The Milwaukee Brewers obtained pitcher of the year 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. The Brewers hope to transform themselves from scrappy underdogs to a big, bad pitching powerhouse intent on chasing down the Chicago Cubs and making the Major League Baseball playoffs for the first time since 1982. “I'd say we're going for it,” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. “That's the way I look at it.” The deal stacks the Brewers' deck with a pair of aces, Sabathia and Ben Sheets - but for only a few months. Barring blockbuster contract offers from a small-market team that already is stretching this year's payroll into the $90 million range, both players will become free agents after the season. But Sabathia said that's a concern for the offseason. Right now, he's just trying to blend in and get back to having fun on the mound - something he didn't do in the playoffs last year. “If anybody's ever seen me pitch, I'm out there laughing and having fun,” said Sabathia, who went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA last season but lost two games to Boston in the playoffs. “That's just me, and that's something that I didn't do last year. When we get to the playoffs, I'll definitely be doing that.” Still, the deal hardly assures the Brewers an easy road to the playoffs. Milwaukee began Monday a percentage point ahead of St. Louis for the second-best record in the National League, and both teams are chasing the Chicago Cubs, who are 3 1/2 games ahead in the NL Central division. “Let's face it: This is still a calculated risk,” Brewers principal owner Mark Attanasio said. “The other teams in our division aren't going to sit back and look at this and say, ‘Oh, now the Brewers have got CC Sabathia. Let's just roll over.”' The football player-sized Sabathia is the first reigning Cy Young Award winner to be traded since Roger Clemens was dealt to the New York Yankees after winning the award with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1998. For Cleveland, it's a sign of surrender hardly anyone would have imagined going into the season. Indians general manager Mark Shapiro said the team's string of injuries and disappointing performances made it hard to imagine a significant rally in the second half of the season. Sabathia arrived in Milwaukee on Monday and is scheduled to pitch against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday. Attanasio said the acquisition of Sabathia will push the team's payroll around $90 million this season. Attanasio said the move might prevent the club from turning a profit this year, but it was made possible by increased fan support and sound financial decisions in recent years. Sabathia had a slow start but is 6-8 with a 3.83 ERA. Cleveland scored two runs or fewer in 11 of his 18 starts. He rejected a $72 million, four-year extension from the Indians during spring training.
