It's Oct. 18 and for the first time in a long time -- say, since 1982 -- the Milwaukee Brewers are still in the news.
But not for the right reasons.
The Brewers announced Friday that general manager Bob Melvin has been given a three-year contract extention, and that interim manager Dale Sveum will not be considered to become the team's manager. These statements officially put the wraps on the 2008 season, leaving us to reflect on the season that was and look ahead to the future.
Sure, Milwaukee was 90-72 and made it to the postseason for the first time in a really, really long time, but the long-term ramifications of that success probably weren't worth it.
On July 7, the Brewers traded away the future (namely, Matt LaPorta) for CC Sabathia and a crack battling it out for a playoff spot.
Milwaukee may have one that battle, but odds are they'll lose this war.
The Brewers had Sabathia for all of 17 regular season starts. He made one postseason appearance -- allowing five runs and 10 to reach base in 3.2 innings -- as Milwaukee was eliminated by the Philadelphia Phillies in four games.
Now, they'll basically be trading Sabathia for a first-round pick and a sandwich rounder. Melvin said the team plans to make Sabathia an offer, but it's hard to imagine the Brewers actually resigning the coveted free agent.
So to summarize, that's LaPorta and Co. for a first-round playoff loss and some draft picks.
Was a few months of Sabathia worth LaPorta's career? I think not.
LaPorta owned Double-A Huntsville, putting up a .288/.402/.576 vital while jacking 20 homers in 302 at-bats. His numbers in Akron are hard to get a read on (LaPorta only had 60 at-bats -- he was too busy being an Olympian), but the fact of the matter remains the same: This guy is going to be really, really good for a really, really long time -- a lot longer than a few months, at least.
A friend of mine is a Brewers fan (yes, Brewers fans do exist). He said that whoever Milwaukee needed to give up to go to the playoffs, it was worth it. After all, it had been two-and-a-half decades since their last postseason appearance.
Still, this short-term win -- four playoff games and done -- wasn't worth it in the long run. It could end up causing the Milwaukee faithful more of the same suffering they'd been dealing with till, well, this year.
It's mid-October and the Brewers are still in the news.
Enjoy it while you can, Milwaukee. Odds are neither Sabathia or LaPorta will be helping you out a whole lot next fall.
Adam Loberstein thinks the Brewers won't have to wait another 26 years for their next playoff appearance. He can be reached at aloberstein@projectprospect.com.