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Haudricourt: Ryan Braun’s “10 and 5” isn’t a big factor.

One week from today, Ryan Braun will become a “10 and 5” player with the Milwaukee Brewers, giving him full veto power over any trade.

But does that really change anything in regard to the possibility that he might be traded? No, it doesn’t.

“When it comes to the trade stuff, I don’t think it’s very relevant,” Braun said.

Brewers general manager David Stearns agreed, using the same words: “not relevant.”

First of all, what is “10 and 5” status, you ask? It means a player has been in the major leagues 10 years, including at least the last five with the same club. In Braun’s case, of course, all 10 years have been with the Brewers.

Braun debuted with the Brewers on May 24, 2007, in San Diego, going 1 for 4 with a double, sacrifice fly, run scored and two runs batted in. There was an assumption that May 24 of this season would be his “10 and 5” day, but MLB obviously has a different accounting method, marking that status on May 14.

“I had always assumed the same thing until I was told otherwise,” Braun said. “I had no idea.

“It’s something to be proud of, obviously. It’s not easy to spend 10 years in this league and continue to have success.”

Let me explain why “10 and 5” status doesn’t really change anything regarding Braun’s future with the Brewers. At present, there are only six teams to which he can be traded without his permission, but realistically that number is lower because Braun entered 2017 with four years and $76 million remaining on his contract, a non-starter for some of those teams.

Last year, it was revealed the six teams in his contract were the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins. Braun told me at Thanksgiving that he made one change to that list after the 2016 season but wouldn’t specify it.

It is unlikely he changed any of the California teams because Braun lives in Malibu and has little interest in going far from home. It was revealed that the Brewers and Dodgers had serious trade discussions last Aug. 31, spurred by Stearns putting in a waiver claim on Los Angeles outfielder Yasiel Puig.

That negotiation reached a serious stage before the plug was pulled at the ownership level in L.A. The Brewers kept Braun apprised of those talks during the process, maintaining a level of transparency they felt appropriate considering his long service to the club.

There have been no serious trade talks with any club since, though there was chatter that the Dodgers touched base with the Brewers again during spring training. Players with “10 and 5” status still can be traded with their permission, but Braun doesn’t see the circumstances changing at all.

“There’s only a couple of teams that would be any possibility now, and there’s only a couple of teams that would be any possibility after, so it’s not going to really change anything,” said Braun, who has been unable to play in the field for a week due to shoulder/arm issues. “I don’t think it will play much of a role or have any significance.

“I think other teams may have the perception that it could be relevant. But, because of my relationship with (principal owner) Mark (Attanasio), David and (assistant general manager) Matt (Arnold), we communicate so well, I don’t think it will have any effect at all, to be honest.”

Among position players, Braun, 33, is the last man standing in the Brewers’ large-scale rebuild. Every other veteran starter was traded away, beginning with the first moves under former general manager Doug Melvin in July 2015.

The Brewers have tried to trade Braun for two primary reasons: 1. He is blocking the advancement of at least one of the organization’s banner crop of outfield prospects. 2. His nearly $20 million-per-year salary doesn’t make sense in a rebuild, despite the team’s extremely low payroll of about $55 million.

But Braun remains a productive player (.950 OPS in 25 games), so don’t expect the Brewers to give him away. They have little interest in picking up a significant portion of his remaining contract or getting little in return in terms of prospects.

So, don’t look for a trade countdown in the hours leading to next Sunday, with the Brewers desperate to move Braun. For one thing, blockbuster trades in May are quite rare. For another, it’s likely Dodgers or bust, both before and after the “10 and 5” date.

Players often waive veto power in exchange for more money or other considerations, but Braun said his “10 and 5” status would not be for sale to an undesirable club. He has a wife and two young children, and keeping everyone close to home is his primary concern.

“They know exactly which teams I’d be interested in going to,” Braun said. “There are very, very few of them, and that’s not going to change. I don’t want more money. I don’t want more years. I don’t want anything like that. None of that is of any interest at all to me.

“Circumstances could change. I would consider almost anything on a case-bycase basis. But I don’t think it’s fair for me to say exactly how many teams there are because I wouldn’t want (the Brewers) to lose their leverage. But I think it’s safe to assume it’s well less than five. That still will be the situation after the 14th.

“Even now, there are six teams on the list but, realistically, there’s only one or two that make any sense. And it will be the same thing moving forward. So, the circumstances won’t change in any way. I have zero interest in more money or more years or anything like that.”

With the Brewers playing competitive baseball thus far, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if Braun remained with the club throughout the season. He believes the rebuild is going well and doesn’t consider it impossible that Milwaukee could be relevant in the playoff race.

“As long as we continue to win and play decent and stay in it, I don’t think I’m going to be traded anytime soon,” he said. “It makes it easy for me to stay focused on the task at hand when we’re playing well and winning.

“For the most part, I feel like we’ve played better than our record would indicate. We’ve lost some games that we could have easily won, and then we’d be in great position recordwise. I think we’re all pretty excited about where we’re at. We think we have a chance to stay competitive and see where this thing takes us.”

Baseball can be unpredictable, however. If the Brewers come to Braun with a proposal that makes sense to all involved, he’d certainly consider it.

“I wouldn’t be (stunned) if something happened,” he said. “Is it possible? Absolutely. It’s possible they talked to me recently (a likely nod to the spring training chatter involving the Dodgers). Who knows what might happen?”

Best wishes: And now a personal note. I have had the great honor of working on the same sports staff for many years with Bob McGinn and Charles Gardner, who are leaving the Journal Sentinel to see what lies ahead for them. The readers have been the real beneficiaries, thanks to the remarkable work ethic and high levels of knowledge and commitment that Bob and Charlie displayed on a daily basis.

They will be sorely missed and I can only say to them, well done. Now, go out and enjoy yourselves.