The Pittsburgh Pirates are in the midst of a ground-breaking season.  Twenty-two years ago, they were in the same spot – a young team that had all of a sudden become legitimate contenders in the span of half a season.

In the middle of a heated N.L. East Divisional race with the New York Mets. the Pirates felt they needed to make a move to shore up their pitching staff.  General Manager Larry Doughty spent the last week of July checking in on all of the available players being shopped by selling teams.  With very few prominent starting pitchers on the trading block, Doughty began to look at acquiring a solid veteran arm that could give the Pirates another strong starting pitcher down the stretch.  The Pirates were led by SP Doug Drabek, who was on his way to a 22-win season and an N.L. Cy Young Award.  Also in the rotation were the reliable John Smiley, the surprising All-Star Neal Heaton, and veteran Bob Walk.  Rookie Randy Tomlin was about ready to make the jump to Pittsburgh after a fine season at AA-Harrisburg, but the Pirates still felt they needed another starter to stay in the hunt against the New York Mets, who had Frank Viola, Doc Gooden, David Cone, Sid Fernandez, and Ron Darling in the best rotation in baseball.

After making inquiries on St. Louis starter Bob Tewksbury and Bryn Smith, the Pirates began to center themselves around a deal for a veteran left-handed starter from the Montreal Expos.  Zane Smith was a 30-year old bulldog starter who had made 21 starts for the contending Expos.  As Montreal fell out of the division race, they moved into sellers mode and began looking to acquire young players for their future.  The Pirates had some goods to peddle their way, including a Player to Be Named Later that would end up being OF Moises Alou.

A look at the trade that brought SP Zane Smith to Pittsburgh and the effect it had on the 1990 Pittsburgh Pirates:

On August 8, 1990 the deal was completed.  The Pirates sent Willie Greene and RP Scott Ruskin to the Montreal Expos for SP Zane Smith.  They would send a PTBNL to Montreal on August 16.  That player would be the key to the deal, top prospect OF Moises Alou.  Alou was considered to have a bright future, but was blocked at the Major League level by a group of guys named Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, and Bobby Bonilla.

Zane Smith would make his first appearance for the Pirates on August 10 against the last-place St. Louis Cardinals at Three Rivers Stadium.  The crowd of 27,301 watched Smith come into the game in a mop-up role, down 6-3 in the top of the ninth inning.  Smith would yield two earned runs to the Cardinals, finishing the game for the Bucs in a 8-3 loss.  It was the only time Smith would pitch out of the bullpen that season.

As Zane Smith settled into the rotation, he went on to win his first three starts for the Pirates.  On August 14, he faced the Atlanta Braves, pitching 7.1 innings and giving up three earned runs to notch his first Pirates W.  On August 18, it was on to Cincinnati to start against the Reds.  Smith would win his second straight decision, a 3-1 Pirates victory where he went 7.1 innings again.  He gave up one earned run, and only needed 86 pitches to get through 7.1 IP.  His third start for the Bucs would yield his third straight W, as he shut down the Redlegs once again, this time at Three Rivers.  Since coming to the Pirates, Zane Smith had won all three of his starts, and in doing so had given the Pirates the shot in the arm they needed to take control of the N.L. East.  A loss to the Houston Astros on August 31 despite giving up zero earned runs over 8.0 IP ended up as a No Decision for Zane.

Since coming to Pittsburgh, Zane Smith had given the Pirates exactly what they needed.  He pitched deep into games, and did so effectively.  His long starts saved the bullpen, which was on the verge of reaching a record for innings pitched by a Pirates relief staff.

