After locking up Ryan Braun through 2020, can the Brewers actually compete for Prince Fielder's services next season?

With each passing day, the demeanor of most Brewers fans begins to fade ever so slightly regarding the status of their beloved first baseman, Prince Fielder.  In 2011 (his final year under contract), Fielder is set to make $15.5 million. Once his contract is up, rumor has it that agent Scott Boras will vouch for a contract at or above the infamous $200 million range.  For a franchise with a 2011 payroll a shade under $85.5 million, that's ridiculously high.  So for the time being, should Brewers fans begin to relinquish their constructive perceptions of the situation at hand?  By now the answer seems to be a resounding "yes."

Though the Brewers are in the midst of a promising season, here are five Prince Fielder trade possibilities GM Doug Melvin may consider by the end of the season.

Angels Get: Prince Fielder

Brewers Get: Dan Haren (RHP), two unnamed prospects

Though the Brewers went out and traded for Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum in the offseason, Prince Fielder's talents would be more than enough to land another prime arm to join the rotation.

Case in point: Dan Haren.

Haren is a superstar talent that has a lot to give to Milwaukee's rotation, and he is on point to make $12.75 million in 2011 with a contract set to expire in 2012 with a team option in 2013. Though he may only be with the Brewers for one to two seasons, a rental player of Haren's caliber is an upgrade that makes Milwaukee World Series contenders.

Can you put a price on winning?

Giants Get: Prince Fielder

Brewers Get: Jonathan Sanchez (RHP), Madison Bumgarner (RHP), multiple unnamed prospects

The Giants have been rumored to be in the Prince Fielder sweepstakes for a while now.

What makes this deal possible is the plethora of pitching talent San Francisco maintains at both the major-league and minor-league levels. Both Jonathan Sanchez and Madison Bumgarner could be potential targets for Doug Melvin to key in on, as they both bring a lot to the table talent-wise.

Likewise, the Giants have been without a "power" bat for quite some time, and Fielder would be able to fill in right away as San Fransisco's first baseman.

The only thing holding this deal back, however, is Tim Lincecum's projected extension with the club that could call for an additional $100 million.

Dodgers Get: Prince Fielder

Brewers Get: Chad Billingsley (RHP), Ted Lilly (RHP), several unnamed prospects

Like San Francisco, the Dodgers are lacking a power bat to complement Matt Kemp in their lineup, and Prince Fielder would be an excellent upgrade over James Loney.

The only problem is, what would Milwaukee get in return for dealing away Fielder?

The Dodgers maintain several potential pieces to the puzzle: Chad Billingsley, Ted Lilly and notable minor-league pitching prospects such as Zach Lee and Chris Withrow.

If Los Angeles is willing to deal away multiple arms for Fielder's services, I wouldn't be surprised if this deal gets done in a timely fashion.

Rangers Get: Prince Fielder

Brewers Get: C.J. Wilson (RHP), Derek Holland (RHP), several unnamed prospects

Unlike many teams vying for Prince Fielder's services for next season, the Rangers maintain a plethora of potential deal-breakers that could put Milwakee's golden slugger in the heart of Texas in 2011.

As we've already mentioned, Fielder is on point to make $15 million in 2011, and C.J. Wilson's $7 million salary in 2011 would cover a good portion of Fielder's contract if traded to the Brewers.

However, there are other factors weighing heavily on this trade. Which other pitching prospects would Texas be willing to throw in? Could Derek Holland put this deal over the top?

At just 24 years old, Holland has a substantial amount of major-league experience under his belt and would be a prime prospect for Milwaukee's starting rotation.

Orioles Get: Prince Fielder, Yuniesky Betancourt (SS)

Brewers Get: Jeremy Guthrie (RHP), several unnamed prospects and compensatory cash

The Orioles are a team on the rise with a lot of talent to dispense but could be hesitant to deal away future difference-makers with a decent farm system under their belt.

