Player to be named later is the jewel of Sabathia trade.

Five years ago this weekend the Cleveland Indians traded away C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers for 4 prospects.  Pitchers Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson, Michael Brantley who was the player to be named later, and the jewel of the Brewers farm system Matt LaPorta.  Many thought the Brewers gave up a lot for a half season rental player.  It is impossible to break down a trade involving prospects in the moment.  Time must pass in order to properly evaluate a trade.  Let’s break this swap down.

Zach Jackson made his debut for the Tribe in August 2008.  In 9 starts for the Indians that season Jackson went 2-3 with an ERA of 5.60.  The next season Jackson started one game and appeared in two others.  The next spring he was traded to Blue Jays.  Jackson was a big zero for the Tribe. He is currently in Double A for the Royals.

Rob Bryson, who I had no recollection, is amazingly still in the Indians organization 5 years later.  Bryson has spent the bulk of his career playing for the Indians’ Double A team in Akron.  He has spent a small amount of time in Triple A spent mostly getting the tar hit out of him.  His Triple A stats are an ERA over 6.00 and WHIP over 2.  That performance quickly got him sent back down.  Bryson is minor league roster filler for as long as the Indians continue to mail him checks.

Matt LaPorta, a power hitting outfielder who the Indians converted to a 1^st basemen was called up the next season in 2009.  He spent parts of the next four seasons bouncing back and forth from the bigs to Triple A while playing a solid first base but nothing special with the glove.  He struggled at the plate and his WAR was basically zero.  Meaning that LaPorta was playing about as good for the Tribe as the average triple A first basemen would.  Not a lot of production from the crown jewel of the Brewers organization.  In fact the Indians released LaPorta from the 40 man roster and not a single team claimed him.  In a league where teams give multiple chances on tons of players to try and fix them and unlock potential, not a single team felt LaPorta was worthy of claiming off of the scrap heap.  LaPorta went back to Triple A Columbus, where his production this season looks like that of a man, who has given up on getting back to the bigs with the Indians.  He is batting .235 with 5 homeruns in 22 games. 

The player to be named, usually considered a throw away, Michael Brantley has become the Indians everyday left fielder.  Brantley, the son of a major leaguer, is arguably the Indians most consistent hitter.  He rarely slumps and is an above average major leaguer.  He made his tribe debut in 2009 and has been durable, an above average hitter who doesn’t give at bats away, plays superb defense, and is quick on the base paths.  On the five year anniversary of the trade he hit two homeruns to tie his career high for a season, and lead the Indians to win over division rival the Detroit Tigers. 

C.C. Sabathia would help lead the Brewers to the Wild Card that season and a first round exit in the playoffs. It was the Brewers first playoff appearance in almost 30 years.  Sabathia would leave for the Yankees in the offseason as the Bronx Bombers brought in a Brinks truck for a hefty contract for the hefty lefty. 

It sounds like the Indians got the worse end of the trade, but I say the Indians won this trade in the long run.  The Brewers got 2 extra home games and Sabathia got shelled in his lone postseason start because the Brewers wore him down using him on short rest down the stretch run to even make the postseason.  Then he was gone.

Although the Indians did not receive an All-Star as of yet from the trade, they have a very good left fielder in Brantley who seems to have moved into the role of clubhouse leader.  Sabathia wasn’t coming back to Cleveland and the Indians weren’t going anywhere in 2008, so the Indians got a very good player instead of letting Sabathia walk away for nothing.  Should the Indians have gotten more for one of the best pitchers in baseball? Of course/ Did they get more out of the trade then the Brewers? Yes they did.  

 

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