It would be his next start, however, that endeared him to Pirates fans everywhere.  With the Pirates just two games up on the hated New York Mets in the N.L. East, the team came home to a crazed Three Rivers Stadium to face those Mets in a doubleheader.  A twin-killing by the Mets would bring them into a dead heat for first place, while two wins for the Pirates would open up a four game lead, their biggest of the season.  Zane Smith took the hill in Game 1, opposed by Mets starter Frank Viola.  Smith pitched an absolute masterpiece, a one-hit shut-out that would end up being the key moment for the Pirates during the 1990 season.  He shut down the vaunted Mets offense – Gregg Jefferies, Darryl Strawberry, Kevin McReynolds, and Howard Johnson all went a combined 0-for-12 with four K’s in the game.  Smith gave up his lone hit to CF Keith Miller in the first at-bat of the game, and did not surrender another baserunner until Miller walked with 2-out in the 3rd inning.  From there, Smith shut down the Mets lock, stock and barrel.  He struck out seven, and pitched the complete game one-hitter on just 92 pitches, and only went to a 3-ball count on TWO batters the entire game.  With the score tied 0-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the Pirates got a base hit from Gary Redus to lead off the inning.  Redus would reach second base on an error, then reach third on a perfect sacrifice bunt by CF Andy Van Slyke.  Mets closer John Franco would then intentionally walk Bobby Bonilla to bring Barry Bonds to the plate with the bases loaded and one out and the game on the line.

Bonds blasted a ball into deep left field, over the outfielder who was playing in to facilitate a throw to the plate.  The Pirates won the game 1-0, and the season had officially gone into hyperdrive.  A rain-soaked crowd went bananas for their Buccos, and Zane Smith had become the most popular man in the city of Pittsburgh.

Zane Smith would go 6-2 down the stretch for the Pirates as they clinched their first N.L. East title in 11 years.  His ERA of 1.30 and WHIP of 0.842 both led the league over the final month.

In the NLCS against the Cincinnati Reds, a series lost by the Pirates, Smith would go 0-2.  Despite a bad postseason, the effect of the Zane Smith trade is credited as the key move that brought the Pittsburgh Pirates back into relevance.  In 1991, the Pirates ran away with the N.L. East title, and Smith was a major reason why.  His 16 wins would combine with the 20 wins of John Smiley and the 15 wins of Doug Drabek to give the Pirates a solid 1-2-3 rotation punch.  In 1992, Smith battled injuries to a 8-8 record in 141.0 IP.  He was unable to pitch in the postseason due to the injury, but as the Pirates fell to the Atlanta Braves for the second year in the row in the NLCS, Smith was in the dugout leading on his teammates.

Smith would remain in Pittsburgh for two more seasons, going 47-41 in his Pirates career.  He returned to the Bucs to finish his career in 1996, before retiring as a Pittsburgh Pirate to end his career.

The guys traded for Smith in 1990 would have mixed levels of success in their careers.  Willie Greene would spend nine years in the majors, mainly with the Cincinnati Reds.  His best season was in 1997, when he hit .253/26/91 for a Reds team that finished 10 games under .500.  By 2000, he had morphed into a utility role and played with Baltimore, the Chicago Cubs, and the Toronto Blue Jays to end his career.

RP Scott Ruskin would end up pitching out of the bullpen for Montreal and Cincinnati until injuries derailed his career in 1993.  His career was average, and he finished his four-year run with a 3.95 ERA and eight saves.  By 1994, he was out of baseball.

The last piece to the original trade was highly touted OF Moises Alou.  Alou would become a key part of he Montreal Expos mid-90s teams, then go on to have a solid career with five other teams until retiring in 2008.  Alou made six All Star games, and finished his career with a .303 lifetime batting average, 332 home runs, and 1287 RBI.  He was considered one of the best players of his generation, and fully reached the potential tht made him the Pirates 1st round pick (2nd overall) in the 1986 draft.

Nobody knows what Moises Alou would have become had he stayed in Pittsburgh.  He was a star who made $85 million over his 18-year career.  If he had stayed in Pittsburgh, it is safe to assume that the financial climate of the team in the mid-1990′s would have made it impossible for him to stay in Pittsburgh.  Regardless, the inclusion of Alou in the Zane Smith trade was what made that deal happen, and the Pirates rode Smith to three straight N.L. East titles.  Zane Smith was a perfect trade pick-up for those Pirates, and he was a major piece to those teams.  It is hard to imagine the early 1990′s Pirates without the mullet and snarl or Zane Smith on the rubber.

A look at the trade that brought SP Wandy Rodriguez to Pittsburgh and what could happen from here:

On July 24, 2012, the Pittsburgh Pirates traded minor-leaguers SP Rudy Owens, SP Colton Cain, and OF Robbie Grossman to the Houston Astros for SP Wandy Rodriguez and $19 million.

