So, it looks like CC Sabathia is finally going to be a Brewer. Seemed to take an awfully long time, didn't it?

Lets just get the whining out of the way early here so we can get on to more enjoyable subjects: I have serious reservations about the wisdom of giving up a prospect of Matt LaPorta's ability for 3 or so months of anyone, even an ace caliber starter. There is a very good chance that LaPorta will be a major impact bat at the big league level within a few years. The Brewers would have had him under team control and at a fairly reasonable price for six years, maybe parts of a seventh depending on when he is called up. There is always the chance of a washout, but LaPorta's bat has never been questioned by scouts since turning pro and there is a very small probability of that happening. The Brewers also have apparently given up a possible closer in Rob Bryson who was at West Virginia and a disappointing Zach Jackson, a washed out starter at Nashville. Bryson is obviously the one you would rather hold on to, but neither is a "top flight" guy. There is also a "player to be named later" rumored to be Taylor Green who is currently at Brevard, and would be a major loss in his own right. He is a potential future starter at third, is rapidly developing and could be in line for a breakout once out of the Florida State League.

Alright, so the cost is high. So is the potential reward. By nabbing the reigning AL Cy Young winner in Sabathia, the Brewers have put themselves not just in a good position to make the playoffs, but a good position to make a run in the playoffs if they make it to them. Giving up LaPorta has raised the stakes on making it to the playoffs, because his loss will hurt the team's ability to contend in the future, at least to some degree. Franchises stand to make tens of millions of dollars for making it to the postseason tourney, money that could potentially be used to cover for the likely loss of both Sabathia and Ben Sheets. That cash could also possibly be used to keep one of those players long term, if the right deal presented itself.

So there is plenty to gain by making the playoffs and a lot has been given up to take that chance. Is it worth it? I honestly have no idea. What I do know is that even though I have serious reservations about giving up a Matt LaPorta-type prospect (and potentially more) for a few months of Sabathia, I've waited a long time for the Milwaukee Brewers to make a serious run at a championship. A person can question if this was the right move at the right time and if the cost was justified. I certainly have and will again. For the time being, however, I am going to enjoy the hell out of having CC Sabathia in a Brewers uniform, because chances like this don't come around every season. The time for worrying about what was given up lies both in the past and the future. The present is all about CC, at least for me.