Shortly before his 75th birthday, Lane was hired as general manager for the Milwaukee Brewers. He took advantage of the rain postponement of Game 2 of the 1971 World Series on October 10 to pull off his biggest trade with the Brewers which acquired George Scott, Jim Lonborg, Ken Brett, Billy Conigliaro, Joe Lahoud and Don Pavletich in a ten-player blockbuster that also sent Tommy Harper, Marty Pattin, Lew Krausse and minor-league outfielder Pat Skrable to the Red Sox. Following that stint, he ended his career as a scout for both the California Angels and Texas Rangers.