I think you're still missing the point many are making about those past trades, the objections to those trades have nothing to do with the players being traded and everything to do with the nature of the solutions offered to our pitching problems. You can only buy so many MLB pitchers with prospects and then the well runs dry. For those of us with WS aspirations, how many teams have won a World Series but got out-pitched by the opposition? That was the realization that started me on the "young starting pitching" track I've been on since the off-season before 2008. I don't mean during the regular season, but in the post season when teams shorten their rotations and bullpen to cut out the fat? What are your feelings on the franchise? Braun and Segura don't make the franchise anymore than Braun and Fielder made the franchise, 2 position players no matter how good they are won't carry a team by themselves. Are you optimistic for the future? If so why? If not why not? I don't think Logan's intent was to rehash the same arguments on both sides of the organization building fence for the 1000th time. Rather how do you feel about the state of the entire franchise and where do you see it heading? Many of us whom take a macro view of the organization and NL central have become very apathetic over the last handful of years, those that focus on just the MLB team seem to be more optimistic. Where do you fall? No, I fully understand the point. I think that suggesting we traded away the future for two playoff appearances not only undervalues the significance of making the NLCS for the first time in Twenty Nine Years, it also ignores the fact that all those transactions also netted Jean Segura who appears to be better than all the prospects we traded away, combined. And if your suggestion is that we should have acquired "young starting pitching" instead, then that is a hypothetical scenario which most likely would not have been as successful as Segura + Grienke + NLCS. I realize you were so focused on your "young starting pitching" dissertation that you forgot to enjoy nearly making the world series for the first time in three decades, but in my opinion it was a worthwhile gamble and I don't agree with the idea that the future of the whole organization has been compromised as a result. I also understand based on your comments from the past three years you think all 30 teams in the MLB have the capacity to replicate the Rays, regardless of draft slot history... I think you're missing the point. Yes I remain optimistic about the future of the Brewers. I know the month of May 2013 has been terrible but that doesn't automatically have me jumping on the board of the same title, different name vent thread every time things go bad. Brewers have a tremendously talented offense and I completely haven't given up on the talents of Wily Peralta or Gallardo during a rough stretch, or even Estrada and Lohse for that matter. Some reinforcements would certainly be nice but that doesn't mean I see the entire organization going down the tubes. 2013 is certainly not looking that promising but I'm not giving up hope.