As a St. Louis Cardinals fan, I wasn't a big fan of the Brewers' news today: 8 years, $45 million. Seeing Braun in the NL Central until at least 2015 is not something I am thrilled about either.
However, I have to applaud the Brewers willingness to sign Braun to such a lucrative deal, just 40 games into his second full season in the Bigs.
This kid defines what it means to rake. He is a threat to hit a longball each and every time he comes to bat. Unfortunately for the St. Louis Cardinals he has already done enough damage, hitting 4 HRs in two games, to help take a recent series in Milwaukee. After yet another homerun tonight, Braun has reached double-digits in homeruns, and has a legit batting average of .286.
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It is to no one's surprise that the Brewers signed Braun to such a deal. In today's age, teams simply cannot take the risk of letting already-proven players go unsigned. Braun, 24, has already shown that he is one of the best offensive third basemen in the MLB.
Although he is a liability at times at third and in the outfield, there is a much higher chance of improving at fielding than hitting. Braun already has the latter down pat. Braun is practically a launching pad. Even against one of the best young right-handers in the game, Adam Wainwright, Braun went yard twice, hitting some titanic shots.
The Brewers, following in the footsteps of the Phillies and Cardinals, in signing Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols, respectively, have noticed the importance of signing young talent.
And to be honest, I think an 8-year, $45 million deal is a steal. Braun is an almost automatic 35 HR guy perennially, not to mention that he should be able to steal anywhere from 10-15 bases every year.
Besides the defense, however, Braun also needs to improve his strikeout ratio. In 39 games this season, Braun has 33 K's. The Brewers can't be getting that type of K ratio out of him if they expect to get to the playoffs.
Overall though, kudos to the Brewers management for locking Braun up. He will be a human wrecking ball that will crush the NL Central for 7 more years.
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