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C.C. Sabathia/Milwaukee Brewers: After much speculation throughout the past couple months, C.C. Sabathia was finally traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for 3 minor leaguers and a player to be named later:
The Brewers obtained reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia in a trade with the Cleveland Indians on Monday, giving up four prospects in a gamble that favors the present over the future. Milwaukee sent Cleveland outfielder Matt LaPorta, pitchers Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson and a player to be named. Shapiro said the player to be named would be among two specified in the deal. (ESPN)
The Brewers had been rumored to be interested in trading for Sabathia for some time but I expected a bigger market team to end up with Sabathia, so this trade was somewhat surprising. This trade is seen as a move that shows the Brewers are going for it all this year because it is unlikely they will sign C.C. Sabathia after the season is over. By letting Sabathia become a free agent, along with Ben Sheets, the Milkwaukee Brewers could pick up 4 more first rounds picks. It would certainly be tough for them to compete without Sabathia and Sheets though, which is why this trade is seen as a win now move.
The Brewers most certainly will be a major factor in the NL Playoff race now that they have acquired C.C. Sabathia. He is an ace pitcher, who should be able to dominate to weaker NL lineups, even more so than he has been dominating the AL lineups as of late. If the Brewers can get Prince Fielder and some of their other offensive players to get rolling offensively and then address some of their bullpen needs, they could become one of the better teams in the NL and compete for a World Series berth.
Right now the Brewers currently rank 5th in the NL with a 106 OPS+ and 6th in pitching with a 105 ERA+. The addition of Sabathia should improve their pitching even more and they could have one of the best pitching staffs in the NL, especially if they are able to shore up their bullpen. Salomon Torres has been solid for the Brewers in the closer role taking over for Eric Gagne. Brian Shouse has also been solid out of then pen but most of the other relievers on the Brewers are shaky or unproven.
In order to acquire Sabathia, the Brewers had to give up one of their best prospects in outfielder Matt LaPorta. The 23 year old LaPorta currently has a line of .291/20 HR/66 RBI/.404 OBP/.584 SLG in Double-A. There hasn't been any word on when LaPorta will be called up to the majors, but I say why not just bring him up as DH for the rest of the season? There really isn't much to lose if you are the Indians.
Here is a quick scouting report on Matt LaPorta, via Driveline Mechanics:
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.
LaPorta is certainly a good acquisition for the Indians in return for C.C. Sabathia, especially considering they were only trading a half season worth of Sabathia.
Chicago Cubs: Now that their divisional rivals the Milwaukee Brewers have made a major move acquiring C.C. Sabathia, look for the Cubs to pursue Rich Harden or A.J. Burnett. The Cubs definitely could use another solid starting pitcher if they want to set themselves apart as the clear cut favorite in the NL. I'm not sure they have the talent to make a trade for Rich Harden but I'm pretty sure they could work something out for A.J. Burnett. Both Harden and Burnett are injury prone though, so acquiring either one is still a risk at this point, especially in Harden's case.
Johan Santana: Fresh off his All-Star snub, Beyond The Boxscore touches on the decline of Johan Santana. Here is their final analysis:
To summarize: Santana is not throwing as hard as he used to – the velocity of his fastball, changeup, and slider are all down. He is throwing his slider less often when he is ahead in the count than he used to. Additionally, Santana is throwing fewer first pitch strikes and is less dominant in the at bats in which he does throw a first pitch strike. He is getting himself into 0-2 counts less than he used to. He is walking more and striking out fewer hitters (despite pitching in the National League), and a higher percentage of the strikeouts he does get are called third strikes, rather than swinging strikes. In fact, batters are making contact more often when they do swing than ever before. Don’t get me wrong: Johan is still very good. However, this season he has not been the same pitcher that he had been throughout most of his career. The Mets can only hope that this downgrade is a bump in the road and not the beginning of a trend.
Santana is definitely not the same dominant pitcher he used to be, which is why it was risky to sign him to such a long deal. He is still an ace pitcher but he has less margin for error now than he did before and it will be interesting to see how Santana pitches as his career progresses.
Brad Lidge: The Philadelphia Phillies gave Brad Lidge a 3-year extension and the way he has been pitching, he certainly deserves it. Lidge has been dominating as the Phillies closer this season with a 1.00 ERA, 19 saves, 49 K's in 36 innings of work, which is good for a major league best 444 ERA+ among relievers.
Chris Davis: Check out this scouting report on Texas Rangers' rookie Chris Davis, via SaberScouting. Here is a summary below:
Good things happen when Chris Davis hits a baseball. Davis carries himself with the poise of a veteran player. He has a confidence and focus about his game that doesn’t seem to wane. Unfortunately, his relatively low walk rates and high strikeout rates added with the fact that he offers very little benefit in terms of defense or base running limit him from being in the truly elite level of players. The power is real, and you could see Davis posting 35 to 40+ home runs seasons and giving opposing pitchers reason to pause when thinking about pitching around Josh Hamilton.
Matt Garza: Matt Garza has come on strong as of late and has been a key to the Tampa Bay Rays recent surge. Beyond The Boxscore takes a look at Garza and suggests that he has finally figured out how to pitch. I was able to watch Garza pitch in person when I was in Florida recently and he definitely looked impressive. He is definitely someone to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.
Trade Rumors:
- The Rays and Dodgers are interested in Casey Blake.
- The Dodgers are also looking at Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.
- The Boston Red Sox are looking for catching prospects, a left handed reliever, and are closely monitoring Mark Texiera.
- The Rays are looking hard at Colorado left handed reliever Brian Fuentes and could offer Double-A RHP starters Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson, both of who are seen as top prospects.