SP Wandy Rodriguez has been in the Pirates sights since 2010.  His career with the Houston Astros has been exceptional, despite playing on many sub-par teams.  He is a left-handed pitcher who is very similar to Zane Smith in that as his career has progressed, he has moved away from his power stuff and strikeout totals to become a most complete pitcher.  Regardless, he has averaged a strikeout per inning throughout his eight-year career, and at only 33-years old, he has at least a few more solid years ahead of him.  Signed through 2013, with a team option for the 2014 season, Rodriguez could very well be a Pirate through that entire time period.

Rodriguez will step in immediately as the Pirates #3 starting pitcher, making his first start for the team on Saturday night against his former team in Houston.  Rodriguez is a reliable workhorse, averaging 200 IP in each of his eight seasons in Houston.  He has a career ERA of 4.04, which has been effected by his home park – Minute Maid Park – a notorious hitters park that inflates the numbers of every pitcher that calls the stadium home.  Coming over to PNC Park should immediately drop his ERA down into the 3.00-3.25 realm.  His lifetime WHIP of 1.339 is a product of a higher than average 3.1 BB/9.  As a #3 starter, he matches up well with the #3 starter for many of the N.L. contending teams in 2012.  A change of scenery and the addition to a contending club should fire up the emotional Rodriguez, adding another level of competitiveness to a pitcher who wears his heart on his sleeve.

The Pirates gave up SP Rudy Owens, who is just about ready to step into a Major League rotation.  Owens was considered the most ready of the three All-Star starting pitchers at AAA-Indianapolis (Jeff Locke/Justin Wilson/Owens) and probably would have been the next pitcher called up to Pittsburgh if a spot start was needed.  He now goes to a franchise that is in full-on rebuilding mode, and Owens should be in the Houston rotation by August at the latest.

SP Colton Cain is a young pitcher who still has yet to find his niche in the lower levels of the Pirates system.  A former 8th round pick by the Pirates in 2009, the Texas native will find himself in the organization that he cheered for growing up.  He will head to AA and be worked into the rotation.  The best bet for Cain is to be developed into a relief pitcher, with his power repertoire being tailor-made for a late inning role.  He is still 2-3 years away from competing for a major league job.

OF Robbie Grossman was the key to this deal.  His 2011 season was considered a big step for Grossman, as he was named the Florida State League player of the year after hitting .294/13/56 in 616 plate appearances.  He has regressed since being promoted to AA-Altoona and there are conflicting reports on what his major league ceiling could be.  Grossman probably projects as an Alex Presley-type player with a tad more power.  He has good speed and is a very patient hitter, with a professional lifetime OBP of .380.  The Astros will send Grossman to AA Corpus Christi to be evaluated for the remainder of the AA season, at which point he could be brought up to the Astros as a September call-up to grade his progress.  The Pirates were hesitant to trade Grossman, but his path to Pittsburgh was blocked by many outfield prospects.  He has a chance to be in the big leagues full-time by 2014,

In Summary:

The Pirates trade for Wandy Rodriguez has many parallels to their 1990 deal for Zane Smith.  Grossman does not have the pedigree that Moises Alou had, but Rudy Owens could easily be the most valuable player the Astros received over the long haul.  The Pirates are in a position were they have three levels of starting pitching depth, the current rotation, the AAA rotation with several major league ready starters, and the top prospect group of Jameson Taillon, Gerrit Cole, and Luis Heredia that should be ready to contribute by 2014 at the latest.  Cole and Taillon could very well be in the Pirates rotation next season.  There is another deal on the horizon for the Pirates, possibly for a right-handed power bat.  The AAA starters left – Jeff Locke and Justin Wilson – along with AAA RP Bryan Morris are prime candidates to be moved should another deal be made.

Time will tell if the trade for Wandy Rodriguez will have the same effect that the trade for Zane Smith did in 1990, but the addition of a legitimate starter is exciting news for Pirates fans who have been on the sellers end of the rope for most of the past two decades.  Wandy Rodriguez is not Zack Greinke or Josh Johnson, but he is a solid left-handed starter who should provide the Pittsburgh Pirates with the extra shot in the arm they need to stay in the N.L. Central race for the long run.

