The Brewers signed Aramis Ramirez to a 3-year deal today to play 3^rd and fill in the gap in offense that the departed Prince Fielder left via free agency. Although Fielder has yet to sign with another team, it’s all but a guarantee that the slugger will land somewhere other than Milwaukee for the next decade. By acquiring Ramirez, the Brewers upgrade their infield defense and add pop to a lineup that desperately needs it. Ramirez will be a nice addition, but it’s not enough to put them over the top. Now with Ryan Braun likely going to be missing the first 50 games of 2012, I hate the move and the direction Milwaukee is going in.

Their farm system is depleted, their best hitter is going to miss 1/3 of the 2012 season, and Ramirez is entering his mid-thirties. Three of their starters are up for free agency in 2012, and I highly doubt all three will be signed or replaced with adequate performance. They do not have the budget room to fill the gaps, and their farm system isn’t ready to step in and save the day. Not to mention K-rod accepted arbitration and is going to make almost as much as Jonathan Papelbon in 2012.

It might be ownership calling the shots right now, so I’ll give the Milwaukee front office the benefit of the doubt, but the right move for now and for the future is to part with everything but Rickie Weeks, Braun and Gallardo and build for the future. They’re essentially going “all-in” and closing their eyes with the odds against them. A plan that hasn’t worked and usually doesn’t work unless you’re the Yankees and can supplement those risks. Greinke, Marcum, Hart, Lucroy all have value to other teams. They’re all relatively affordable and not tied up to crazy contracts. Teams on the verge would pay a lot for their services.

Sometimes it hurts to be realistic and it’s not as fun as taking your chances and spinning the wheel one more time. But smart and sustained success is had by sometimes cutting your losses, realizing where you are and moving on. Unfortunately for the fans in Milwaukee, they’ll be waiting for quite a while before they see their Brew Crew being serious contenders.