Cubs Crave Sabathia

Since the calendar has turned to July, the MLB Trade deadline is quickly approaching. What teams will be buyers? What teams will be sellers? What big stars are on the block? Who will stay? Who will go?  Those burning questions are running through minds of fans of all teams, including our beloved Chicago Cubs.

Jim Hendry's is rumored to be going after C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett and Coco Crisp. Those three potential tradable players are an interesting trio.  Burnett has all but courted the Cubs himself, and Coco Crisp is a moveable piece in Boston with the ability to play centerfield on the North Side. But do we need another Kerry Woodesque, injury prone, has-been in Burnett? No. Do we still need a lefthanded centerfielder in Crisp? No, Edmonds has shown that there is still plenty of tread left on the tires. So with the recent arm trouble of the heart of the ballclub, Carlos Zambrano, there is no way we should not throw everything we have at Cleveland for  pitcher C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia would be a huge acquisition for the boys in blue, and could be reminiscent of a trade that brought a certain someone from Cleveland in 1984 for Joe Carter. C.C has won the Cy Young, he's started games for the US National Team, he's won playoff games, and he's only turning 28 years old this month. He is a guy we can piece together with Zambrano, and finally give Z some protection. Lilly has been solid, but is he a cemented ace or #2 guy? No. Having Big Z and Big C.C. going back to back would be deadly. Carlos is the power throwing righty with the fierce demeanor, and C.C. is the cool, calm, competitive lefty that is as poised as anyone. It would be our own variant of Drysdale-Koufax, and Schilling-Johnson.

We have lost Rich Hill, he is off the radar, and for all intensive purposes, should be forgotten. We cannot count on his return; anything we get out of him would only be a bonus. Jason Marquis is as about consistent as public bus, and Sean Gallagher is still a rookie. Sean Marshall has shown promise, but still is not someone we can trust to shut down a power laden side like the Brewers or Reds. That leaves our rotation Zambrano and Lilly. The only two trustworthy arms we have, and that is amidst arm trouble for Zambrano. These are all reasons that beckon a move for Sabathia.

It’s a fact that we have the chips needed to trade for him, with arms like Marshall and Gallagher, and bats like Pie, Patterson, and Murton. None of those five are locks on the big club, and guys like Pie and Murton have caused nothing but frustration. While Murton’s time with the Cubs seems to be approaching midnight, our opportunity to grab Sabathia is down to a month, plenty of time for Hendry to get the deal done.

Go get him Jim, we need C.C.