The Brewers are the NL Central champions for the first time since 2011. They pulled it off by vanquishing the heavily-favored (at least from back in the spring) Cubs in a tiebreaker game on Monday in Wrigley Field. 

I can't help but think back to Jan. 25. Yes, on Oct. 1, I'm thinking back to baseball happenings in late January. I remember it well. I was sitting there on a dreary -- at least where I live -- Thursday night working. I was lamenting how many key free agents were still sitting on the board with spring training just a few weeks away. 

All of a sudden, the Brewers traded for Marlins center fielder Christian Yelich. Just as I was polishing off the analysis for that, news breaks that they were in agreement on a deal for free agent center fielder Lorenzo Cain. 

Business had all of a sudden picked up. Boom. What a night for David Stearns and the Brewers. 

It could be strongly argued that the Brewers won the NL Central that night, because they undoubtedly don't win it without those moves. Arguing against that point would be to say those two didn't add a single win to the Brewers. In reality, they added many wins. In fact, they wouldn't have even made the playoffs without those two moves. 

And, again, they happened on the same night. Amazing! 

You simply can't say enough about what this duo has meant. 

Yelich is very likely to win the NL MVP. He deserves it. He hit .326/.402/.598 with 34 doubles, seven triples, 36 homers, 110 RBI, 118 runs and 22 stolen bases. He drove in the first run Monday. He had huge home run after huge home run. He turned it up to 11 in September, when the Brewers ran down the Cubs from five games back. 

Then there's Cain, his running mate atop the order. He singled home the game-winning run in the eighth inning on Monday. He's gotten big hits all season as well. He finishes hitting .308/.395/.417 with 25 doubles, 10 homers, 30 steals and 90 runs scored. He's also been incredible in center field, scoring out at 20 defensive runs saved, good for best in the majors among center fielders. 

In fact, here's the top five in the NL in WAR: 

  1. Yelich, 7.4
  2. Cain, 6.9
  3. Javier Baez, 6.2
  4. Freddie Freeman, 6.1
  5. Nolan Arenado, 5.6

That was heading into Monday, too. Yelich and Cain probably see a boost with the impact they had. 

As noted, Jan. 25 was a banner day for Stearns and the Brewers. And on Oct. 1, they are celebrating the NL Central title and have secured the top seed in the NL. What a story.