- The Angels are looking at ways they can acquire Matt Holliday.
The Brewers obtained reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia in a trade with the Cleveland Indians on Monday, giving up four prospects in a gamble that favors the present over the future. Milwaukee sent Cleveland outfielder Matt LaPorta, pitchers Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson and a player to be named. Shapiro said the player to be named would be among two specified in the deal. (ESPN)
The Brewers had been rumored to be interested in trading for Sabathia for some time but I expected a bigger market team to end up with Sabathia, so this trade was somewhat surprising. This trade is seen as a move that shows the Brewers are going for it all this year because it is unlikely they will sign C.C. Sabathia after the season is over. By letting Sabathia become a free agent, along with Ben Sheets, the Milkwaukee Brewers could pick up 4 more first rounds picks. It would certainly be tough for them to compete without Sabathia and Sheets though, which is why this trade is seen as a win now move.
The Brewers most certainly will be a major factor in the NL Playoff race now that they have acquired C.C. Sabathia. He is an ace pitcher, who should be able to dominate to weaker NL lineups, even more so than he has been dominating the AL lineups as of late. If the Brewers can get Prince Fielder and some of their other offensive players to get rolling offensively and then address some of their bullpen needs, they could become one of the better teams in the NL and compete for a World Series berth.
Right now the Brewers currently rank 5th in the NL with a 106 OPS+ and 6th in pitching with a 105 ERA+. The addition of Sabathia should improve their pitching even more and they could have one of the best pitching staffs in the NL, especially if they are able to shore up their bullpen. Salomon Torres has been solid for the Brewers in the closer role taking over for Eric Gagne. Brian Shouse has also been solid out of then pen but most of the other relievers on the Brewers are shaky or unproven.
In order to acquire Sabathia, the Brewers had to give up one of their best prospects in outfielder Matt LaPorta. The 23 year old LaPorta currently has a line of .291/20 HR/66 RBI/.404 OBP/.584 SLG in Double-A. There hasn't been any word on when LaPorta will be called up to the majors, but I say why not just bring him up as DH for the rest of the season? There really isn't much to lose if you are the Indians.
Here is a quick scouting report on Matt LaPorta, via Driveline Mechanics:
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.
LaPorta is certainly a good acquisition for the Indians in return for C.C. Sabathia, especially considering they were only trading a half season worth of Sabathia.
Chicago Cubs: Now that their divisional rivals the Milwaukee Brewers have made a major move acquiring C.C. Sabathia, look for the Cubs to pursue Rich Harden or A.J. Burnett. The Cubs definitely could use another solid starting pitcher if they want to set themselves apart as the clear cut favorite in the NL. I'm not sure they have the talent to make a trade for Rich Harden but I'm pretty sure they could work something out for A.J. Burnett. Both Harden and Burnett are injury prone though, so acquiring either one is still a risk at this point, especially in Harden's case.
Johan Santana: Fresh off his All-Star snub, Beyond The Boxscore touches on the decline of Johan Santana. Here is their final analysis:
To summarize: Santana is not throwing as hard as he used to – the velocity of his fastball, changeup, and slider are all down. He is throwing his slider less often when he is ahead in the count than he used to. Additionally, Santana is throwing fewer first pitch strikes and is less dominant in the at bats in which he does throw a first pitch strike. He is getting himself into 0-2 counts less than he used to. He is walking more and striking out fewer hitters (despite pitching in the National League), and a higher percentage of the strikeouts he does get are called third strikes, rather than swinging strikes. In fact, batters are making contact more often when they do swing than ever before. Don’t get me wrong: Johan is still very good. However, this season he has not been the same pitcher that he had been throughout most of his career. The Mets can only hope that this downgrade is a bump in the road and not the beginning of a trend.
Santana is definitely not the same dominant pitcher he used to be, which is why it was risky to sign him to such a long deal. He is still an ace pitcher but he has less margin for error now than he did before and it will be interesting to see how Santana pitches as his career progresses.
Brad Lidge: The Philadelphia Phillies gave Brad Lidge a 3-year extension and the way he has been pitching, he certainly deserves it. Lidge has been dominating as the Phillies closer this season with a 1.00 ERA, 19 saves, 49 K's in 36 innings of work, which is good for a major league best 444 ERA+ among relievers.
Chris Davis: Check out this scouting report on Texas Rangers' rookie Chris Davis, via SaberScouting. Here is a summary below:
Good things happen when Chris Davis hits a baseball. Davis carries himself with the poise of a veteran player. He has a confidence and focus about his game that doesn’t seem to wane. Unfortunately, his relatively low walk rates and high strikeout rates added with the fact that he offers very little benefit in terms of defense or base running limit him from being in the truly elite level of players. The power is real, and you could see Davis posting 35 to 40+ home runs seasons and giving opposing pitchers reason to pause when thinking about pitching around Josh Hamilton.
Matt Garza: Matt Garza has come on strong as of late and has been a key to the Tampa Bay Rays recent surge. Beyond The Boxscore takes a look at Garza and suggests that he has finally figured out how to pitch. I was able to watch Garza pitch in person when I was in Florida recently and he definitely looked impressive. He is definitely someone to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.
Trade Rumors:
- The Rays and Dodgers are interested in Casey Blake.
- The Dodgers are also looking at Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.
- The Boston Red Sox are looking for catching prospects, a left handed reliever, and are closely monitoring Mark Texiera.
- The Rays are looking hard at Colorado left handed reliever Brian Fuentes and could offer Double-A RHP starters Wade Davis or Jeremy Hellickson, both of who are seen as top prospects.
- The Angels are looking at ways they can acquire Matt Holliday.
More: MLB Weekly
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