Before this season, Baltimore signed Derrek Lee to a one-year, $7.25 million contract. Once he is gone, the Orioles could use that cap space as leverage to pursue Prince Fielder's services.

Don't think they have what it takes? Let's remember: The Orioles made a run at Mark Teixeira two winters ago. They obviously have both the prospects and money to make this deal worthwhile for both parties.

Be that as it may, the Brewers won't settle for just any return on investment. In Fielder's case, that could mean all but emptying Baltimore's farm system.

Prospects such as shortstop Jonathan Schoop and starters Tim Bascom and Wynn Pelzer would be great additions to a potential deal between the two clubs, but you might as well throw in Jeremy Guthrie, because unproven prospects won't be enough for Milwaukee to deal away Fielder.

While a rib injury kept Zack Greinke on the DL for the first month of the season and Yovani Gallardo struggling, Shaun Marcum has done his part to keep the Milwaukee Brewers in the race for the NL Central.

Marcum led the Brewers to the team's fourth win in a row against the Dodgers while improving his record to 5-1. He threw seven innings, allowing one run on five hits, one walk and four strikeouts and lowered his ERA to 2.54 for the season. Marcum kept the Dodgers off balance last night by throwing 73 off-speed pitches (38 changeups) compared to 25 fastballs—an approach he has used since being acquired from the Brewers in the off-season.

While he has always heavily relied on the use of his fastball and changeup, there has been a drop in Marcum's average fastball velocity (87.1 to 86.3 mph) this season. With this drop in velocity, Marcum has increased the use of every one of his off-speed pitches (changeup, curveball, cutter and slider). He has thrown his fastball at a 29.1 percent rate compared to 45.1 percent last season. There has been a six percent increase in his usage of his slider, five percent for his change-up (30.8 percent), one percent for the cutter and a four percent increase in the usage of his curveball.

The change in approach has wielded great results for Marcum. He has the second best swinging strike percentage for qualified starting pitchers at 12.7 percent—a significant increase from his 2010 percentage of 10.7. Additionally, he has the lowest contact rate of all qualified starters at 69.9 percent. His strikeout rate has increased from 7.6 K/9 to 8.58, and his walk rate remains an above average 2.06 BB/9.

He has been able to keep hitters from making solid contact against him because he throws the third least amount of strikes among qualified starters at 38.6 percent. Hitters have made contact with the those pitches out of the zone at a 54.3 percent rate, which is seventh in baseball.

Marcum's .274 BABIP, 77.4 percent strand rate and 5.3 percent HR/FB ratio have benefited his ERA, but his BABIP is actually below his career average. A slight regression will take place over the coming months, but Marcum will continue to be a force for the rest of the season.

On paper, the Brewers and Padres are polar opposites.

The Brewers' team statistics thus far are remarkably consistent from offense to defense -- they are 15th in team batting average and 16th in team ERA. The Padres, on the other hand, are third in team ERA but last in the Major Leagues in average.

So it's fitting that as the clubs meet at Miller Park on Tuesday in the second of a three-game series, Milwaukee deploys the reliable starter, Shaun Marcum, while San Diego counters with up-and-down left-hander Clayton Richard.

For the Brewers, led by manager Ron Roenicke, there's no time like the present. The Brewers enter Tuesday on a 3-8 run, but all but one of those games came on the road -- the lone exception being their 4-3 win in the series opener on Monday. Still, Milwaukee enters a stretch of 14 home dates over an 18-game span, and Roenicke knows that now is the time for his club to capitalize.

"I think we're all happy to be home," Roenicke said. "It was a bad road trip. So to get back here and try to get on the right track again, guys are ready for it."

The Brewers will look to Marcum to deliver another strong outing. Despite being overlooked in the offseason after Milwaukee acquired the more heralded Zack Greinke, Marcum is 3-1 with a 2.06 ERA -- the lowest in the Brewers' starting rotation. Marcum enters Tuesday on a remarkable run -- he hasn't allowed an earned run in three of his past five starts dating to April 13, and he was touched for one run in his most recent outing, a 2-1 loss to the Braves.

