MLB Trade Deadline: Top 25 midseason deals of all-time

11. Brewers acquire C.C. Sabathia, July 7, 2008

Yes, C.C. Sabathia was traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee three weeks head of the trade deadline, but the lefty’s impact on the Brewers as a midsummer acquisition is certainly worth mentioning here. In fact, few trades in baseball history have worked out better for a club in the short-term – especially among those involving a rental player.

The Brewers entered July 7 with a 49-49 record, four games behind the Cubs and half a game behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. Milwaukee struck a deal for the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner, an impending free agent, sending Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, Matt LaPorta and a player to be named later (later announced as future All-Star Michael Brantley) to Cleveland.

Sabathia, who posted a 6-8 record and 3.83 ERA in 18 starts with the Tribe through July 2, started the very next day. He picked up the first of 11 wins for the Brewers, and helped set the course for a dominant second half of the season. The Brewers finished 90-72, 7.5 games back in the division race, but with the NL Wild Card.

Simply put, Sabathia carried the club to the postseason on his back. In 17 starts, Sabathia posted an 11-2 record, 1.65 ERA and 2.44 FIP. He tossed three shutouts among seven complete games, tallied a 1.003 WHIP and struck out 128 hitters in 130.2 innings.

Though the Brewers fell to the Phillies in four games in the NLDS, Sabathia proved his worth. Despite playing only half a season in the National League, he finished fifth in the vote for the NL Cy Young Award and was sixth in the running for the NL MVP Award.