Sources: Indians agree to deal Sabathia to Brewers for minor leaguers

[MOtorboat]

It looks like the next time C.C. Sabathia takes the mound he'll be donning a Milwaukee Brewers jersey.

The Brewers and the Cleveland Indians agreed in principle to a deal for the reigning AL Cy Young on Sunday, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Buster Olney. The deal is contingent on paperwork being finished.

ESPN's Peter Gammons reports the move will be made official on Monday morning.

The trade was first reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

In a text message to ESPN.com's Amy K. Nelson, Sabathia all but confirmed the deal.

"I'm good, excited," Sabathia wrote. "It's weird leaving these guys."

Cleveland would get minor league outfielder Matt LaPorta, who is hitting .288 with 20 homers and 66 RBIs in 84 games for Double-A Huntsville, and others. The other players do not include top prospects Alcides Escobar or Mat Gamel, according to the Journal Sentinel.

A source told ESPN Insider Keith Law the deal does include pitcher Rob Bryson, who is 3-2 with 4.25 ERA this season with low-A affiliate West Virginia.

The Brewers wanted Sabathia, who rejected a $72 million, four-year extension from the Indians during spring training, on their pitching staff in time to get him two starts before the All-Star break, according to multiple media reports. Sabathia could debut in Milwaukee against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin told the Journal Sentinel on Saturday that a proposal was on table and he awaiting word from Indians GM Mark Shapiro.

"Mark said he'd be in touch with me," said Melvin. "I'm sure they've got to think through everything."

Laporta was scratched from Huntsville's lineup Sunday, another indication the deal was close.

Sabathia went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA to win the AL Cy Young last season and would give the Brewers another power pitcher to pair with Ben Sheets as Milwaukee, which is second in National League standings behind the Chicago Cubs, tries to make the playoffs for the first time since 1982.

The big lefty is 6-8 with a 3.83 ERA for the Indians, but has also been plagued with a lack of run support. In 11 of his 18 starts, Cleveland has scored two runs or less for him.

The Brewers starting pitching has been thin ever since Yovani Gallardo went on the disabled list on May 2 with a torn knee ligament that required surgery. His rehab was supposed to take four months, which gives him an outside chance of returning before the end of the season.

Sheets (10-2, 2.77 ERA) is off to the best start of his career, but the All-Star righty is in the final year of a $38.5 million, four-year contract and hasn't wanted to talk about his upcoming free agency.

The Brewers were considered the front-runner in the Sabathia sweepstakes. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays were among other teams vying for his services.

[MOtorboat]

The Brewers could be a force...
Sabathia
Sheets
Suppan
Parra
Bush

That's a pretty decent rotation, right there. And, just 3.5 back right now.

Fire up the Curse of the Goat...

[MOtorboat]

Keith Law's Blog:

Cleveland could have gotten more for Sabathia

Sunday, July 6, 2008 | Feedback | Print Entry

By acquiring C.C. Sabathia, the Brewers might have the best starting pitcher in the National League. (According to reports, the deal has been agreed upon in principle, with paperwork and medical records standing as the final hurdles). No NL starter can match Sabathia's combination of stuff and results, except perhaps Johan Santana.

Sabathia is currently on a tremendous run that rivals anything he did in 2007, his Cy Young season. Over his past 14 starts, he has a 2.16 ERA and has struck out 109 batters against 20 walks in 104 innings, with only three of the starts coming against the easier lineups of interleague play.

Sabathia should be dominant against NL lineups over the season's final two-plus months. He works with a 92-95 mph fastball and an out pitch curveball, with a sharp two-plane break. He will work in the upper half of the zone, especially when he's ahead in the count, which is both unusual and dangerous, but his fastball has so much life that he can blow it by hitters even in that part of the zone. He doesn't use his changeup as often as the other two pitches, but he'll show an above-average change and has it in his back pocket to keep hitters, especially right-handers, off-balance. He's death on lefties. And he has plus control and a good feel for pitching. And he's pretty durable, only wearing down last year after 240 innings of regular-season work.

The Brewers' run prevention has been poor in general, and since it's hard to upgrade your entire defense midseason, adding pitching is the right strategy. This could bump Dave Bush, a closer in college at Wake Forest, to the bullpen, or could do the same to Seth McClung, who has been erratic as a reliever in the big leagues. Milwaukee's bullpen remains a weakness, with three of its late-game relievers sporting ERAs over 5.00, but getting more innings from the rotation can help the relief corps.

