10 Reasons Not to Worry That the Brewers Got Sabathia
Don’t fret, Cubs fans. The Brewers landing C.C. Sabathia isn’t the worst thing that could happen, and here’s why.
- The lead is still 3.5 games, and the only ground the Brewers have made up has been largely when the Cubs were without Soriano and Zambrano.
- 510 pounds of Sabathia and Fielder in the clubhouse + 1 state filled with cheese and beer + 1 deep fryer. You do the math.
- Sabathia is a better hitter than Rickie Weeks and Bill Hall.
- Ryan Braun still has to play the outfield.
- Ben Sheets is ten pitches away from his arm flying off and landing in Bob Uecker’s lap.
- Ned Yost still needs to wear a helmet to bed.
- Cubs who have more RBIs than Fat Prince: Aramis Ramirez, Derrek Lee, Geovany Soto, Mark DeRosa (and Soriano, after missing a month, is only 5 behind The Regal Eater).
- C.C. can’t go nine innings every start, and if he doesn’t…
Bottom of the 9th, Diamondbacks Batting, Behind 0-5, Guillermo Mota facing 7-8-9 Guillermo Mota replaces Eric Gagne pitching and batting 9th --- 4 2% R Hammock Single to 3B (Ground Ball to Weak SS) 1-- 5 4% C Burke Walk; Hammock to 2B 12- 2 9% A Ojeda Single to 2B (Ground Ball to 2B-1B); Hammock to 3B; Burke to 2B Brian Shouse replaces Guillermo Mota pitching and batting 9th; Chad Tracy pinch hits for Leo Rosales batting 1st RRR 123 1 21% C Tracy Double to CF (Fly Ball to Deep CF-RF); Hammock Scores; Burke Scores; Ojeda Scores Salomon Torres replaces Brian Shouse pitching and batting 9th -2- 5 37% J Upton Single to RF (Line Drive to CF-RF); Tracy to 3B R 1-3 2 73% O Hudson Double to LF (Line Drive to Deep LF Line); Tracy Scores; Upton to 3B RR -23 6 100% C Jackson Single to CF (Ground Ball thru SS-2B); Upton Scores; Hudson Scores 6 runs, 6 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB. Brewers 5, Diamondbacks 6. - Carlos Zambrano will swallow your still-beating heart if you imply that he’s not as good as Sabathia.
- The trade deadline isn’t here yet.
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Comments
Rick We should have every hitter bunt down the first base line the first time through the order, and watch their hearts explode.
Felix Heredia Love the C.C. analysis. I like to look at it as, the BEST he can do is win 14 games. They gave up their prized kid for a possible 14 wins in a season where the two teams ahead of them have been on fire. They won’t resign him, they can’t resign him, and he won’t want to resign in Milwaukee. What should have Milwaukee done with their best prospect…?
Rich Harden. He may be an injury risk, but C.C. is a heart attack risk at 320#s. I would hate to be behind Prince and C.C. at the buffet. Anyways, Harden has a $7 million option after this year, something the Brewers could have afforded. But they got their guy, I won’t mind having Harden as our #3 for the next two seasons (Putting Lilly @ 2 because he’s a lefty).
Also, the Cubs just finished playing their worst baseball of the season with a depleted roster. Z is back. Lilly is on. Marshall looks to be serviceable. Marmol pitched great again in STL. Wood has less blown saves than Gagne who hasn’t closed since May. Reed is back. Soriano’s return will be sooner than expected. Aramis had a kid and did some cockfighting. All of those problems/absences and we still have a 3.5 game lead in the division. I’m happy, and as long as we get Harden or Burnett at worst, welcome to 26 years of not making the playoffs Brew Crew (at least by not winning the division).
Slaky Sure, while getting CC might mean “only” a few extra wins for the Brewers, what were they supposed to do? Not add those few extra wins?
They’ve improved and we should be worried.
Felix Heredia 14 Max wins. They traded away their best player for that. I give them credit for stepping up to the plate and trying to hang out with the big boys, but in reality, they threw away a lot of talent. Harden should have been their target from the get go, they could afford the $7 Million team option next year and got some return in their investment. That’s the trade the mid-market teams needs to make. Leave the big boy to the big dogs that have a chance at signing him after the season end. For the record: I didn’t want CC.
CC Predictions: 8-2, 2.80 ERA, 1.19 WHIP.
Andy Midwest Express has notified the Brewers that their newest piece of cargo puts them over the weight limit threshold, and they will now have to taxi on the plane from town to town. This is going to seriously impact their travel times as a 777 can fly from Milwaukee to Atlanta in three hours, but it takes four days to drive one that far.
BigFlax The acquisition of Sabathia is scarier in a playoff context than a regular season context, but that’s assuming Sheets can stay healthy the rest of the year, and anyway, if the Cubs and Brewers met in the playoffs, it wouldn’t be in a five-gamer. Also, Sabathia has shown a tendency to break down in the playoffs thanks to his inning loads in the regular season, and if they try to pull him earlier, they have to turn things over to the five-car wreck that is that bullpen. Also, Sabathia has one career start against the Cubs - it came in 2006, when he had a 3.22 ERA (just one point better than his 3.21 from last year, when he won the Cy). All the Cubs did in that game was tag him for nine runs in 2.1 IP. Your Cubs lineup for that day? Pierre, Neifi, A-Ram, Nevin, Murton, Jock, Cedeno, Todd Walker, and Blanco. Yeahhhhhhh. Am I saying this means the Cubs will demolish Sabathia whenever they face him this year? Yes. Yes, I am saying that.
