team started the year by assigning a contract to superstar in the making, Prince Fielder. Granted the Brewers are still in the “we can pay you what we want” stage, but they gave Fielder only $670,000 instead of the $900k he was requesting. Not much of a difference there, especially for a player who can get you 50 homers a year. “Even the fans don’t want us to lock them up on a basis that doesn’t make sense,” Attanasio said. “What the fans have to understand is that the arbitration system, relative to control of players, favors the clubs their first six years. We’ve got control of these players for four and five more years now. … What fans don’t focus on is that they are going to have the young players here either which way.”

What Attanasio makes sense, Fielder can’t be a free agent till 2010 and Ryan Braun till 2014, so the team has leverage for many many seasons. Well the Brewers ARE looking to keep their players and more importantly keep them happy. The team has begun to give offers to their young guns beginning with these two players. The deals would buy out all 3-years of arbitration, each players first free agent season, and an option for the second season. How much money are we talking about in these offers?

Rotoworld.com reports that Fielder would get a 5-year deal with an option year, while Braun would be 6-years with an option. For Fielder it would take at least $50 million over that span, just by the benchmark that Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard set with $10 million in his first arbitration season. Braun its unsure how much he could make as he is still a few years away.

Braun’s has acknowledged the team made an offer to him. “It’s a tremendous honor, and it shows a lot of respect that they would even talk to me about something like that,” Braun said. “But that’s something for Nez. I’m very involved because I have a pretty good understanding of how it all works, but until it gets to the point where something is close to being done, I kind of stay out of it.” His deal should take quite a while to work on.

I’d have to say for Brewers fans, I’m glad your team is willing to spend the money, FINALLY! This is a team that is going to be in the playoff hunt for many years with this group. If they could get 1 or 2 more pitchers they could easily join the Major League elite teams. It’s that good of a team. With record attendance last year, and 3 million fans within reach this year the spending trend should continue