Matt LaPorta hasn't blinked since signing right after the 2007 draft, hitting for big power at all levels and impressing during a stint in the Arizona Fall League last year. LaPorta, who signed as a college senior, is already 23 and has been mashing in Huntsville, one of the better hitters' parks in the Southern League, hitting .288/.402/.576 with 45 walks and 63 K's in 302 AB. LaPorta projects as a "three true outcomes" player, meaning that he'll draw walks and hit home runs, but will also strike out quite a bit. He swings hard, loading deep and gathering all of his weight back for maximum power when he makes contact. His bat speed isn't great, and he struggles with the ball up in the zone, but he's able to take the ball away out of the park to the opposite field.

The Brewers have tried him in the outfield, but his future is more likely at first base, where he projects to be above-average. Cleveland's system is light on impact bats, with only outfielder Nick Weglarz and maybe first baseman/DH Beau Mills fitting that description, so LaPorta immediately becomes one of their top two hitting prospects and should be on the big league club some time in 2009.

Rob Bryson has the potential to be this deal's Neftali Feliz, a young, projectable pitcher who, a year later, looks like the key to the trade. Bryson's arm isn't quite as live as Feliz's (few are), but he has a potentially plus fastball/slider combo and misses a ton of bats already with both pitches. He's a great athlete and physically could start, but his command is still below-average, and his control is significantly better in relief.

Cleveland also gets left-hander Zach Jackson, a left-handed pitcher who has struggled in the NL and who lacks a viable swing-and-miss pitch, and a player to be named later. One rumor is that Cleveland would like third baseman Taylor Green, but would like to see him play second base, where his Mike Lowell-esque bat potential could make him an All-Star.

This deal will ultimately be compared to the Bartolo Colon deal, one of two dump trades (with the Einar Diaz deal) that led to the team's strong 2005 season and 2007 division title. Part of what made the Colon deal so good for Cleveland -- other than the fact that the Expos were possibly headed for oblivion and their then-GM, Omar Minaya, wasn't concerned with the future -- was the fact that they acquired two up-the-middle players with defensive ability in Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips, as well as a left-handed starter in Cliff Lee. The return included run-scoring and run-prevention aspects, and all three players have, in some way, become impact players around whom a team could build its roster.

This deal could work out almost as well in the best-case scenario, in which LaPorta ends up a five-hole hitter in the majors, Bryson becomes a dominant big-league closer and Green (if he is even part of the deal) switches to second and becomes a plus bat with an average glove at that position. But the Colon deal, at the time it was made, had more probability -- Phillips and Lee were both performing extremely well in Double-A, while Sizemore was 19 and holding his own in high-A. This trade has significantly more risk for Cleveland, and there's a much greater chance of the players beyond the top prospect (LaPorta here, Phillips in the Colon deal) not working out. I am surprised that Cleveland didn't let the market play out into July and allow other teams to jump in and potentially drive up the price, as this offer, on its face, doesn't strike me as such a slam-dunk that Cleveland couldn't afford to pass it up.

[sneakers]

Nooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Terrible Move!

[MOtorboat]

Nooooo!!!!!!!!!!

Terrible Move!

Why?

Acquiring the best pitcher in baseball is a bad move?

[sneakers]

Why?

Acquiring the best pitcher in baseball is a bad move?

Aquiring him for 3 months for our best prospect...I don't like it. But I am pretty sure I will warm up to him when he takes the mound on Tuesday.

[MOtorboat]

Aquiring him for 3 months for our best prospect...I don't like it. But I am pretty sure I will warm up to him when he takes the mound on Tuesday.

C.C. is dominant, and should be even more so in the NL...especially against the Rockies, who are lacking two of their top hitters right now.

Giving up a prospect for a World Series run happens every year. Sounds to me like you've got a solid power hitter prospect, but he'd be blocked by Fielder for years, so might as well maximize his value now as a prospect before people get to see too much of him (see: Ryan Shealy).

[sneakers]

C.C. is dominant, and should be even more so in the NL...especially against the Rockies, who are lacking two of their top hitters right now.

Giving up a prospect for a World Series run happens every year. Sounds to me like you've got a solid power hitter prospect, but he'd be blocked by Fielder for years, so might as well maximize his value now as a prospect before people get to see too much of him (see: Ryan Shealy).

I hope he is as good as they say, we try to do these little trades every year, but they always seem to backfire.

But who would have thunk that the Brewers would have a $90 million pay-roll by the end of the year?

