Brewers Have Braun for the Long Haul

YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!

Give me a second to catch my breath.

Ok, here we go. The Brewers announced this morning that they have signed Ryan Braun to a long-term deal. According to Doug Melvin, it's an 8 year deal that will keep him in Milwaukee through 2015. This means the contract starts this year, and is basically a seven year extension. At the press conference, Melvin let Braun announce that the deal is worth $45 million.

So those are the facts. But what does this mean? It means the Brewers have locked up one of the game's youngest starts for the long haul. I've never met the guy, but Braun seems to be one of the best players in the league from a personal level. He's a level-headed guy who's always done the right thing in the game, and today he's being rewarded for it.

To see the Brewers not just sign Braun to an extension, but to a major one, is a welcoming sign. When these young guys first started becoming household names, the consensus was most of them would be playing in New York by 2010. This shows that the Brewers aren't just playing for this year or next year, but they plan on competiting for years to come.

Braun says he hopes "this starts a trend", and I think it will. I'd expect extensions for Hart and Hardy maybe later this year, and possibly Weeks as well. I still am on the fence as to whether or not Prince will stick around in Milwaukee after his contract is up, but with Braun signing, he now has more of a reason to.

As you can tell, this is a move I'm excited about, especially since Braun is one of my favorite players on the team. He'll take the field in just a few short hours, as the Brewers play the Dodgers today at 12:05 CT.