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A quick look at how the key players for the 2012 Pirates came together:

SP James McDonald – On July 31, 2010 the Pirates traded their closer, Octavio Dotel, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for McDonald and minor league OF Andrew Lambo.  Dotel pitched exactly 18.2 innings for the Dodgers, who finished 80-82.  Lambo is still just 23-years old, but has struggled with injuries and inconsistency.  McDonald has become an ace starter, and is under team control until 2016.  This is a trade that the Dodgers wish they could un-do, a candidate for the best move made by Neil Huntington.

SP A.J. Burnett – Burnett had never lived up to the expectations of a massive contract he signed with the New York Yankees in 2008.  In February of this year, the Yankees were trying to unload their veteran hurler to any team that would take him.  The Pirates swooped in and acquired Burnett for a pair of minor leaguers, neither a legit prospect.  To facilitate the deal, New York agreed to pick up $20 million of the $33 million owed to Burnett over the next two seasons.  Ultimately, Burnett has proven that getting out of New York was the best thing that could have happened to him.  He has become the veteran leader of the Bucs, and has been integral to the success of 2012.

SP Kevin Correia – Correia was coming off a down year in San Diego when the Pirates signed him to a two-year, $7 million contract in December of 2010.  His workhorse mentality and veteran presence has been a great value at that price.  Correia will never be a Cy Young winner, but he is the type of pitcher that every contending team needs to have – a reliable, inning-eating starter who rarely has a dud outing.  By comparison, St. Louis is paying SP Jake Westbrook $8.5 million this year for essentially the same type of production.

SP Jeff Karstens – The Pirates trade OF Xavier Nady and RP Damaso Marte to the Yankees for Karstens, OF Jose Tabata, SP Ross Ohlendorf, and RP Daniel McCutchen at the 2008 trade deadline.  While Ohlendorf fizzled out after showing promise, Karstens has continued to develop into a solid starting pitcher.  Tabata is a work in progress, but has started 265 ballgames for the Pirates since being promoted in 2010.  McCutchen represents depth for the Pirates in the bullpen, unable to find a job in the 2012 relief corps despite showing reliability last season.  He will be one of the first calls if the Bucs need reinforcements for the stretch run.  Nady played in 66 games for the Yankees, batting .270 before injuries derailed his career.  Marte stayed in New York for a few more years, but never regained form as a dominant left-handed reliever.

SP Eric Bedard – Bedard has had a very up and down career, but it was his 2011 season that convinced the Pirates that he could fit into their 2012 plans.  The Bucs were able to agree with Bedard on a suitable contract, $4.5 million for one year.  While it was unknown how much could be expected of Bedard, given his past injuries, it was a chance worth taking.  Thus far he has been inconsistent, a few good starts, a few bad, and most recently a decent one against Colorado.  How much further Bedard goes as part of this rotation will depend on what the Pirates do at the trade deadline, and on his production over his next two starts.  Either way, it was a bargain deal for the Bucs.

CL Joel Hanrahan – “The Hammer” was acquired on June 30, 2009 from Washington in the deal that sent RP Sean Burnett and OF Nyjer Morgan to the Nationals.  The Pirates also received OF Lastings Milledge, who is no longer with the organization.  Hanrahan has only developed into one of the top closers in baseball, saving 71 saves as a Pirate.  Burnett has been a reliable lefty reliever for Washington, and Morgan is in Milwaukee after Washington gave up on him.  Advantage – Pirates.

RP Jason Grilli – Grilli had floundered around the major leagues for 10 years before the Pirates bought his contract off of the AAA-Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs on July 20 last summer.  Grilli was on a minor league deal that had an opt-out clause if any major league team offered him a contract, and after he dominated at AAA for a few months, the Pirates came calling.  Since then, he has morphed into the best 8th inning set-up man in the National League, posting amazing numbers and building a bridge to Hanrahan in the 9th.  Grilli has the stuff to be a closer, and in time he will probably get the chance.  For 2012, the Pirates will continue to revile in their undefeated streak when winning after the 7th inning, made possible by the “Grilli Cheese Hammer” combo.

