Random Sabathia Trade Thoughts

• Perhaps I'm being a touch harsh about trading LaPorta and a couple of other minor league players for 16 starts from of Sabathia. The thing that I am most wary about is that the Brewers are sending the prospects to Cleveland, who have a tendency to know what they're doing (see the Bartolo Colon trade). I would be very wary about sending a player to them who is so close to be ML-ready, I would prefer sending a somewhat ML-ready player with a huge deficiency in their current game (Gamel).
  
• Obviously another point to assess the trade is how fair it would be, but much like other trades of this nature, the real value doesn't appear for a number of years. Clearly there's a huge trade off for a "win now" move. Should the deal go down, that's a subject I'm willing to take up. I mean, we won't really know the true value to the teams from the Linebrink trade of last season for a number years.
  
• If it is LaPorta in the deal, I am hoping the Brewers get a reliever as well. I would suggest Betancourt, but I think the Indians see him as a long-term option. Obviously whomever Sabathia would replace in the starting rotation would go to the bullpen, thus bumping someone out of the pen. Right now it looks like Mota's true colors are showing.
  
• Many are anointing the Brewers' post season rotation to be Sheets, Sabathia, and Parra, but I don't think that's the case. I think Suppan, based on his veteran stability would get the call before Parra, seems like the sort of thing Yost would do.
  
• Also, should the Brewers acquire Sabathia, a number of people think that Bush would be bumped from the rotation. I'm not too certain about that. They may want to save Parra's arm later this season and McClung is bound to have a dead arm at some point as well, Bush has been established as a solid, if not spectacular, starter for much of his career. It's a tough decision, no doubt.
  
• I wonder how much better Sabathia's performance will be improved by going to the lesser of the two leagues?
  
• I wonder how Sabathia would hold up having to bat at least three times per game? He has a .300 batting average in his career, which is surprising, but the constant wear and tear on his girth may wear him down faster.
  
• That's an awful lot of girth from the mound to first.
  
• ESPN Breaking News: Indians sign Jeff Weaver. Ha!
  
• Haudricourt is getting snippy. I don't know how I feel about this.
  
• I think the folks asking the Brewers to trade for Daniel Cabrera in this BTF thread are Cubs fans.
  
• I was thinking about the other rumored trade, Hardy to Toronto for AJ Burnett and David Eckstein, and thought that would be a bit much. If they are willing to take Escobar, I would be completely happy about Burnett starting for the remainder of the season given his potential to dominate. I think Escobar's value is inflated: let's say that we rate players on a scale of -3 to 3, -3 being terrible, 3 being HOF-worthy, and 0 being average. Escobar is apparently a 3 in the field and a -2 at the bat, leading to a +1 overall. Hardy isn't bad in the field (but not as good as the announcers would like you to think), so let's say he's a 1, and batting he's a 2 for the position, a total of 3. As Jeff Sackmann points out here, he is hitting at the most above average of any of the field position Brewers right now. Forgetting my arbitrary stat assumption ranking here, I think Escobar isn't going to be the savior you think he will be.
  
• NTNgod: "The Brewers seemingly can crap bats (often of the defensively challenged sort) at will out of their system." I like that.
  
• I really wish the team wouldn't have to trade LaPorta.
  
• Crazy season is upon us.