Indians close to trading C.C. Sabathia to Milwaukee Brewers

By PAUL HOYNES

The key to the deal is outfielder Matt LaPorta, the Brewers top draft pick a year ago.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Indians are close to trading C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers. It could happen today, said a source.

The key to the deal is outfielder Matt LaPorta. He could be playing left field for the Indians by next July. The sticking point has been the two other prospects the Indians would receive in the deal. The Indians preferred one of them to be shortstop Alcides Escobar, third baseman Taylor Green or outfielder Michael Brantley. Escobar and Brantley are with LaPorta at Class AA Huntsville.

The Milwaukee-Journal Sentinel reported on its blog Sunday that the deal was done. It said the Indians were getting LaPorta and two unnamed prospects for the reigning AL Cy Young winner. Physicals and paperwork were the only thing, reportedly, in the way of the deal being completed.

LaPorta, the Brewers No.1 pick last year, is hitting .288 (87-for-302) with 23 doubles, two triples, 20 homers and 66 RBIs at Class AA Huntsville. He’s walked 45 times and struck out 65 times. He was scratched from Sunday night’s game in Huntsville.

“It’s kind of flattering to have your name brought up for one of the best pitchers in the game,” LaPorta told the Huntsville Times. “There would be no hard feelings one way or another. This is a business, and I understand that.”

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound LaPorta, a right-handed hitter, has a .402 on-base percentage and a .576 slugging percentage.

Said one scout: “He’s an exciting player. He has a power bat. He should be a good big-league hitter.”

The Indians are desperate for power, especially in the corner outfield positions where David Dellucci and Franklin Gutierrez have been disappointing and Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo are still trying to establish themselves as run producers.

The Phillies were offering several prospects. Among the players the Indians expressed interest in were second baseman Adrian Cardenas, catcher Lou Manson and left-hander Antonio Bastardo. The Indians wanted Class AA pitcher Carlos Carrasco, but the Phillies didn’t want to give him up.

The Rays dropped out of the bargaining on Sunday.

Milwaukee’s Class AA Huntsville club is loaded and the Indians scouted it heavily.

Brantley, a left-handed hitter, is batting .324 (99-for-306) with 15 doubles, four homers and 34 RBIs at Huntsville. He has 25 steals with a .405 on base percentage and a .412 slugging percentage.

Green, a third baseman, is playing at Class A Brevard County. He’s hitting .298 (89-for-299) with 15 doubles, 10 homers and 54 RBIs. He was the Brewers’ minor league player of the year last year.

Sabathia, who was slated to start for Cleveland Tuesday at Detroit, rejected a $72 million, four-year extension from the Indians during spring training and announced he wouldn’t negotiate any deal until after the season.

XThe Associated Press contributed to this story.