Is it just me, or does the National League Central remind anyone else of the NBA’s Western Conference this past season?

During this past basketball season, the Los Angeles Lakers upset the balance of power in their conference by acquiring elite Spanish center Pau Gasol from the woeful Memphis Grizzlies. In response to this transaction, the Phoenix Suns panicked somewhat, trading malcontent Shawn Marion for aging center Shaquille O’Neal. Less than two weeks later, the Dallas Mavericks traded a group of players to the New Jersey Nets for point guard Jason Kidd.

Just like that, three sure-fire hall of famers entered the Western Conference, putting their respective teams in a better position to compete for a championship. More importantly, with every move, the rest of the conference felt greater pressure to make a move of their own in order to stay ahead of the proverbial 8-ball.

Moving back to baseball and the Brewers, GM Doug Melvin may have started a similar domino effect when he made a pre-deadline splash by acquiring dominant lefty C.C. Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians. The division rival Chicago Cubs responded by trading a package of young players for injury-prone Canadian ace Rich Harden, who will team up with All-Stars Carlos Zambrano and fellow Canadian Ryan Dempster to give the Cubbies a devastating trio of righties.

With these moves, it would come as a shock to nobody if the St. Louis Cardinals – currently a game in front of the Brewers – make a trade for a front-line starting pitcher. The likeliest candidate is Blue Jays fireballer A.J. Burnett, who sounds unwilling to remain with his current club following the 2008 season and who tends to thrive in August and September.

Perhaps in anticipation of such a trade, Melvin may not be done making deals to improve his ball club. Over the course of the weekend, rumors have swirled that the Brewers were considering a 4-player deal that would send a pair of prospects to the Giants for veteran second baseman Ray Durham and left-handed reliever Jack Taschner. This deal would solidify the Brewers sometimes shaky bullpen – in particular adding a much-needed southpaw to the mix – while, at the same time, adding a career .277 hitter to pick up the slack for the underperforming Rickie Weeks.

However, as of Sunday’s action, I am seeing Ray Durham standing in the San Francisco dugout, donning a Giants sweatshirt. However, since neither he nor Taschner has entered the game, it remains to be seen whether these players will wear Brewer Blue by week’s end.

There are good reasons beyond the NL Central Domino Effect for Milwaukee to add some depth. The division is swimming with good offensive clubs, some of which are flying under the radar.

For example, did you know that the Cardinals and Pirates are the only two teams in the major leagues which boast four players with an OPS – that’s On-Base Percentage + Slugging Percentage – over 900? On the Cards – a team known more for its pitching than hitting – Rick Ankiel, Troy Glaus, Ryan Ludwick and Albert Pujols have all been crushing the ball all season long. On the Bucs – the last place team in the Central division – Xavier Nady, Nate McLouth and Ryan Doumit have all had breakthrough seasons, while Jason Bay has re-captured his 2006 form.

Moreover, the division-leading Cubs are the majors’ only team to have five players with 50 or more RBI heading into the All-Star Break – that is, if you include Alfonso Soriano’s 41 ribbies from the leadoff spot despite missing nearly two months (incidentally, he’ll be returning to their lineup on Thursday). Furthermore, the Houston Astros’ Carlos Lee and Lance Berkman have combined more RBI than any two teammates in the majors besides the Phillies’ Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

There you have it: the NL Central is a dangerous place, and it’s only getting more ferocious as time ticks by. Though the Brewers have the weapons to compete, it never hurts to add a little extra firepower to the arsenal.

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