MILWAUKEE BREWERS

Brewers by position: Ryan Braun is last man standing in rebuild

Tom Haudricourt
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Ryan Braun still has value to the Brewers through his solid productivity and mentoring.

PHOENIX - When the Milwaukee Brewers came close to sending Ryan Braun to the Los Angeles Dodgers last Aug. 31, there was a general perception that he would be traded over the off-season when no deadline clock was ticking.

But there Braun was Saturday morning, reporting to the Brewers’ spring camp as usual, right on time. As it turns out, there were no serious talks over the winter with another club involving the star leftfielder.

“I expected Ryan to be back, as I said over and over,” manager Craig Counsell said. “I expected Ryan to hit third (in the batting order) and I’m very happy that I get to continue writing his name. I thought I would always continue to write his name third in the lineup.”

Counsell nearly lost his No. 3 hitter when the Brewers and Dodgers engaged in serious trade negotiations in the hours before the Sept. 1 deadline for postseason eligibility. The process began when Milwaukee general manager David Stearns claimed on waivers Yasiel Puig, the troubled and enigmatic rightfielder who failed to meet expectations in Los Angeles.

The Dodgers had shown interest in Braun earlier in the season, so Stearns used the claim of Puig to propose a swap of those players in a deal that reportedly would have sent right-hander Brandon McCarthy and a couple of top prospects to the Brewers.

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The Dodgers were one of six teams to which Braun could not exercise his no-trade rights, so the Brewers did not need his permission to do the deal. Earlier in the season, a proposed trade of catcher Jonathan Lucroy to Cleveland was nixed when Lucroy exercised his no-trade right to that club.

A deal could not be completed before the midnight deadline, so talks broke off. Braun, who was asked to remain at Miller Park after the Brewers’ game against St. Louis that night, was informed there was no deal and headed home.

The Brewers admitted to having talks with the Dodgers only after word leaked out nationally. They never revealed any details, but it is believed the proposed deal died at the Los Angeles ownership level, presumably over the $76 million remaining on Braun’s contract.

The combination of the Brewers' waiver claim on Puig, the Dodgers’ interest in Braun and the fact he could not veto a trade to Los Angeles created a perfect storm for negotiations. Over the winter, there never was a similar set of circumstances that led to substantive talks with another club.

“There was a lot of momentum last summer, given the challenges the Dodgers had in hitting left-handed pitching, and as strong a season as (Braun) was having,” Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said at the team’s fan fest in late January.

“When those talks started heating up, there was a decent chance something could have happened. But, after it didn’t happen, I thought if it didn’t happen then, it wasn’t going to happen.”

Braun remains difficult to trade for many of the same reasons. He turned 33 in November and his contract takes him almost to age 37, so there is reason to think his production will wane over that time. He also has experienced injury issues with his right thumb and lower back in recent years.

The good news for the Brewers is that Braun said Saturday he could not remember feeling better physically.

“Physically, I have no limitations and I feel really good,” Braun said before the first full-squad workout. “It’s the healthiest I can remember feeling at the beginning of spring training, probably ever, so that’s encouraging.

“I feel as good as I’ve ever felt. I’m confident that I’ll be able to continue to do the things that I’ve been doing for as long as possible. But I try not to look too far ahead. I always try to stay in the moment.”

Last year, the six teams to which Braun could not block trades were the Dodgers, Angels, Padres, Giants, Diamondbacks and Marlins. The West Coast teams made sense because Braun lives in Malibu, Calif., and Miami remains a favorite place because he played college ball there.

Braun said in November he made one change to that list but would not reveal the substitution. Those six “allowed” teams will go away May 24 when Braun achieves “10 and 5” status, meaning he has played at least 10 years in the majors and at least five with his current club. Players with “10 and 5” status have complete veto power over trades.

“When I’m fortunate enough to get there, it will be a moment I’ll be proud of,” Braun said. “It will be something to reflect upon and just recognize that in today’s game, that’s more and more rare. There are few guys that are able to get to 10 years, and even fewer that stick with the same team for five years.

“I don’t think anything is guaranteed, but I feel very fortunate to have been here for this long. I have so many special relationships with people in the organization. My family and I love being involved in the community in Milwaukee. So I feel really fortunate to have been able to spend as many years here as I have.

“We’ll see what the future holds, but if I’m fortunate enough to spend my whole career here, it’s something that would be really special, for sure.”

Though Braun doesn’t fit the Brewers’ rebuilding plan and might take away at-bats from a touted minor-league prospect, he still has value to the club through his solid productivity (.903 OPS last season with 30 homers, 91 RBI) and mentoring of younger players. Counsell, for one, doesn’t think his one remaining star is going anywhere.

“He’s signed for four more years, and a lot of these players have a chance to be here for the same period of time, so this group is going to be together and he’s going to be one of them,” Counsell said. “That’s what’s important to me about it.

“Does he have leadership responsibilities? Of course, he does. And he takes those. But he’s also one of the group.”

With no sign whatsoever of that changing anytime soon.

BY THE NUMBERS

.903 OPS for Ryan Braun in 2016, ninth in National League.

285 Career home runs for Braun, most  by a Brewer.

1,354 Games played with the Brewers by Braun.

1,597 Career hits by Braun, fifth on the Brewers' list.

6 Seasons with at least 30 home runs by Braun.