No more patch jobs.
For several years, the Brewers have added a piece here and a piece there to stay in contention for the postseason. Sometimes there were big moves. Other times they settled for role players. But, for the most part, the Brewers were buyers, not sellers.
The big moves included CC Sabathia in 2008 as well as Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum for 2011, and the Brewers were rewarded with playoff berths each time. In doing so, however, they traded away much of their future in terms of minor-league prospects, and the rent eventually comes due.