The Brewers traded away shortstop J.J. Hardy for the Minnesota Twins' centerfielder Carlos Gomez. This comes after Hardy's season-long struggle at the plate and in the field. Hardy's lack of production last season led the Brewers to call up Alcides Escobar, one of the team's top prospects. Escobar played well through the second half of the season, and gave the Brewers a spark in the middle of a slump. With Gomez now on the team, the Brewers will likely not resign centerfielder Mike Cameron. Gomez is a leadoff batter, so Felipe Lopez may also not be resigned, as Rickie Weeks will hopefully be able to resume his spot at 2nd base. Weeks, who had previously batted leadoff will likely be moved to 2nd or 5th in the order. He showed an increase in power early in the season, and if that continues the Brewers could have a scary 1-2-3 punch with Braun, Fielder, and Weeks. The Brewers already locked in Trevor Hoffman for next season. If they can find more consistency in starting pitching they may be in for a big season.
The Braun, Fielder, Weeks "punch" won't mean a thing unless they can get some starting pitching and some middle relief!
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