In baseball, the trade deadline is always an opportunity for a team to add a solid piece or address a glaring hole on the roster. Oftentimes general managers will go after a solid pitcher to strengthen the rotation as a whole or a bat to come off the bench. Usually they aren’t able to acquire the talent of the reigning Cy-Young Award Winner; in trading for C.C. Sabathia at this year’s trade deadline, though, that is exactly what the Milwaukee Brewers were able to do, and it has paid dividends from day one.
After years of struggling and rebuilding, Milwaukee has emerged as one of the more promising and youthful teams in baseball. This season the Brew-Crew is currently in second place in the National League Central, 4.5 games behind the Chicago Cubs, who have been in first place since May. However, they do have control of the wild card, 5.5 games up on the Philadelphia Phillies.
Sabathia has certainly played his part in the Brewers’ success since coming over from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for prospect Matt LaPorta in the biggest deadline deal. Shaking off the rough start he had to the season (3-6 in his first 10 starts while going 6-8 overall with Cleveland), Sabathia has returned to his true form of a number one starter. The six-foot-seven, 290-pound lefty has gone 9-0 with a 1.43 earned run average, wreaking havoc on NL hitters. In addition, he has tossed three shut-outs and two complete games, including Sunday’s one-hitter over the Pittsburgh Pirates that would have been a no-hitter had Sabathia not botched a slow roller up the third base line.
Milwaukee is in good shape for the playoffs, and, should they make it, things may only get better. With the spear-headed attack of Sabathia and Ben Sheets at the top of their starting rotation, the Brewers may have the best one-two punch in baseball. Sure that’s valuable as the season winds down, but it’s even more valuable in a playoff-shortened series.
In the opening round division series it’s a best-of-five series, meaning three wins are needed to advance. Realistically, Milwaukee would like to think it would be able to chalk up two wins from its two aces right off the bat and just need one more to move on. In the championship series and World Series it’s best of seven meaning four victories are required. It’s not unlikely to think that Sabathia and Sheets could each win two games apiece in either of those series, reminiscent of Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson of the Diamondbacks, who led their team to a World Series Championship in 2001 in addition to winning a Co-Most Valuable Player award.
Once the season is over for Milwaukee, whether it is in success or failure, another question will arise. Sabathia’s contract expires at the end of the season, so the Brewers need to decide if they want to re-sign him or let him go to free agency, where he will be a coveted player worthy of a maximum contract. Sabathia has certainly had a classic case of performing well in a contract year and as a result will get his deserved money from someone. The Brewers are also in good shape, for if they let Sabathia go they will get a compensation pick in the draft to add to an already very talented farm system.
It will certainly be an interesting final month to the season for Milwaukee as it looks to maintain a spot in the playoffs. They control their own fate at this point, and thanks to this year’s deadline deal, the Brewers are in a good position to come away with a win every time big C.C. takes the hill.
