Sabathia Not To Los Angeles

C.C. Sabathia will be not be heading to Los Angeles. Although Major League Baseball has not made an official announcement, various sources believe that the Milwaukee Brewers struck a deal with the Cleveland Indians sometime in the afternoon. Regardless of whether this deal is true or not, the Dodgers are officially out of the sweepstakes.

The centerpieces of this potential deal are C.C. Sabathia and Matt LaPorta. Sabathia has already established himself as a premiere ace in Major League Baseball. Matt LaPorta, on the other hand, is a promising young outfielder in AA Baseball. The Indians essentially made a long-term investment for the future by letting go of one of their present stars.

The Indians will need power batters in the future. LaPorta's 20 HRs and 66 RBIs in AA Huntsville is right up in their alley. Thus, their organization decided to deal for the prospect rather than invest in the Dodgers' generous offerings of established players, such as Derek Lowe.

This reminds me of the deal that brought Hanley Ramirez to the Florida Marlins. The Marlins let go of Josh Beckett, one of their top aces at the time, for a player that had a bright future. Evidently, their organization made a smart move as Ramirez is now regarded as one of Major League Baseball's top shortstops in the game.

C.C. Sabathia, now part of the Milwaukee Brewers, will be a free-agent in 2008. Unless the Brewers decide to extend his contract, he will be up for grabs during the off-season. The Dodgers may have another chance to add Sabathia into their starting-rotation.