Reuschel's Jowls Indeed. While I wouldn’t go so far as to call it “whistling past the graveyard,” there is a fair amount of denial in this thread. We’d be ecstatic and on a three-day bender if Hendry had pulled off a deal for Sabathia that didn’t touch our 40-man roster. The Brewers just got very, very serious about winning it all this year. This is a great deal for them to that end.
Yes, their bullpen is still a trainwreck, but ours hasn’t exactly reminded anyone of the ‘98 Yankees the past month, either.
There’s a difference between jumping off the cliff (”DOOM!”) and acknowledging that winning the Central just became a much taller (and fatter) order. Guess I’d be just a little more confident about all this if they weren’t the one team we’ve looked like complete crap against this season…
Bad Kermit The Brewers are certainly much better after adding SaFAThia. But they’re still not better than the Cubs. It’s the Cubs’ division to lose. If they don’t win it, they’ll have no one to blame but themselves.
Section 242 Since the media dubbed the pursuit of CC the “Sabathia Sweepstakes” does that mean he shows up at Miller Park in a van with flowers and balloons accompanied by a camera crew and the Brewers pay him with an oversized check?
Mark Giangreco Roman Wrestler Something to consider, the Brewers are playing over their heads as it is. Pythag record is 45-43, 4 games worse than where they’re at right now. This parallel’s their team statistics as they are right around the middle in Pitching and Offense. Despite some big scary names, the Cubs offense is still much much better than the Brewers. The bullpen goes without saying. Of course, the Brewers could always get some unforeseen career 2nd halfs from some guys and the Cubs can suffer more injuries, but let’s not lose any sleep. This is a very flawed .500 team getting a great pitcher going against a team thats on pace to win 96 games. On the other hand, DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
PenFoe It’s an awesome move by the Brewers. Even if LaPorta turns into a great pro player (certainly no guarantee, but reasonably likely), the Brewers, assuming they don’t resign CC after this year, have 5 of the first 35 picks in the ‘09 draft.
Based on their recent draft history, that’s a lot of potential talent for a team that already has plenty of good, young talent.
To summarize…fuck them, the Cubs are still better.
Frank Ryan Braun still has to play the outfield.
I find irony in this statement considering the Cubs have Alfonso “I Miss Fly Balls” Soriano playing in LF. Didn’t realize that Braun and his 0 errors were doing a bad job.
Felix Heredia I wouldn’t take Braun in LF over Soriano anyday. Braun doesn’t make it to any balls, and he has been getting a free ride from the scorer at Miller Park. He should have at least 5 errors that ESPN has noticed throughout this season.
Bad Kermit Soriano’s ability in the outfield has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the Braun sucks in the outfield.
WHEEEEE!
Frank Too bad I can’t find a picture of Soriano dropping the routine flyball in Pittsburgh to cost them the game.
Bad Kermit That is too bad. It’s also too bad that you still don’t realize that Soriano’s defense is completely irrelevant to the fact that Ryan Braun is a terrible defensive player.
JackB Sabathia was an excellent move by the Sausage Slingers. If he and Sheets both bail at the end of the season they pick up 5 draft picks. He helps them this season and I would have loved to have had him as a Cub, largeass and all. The Harden move, while riskier, was an excellent deal as well. All in all, I still think the Cubs are the stronger team, provided Marmol has returned to his 07 form. The addition of Gaudin provides insurance for Harden and further strengthens our already solid pen. A reliable lefty reliever would be a nice addition (Ron Mahay anyone?) but I don’t know if that’ll happen. All in all, I think the Cubs come out on top and look pretty sweet for playoff time. Of course, this is why we play 162 games, so we’ll have to wait and see. I’m not gonna sit here and say any of that “This is The Year Crap” until the Cubs record the 27th out in our fourth win of the World Series. And if anybody waves a “It’s Gonna Happen” sign in my face, they’ll need a proctologist to retrieve said sign.
jrs_express how do you like those cc apples now?
yeah, that’s what i thought.
another year down the pisser for the scrubs aka laughable losers.
all hail the prince and his 400lb battering ram, cc!!!
go crew.
Bad Kermit how do you like those cc apples now?
yeah, that’s what i thought.
another year down the pisser for the scrubs aka laughable losers.
all hail the prince and his 400lb battering ram, cc!!!
go crew.
I’d have waited to make this comment until my team was actually in first
place, but, of course, I’m not a total moron.
CT
bocaj
BigFlax
StPatrick
TDubbs
I just feel bad for whoever does the laundry up in Milwaukee. Prince’s car cover uniform was probably hard enough on the machines but add to that the parachute that C.C. wears and it’s entirely possible they could build a tent city out of their uni’s at the end of the season.