Unearned runs were Richard's bugaboo in his most recent outing -- six of them to be specific in a 7-4 loss to the Pirates. Moreover, Richard has battled command issues this season, as well -- he's walked 15 batters in 38 innings -- and after winning 14 games last season, his record stands at 1-3.

"In those situations, you want to pick up your teammates," Richard said of his the Padres' fielding struggles in his last start. "It's disappointing to not be able to make some pitches to get us out of it."

Padres: Headley walks to win
Padres third baseman Chase Headley was known in the Minor Leagues for his patient eye, but since he made his big league debut in 2007, he hadn't shown as much patience at the plate until this season.

So far in 2011, Headley has 21 walks in 34 games, more than one-third of his career high of 62. Despite his .245 average, Headley enters Tuesday with a .375 on-base percentage, well above his career high of .342, which he set in '08, but in line with his Minor League totals. Headley posted a .437 OBP in '07, when he was in Double-A, and a .399 OBP overall as a Minor Leaguer.

"You can argue that he might have our best eye," Padres manager Bud Black said.

Headley, who went 1-for-4 with a double in the opener, attributed his success to something simple: swinging at good pitches and taking bad ones.

"I think I've done a good job of swinging at strikes and taking balls," Headley said. He added, "I think a lot of it has to do with where I'm hitting in the lineup," said Headley, who entered the day with six walks over his last three games. "It seems like I've led off [innings] a lot so if that's the case I'm going to take some pitches."

Brewers: Weeks breaks out of slump
Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the series opener against San Diego, bucking a recent trend of struggles at the plate.

Weeks went 0-for-5 on Sunday in St. Louis, to complete a nine-game stretch in which he hit .229 (8-for-35) with 11 strikeouts and no RBIs.

Worth noting
Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder turned 27 years old on Monday. He went 1-for-4. ... Weeks' home run on Monday was the Brewers' ninth solo home run in a row. ... The Padres have a 52-40 advantage over the Brewers in head-to-head meetings since Milwaukee moved to the National League in 1998. The clubs are even (24-24) in Milwaukee.

On paper, the Brewers and Padres are polar opposites.

The Brewers' team statistics thus far are remarkably consistent from offense to defense -- they are 15th in team batting average and 16th in team ERA. The Padres, on the other hand, are third in team ERA but last in the Major Leagues in average.

So it's fitting that as the clubs meet at Miller Park on Tuesday in the second of a three-game series, Milwaukee deploys the reliable starter, Shaun Marcum, while San Diego counters with up-and-down left-hander Clayton Richard.

For the Brewers, led by manager Ron Roenicke, there's no time like the present. The Brewers enter Tuesday on a 3-8 run, but all but one of those games came on the road -- the lone exception being their 4-3 win in the series opener on Monday. Still, Milwaukee enters a stretch of 14 home dates over an 18-game span, and Roenicke knows that now is the time for his club to capitalize.

"I think we're all happy to be home," Roenicke said. "It was a bad road trip. So to get back here and try to get on the right track again, guys are ready for it."

The Brewers will look to Marcum to deliver another strong outing. Despite being overlooked in the offseason after Milwaukee acquired the more heralded Zack Greinke, Marcum is 3-1 with a 2.06 ERA -- the lowest in the Brewers' starting rotation. Marcum enters Tuesday on a remarkable run -- he hasn't allowed an earned run in three of his past five starts dating to April 13, and he was touched for one run in his most recent outing, a 2-1 loss to the Braves.

Unearned runs were Richard's bugaboo in his most recent outing -- six of them to be specific in a 7-4 loss to the Pirates. Moreover, Richard has battled command issues this season, as well -- he's walked 15 batters in 38 innings -- and after winning 14 games last season, his record stands at 1-3.

