July 07, 2008
News at Noon
According to Baseball Digest Daily, the Brewers will hold a news conference at 12 PM EDT, 11 AM CDT. Here's the latest on the players involved from the Plain Dealer:
The Indians received Class AA outfielder Matt LaPorta, Class AAA pitcher Zach Jackson, Class AA pitcher Rob Bryson and a player to be named from the Brewers. Sources said the player to be named -- which could be Class AA outfielder Michael Brantley or Class A third baseman Taylor Green -- is the second key player to the deal from the Indians perspective.
I'm also wondering if the Indians will resign Sabathia once the season is over. The Orioles did that with Sidney Ponson a few years ago. That way, the Indians get some prospects and keep their pitcher.
Posted by David Pinto at
10:16 AM
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I'm not saying that the same thing would or should happen but that didn't work out really well from the Orioles perspective. Moss washed out. Ainsworth and Hannaman were injured. And the Orioles ended up releasing Ponson.
If the Brewers were smart, which they are not, they should have told the Indians that they wanted a 72-hour negotiating window with Sabathia to sign him to a deal. That's what the Mets did with Santana, so as to ensure that he wouldn't be a rent-a-player.
The Orioles have done it three times in recent memory, including the Ponson deal.
But they also did it with Steve Trachsel last year, and have already released him. They got Scott Moore, Rocky Cherry (who both have appeared in Baltimore) and Adv-A prospect Jake Renshaw.
In addition, they did it with Mike Bordick to the Mets. The key player they got in that deal was Melvin Mora, who is still their starting third baseman. Lesli Brea, Pat Gorman and Mike Kinkade were also part of the deal. Bordick played two seasons with Baltimore after the trade.
That would be an incredibly beautiful thing. I can't see it happening, but it would be incredibly beautiful.
Admittedly, I'm biased, but C.C. is one of those guys you feel good about having on your team. But, I can't see the Indians putting out the money it would take to keep him, unless they can convince Pronk to give back some of the money he's been stealing lately.
There is a zero percent chance that Sabathia signs with either Cleveland or Milwaukee, that's just silly. Sabathia will be a Dodger, Cub, Phillie, or Yankee next year.
Of course the Indians will talk to CC again in November, they were going to anyway. If anything I think their chances of signing him went up after this deal today because they have better players to put around him as they attempt to retool quickly to get back to where they were in 2005 and 2007.
That increase is from virtually no chance to only a tick above that. They do have a decade-long relattionship with the guy after all, and three months away won't change that. The Tribe's best hope is that CC, like Kenny Lofton after 1997, realizes how good he had it on the north coast and comes back home. But Sabathia will most likely be a Dodger on opening day 2009. He is a west coast guy and he loves to swing the bat.