[Requiem / The Dagda]

I'm sure Sabathia is going to get a deal to stay in Milwaukee, so it won't be a poor rental. Plus, you were going to deal LaPorta anyways; and it's not like your farm system is lacking for talent. Better to get Sabathia in now, right before the All-Star break and have him be the guy that puts you over the top. Milwaukee will be nasty with C.C., this is a great move -- and much better than the deal the Mariners made for Bedard; who is probably going to Philadelphia or NYY.

[sneakers]

C.C. is dominant, and should be even more so in the NL...especially against the Rockies, who are lacking two of their top hitters right now.

Giving up a prospect for a World Series run happens every year. Sounds to me like you've got a solid power hitter prospect, but he'd be blocked by Fielder for years, so might as well maximize his value now as a prospect before people get to see too much of him (see: Ryan Shealy).

Didn't shealy get sick or something like that?

[MOtorboat]

I hope he is as good as they say, we try to do these little trades every year, but they always seem to backfire.

But who would have thunk that the Brewers would have a $90 million pay-roll by the end of the year?

I wouldn't be totally surprised if they got a deal done with him.

[sneakers]

I wouldn't be totally surprised if they got a deal done with him.

He turned down a 4-year $70+ million deal with the indians :eek:

We need to resign sheets after this year, so I don't think we will be spending any money on C.C.

[MOtorboat]

Didn't shealy get sick or something like that?

Nope, just can't hit at the big-league level. I guess a better comparison might be Justin Huber, who the Royals toyed with for two years instead of trading his talent or letting him start day-to-day. Now, they've basically sold him for nothing and he's still not hitting in San Diego.


He turned down a 4-year $70+ million deal with the indians :eek:

We need to resign sheets after this year, so I don't think we will be spending any money on C.C.

I'd rather sign Sabathia.

[sneakers]

I'd rather sign Sabathia.

Heresy!!!!



http://fugato.net/wp-content/Inquisition.jpg

[MOtorboat]

Heresy!!!!



http://fugato.net/wp-content/Inquisition.jpg

Um, not really. Sheets can't stay healthy.

Just be glad this didn't happen:


• Brew view: Clubs that have checked in with the Brewers say they're being so aggressive in their hunt for a big-time starting pitcher, they might even be willing to include J.J. Hardy or Rickie Weeks "in the right deal."

The Brewers have onrushing 21-year-old shortstop Alcides Escobar tearing it up in Double-A. So their middle infield would be covered long-term, and some combination of Craig Counsell, Bill Hall (if he's not dealt) and Joe Dillon potentially could handle it short-term. Let's say this again: The Brewers are a team you should not take your eyes off in the pre-deadline hysteria.

"They'd listen on just about anybody for the right pitcher," said an official of one club that spoke with them. "And they're still very deep in their system. We've got nine prospects on our list from their Double-A club alone."

From Jayson Stark.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings

[sneakers]

Um, not really. Sheets can't stay healthy.

Just be glad this didn't happen:



From Jayson Stark.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/columns/story?columnist=stark_jayson&page=rumblings

If the Brewers traded J.J. Hardy every single girl 12-16 years of old in Milwaukee County would kill themselves. Every single time he comes up to bat at Miller Park, all you hear is shreeks from all the girls wearing their pink JJ Hardy Jerseys.

[MHCBill]

Matt Gamel is the Brewers best prospect imo... not Laporta.

[MOtorboat]

Matt Gamel is the Brewers best prospect imo... not Laporta.

Well, of course, Laporta is an Indian.

[MOtorboat]

If the Brewers traded J.J. Hardy every single girl 12-16 years of old in Milwaukee County would kill themselves. Every single time he comes up to bat at Miller Park, all you hear is shreeks from all the girls wearing their pink JJ Hardy Jerseys.

• With all the news about C.C. Sabathia, don't forget what J.J. Hardy did -- two homers and four RBIs in a win against Pittsburgh.

[Timmy!]

Damnit. Why now.....

[BroncoAV06]

Well even if some how they let both get away which I doubt, CC or Ben, one or the other will most likely sign a long term deal. If they both leave they are Type A FA, which means the Brew Crew would hold 5 of the top 35 picks in next years draft and have the potential to load up again.

Central will get interesting.

Whats the time-table for his next start? Hot bats meeting this week!

[MOtorboat]

Well even if some how they let both get away which I doubt, CC or Ben, one or the other will most likely sign a long term deal. If they both leave they are Type A FA, which means the Brew Crew would hold 5 of the top 35 picks in next years draft and have the potential to load up again.

Central will get interesting.

Whats the time-table for his next start? Hot bats meeting this week!

I believe tomorrow night.