Brewers GM deserves an A-plus for landing CC
What: In an Olympic year, the Milwaukee Brewers are going for the bold, acquiring reigning American League Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians for four prospects.
When: The Brewers put the Indians on the clock. If they were going to give up a bushel of minor-leaguers, including prized slugger Matt LaPorta, they wanted Sabathia for four starts before the July 31 trading deadline. In a Spandex-tight NL Central race, those games could make the difference between a playoff berth and holding up the couch springs in October. General manager Doug Melvin didn’t blink, admitting the Brewers were “going for it” with this deal. Within 36 hours of the acquisition, the Brewers sold 12,000 tickets, making Sabathia’s Tuesday debut a sellout. They also turned the dugout stores into one-stop Sabathia shopping, with everything from jerseys to posters. The number of fans wearing Sabathia gamers — those things go for $250 a pop — was startling.
Renck’s take: Good for Melvin and the Brewers. They didn’t trot out business plans or flow charts, espousing 100 reasons why not to pull the trigger. They have a chance to win and their fans haven’t seen the postseason since 1982. All chips in. I love it. They didn’t give up crazy talent. Their minor-league system is so stuffed the Brewers can afford to lose LaPorta, the one player who has a chance to become a star in Cleveland. So Sabathia is a rental? The Dodgers are the early favorite to sign him as a free agent. So what? Fans get tired of their leaders telling them how the big fish slithered out of the net. But here’s a reminder: You can’t have it both ways. If you love Melvin’s move now, you can’t rip him if the Brewers don’t make the playoffs. He made his daring stroke, and that deserves praise regardless of how the move plays out.
