The Milwaukee Brewers are concerned about the long-term investment they made in Ryan Braun because of a recurring thumb issue.

Milwaukee signed Braun to a five-year, $105 million contract that doesn't kick in until 2016.

That deal includes salaries of $19 million in 2016, 2017 and 2018, $18 million in 2019 and $16 million in 2020, with a total of $18 million deferred in the years after the deal.

His productivity changed dramatically in 2013, when Braun's playing time was curtailed by the thumb injury and other ailments before he was suspended for the final 65 games for his involvement in the Biogenesis scandal.

"I don't think the financial part of it matters because he's going to get it whether he has a good thumb or a bad thumb," assistant general manager Gordon Ash said. "It's guaranteed money. From a comfort and playing point of view, you want to find a solution.

"The money is the money. You can't change it now. So, what you're trying to do is put him in the best physical condition you can to succeed."