The Brewers aren’t the only team pushing hard for Indians left-hander C.C. Sabathia. The Dodgers also are heavily in the mix, according to major-league sources. However, the Dodgers’ bid for Sabathia is complicated by their pursuit of Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson as a replacement for the injured Rafael Furcal, sources say.
To get Wilson, the Dodgers would need to trade the Pirates some of the same players that the Indians want for Sabathia, leaving Los Angeles with a choice of one deal or the other.
Sabathia, 6-5 with a 2.16 ERA in his past 14 starts, is scheduled to pitch twice more before the All-Star break. His next start is Tuesday, but several baseball people expect he will be traded before then.
While the Dodgers might not offer a prospect better than Brewers Class AA left fielder Matt LaPorta, their proposal for Sabathia would include three players, sources say.
Class AA right-hander James McDonald, Class AAA shortstop Chin-Lung Hu and third baseman Andy LaRoche are among the Dodgers’ prospects likely drawing consideration form the Indians.
The addition of Sabathia, 28, would strengthen the Dodgers’ rotation and give the team the inside track on retaining the Indians’ ace, who is a free agent at the end of the season.
But the addition of Wilson, 30, would fill the void created by the absence of Furcal, who will be out at least eight more weeks after undergoing back surgery.
Wilson, after missing most of the first two months with a strained left calf, is batting .318 with zero homers in 138 at-bats. He is under contract for $6.5 million this season and $7.25 million next season, and his contract also includes an $8.4 million club option for 2010.
By acquiring Wilson, the Dodgers would signal that they might not intend to keep Furcal, whom they probably consider too big of a physical risk to re-sign as a free agent.
A trade for either Wilson or Sabathia also would figure to take the Dodgers out of the mix for a slugger such as the Rockies’ Matt Holliday, who also could be moved before the July 31 non-waiver deadline.
The Brewers’ offer for Sabathia, meanwhile, is centered around LaPorta, a right-handed slugger who is below-average defensively, making him a better fit for the American League.
LaPorta, the Brewers’ first-round pick in 2007, was a first baseman at Florida, but the Brewers converted him to left field — a position occupied by Ryan Braun, who is signed through 2015.
The Indians also are believed to be interested in Brewers Class AA shortstop Alcides Escobar, but sources indicate that the Brewers are willing to trade both Escobar and LaPorta. The Brewers also do not intend to include their major-league shortstop, J.J. Hardy.
Class A third baseman Taylor Green could be a possibility — the Indians scouted the Brewers’ Class A Brevard County (Fla.) affiliate on Wednesday night, looking at Green, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
The Indians badly need power. Center fielder Grady Sizemore leads the AL with 21 home runs, but designated hitter Travis Hafner hit only four before going on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain on May 30 and catcher Victor Martinez had zero before going on the DL June 12 with a right-elbow injury.
LaPorta is tied for the Southern League lead with 19 homers and third in the league in OPS. Three of his Huntsville teammates — third baseman Mat Gamel, catcher Angel Salome, and first baseman Chris Errecart — rank first, sixth and seventh in OPS, respectively.