The next two weeks could be a real key for the Brewers, with a potentially brutal road trip coming up prior to a potentially very good homestand prior to the All-Star break, the next 14 games could go a long way in determining where they stand at the trade deadline, and making decisions easier, or much more difficult. If they can find a way to play around .500 or better the next 14 games, they should be in a position to put themselves firmly in the buyer category when the All-Star break rolls around. However, if they go get their brains beat in on the road, as is usually the norm, they face the prospect of floundering around .500 as the deadline approaches, and making the buy/sell question extremely difficult to answer - with Sheets' FA looming, it makes answering that question correctly that much more critical. Teams like KC, Seattle, San Diego, San Francisco all know they aren't going anywhere. I am a firm believer that Doug should strike first and go get a pitcher now, instead of waiting. Will he have to overpay somewhat? Yeah, probably, but if you can translate that into a few extra wins over the next month, you end up giving yourslef an opportunity you might not otherwise have. I would consider the Brewers buyers now. If the fail to buy however, a bad trip through Atlanta, minnesota, and Arizona, coupld pretty easily turn them into sellers. Your going to overpay for pitching anyway. Might as well overpay sooner than later to try to maximize the return.