RP Chris Resop – Resop was another scrapheap acquisition by the Pirates, who found him on the waiver wire from Atlanta in August 2010.  Resop has turned into a reliable relief pitcher who has the flexibility to pitch long relief or short, and has the stuff to shut down teams one inning at a time.  He has been a great pickup that cost the Pirates a total of $1.25 million and is signed through 2015.

RP Jared Hughes – Hughes is a product of the Pirates minor league system, and has become a suitable reliever in just his second major league season.  His 2.06 ERA and 1.145 WHIP are great numbers for a middle reliever making a cool $481,000 this year.  He is also under team control through 2018.

RP Tony Watson – Watson was drafted three times (2003 by Florida, 2006 by Baltimore, and 2007 by the Pirates) and found a home in Pittsburgh this year.  He is a homegrown product that makes $484,000 and is under team control through 2018.

As for the position players, a quick rundown on the “homegrown” products that are playing a huge part in this incredible 2012 campaign:

CF Andrew McCutchen – former 1st round pick by the Pirates in the 2005 Amateur Draft.  Has become one of the top overall players in baseball in 2012 and signed a 6-year extension that keeps him in Black and Gold through 2018.

2B Neil Walker – former 1st round pick by the Pirates in the 2004 Amateur Draft.  Has become a fantastic second baseman who can hit .300 and drive in 60-75 RBI per season.  Walker is a Pine-Richland native who is signed through 2017.

3B Pedro Alvarez – El Toro has found his stroke in 2012.  The former 1st round pick (2008) is here to stay, another in a line of great 1st round picks that have helped form this team.  He is on his way to being a .250/40/100 player and is signed through 2017, with an extension probably coming this winter.

OF Alex Presley – Presley has been inconsistent but has the makings of a future starting outfielder who can hit at the top of the lineup.  He was drafted by the Pirates in the 8th round of the 2006 Draft.  Presley is under team control through 2018.

These players were all acquired through trades or free agent signings and have become major contributors to the 2012 Pirates:

1B/OF Garrett Jones – The Pirates signed Jones as a minor-league free agent in December 2008.  He exploded onto the Pirates scene in 2009 with a 21 HR campaign in just 314 at-bats.  Since then, he has become part of Clint Hurdle’s mix-and-match bench, providing solid production when called upon.  Jones is making $2.25 million and can not be a free agent until 2016.

UTIL Josh Harrison – Harrison was the forgotten man in the July 2009 deal that sent SP Tom Gorzelanny  and RP John Grabow to Chicago.  He has emerged as a dynamic little player whose value lies in his ability to play just about any position on the field.  He is an energetic player who seems to live for dramatic moments.  Harrison is making $484,000 and is under team control until 2018.

C Michael McKenry – Talk about a steal!  “The Fort” came to Pittsburgh last summer in a deal with Boston and immediately become the backup catcher due to his defensive skills.  He has learned to use the bat in 2012, developing power and becoming a very clutch hitter.  He has also been praised for how he handles the pitching staff.  A player like McKenry is hard to find for so cheap, and the Pirates have him locked down through 2018 at the earliest.  McKenry could very well be the heir apparent to Rod Barajas as the starting catcher in 2013.

1B/3B Casey McGehee – Acquired in a trade with Milwaukee over the winter, McGehee is a versatile player with major pop in his bat.  He has helped the Pirates develop Pedro Alvarez by playing early in the season against the tough lefties and has recently began to find the stroke that made him a feared hitter with the Brewers.  The cost for McGehee?  The Pirates sent RP Jose Veras to Milwaukee.  McGehee is signed to a very cost-efficient contract through 2015.

OF Gorkys Hernandez – Hernandez is a defensive whiz who should be inserted into a corner outfield slot late in each game to improve team defense.  His bat is a work in progress, but his speed and defense are as real as it gets.  He was part of the original Nate McLouth deal with Atlanta in 2009 and has spent years honing his craft in Altoona and Indianapolis.  He is ready to contribute for the Bucs this summer, and is under team control until 2017.

