Did the Brewers really not have enough offense already? Just when it seemed like the team’s slugging percentage couldn’t get any higher, the newly acquired C.C. Sabathia has demonstrated his prowess at the plate, clubbing two home runs and a double in his first three starts with his new team. A career .289 hitter coming into Friday night’s game, it should not come as a huge surprise that the 290-pound behemoth can hit a baseball, but Brewers fans have to consider his Zambrano-like performance at the plate as a major bonus (perhaps Jason Kendall can move back to the 9^th spot on the days Sabathia takes the mound!)

Incidentally, Sabathia has now logged back-to-back complete games after his more-than-stellar debut as a Milwaukee Brewer - his latest effort a four-hit, 10 strikeout gem against the punchless Giants. For this reason, some may argue that the major attribute Sabathia brings to the Brew Crew is in fact his pitching ability, and not in fact his monstrous bat!

But seriously, now that Milwaukee fans have seen what Sabathia brings to the table, the question must be asked: was he worth the price?

As a free agent going into the 2009 season, Sabathia can only be seen as a rent-a-player. In exchange for the hefty lefty, the Indians were awarded Brewers monster-prospect Matt LaPorta, former Blue Jay top pitching prospect Zach Jackson, 2006 late-round pick Robert Bryson, and a scrub to be named later.

Despite the 25-year old Jackson’s first-round pick pedigree, he has failed to live up to expectations over his minor-league career. He has a tough time keeping the ball down against hitters, and does not compensate by throwing hard enough to generate a high strikeout rate. As a result, he is way too hittable and gives up far too many longballs to be considered major-league material at this point in his career.

Bryson, on the other hand, is seen as a potential long-reliever who can ring up hitters like it’s his job. With a plus fastball and slider, he could emerge as a successful third starter, but seems more likely to be destined for someone’s bullpen. He is only 20-years old and can pitch effectively against both righties and lefties, so his future looks quite bright.

LaPorta, however, is the real prize here. Arguably the best player in the entire minor leagues going into the trade, LaPorta didn’t miss a beat once he transferred to Cleveland’s Double-A affiliate Akron. He is generally described as a “classic power hitter,” possessing a good eye at the plate and raw power to all fields. He is not likely to hit consistently for a high batting average, but that is a sacrifice any team should be willing to make.

Now that I’ve spent three paragraphs upsetting Brewers fans about what they just lost, it’s time to step back to reality, and look at the positives. There are three key points here:

1) You didn’t need LaPorta. He can play the corner outfield spots and first base. Even the fair-weather Brewers fan is aware that Ryan Braun, Corey Hart and Prince Fielder (aka, the middle of the order) currently occupy these positions. With no DH in the National League, Ned Yost would be left with few options once LaPorta was called up to the Show (which, incidentally, had to happen by this September, given his crushing minor league success).

2) The future is now in Milwaukee. In case you didn’t notice, the Brewers are awesome. And they’re getting better. Sabathia solidifies a rotation that lost two key cogs in Yovani Gallardo and Chris Capuano for the season, giving the team arguably the best 1-2 punch in baseball, with Sheets and Sabathia pitching as many as four times in a potential playoff series. As we know, postseason success is an excellent recipe for future performance (both at the gate and in the win column), so there is little reason to panic at present.

3) Losing free agents means more draft picks. If the Brewers are unable to re-sign both Sabathia and Sheets, Milwaukee may be able to pick as many as five players in the first two rounds of the 2009 amateur draft. Given that Milwaukee management was chastised for selecting a player – in LaPorta – that the organization did not need, having five such choices is certainly a good thing.

The bottom line is that things are looking up in Wisconsin these days (with or without Brett Favre in the state!) It should be borne in mind that the Brewers have a future superstar in the form of third baseman Mat Gamel. Despite his Ryan Braun-like deficiencies in the field – he has committed 22 errors so far this season – he is leading all of Double-A in slugging percentage, at .612. By next season, the Brewers will have to decide how to use Gamel, leaving Doug Melvin and co. with the same problem they had this season with Matt LaPorta.

That’s not such a bad problem to have!

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