GREINKE!

Before I begin to outline my thoughts on the Zack Greinke deal, I would first like to congratulate Jim Breen at Bernie's Crew for breaking this story.  As a former writer at Bernie's Crew, I cannot say enough about the hard work Jim has put in over the years and how much he deserves the credit for breaking this story.  As he broke the story last night and people questioned his credibility, I had no doubt that the report was true because of Jim's meticulous nature and the extreme attention he pays to detail.  Great job, Jim!

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As I woke up and took a look at my phone, I noticed that I had three texts and two Twitter notifications which was nothing unusual, but when I took a look at the date on my phone it read December 25, 2010.  I fell asleep last night under the impression that it was December 18th, but as I took a look at the lead story of ESPN.com this morning I realized I had fast-forwarded a whole week to Christmas morning.  As I looked under the Christmas tree, I saw one big present from the Milwaukee Brewers: Zack Greinke.

With two disappointing seasons following the Brewers' first postseason appearance since 1982, Doug Melvin knew he needed to wrap up a present for Brewers' fans and make it a big one.  In my opinion, this is exactly what he did.  Greinke is an ACE in every sense of the word.  I have heard the naysayers bring up his 10-14 record last season or his 4.17 ERA, but none of this phases me.  Last season, the Royals scored two runs or less in 16 of Greinke's 33 starts. Pitching on a team that consistently doesn't give you run support can be frustrating for a pitcher and can contribute to becoming a less successful pitcher. Though every Brewers fan remembers C.C. Sabathia's 11-2 record as a Brewer in 2008, few remember that he was only 6-8 with a 3.83 ERA as an Indian. It's unbelievable how much a simple change of scenery can do for a pitcher.

I'm not saying you need to look at the park factor of moving from Kauffman Stadium to Miller Park (because the difference is minimal with Miller Park being a slightly tougher park to pitch in), but instead take a look at the atmosphere he will be pitching. Throughout Greinke's career, he has pitched in front of small crowds that have had little passion in Kansas City, but the Brewers have drawn over 3 million fans to their home games for three consecutive seasons. I was in Miller Park for C.C. Sabathia's first start in 2008. I was in Miller Park for both of the playoff games in 2008. I have also been in Kauffman Stadium. The electricity produced in Miller Park is nothing like anything Greinke has ever experienced. Also, the immediate support Brewers fans will give to a top-notch starting pitcher is remarkable. There is no doubt in my mind Greinke will get standing ovations for at least the first two weeks of the season and possibly the whole season. With this kind of support, there is no telling how much Greinke can improve.

Greinke's strengths are quite possibly the two traits the Brewers' pitching staff could use most.  Greinke is one of the best pitchers in the league at consistently pitching deep into games.  In the past three years, Greinke has been in the top 10 in the league in complete games, as well as innings pitched.  With a pitching staff that has constantly dealt with injuries (see Gallardo, Yovani and Sheets, Ben), a stalwart in the front end of the rotation will help to steady the rest of the pitching staff.  With Greinke on the staff, the Brewers will now be able to make Gallardo a #2 SP and Shaun Marcum a #3 SP, which is where each belongs.  Gallardo has never been consistent enough to be an ace and walks too many batters.  Instead of being a bad #1 SP, Gallardo is now a very good #2 SP and Marcum is a well-above average #3 SP.

Greinke's ability to limit walks is another great trait that will be added to the Brewers pitching staff this next season.  While Greinke's strikeout numbers are very comparable to Gallardo, Greinke does a great job striking out batters without putting people on base.  In the last three years, Greinke's WHIP has not been above 1.275 and in 2009, Greinke led the league with a WHIP of 1.073.  Gallardo's high walk numbers have been most of the reason why Gallardo has never been able to become an ace as a Brewer.

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Though no one can deny how good Zack Greinke is, there have been plenty of people to say that the Brewers have given up entirely too much to obtain Greinke.  In acquiring the ace, the Brewers were forced to give up Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jeremy Jeffress, and Jake Odorizzi. 

The piece the Royals coveted most was Lorenzo Cain and many Brewers fans were upset the Brewers were forced to give up two major talents to obtain Greinke.  Many Brewers fans loved the speed and excitement Cain brought to the team and remember his white-hot start upon his callup in mid-July, but forget how he cooled as the season went on.  Cain was certainly an above average fielder as well, but Brewers fans have to realize that Cain has only played at the major league level for two months and no one knows if he will be able to put it together for a whole season next year.  In fact, Cain could very well have a season very similar to that of Alcides Escobar last season.  In his second season as a Brewer (and first full season), Escobar's batting stats regressed significantly with his batting average falling from .304 in 38 games in 2009 to .235 in 2010.  He undoubtedly flashed a great glove and made some spectacular plays last season at shortstop, but a franchise shortstop that has an OBP of less than .300 might not be the player you want to stick with for more than a year.

While some people were concerned with the major league talent the Brewers were forced to give up, others complained about the "gutting" of the Brewers minor league system.  Though the Brewers were forced to give up four of their most talented young players, complaints regarding the "gutting" of the minor league system are unfounded considering that for the most part the Brewers' minor league system was very mediocre.  It's not like any of the players given up were stud prospects.  The best player with the highest upside in the entire package was Odorizzi, who many have projected to be a #2 SP at best.  Though it can be scary to give up your best young talent, everything is relative.  If these were upper-level prospects, I could understand the frustrations of Brewers fans, but these players were not highly rated by Baseball America or any other scouting organization for that matter.  Though Jeffress was originally a great prospect for the Brewers as a starting pitcher and garnered a lot of attention, as soon as he was delegated to the bullpen, Jeffress's value plummeted because relief pitchers are not nearly as valuable as starting pitchers.

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With the addition of Greinke, the Brewers immediately turned themselves into contenders in the National League.  Though the Brewer's rotation is certainly not as good as the Phillies super rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels, it is certainly one of the best in the National League along the lines of the Reds, Giants, and Cardinals.  In a league where pitching continues to play an ever-increasing role in the outcome of the season, Doug Melvin has finally decided to pair a legitimate pitching staff with the big bats he has always been in love with.

The Brewers had one of the best offenses in the league last year and there is no reason to believe the same will not be true this year.  With all of their major position players (Fielder, Braun, Hart, Weeks, and McGehee) returning, the Brewers should certainly present problems for opposing pitching staffs all season.  The most overlooked part of this whole equation is Prince Fielder.  In terms of average and slugging percentage, last season was Fielder's worst as a pro, but I don't see this occurring again because this upcoming season is a contract year for Fielder.  With Scott Boras as his agent, Fielder knows that a big season this year will result in a huge payday and quite possibly a World Series for the Brewers.