FanNation

There’s been a bunch of criticism on this site directed toward Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin.

• A Tale of Doug Melvin, Francisco Cordero, Eric Gagne and Bratwurst
• Brewers’ Signing of Kapler Makes No Sense
• Brewers R’Us: In Search of a Telly Tubby Fix

And I’m not innocent, as I felt the Eric Gagne signing was a mistake. But didn’t most of us?

But it’s time to give credit where credit is due. Doug Melvin is baseball’s 2008 General Manager of the Year – at least so far. You never know what Theo, Cashman or Beane (can he dump Harden and Blanton and still make the playoffs?) are going to do.

The reasoning is pretty simple. You don’t win a World Series very often. You don’t get to the World Series very often. Heck, most teams don’t get to the playoffs very often. So when you have the opportunity to get there, you’ve gotta go for it. And when a scenario presents itself that will help you both get to the playoffs and contend within the playoffs, you have to pull the trigger. Especially if you’re a small market team like the Brewers.

The Brewers have a good chance of making the playoffs. They’re neck and neck with the Cardinals and Cubs in the National League Central, and they’re four games up in the Wild Card.

If they do get to the playoffs, the Brewers have a good chance of advancing. There’s no National League juggernaut, with the East-leading Phillies and Mets being just seven games over .500 and the West-leading Diamondbacks actually being one game under .500.

So back on July 6th, seeing his team on the cusp of contention, Melvin looked around and saw three weaknesses:

1. Second base: Richie Weeks was hitting .208 with a .317 on-base percentage and .362 slugging percentage – not what was expected of the 25-year-old.

2. Starting pitching: Ben Sheets has had a great year, and Manny Parra has done well (though that walk rate and subsequent 1.467 WHIP scare me). But you can’t go into the postseason counting on Jeff Suppan or Dave Bush to be a playoff contributor – too many balls put into play and not enough strikeouts. They’re good number four or number five regular season starters, but not playoff starters.

3. Relief: Gagne was a bust, and David Riske and Guillermo Mota have been erratic, allowing too many hits and walks. Salomon Torres and Brian Shouse have both done very well this season, but neither inspires post-season confidence in me and, most likely, the Brewers faithful.

And then Melvin took quick and decisive action.

First, on July 7th he acquired C.C. Sabathia from the Indians, giving up touted prospect Matt LaPorta, two other prospects in Rob Bryson and Zach Johnson, and a player to be named later.

Then on July 21st Melvin acquired second baseman Ray Durham from the Giants for minor leaguers Darren Ford and Steve Hammond.

Beating the big boys (the Cubs, Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees) to Sabathia was bold. And I love it. I love it when GMs take calculated risks and look to out-deal their counterparts. That’s the way a team should be managed!

Sabathia has won all four of his Brewers’ starts, including Tuesday’s shutout of the Cardinals. In those four starts, he’s gone 33 innings, striking out 31 and walking 8. He has a 1.36 ERA and a 0.848 WHIP. Coupled with Sheets, Sabathia gives the Brewers the Major’s best 1-2 pitcher combo for the playoffs. The key for the Brewers now is balancing the need to pitch him as much as possible to get into the playoffs with the desire to keep his innings down. Last year Sabathia pitched 241 innings during the regular season and appeared to be gassed in the postseason. And, yes, the Brewers will lose Sabathia in the offseason, but they’ll get two high draft picks for their troubles.

The 36-year-old Durham is having a good season (.385 on-base percentage) after a 2007 that looked like it could be the end (.218 batting average, .295 OBP and .343 SLG). The Brewers got him on the cheap and he could supplant Weeks in the starting line-up and get some more ducks on the pond for Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder and Corey Hart. Or, and this is what I think Melvin was hoping, his acquisition will light a fire under Weeks.

Melvin’s next task will be shoring up that bullpen. He needs a strikeout guy, and, of course, those are in short supply. Maybe Scott Downs from Toronto. Maybe Ron Mahay from Kansas City. Maybe bolder moves like Trevor Hoffman or Jose Valverde.

Bottom line: you don’t win by being passive. Doug Melvin has realized this, and he gets my vote for GM of the Year because of it. He’s playing to win. If the Brewers don’t get to the playoffs or advance in them, it won’t be for a lack of effort.

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And in the interest of full disclosure, I should note that back in 1993, I was one of Melvin’s late-season, playoff fun acquisitions. Glenn Davis, one of the game’s most feared hitters from 1986-1990 was struggling for the Orioles, hitting .177. In fact, it would be Davis’s last year in the majors. Looking for some offense, Melvin, the Orioles assistant GM, acquired me from Minnesota for Erick Schullstrom. Statistically, it was the best stop of my career.