Braun sits out finale, ponders uncertain future with Crew

DENVER — If this was Ryan Braun’s last day in a Brewers uniform, it was a quiet ending to one of the most productive tenures in franchise history. Braun, Milwaukee’s all-time leader with 285 home runs and the most valuable remaining trade chip for a team in rebuilding mode, mutually decided with manager Craig Counsell to sit out Sunday’s season finale against the Rockies. Braun finished his 10th Major League season with some round numbers: 130 starts coming off back surgery, 30 home runs and a .305 batting average.

And, perhaps most importantly: Zero trips to the disabled list.

“I’m perfectly healthy,” Braun said. “I actually feel as good as I ever can remember feeling at the end of a season. We talked about [Sunday’s plan] for a few days, what we wanted to do. This lets some other guys who’ve only been here for a month the opportunity to play.

“Sometimes, the last game feels like a Spring Training game, which I dislike. It’s one of those days when everyone is trying to get out of here. It’s just a different level of competitiveness, which I don’t like. So, I was OK either way.”

Braun’s .903 OPS was ninth best in the National League and his best mark since 2012, when he finished runner-up to Buster Posey in National League MVP balloting. By weighted runs created plus, a measure that compares a player’s performance to league average and accounts for ballpark factors, Braun was the league’s 11th-best hitter.

That was despite all of the trades around him, including the Aug. 1 deal that sent catcher Jonathan Lucroy, who batted behind Braun, to the Rangers. Braun himself was nearly traded to the Dodgers that month, but the teams ran out of time before a deal could be completed.

“I think I could be better than I was this year,” Braun said. “Those round numbers — hitting .300 is a really difficult thing to do, hitting 30 homers is a really difficult thing to do. …

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