A lot has happened with my team, and I have spent countless hours on this game, and I wanted to give a small history of my team.
1988
We dump a ton of guys, including star LF Robin Yount but also many overpaid and not very good players, and tons of nobodies in the minors. We trade for 3B Edgar Martinez, CF Gerald Young, LF Mike Greenwell. We also get young SP Chuck Finley, 2B Mark McLemore, and LF/1B Kal Daniels.
In May we trade for RP Steve Ontiveros who does a good job. And then I round up the last of my sub-par prospects and trade them to LA for SP prospect Ramon Martinez.
At the deadline, we trade our ace SP Teddy Higeura to the Phillies for Bob Sebra, who is cheap and having a great year. Worst trade in the history of the Brewers. Then we trade Billy Wegman to the Orioles, where he is to this day, for SP Pete Harnisch.
We get some decent OBP permance from our hitters, not a ton of power. And the pitching is sub-par with a few bright spots like Ramon Martinez, but we survive more or less until injuries down us and we finish 67-95, for last place. Edgar Martinez wins the Rookie of the Year award.
1989
We lose Chuck Finely because he wants too much in arbitration, he goes on to become a top of the line, ace starter on various teams around the NL, most notably Atlanta and Cincinatti.
On salary concerns we trade 30 HR hitting Kal Daniels and Closer RP Dan Pleasac to Toronto for 2B Jeff Kent. Pleasac still closes there to this day.
We sign 1B FA Cecil Fielder to the team for a little more than $2 million a year for 4 years. It is one of our greatest singings ever. We signed SP Dave Stieb, who blew up in Toronto. He revives his career with the Brewers and is a great bargain. We signed 28 year old John Franco to a long term contract to be our closer. After a rough year or so he settles down and does great.
At the deadline, we trade away LF Greenwell for Cris Carpenter. Soon Greenwell queitly retires.
The Stieb, Bosio, Harnisch, Martinez rotation turns out to be great, and we have enough offense. Solid pitching and lots of offense from Fielder and 1B Ken Phelps plus others, land us a cool 87-75 record for secon place, but we are FAR behind the Yankees.
1990
Facing arbitration, we trade away our C B.J. Surhoff and 2B Mark McLemore to the Padres for 2B Roberto Alomar. To replace Surhoff we sign cheap C Mike Lavalierre. We trade 2B Jeff Kent to Seattle for SS Omar Vizquel. Ending up with this lineup..
2B Alomar 77/99
SS Vizquel 78/82
LF Molitor 84/84
RF Sheffield 92/92
1B Fielder 90/90
3B Martinez 90/90
DH Vaughn 84/84
C LaValliere 78/78
CF Young 77/83
and this rotation...
SP1 Stieb 90/90
SP2 Martinez 88/90
SP3 Bosio 90/90
SP4 Harnisch 85/85
SP5 Eldred 69/88
By May, we dump Paul Molitor's salary in LA for terrible pitcher SP Ted Powers. We use the spare cash to sign RF Paul O'Neil and 3B/LF Kevin Mitchell.
In a tough trade deadline with many contracts facing arbitration, we trade 3B Edgar Martinez to LA for C prospect Mike Piazza.
We started off really well, but tailed a bit toward the end, finishing with a 85-77 record, good for fourth place in a competitive year. Good enough hitting (monster year from Fielder and a breakout season by Sheffield) plus above average starting pitching did it for us again. Robbie Alomar, our 2B, wins Rookie of the Year.
1991
We signed SP Ramon Martinez and SP Pete Harnisch long term. We traded for Indians closer Doug Jones to set up for CL John Franco.
At the start of June, we trade a small collection of prospects and cash for RF Dave Justice. We also sell dissapointment Kevin Mitchell to the Mets.
At the deadline, we trade CF Gerald Young to LA for prospects, and convert David Justice to CF.
Ramon Martinez tosses a no-hitter.
An epic year by Greg Vaughn were he busts out to hit 62 HR setting the new record, and a great season by Ramon Martinez lead us to a 107-55 season. But we don't make the playoffs because the Yankees finish at 127-35.
1992
We dump Dave Stieb for a prospect, because of budget issues. We knew the golden years couldn't last forever on such a small budget team, so we stocked up on wins before the trade deadline, then were forced to deal with Arbitration eligable players.
It is a great team, but we must dump much of it at the deadline. This includes 1B Cecil Fielder. Then, we trade SS Omar Vizquel, and give the SS job to our own draftee Rich Aurilia. Then we trade superstar 2B Roberto Alomar to the Dodgers for 2B Eric Young and prospects. And most painfully, we trade 3B/OF Gary Sheffield, who hates Milwaukee and has been dissapointing, to the Mariners for 1B Tino Martinez. Then, we traded C Make Lavalierre to Toronto for 3B Quinlan, to fill in for Sheffield. Piazza was promoted to the starting role.
We hold on, with an 87-75 record which was really a half awesome, half terrible year.
1993
We were devastated by the new expansion draft, as the Rockies and Marlins just zeroed in on everything we had. At least 14 of our best guys were taken, and since I run a lean system that is narrowed to only what is usefull, this was most painful.
But we reach a new frontier, transferred to the AL Central division! Free from the tyranny of the Yankees. We signed lots of vet starters and relievers to help us out, but they were all awful and gone by the end of the season.
We signed SP Cal Eldred long term. At the deadline, it is tough, but I trade longtime favorite SP Chris Bosio to the Marlins for prospects (new prospects, not my old ones). And SP Ramon Martinez, whose skills were sagging, goes to the Phillies for prospects. Then we trade CL John Franco to someone, anyone.. the Yankees. In addition to dumping the salary, we get SP/RP Miguel Batista, who later on turns out to be a fantastic grab.
We end a tough season 67-95, but it ends on a high note with the emergence of prospects SP Soderstrom, and 3B Paquette.
1994
A great year. We traded for CF Kenny Lofton, traded away David Justice for RF/LF Albert Belle who was fiddling away on the Indians bench.
We put together the best offense we've ever had, and Batista goes 18-7 to help Cal Eldred hold the rotation together. We finish at 104-58, and get to our first ever playoffs. We beat the Orioles, but get beaten by the Yankees who win another WS.
And... here we are.