"In those situations, you want to pick up your teammates," Richard said of his the Padres' fielding struggles in his last start. "It's disappointing to not be able to make some pitches to get us out of it."

Padres: Headley walks to win
Padres third baseman Chase Headley was known in the Minor Leagues for his patient eye, but since he made his big league debut in 2007, he hadn't shown as much patience at the plate until this season.

So far in 2011, Headley has 21 walks in 34 games, more than one-third of his career high of 62. Despite his .245 average, Headley enters Tuesday with a .375 on-base percentage, well above his career high of .342, which he set in '08, but in line with his Minor League totals. Headley posted a .437 OBP in '07, when he was in Double-A, and a .399 OBP overall as a Minor Leaguer.

"You can argue that he might have our best eye," Padres manager Bud Black said.

Headley, who went 1-for-4 with a double in the opener, attributed his success to something simple: swinging at good pitches and taking bad ones.

"I think I've done a good job of swinging at strikes and taking balls," Headley said. He added, "I think a lot of it has to do with where I'm hitting in the lineup," said Headley, who entered the day with six walks over his last three games. "It seems like I've led off [innings] a lot so if that's the case I'm going to take some pitches."

Brewers: Weeks breaks out of slump
Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs in the series opener against San Diego, bucking a recent trend of struggles at the plate.

Weeks went 0-for-5 on Sunday in St. Louis, to complete a nine-game stretch in which he hit .229 (8-for-35) with 11 strikeouts and no RBIs.

Worth noting
Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder turned 27 years old on Monday. He went 1-for-4. ... Weeks' home run on Monday was the Brewers' ninth solo home run in a row. ... The Padres have a 52-40 advantage over the Brewers in head-to-head meetings since Milwaukee moved to the National League in 1998. The clubs are even (24-24) in Milwaukee.

When the lights come on at Turner Field for the second half of Wednesday's doubleheader, all eyes will be on Zack Greinke.

A mere 30 minutes after the first game is decided, the 2009 Cy Young Award winner will make his season debut for the Brewers against Braves veteran Tim Hudson. Greinke's first Milwaukee start was delayed by a cracked rib suffered in a pickup basketball game during Spring Training.

"This is his first start, so I don't know what he's featuring or what he's going to do," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said of Greinke. "But when he's healthy, he's pretty darn good."

Greinke is coming off a disappointing 2010 season in which he went 10-14 with a 4.17 ERA. But Atlanta's hitters won't be making the mistake of underestimating him.

"His stuff is nasty," said Braves outfielder Eric Hinske, who has faced Greinke more than anyone else on Atlanta's roster. "He has special stuff. Any time you put a Cy Young Award next to somebody's name, it makes him special."

The 35-year-old Hudson is having an efficient season, going at least six innings in all six of his starts and notching a 3.48 ERA. The right-hander has allowed just two runs in each of his past two starts.

Meanwhile, inside the Braves' clubhouse, it's clear that one facet of the game will likely make or break the team's first season under Gonzalez.

"The bottom line is, as our pitching goes, we're going to go," Braves third baseman Chipper Jones said.

And so far it's been going well, with the Braves sitting third in the National League with a 3.17 team ERA. They've allowed the second-fewest home runs in the league (15) and have struck out the second-most batters (223).

That's thanks in no small part to 24-year-old Tommy Hanson, who has rebounded nicely from early-season struggles to put together tremendous back-to-back outings. In his last two appearances, the right-hander has allowed just one run and seven hits over 14 innings, while striking out 17 batters.

"The last two times out, Tommy has thrown extremely well," Jones said. "He stayed on top of hitters with his fastball and was able to use the whole repertoire once he gets ahead in the count. That's the kind of Tommy Hanson we need for 35 starts."

Hanson draws the first start in Wednesday's doubleheader, facing Brewers right-hander Marco Estrada, who will make his fourth start of the season. The 27-year-old Estrada is coming off a seven-inning effort against the Reds in which he allowed two runs on two hits and three walks while striking out five.