A Look Around the MLB: Brewers dealing for aces

C.C. Sabathia has a new home park in Milwaukee. But was it the right move for the team? (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
By Harold McIlvain II
The Milwaukee Brewers made a very bold move acquiring pitching ace C.C. Sabathia, dealing away stud prospect Matt LaPorta.
It goes against conventional thinking for Sabathia to head to Milwaukee. It’s a small market; the best player available isn’t suppose to head to a place that is currently more worried about whether or not Brett Farve will retire.
He was supposed to go to a big market like Chicago. Or to L.A. maybe even to New York.
But in a deal that could make or break the team, he went to a club that hasn’t been to the postseason since reaching the World Series back in 1982.
And the ride toward the postseason with their newest ace starts tonight with Sabathia on the mound against Colorado.
He goes to a team that is stepping away from it usually formula for success: prospects and time. The majority of the team’s key players all hail from the Brewers minor league system: Ryan Braun, Corey Hart, J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, Manny Parra, Yovani Gallardo and Ben Sheets.
In a small market, a team has to take advantage of the draft to keep up with other team that can spend some money on big time free agents but giving away a prospect such as LaPorta goes away from that thinking.
He isn’t just a minor leaguer. If you are an SEC baseball fan, you might remember him from Florida, where he hit .402 with 60 runs, 20 home runs and 52 RBI in his senior season. Currently ranked the No. 4 prospect by Baseball America, he is the type of player that is on a sure path to stardom.
There is no doubt that the deal was a fair one. But the deal could work out to be a terrible one for the Brewers if they don’t make a big push into the playoffs, because at the end of the year both Sheets and Sabathia are free agents. And going back to the small market theme, a team like the Brewers will more than likely not keep both, and if they are not careful could lose both.
The logical move looking toward the future (after the season) would be to sign Sheets rather than Sabathia, who isn’t the home town guy. Plus, Sheets is one of the most dominating pitchers in the majors when healthy.
So the good and the bad. Good: Sabathia brings a whole new level to the rotation. Bad: the trade could end up being for nothing if the team doesn’t make the most out of the deal down the stretch and can’t sign Sabathia.
It’s a gamble some wouldn’t take. Actually, it’s a gamble that most wouldn’t make.
The ultimate formula of building on prospects has been showing signs of being very successful for the Tampa Bay Rays, but it is a formula that the Brewers are stepping away from for at least the time being with the addition of an ace.
But it isn’t like the Brewers are out of prospects. The team has one of the best double-A teams that has been seen in baseball, and it is filled with big time positional prospects. And with Braun moving to the outfield this year, one less spot in the field is available heading toward the future. Perhaps LaPorta didn’t naturally play into the big picture of things down the road and he was expendable for a run at the postseason.
Even considering both perspectives, the move is still a gamble.
But one thing is for sure, the pressure is on for the Chicago Cubs to get a deal done now to improve its rotation.
Talks have headed up a bit for Oakland A’s starter Rich Harden, but it appears that the asking price has gone up a bit and that deal could happen closer to the trade deadline. San Diego’s starter Randy Wolf is also an option for the Cubs, and it appears they are exploring those possibilities.
Edit: In a bit of a surprise move, the A’s dealt away Harden to the Cubs today, and I think it is a slam dunk move for the Cubs. For one, he is under contract for five million dollars next year and he has lights out stuff when he is healthy, which has been an issue. But he has never had major arm surgery and he is on a mission to lose his “soft” label that has been put on him because of his inning pitch total. This is a move that puts the Cubs back in the driver seat for this year and (just as importantly) for next year.
A Look Around the MLB, published every Tuesday, will take a look at a different team each week and discuss its current situation.
Filed under: Sports | Tagged: Ben Sheets, C.C. Sabathia, Chicago Cubs, Matt LaPorta, Milwaukee Brewers, MLB, Rich Harden | No Comments »








