Reports: Indians trade C.C. Sabathia to Brewers

Matt LaPorta, the centerpiece of the Indians' return

The Cleveland Indians, essentially out of the playoff hunt, have decided to become sellers at the deadline, agreeing in principle to send the defending AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers for a package that is rumored to include 1b/LF Matt LaPorta, LHP Zach Jackson, RHP Rob Bryson, and a PTBNL who is rumored to be IF Taylor Green. The Brewers will be getting a rental player in Sabathia for the playoff push, giving them a one-two punch at the top of the rotation that competes with the heavy hitters in the NL such as San Francisco's Tim Lincecum / Matt Cain and Arizona's Dan Haren / Brandon Webb.

In addition to the immediate value, the Brewers will gain two first-round picks should they offer C.C. Sabathia arbitration and fail to re-sign him, which they can use to draft high-value pitchers to help restock an already-promising farm system that is loaded with position players. If RHP Ben Sheets follows suit, the Brewers will have four extra first-round picks to select from 2009's crop of players. Giving that many draft picks to a smart front office (led by scouting director Jack Zduriencik - a common candidate for GM positions) could lead to a great blend of high-impact and major-league ready talent, keeping the Brewers competitive well into the future.

Enough about the Brewers, though - this Indians' fan wants to analyze the haul for our stud pitcher! Let's get to it after the break...

1b/LF Matt LaPorta

Quick Summary: The kid can mash, for real. His below-average defense can be hidden at DH if Hafner continues to struggle, but his bat will play anywhere.

Matt LaPorta is currently hitting .291/.404/.584 in AA with 20 HR in 296 AB. There is no doubt that the kid can hit; drafted 7th overall in 2007, LaPorta was the SEC player of the year twice due to his insane ability to hit for average, for power, and take a walk. Everyone knew the bat would play, but scouts were wary since he was limited to first base / left field, and even then was still a poor defender. It's tough to take a chance on a kid who can mash in college but can't hold down third base, since the bat has to be legitimately outstanding to justify drafting a career first baseman. Fortunately for the Indians, LaPorta's power translated just fine to wood bats and pro pitching. He will provide sorely-needed right-handed power in the Indians' lineup and could see a call up to the majors as soon as this fall.

LHP Zach Jackson

Quick Summary: AAA organizational pitcher with a bad k/bb ratio and trouble cracking ERAs in the 4's in the minors.

Zach Jackson came to the Brewers via Toronto, where he showed some excellent promise with his command and control, walking just 6 batters in 59 IP at High-A. However, as he progressed, his walk rate increased and his strikeout rate fell, two major signs of stagnation and failure to improve throughout his career. Prospects are very rarely good enough when they enter the minor leagues - they need to improve to make it to the majors, not just tough it out across three or four levels of competition. Prospects who never improve (or worse, backslide as they move up the ladder) get quickly branded as organizational men, nothing more than AAA filler to call up in emergency situations and doubleheaders. Zach Jackson looks to be every bit of an organizational soldier, which is nothing special to either team. The Indians already have a ton of AAA-AAAA type pitchers and are in desperate need of impact players (like LaPorta). Though he's got his walk rate under 3.0bb/9 in AAA this year, his strikeout rate is below 6.0bb/9, and he gives up too many home runs to let that slide. Unless he makes a major change, Zach Jackson is another 25-year old who will get a few cups of coffee in the majors only because he's left-handed before eventually being released.

RHP Rob Bryson

Quick Summary: The 20-year old closer in Low-A, Bryson puts up some sick strikeout numbers and is stingy with the long ball - if he can command his slider, he will dominate as a late-innings pitcher in the big leagues.

Rated as the 10th highest prospect in the Milwaukee organization by Baseball Prospectus (subscription required), Rob Bryson has all the makings of a big league closer - high strikeout numbers, low HR totals, and a reasonable walk rate. His stuff is plenty good, featuring a 96 MPH four-seam fastball and an erratic but plus slider when it's on. He has 73 strikeouts to 20 walks over 55 IP in Low-A as a 20 year old; very impressive numbers for a prospect. With 11 wild pitches and an increasing walk rate, though, you can tell that Rob Bryson has a few command problems, primarily with his slider. If he can command it with more consistency, Bryson will be closing for the Indians by 2011. He's got a few years to put it all together - but the next big test is Double-A, where the hitters become significantly more patient.

IF Taylor Green

Quick Summary: A corner infielder with some pop in his bat and patience at the plate, Green could find himself at the hot corner for the Indians' if he adds a bit of power and improves his defense.

Batting .297/.381/.452 at High-A Brevard (a pitcher's park), Taylor Green has improved his plate discipline for the second year in a row, drawing 40 walks to his 39 strikeouts and adding 10 HR and 15 doubles in 290 at-bats. He is a tough hitter to strike out and hits for good averages, boasting a good walk rate and a bit of pop with a .150 ISO in a pitcher's park. His defense at the hot corner is suspect after being converted to a third baseman after manning shortstop in college, but he has soft hands and reads the ball well off the bat. Green should improve with experience in the minors at third base, but it is ultimately possible that he will end up as a first baseman, where his bat has much less value. Green needs to add a bit more power and project as a 25 doubles / 20 HR guy to make a significant impact in the Indians' system, but his minor league track record is very positive. The Indians' will probably let him finish High-A this year and promote him to Double-A Akron in 2009 at age 22, where it will be evident if he can make an impact or if he will be on the track to organizational soldier. I like hitters in the mold of Green in the minors - batters who post low strikeout totals and combine it with a good walk rate and some pop are projectable to add a bit more power and rack up some more strikeouts (not a bad thing). Ultimately Green will make it to the majors if he adds power and sticks at third base; if he can't do both, he'll be a AAAA tweener in the mold of Brian Barden.

Overall

I think this trade is positive for both teams - the Brewers gain a front-line starter to help them with their playoff push in the NL Central and Wild Card, while the Indians add a sorely-needed impact bat in the corner OF in Matt LaPorta with some upside talent in Taylor Green at third base (an organizational black hole) and a possible late-innings fireballer in Rob Bryson. LaPorta will be ready by 2009 at this rate, while the others will need until 2011 to reach the majors, but it's a perfect package of league-ready talent and future impact players. The Brewers have a stacked farm system in position players, and LaPorta was blocked by Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, while Taylor Green is blocked by the consensus better third base prospect in Mat Gamel.