Could the Brewers lose Jack Z? (and do we want to?)

Hardcore Brewer fans know Jack Zduriencik as the team's spectacular scouting direction. He's the brains behind the operation that's grown all the talent currently gracing Miller Park.

I have said as recently as Ned's firing in September that Jack Z is someone we should consider for GM - Doug Melvin has just one year left in his contract.

All signs point to the fact that the GM situation in Milwaukee will need to be figured out before the team can think about squaring away the Manager position.

Seattle might be pushing our hand.

Jack Z is one of the final four candidates up for the Mariners GM job.

The search for Seattle's GM has made headlines, not just because it's about the only search publicly going on right now, but also because Kim Ng is up for the job. She's currently the Dodgers' Assistant GM and she's the first woman to be considered for a GM position (she interviewed for the Dodgers position in 2005.)

There are things for and against Jack Z in terms of the Seattle job. They've got a few big contracts and pretty much no farm system. If ever there were a guy I'd want rebuilding my minor league system, it would be Jack Z.

However, he's significantly older than the other candidates that have made it to the final round of interviewing (He's 57, making him 10 years older than LaCava, 17 years older than DiPoto and 18 years the senior of Ng). Seattle's looking for a long term solution and may see Jack Z's age as a deteriment.

He's said previously that he ultimately wants to be a GM. As a fan, it would be a shame for the Brewers to lose someone as talented as Jack Z. He was named Major League Baseball's Executive of the Year last year. He's the first non-general manager to ever receive the award since it was instituted in 1998. He's a wiz at drafting young talent.

During his time here, the Brewers have drafted Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy, Tony Gwynn, Jr, Corey Hart, Ryan Braun, Yovani Gallardo and Manny Parra.

The story isn't as innocuous as "Oh, we might lose our scouting and drafting wiz."

Seattle's decision now becomes ours and means that we have to move sooner rather than later. This forces Mark A to decide whether he wants Doug Melvin or Jack Z running this franchise for the forseeable future.