Is K-Rod the Missing Piece?

Don't get me wrong, I am all for Doug Melvin bringing Francisco Rodriguez in to shore up the bullpen. If nothing else, it shows the Brewers are in it to win it this year.

That said, I can't help thinking about something I read before the All-Star break about the possibility of the Crew making moves. Manager Ron Roenicke said that in looking at the team it was hard to see where adding a player would make the  difference in winning the division. Any move, he was quoted as saying, would have to be weighed about how it would affect the team's future.

The K-Rod deal seems to meet that second point. It's unlikely that whomever the New York Mets end up getting in the deal will be blue-chip players. On the first point, though, adding a closer was clearly not a priority. John Axford has been as good as anyone at the position.

General Manager Doug Melvin's point about the fragility of Takashi Saito is well taken. I believe it's worth the gamble to deal with the potential headache of juggling two closers, one of whom has a gigantic incentive clause to close games.

On Roenicke's first point I admit I am hard-pressed to name one personnel move that would put the Brewers over the top. In past playoff runs, the addition of Don Sutton ('82) and C.C. Sabathia (2008) filled an obvious need for a starting pitcher.

This year, though, the Brewers have glaring weaknesses at third and short. Which is a more urgent problem. Although Yuniesky Betancourt is ridiculed across the web, I don't think he's awful. He's made some sterling plays and some bad ones. On the other hand. Casey McGehee has been awful in the field the whole season.

Any further moves Melvin pulls off will be dictated by player availability. It will interesting to find out which need Melvin thinks is most crucial to the club's playoff chances.