As the trade deadline approaches, remember how this team was built.  It doesn’t always take a headline-stealing deal to help a contending team down the stretch.  These Pirates love each other and fight for one another, so management must be careful to not mess around with the chemistry if the team.  A small deal or two, yes.  But a gut-busting deal for Justin Upton or Cole Hamels……maybe that isn’t what these Pirates need.

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You can follow Jeff Snedden on Twitter @jeffsnedden

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The All Star Game is history, and we are a day away from the most anticipated second half of Pirates baseball in years.  The Bucs will begin their push for a N.L. Central Division championship with a visit to Miller Park to take on the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Brewers had a rough first half, finishing 40-45 and 8.0 games behind the Pirates in the division.  However, regardless of record, we all know the history that precedes the Pirates anytime they travel to Miller Park.  The Brew Crew’s domed domicile has been a house of horrors for the Bucs over the years.  Heading into this season, the Pirates record in Milwaukee had been 4-38 since 2007.  The Bucs took two of three from the Brewers in their stadium earlier this summer, a three game series that was highlighted by wins for James McDonald and Kevin Correia.  This series is very important to Milwaukee, who can ill-afford to fall any further back in the division race if they plan on making a late run in 2012.  For the Pirates this series offers another opportunity to prove that they are for real, to come out of the gate fast in the second half, and to help erase all of those bad memories they have collected at Miller Park over the past six years.

With all that in mind, I have the chance to catch up with Benjamin Orr, a Staff Writer for Reviewing the Brew.  Reviewing the Brew is the Fansided Network site for the Brewers, a fantastic site that is by far the best source of Brewers news on the internet.  I also had a chance to answer some questions about this series from a Pirates point of view, so make sure you check out Reviewing the Brew tomorrow for their article.  I’ll link it up the The Hub section on Rumbunter as well.

Benjamin provides some great insight into the Brewers season and their possible plans moving forward.  Although I will have to disagree with his final prediction for the N.L. Central race…….

Rumbunter:  Where do you see the Brewers in the sense of being buyers or sellers in 2012? 

Reviewing the Brew: I see the Brewers being in sellers in only one player, George Kottaras. I know a lot of people are speculating about Zack Greinke, Shaun Marcum, Francisco Rodriguez and for some reason Randy Wolf, but if it’s anybody, it’s Kottaras. With Jonathan Lucroy due back soon from the disabled listed and Martin Maldonado doing well enough to play in the big leagues, there’s no need for three MLB capable catchers on a NL roster.

I really don’t see the Brewers going after anyone at all. The big thing the front office should focus on is keeping Greinke, provided he isn’t traded before July 31. Being the small market team they are, they already have to pay quite a few people with extensive contracts, then comes free agent signing.  Greinke is the key and if we can’t resign him, then it goes to Marcum. If we are unable to resign both, I’d expect the Brewers to explore what they can after the season ends.

RB:  Who do you think they would make available if they decided to sell, and what would they be looking for in return – position players, pitchers?

RTB:  Kottaras and Kottaras only. It’s speculation to say him, but looking at who the Brewers have, it’s split into two categories: guys we need to keep and guys nobody else wants so we’re stuck with them. It’s the unfortunate thing about being a small market team. I assume the Brewers would focus somewhere around bullpen pitching because our bullpen has been awful this season. We picked up Livan Hernandez not too long ago, so the Brewers are still out there looking for guys to fill in that void.

If the Brewers are unable to sign Greinke and Marcum, then I’d expect them to shell out some cash for relievers. The bullpen has been such a mess. A lot of people thought losing Prince Fielder was a fatal blow to Milwaukee, but not so much as losing LaTroy Hawkins and Takashi Saito. Consistently good middle relievers aren’t exactly easy to come by, especially in Milwaukee. For the time being, we’ll more than likely expect Marco Estrada to take over that role until he gets some support.

RB:  What is the deal with Rickie Weeks in 2012?  Has he finally started to come around?

