Tribe Shows C.C. 'La Porta'

The confirmation today of the news that C.C. Sabathia had been traded by the Indians to the Milwaukee Brewers brought recollections of the deal in 2002 that sent Bartolo Colon to the Montreal Expos. A flame-throwing, top-of-the-rotation pitcher who promised to be difficult to re-sign, sent packing in exchange for some solid prospects.

In Colon's case, the Tribe stole some bonafide major leaguers right out from under the Expos' (now Nationals) noses. In addition to journeyman Lee Stevens, Cleveland nabbed then-minor leaguers Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips. The company line has always been that Eric Wedge and the Indians had their reasons for parting with Phillips in 2006, but the guy would sure look good in a Cleveland uniform right about now. In his third year in Cincinnati, he's been a .285 hitter during that span. Meanwhile, Lee and Sizemore will represent the Indians in this year's All-Star Game.

In today's deal, the Indians received four minor leaguers in return for Sabathia. The centerpiece of the deal for Cleveland is Matt LaPorta (left), an outfielder/first baseman considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball. LaPorta, thought to be on the fast track to the big leagues, was batting .288 with 20 home runs and 66 RBIs in 84 games for Huntsville, Milwaukee's AA minor league affiliate. (Note to Ryan Garko: No need to check out the picture to see Mr. LaPorta. Just look over your shoulder.)

The other prospects shipped to Cleveland in the deal -- pitchers Rob Bryson and Zach Jackson, plus a player to be named later -- will be discussed by others, elsewhere, ad nauseum. The bottom line is, Sabathia's gone. And there was little that Tribe G.M. Mark Shapiro could do about it. The big lefty seems set on testing the free agent market (remember, he turned down an extension during spring training that would have paid him $18 million a year), so the Indians had to get something in return rather than letting Sabathia leave the way Albert Belle, Jim Thome and Manny Ramirez did over the years.

This is the reality of small-market baseball. A few years ago Shapiro was pointing to 2005 as the year he expected the Indians to blossom into a contender. Sure enough, by 2007 they were again the A.L. Central Champs, and came within a whisker of another trip to the World Series. But this year it all came tumbling down, and the rebuilding begins all over again.

C.C. was solid, if not always spectacular, for the Indians over the years. His departure, coupled with injuries to Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook, leaves the once-vaunted Indians pitching rotation depleted and scrambling for cover. Such is the life of a team caught once again in the "rebuilding" cycle.

A friend of mine is a lifelong Pirates fan, and he concedes that there's no reason for the team's ownership to field a winning team. They're a small market, and fans support the team as it is -- so why go out of the way to bring in big-name talent at big-name prices? The Indians' situation is similar. If LaPorta or one (or more) of the other prospects develops, great. If not, the team (and their affiliate network, SportsTime Ohio), make money regardless. What more could an owner want?

A Cliff Hanging for the Yankees

Cliff Lee keeps sailing along for the Tribe. His stunning reversal from a dismal 2007 (5-8, 6.29 ERA, and a trip to the minors) continued with seven more shutout innings in a 3-0 whitewash of New York. Lee is now 6-0 with a ridiculous 0.81 ERA. He's won all six of his starts and has 39 strikeouts against just two walks in his 44-2/3 innings. Amazing stuff.

The lefty was solid between 2004 and 2006, going 44-26 -- including 18 wins in 2005 -- but was nowhere near the dominating pitcher he's been this year.

Lee, along with Grady Sizemore, have made the case for the trade that brought them to Cleveland in 2002. They were among four players the Indians received from Montreal in exchange for Bartolo Colon and Tim Drew (who was out of baseball within a couple of years). Colon had some excellent seasons after that, including his Cy Young Award-winning year of 2005, but the Indians made the deal with an eye on the future. Sizemore has been outstanding, and, now that Lee is returning to form and then some, the trade looks very good, indeed.

I wrote at the time of the trade that it was an excellent deal, if for no other fact than Colon never behaved like an ace for Cleveland. He was in his sixth season at that point and had won 65 games, including 18 one year. But he still preferred to speak through an interpreter and was an enigma to fans. There was nothing engaging about his personality, in contrast to stoppers like Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, Curt Schilling or Roger Clemens. They behaved like aces and told you after the game how they did it, and how they would do it again. They welcomed the chance to have their teammates climb on their backs and enjoy the ride to victory.

Colon never did that during his stay in Cleveland, talented though he was. It's a rarity. And even though it's still early in the season, Lee is showing signs of maturing into a true ace for the Tribe. His AL Pitcher of the Month award for April was no fluke.

Imagine if the Indians hadn't given up on Brandon Phillips so abruptly. He also came over in the Colon deal, but was sent packing early in 2006, and has become a mainstay of Cincinnati's lineup at second base -- a position the Indians are still struggling to stabilize.