Revisiting the Epic Brewers-Indians Trade for CC Sabathia
By Thomas Carannante
My goodness, remember the 2008 Milwaukee Brewers team? They made an unreal second-half run before falling to the eventual World Series champion Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. Despite the early playoff exit, this Brew Crew squad was one to remember.
Ryan Braun was there! Prince Fielder, Rickie Weeks, JJ Hardy, Jason Kendall, BILL HALL, Corey Hart and Mike Cameron comprised this star-studded lineup. Craig Counsell, who currently manages the Brewers, came off the bench!
But perhaps the biggest star on this team was CC Sabathia, and he only spent a half-season with Milwaukee after being acquired from the Cleveland Indians at the trade deadline.
On this day 7/7/2008, the #Brewers, in an effort to reach the postseason for the first time since 1982, trade Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson, and Taylor Green to the Indians for CC Sabathia. In 17 starts he goes 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA with 7 complete games and 3 shutouts. pic.twitter.com/t3Kxb73FjT
— The Brew Crew Review: Milwaukee Brewers Podcast (@brewcrewreview1) July 7, 2019
Let's dive in.
Brewers-Indians CC Sabathia Trade Details
- Brewers acquire: CC Sabathia
- Indians acquire: Michael Brantley, Matt LaPorta, Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson
We know what Sabathia did here. At the time, the 27-year-old pitched arguably the most entertaining second half of a baseball season we've ever seen. He went 11-2 with a 1.67 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 17 starts AND ended up leading the NL with seven complete games and three shutouts. But in the postseason, the left-hander was crushed by the Phillies, allowing five runs in 3.2 innings in his only start, which was a loss.
As for the Indians, LaPorta spent four underwhelming seasons in Cleveland, Zach Jackson got wrecked in 12 appearances for the Tribe before never pitching again in the MLB, and Rob Bryson never made it to the bigs. However, Michael Brantley saved this deal for the Indians, as he spent 10 years with the team, was named an All-Star three times, won a Silver Slugger and finished top three in the MVP voting back in 2014. From 2012-2018, he was one of the best hitters on the team.
Who Won the Brewers-Indians Trade for CC Sabathia?
It's hard to declare a winner here given the circumstances. Sabathia was set to hit free agency and likely sign elsewhere, so the Tribe ended up getting decent compensation for him, with Brantley, who was a three-time All-Star and a productive player in Cleveland, as the centerpiece. The Brewers got the short-term fix they needed, snapping their insanely long playoff drought (their last appearance was 1982) before getting bounced in the NLDS. We'd call this one a gentleman's deal.