Last week, the Brewers closed out their most successful season in almost thirty years but still fell short of the World Series. Adding salt to the wound, it happened against their dreaded NL Central rivals. It’s hard to argue that the Crew should’ve won the series–the red-hot Cards smoked them at the plate, on the mound, and in the field. So as Tony LaRussa attempts to guide the Cards to their second World Series in six years, what can we look forward to next season from the Brew Crew?

Obviously, the big news will be surrounding the Brewers’ fan favorite first baseman: Prince Fielder. Fielder is a free agent this winter and he (and his lucrative agent Scott Boras) will demand a huge contract somewhere in the neighborhood of 180 million dollars. Unfortunately for Brewers fans, this is most certainly out of Milwaukee’s price range. So here’s some simple advice: let him go. I know it’s painful to imagine a lineup without the man who brought us beast mode and bombs to right field, but the Brewers wont be able to match other team’s offers. Instead, look for GM Doug Melvin to improve the lineup elsewhere.

One glaring area of concern is at shortstop, where Yuniesky Betancourt just finished with a horrendous .271 on base percentage. He consistently exhibited the plate discipline of a Little Leaguer coupled with one of the worse ranges at shortstop in the MLB. I know, he made some clutch plays in the playoffs, but don’t be fooled. Yuni B is not the answer at short. Also, his option for next season is about 6 million dollars, which is way too much for the Brewers to pick up for arguably the worst starter from last year.

So who’s the future at shortstop? The answer lies in the free agency market. An unlikely but attractive player is Jose Reyes–the only batter in the NL with a higher batting average than Ryan Braun last season. He would probably be at least 40 million dollars less expensive than Fielder, and in my opinion, a more complete player. He’s infinitely more valuable than Prince defensively, and would bring a new dimension to the Brewers instead of the usual power bats. This way, Corey Hart could move back in the lineup and there’s the potential to have three .300 hitters at the top of the lineup in Reyes, Nyjer Morgan (assuming he’s resigned), and Braun. Wishful thinking aside though, Reyes will most likely still be too expensive for the Brewers. Another (cheaper) option would be Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins if he doesn’t return to Philadelphia. If one of those big names can’t be signed, the Brewers could look Boston’s direction, where both Jed Lowrie and Marco Scutaro could be on their way out of Beantown.

Regardless, I expect Melvin to make moves to stay in the hunt next season. Their pitching rotation that catapulted them to the playoffs remains intact for at least one more year. Since pitchers Shaun Marcum and Zach Greinke could be on their way out of Milwaukee after next season, Melvin will surely make moves to give it another run. I don’t expect them to sign a first baseman if Fielder leaves–most likely they’ll leave it in the hands of minor league star Mat Gamel. Also, expect set up man Francisco Rodriguez to move on because he’s under the impression that he can still be a major league closer. So in addition to a new shortstop, look for Melvin to bulk up the bullpen.

The season ended sourly, but don’t forget that this was one of the best summers in Brewers history. It’ll hurt if we have to watch Fielder come to town in a new uniform, but behind Braun and the starting pitching, the Brewers have a good opportunity of returning to the postseason in 2012.