Brewers acquire Sabathia from Indians

MILWAUKEE (TICKER) —The Milwaukee Brewers have another ace to go along with Ben Sheets.

In a move that they hope helps them reach for the postseason for the first time in 26 years, the Brewers on Monday acquired reigning American League Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians for outfield prospect Matt LaPorta, minor league pitchers Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson and a player to be named later.

The left-handed Sabathia will become a free agent at the end of the season and already had turned down a lucrative contract extension to stay in Cleveland. It is believed he will test the market at the end of the season, meaning he may just be a three-month rental for the Brewers, who have not been to the playoffs since 1982.

“C.C. is one of the top pitchers in the game today,” Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said. “His addition to the starting rotation will be a major key in helping the team reach its ultimate goal of going to the postseason and beyond.”

With a bevy of young offensive talent that includes reigning Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun and slugger Prince Fielder, the Brewers now have another ace to go along with Sheets to give the club perhaps the best 1-2 punch of any team in the National League, rivaling Arizona’s duo of Brandon Webb and Dan Haren.

Two weeks shy of his 28th birthday, Sabathia could be the last piece to the puzzle for Milwaukee (49-39), which has won five of its last six games and leads the wild card race while sitting 3 1/2 games behind the Chicago Cubs (53-36) in the Central.

Sabathia is 6-8 with a 3.83 ERA this season, but is 6-5 with a 2.16 mark since April 22. As the AL’s top pitcher in 2007, he went 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA while pitching a league-high 241 innings.

It’s possible that Sabathia could make his Brewers debut Tuesday night at home against Colorado.