Brewers owner heads to Milwaukee for confab

At a time the Brewers have extended their surprise freefall from the end of last season into the beginning of this one to start a disastrous 2-12 — the worst record in the majors — team owner Mark Attanasio was en route Wednesday to Milwaukee as team higher-ups try to get a gauge on what’s gone wrong lately, and what should be done about it.

Attanasio decided within the last two or three days to fly to Milwaukee, according to team sources, and general manager Doug Melvin suggested Attanasio, who lives in Los Angeles, wants to reinforce the notion he’s engaged and won’t abandon the team at this difficult time. Attanasio has done that throughout his 11-year tenure.

While Attanasio’s presence could naturally stir burgeoning speculation about long-time Brewers manager Ron Roenicke’s job status, Melvin said other issues are foremost in their discussions, at least to this point, and Melvin even suggested an overall change in strategy and focus could be on the table. However, it also isn’t difficult to imagine Roenicke becoming an issue if this continues.

“Mark and I talk every day. We haven’t talked about Ron at this point,” Melvin said. “We’ve talked about the players. Why are the players not performing? Our goal is to get the players to perform.”

Melvin added, “We all feel responsibility for what we’re doing. We have to evaluate everything, from me to the coaching staff to the players.”

Brewers people from top to bottom seem especially upset that whatever ailed the team late last year – they finished 9-22 to end up eight games behind first-place St. Louis after spending 150 days atop the NL Central – has continued into this season.

“It’s very frustrating winning two ballgames,” Melvin said. “You hate to see it as part of a carryover.”

While Attanasio confirmed he’s heading Wednesday to Milwaukee, where the Brewers finish a thus-far winless homestand with five more games against two archrivals, with two more against the Reds followed by three against the Cardinals, he didn’t say what the purpose of his trip is beyond ”catching a couple of the games in person.” Attanasio didn’t address any of the issues derailing the team, but some others connected are bracing for possible changes.

“There are a lot of parts of the game not working, and they’re not working to an extreme,” Melvin said.

For what it’s worth, at least for the day, he didn’t seem focused at all on the manager.

“There’s something going on here,” Melvin said. “I don’t want to get into individual players … but we’re just not hitting.”

Melvin suggested a total change in plans could be on the table, as well. The Brewers have remained consistently competitive since around 2007, without taking a step back to rebuild, despite payroll limitations. Extremely strong fan support perhaps has spurred them to stay the course, as well as a belief that teams that win in the 80s can win titles (the two World Series teams won in the 80s last year).

But Melvin, who referred to the Brewers’ seemingly perpetual state as “Milwaukee in the middle,” acknowledged that rebuilding can be necessary at some point.

“It’s good we have 140 some games left. But we’ve got to see change here. We’ve got to see the arrow pointing in the other direction pretty soon,” Melvin said. “Maybe there’s a point you have to say, you have to reset, retool.”

Melvin said he understood going in they wouldn’t be the obvious favorite in an improving division, especially in a season where their payroll has gone from 12th highest in MLB to about 20th (though at $110 million, it’s still the highest in the history of the small-market team). But the Brewers are used to being at least in the middle of the pack, and to giving themselves a chance. Seven of the last 10 years, they’ve won in the 80s, and their consistency is seen further in the fact that they are one of only four teams not to have a top-10 draft pick in the last eight years (though that may explain a bit of a drop in talent).

Attanasio may simply be trying to get a gauge on the team’s troubles, which run the gamut — they are either last in the National League or second to last in most key pitching, hitting and fielding categories – but folks connected to the team are also beginning to wonder about bigger changes. Whether that’s in the manager’s office, the clubhouse, or elsewhere remains to be seen. They know they can’t stand still, though.

“We need to see improvement. We can’t be stale, stagnant,” Melvin said. “I feel responsible, too. Managers don’t pick the talent. We all have responsibility for what’s happening.”

Naturally, though, some of the speculation will be about the manager. For a team that appeared to be poised to win a division title last year to go 11-33 in its last 44 games seems almost unfathomable.

Roenicke’s option for 2016 was picked up by the Brewers just a little more than a month ago, on March 19, but while such a move creates a perception of faith, the reality is that it’s not a large monetary commitment for an MLB team. Roenicke, according to a source, is making $1.3 million this year, as Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com reported, with $1.4 million believed due him in ’16, according to the source.

While the low-key Roenicke still has a winning record since becoming Brewers manager (337-325), one issue in recent years has been an inability to stem slides. Beyond last year’s finish, the Brewers had a disastrous 6-22 May in 2013 in a season in which they were otherwise over .500, finishing at 74-88.

The Brewers dismissed hitting coach Johnny Narron and first base coach Garth Iorg following last year’s implosion but ultimately decided to keep Roenicke, who to that point had been 335-313 as Brewers manager since his hiring to replace Ken Macha before the 2011 season. Darnell Coles was named hitting coach, and Mike Guerrero first base coach.

The Brewers have been a very stable franchise in terms of major personnel in the Attanasio regime, which is in its 11th season. Melvin, who became Brewers GM late in the 2002 season, has remained GM throughout.

There have been a couple managerial changes, with Attanasio himself making the call to replace Ned Yost late in the 2008 season and replace him with Dale Sveum with the team struggling to remain in playoff position; Milwaukee wound up finishing 6-6 under Sveum and qualified for its second ever playoff spot. The Brewers also made the playoffs in 2011, under Roenicke.

Melvin, who added the title of president of baseball operations a few years ago, was reported in spring training by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel to be weighing his future. As that report indicated, Melvin is believed to be wanted to remain by Attanasio beyond this season. “I know what I’m going to do,” Melvin said, without specifying. Though perhaps he gave a clue when he said, “I still enjoy the job.”

Though, perhaps he’s enjoying it a bit less at this moment, which sees the Brewers in an unlikely spot — buried in last place in the NL Central.

The Brewers have been hurt by injuries in the early going (stars Carlos Gomez and Jonathan Lucroy are among those out now) but their people don’t use that as an excuse, nor should they. The Brewers are 15th in the NL with a .581 OPS, 14th in runs with 41 and tied for 14th (last) with six home runs. They are last with a 5.31 ERA, last with a 6.12 starters’ ERA, last with two quality starts and tied for 14th (most) with 15 errors.

Oddly enough, the starting eight hit a collective .340 in spring training, with only veteran third baseman Aramis Ramirez below .300. Since the season began, however, that kind of play has been nowhere in evidence.

Ron Roenicke and the Brewers have gotten off to a very frustrating start. (USATSI)

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