RTB:  To be quite frank, he’s just flat out awful this season. Let me put it this way, Bryce Harper nearly has identical stats to Weeks, and Harper’s only been playing since late April. As a Brewers’ fan, it’s hard to watch Weeks struggle like this. Doug Melvin invested quite a bit of money in Weeks and for him not to produce, that’s just flat out unacceptable. Yes, there are things such as slow starts, but for Weeks, his whole season has been a struggle.

I don’t think we’ll see much out Weeks for the rest of the season unless he had a darn good All-Star break and figured out his approach to the plate during his time off. On the year, he’s batting an abysmal .199 with 100 strikeouts. In 2011, he struck out 107 times, so that there says a lot. He’s clearly not seeing the ball and frankly, it’s not only frustrating, but a tad concerning.

There’s really nothing the Brewers can do about this unless they decide to bench him for the newly brought up Jeff Bianchi. So basically at that point, you have $11 million dollars a year sitting on the bench, eating away at the Brewers’ monetary value, which not only hurts Weeks’ professional numbers, but it cripples the front office as they are unable to sign anyone worth a hoot and gives them trouble resigning guys like Greinke.

RB:  Is Mat Gamel a long-term solution for the Brewers at first base?

RTB:  Yes and no. I think yes because he’s really all we have. Ron Roenicke has experimented with Corey Hart at first and even Travis Ishikawa is the current first baseman with Gamel out. I think Gamel was in the limelight for the job after Fielder left so it’s really his job to lose.

Now, permanently? That’s a new ball game there. If Gamel at all struggles (and this is depending on whether or not we resign Ishikawa), he can easily be replaced by Hart, Ishikawa or even Taylor Green / Bianchi. However, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. Gamel for his entire career has lived under the shadow of Fielder and never got really establish himself as a true first baseman.

Gamel has time to learn first base in a more extensive role and I am trusting the Brewers to work with him. I don’t expect Gamel to have Gold Glove stuff instantly, but first base is a hot corner and if he can overcome that, he’ll be fine. His offense is a different story, but it wasn’t exactly bad. He was batting .245 before his injury and you have to take into account that his injury occurred on May 1. Being still early in the season, low averages are expected so it’s hard to judge Gamel based off of that.

RB:  As a Brewers follower, what did you think of the Veras/McGehee deal when it happened, and how do you feel about it now?

RTB:  I was a bit surprised at the time because we just signed Aramis Ramirez only hours beforehand, but then it made sense. I wasn’t exactly sure why (and I’m still not sure) Milwaukee feels the need to try and bring in average talent all the time, if you can call him average. My initial thought was that it can really only help add some extra padding to the bullpen with Saito leaving that same day.

Now, being halfway through the 2012 season, Veras hasn’t helped at all. He does have some decent pitches, mainly his curveball, but more often than not, his pitches flatten out and he gets in trouble. I guess I understand the front office’s decision on trading for bullpen pitching, especially since we signed Ramirez who in my opinion, is a much better third baseman than McGehee. I just feel we could’ve gotten someone a little better for McGehee.

RB:  How do the fans in Milwaukee view what is going on in Pittsburgh?  Does it bring back memories of 2008?

RTB:  To a degree, it’s somewhat expected while being surprising. Everyone, us Brewers’ fans included, knew the Pirates were going to have to break out of that terrible 20 year slump sooner than later and 2012 may prove to be that year. I think what surprises us the most is how bad we’re doing and how good Pittsburgh is doing, especially when the Pirates won the first series of this season at Milwaukee, where they have always struggled tremendously.

I can’t say that it does. The span of four years has drastically changed both clubs, so it’s hard to say that it compares to 2008. Actually, it’s almost as if the two have switched places in the NL Central and the Brewers are going to be the team looking in from the outside if they cannot continue to play any better. The Pirates on the other hand are not used to so much success that it will be interesting to see how they can handle it later on down the road.

RB:  Finally, give me your top to bottom final standings in the 2012 NL Central race.

RTB:

1. Cincinnati (97-65)

2. St. Louis (88-74) – Wild Card

3. Pittsburgh (82-80)

4. Milwaukee (80-82)

5. Houston (59-103)

6. Chicago (55-107)

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You can follow Jeff Snedden on Twitter @jeffsnedden

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