The Chicago Cubs haven’t won the World Series in 100 years.  That’s fairly common knowledge by now in the sports community, but what’s even more remarkable is that over that century, they have had no consecutive playoff appearances.  That’s almost hard to believe, but true.  Everybody has a bad century every now and then, right?

The Milwaukee Brewers were an American League team the last time they made the playoffs just over a quarter-century ago (1982) and the MVP of the AL, Robin Yount, is now in the Hall of Fame.  Their only other playoff berth was the strike-shortened season the year before in 1981 when they played only 109 games.  In that odd 1981 season, Major League Baseball decided its playoff teams by first half and second half leaders, much like several minor leagues currently do. 

All that could change in 2008.  The Cubs have the best record in the National League and are the current favorite to win the NL Pennant.  It would also mark consecutive playoff appearances since they won the NL Central in 2007.  Meanwhile the Brewers are currently leading the chase for the NL Wild Card by 3.5 games and are 21 games over .500.  Clearly each of these teams had a quality roster coming into the 2008 campaign, but Cubs’ GM Jim Hendry and Brewers’ GM Doug Melvin are the first two names that come to mind for National League Executive of the Year.  The Brewers’ acquisition of C.C. Sabathia and the Cubs’ trade for Rich Harden have proven to be wildly successful for each club thus far. 

  Rich Harden has been dominant in his eight starts for the Chicago Cubs.  He’s recorded double digit strikeouts in five of those eight games.  His ERA and WHIP are nasty and hitters have hit .162/.229/.312 against him since the trade.  The Cubs were going to playoffs before they traded for Harden.  They were going to break the ugly mark of 100 years without consecutive playoff appearances.  That was pretty clear.  But what would it matter to go three games and out like in 2007?  After the Cubs lost game one at Arizona in the NLDS last year with Carlos Zambrano on the mound, things looked grim even before Ted Lilly was bashed to the tune of six earned runs in just 3.1 innings.  Eight Major League Baseball teams make the playoffs every year.  Only one of those eight will win the World Series.  The Cubs were going to be one of the four of 16 NL teams represented in this year’s playoffs, but the depth and talent to the rotation that Rich Harden adds dramatically increases their chances at their first World Series title since 1908.

  C.C. Sabathia is going to earn a gigantic new contract at the conclusion of the 2008 season.  He’s a 28-year-old, hard-throwing, talented, and durable starter coming off a Cy Young award in 2007 and a remarkably similar 2008 year.  It’s also highly likely that the Milwaukee Brewers will not be the team that signs him to the riches in his future.  If that’s the case, they’re getting their money’s worth on their half-season rental of the prized lefty.  They gave the Indians their top prospect, Matt LaPorta, but they are getting every bit of use out of Sabathia.  In his ten games in the National League, he’s thrown five complete games, including two shutouts.  He’s averaging 111.1 pitches per outing and 7.6 innings.  (Meanwhile, the Cubs have limited Rich Harden to an average of 98.5 pitches and 6.125 innings per start.  Injuries have always been Harden’s downfall, but the Cubs have hardly been conservative with him.) People have whispered Sabathia’s name for NL Cy Young, which he neither deserves nor has the numbers for, but take a look at his overall statistics for the 2008 season.  The Indians have been brutal in 2008 and while Sabathia got off to a slow start, he pitched well before the trade.  His undefeated streak for the Milwaukee Brewers have his overall 2008 numbers looking very similar to his 2007 numbers through 28 starts, except in this season his ERA is better in more innings pitched.

* 2007 AL Cy Young

Clearly each of these teams needed another big-time arm to go behind staff aces Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets.  Jim Hendry and Doug Melvin deserve much credit for rolling the dice and each move has shown instant success.  In fact, it’s quite likely that these two are matched against one another in Game 2 of the 2008 National League Championship Series. Now each squad has the 1-2 punch in the starting rotation to not only make the playoffs, but win in the playoffs and even beat the American League representative in the World Series.  

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  The Milwaukee Brewers haven’t made the playoffs since 1982 when they were in the American League and Hall of Famer Robin Yount won the AL MVP.  Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin apparently thinks a quarter century without playoff baseball is long enough for the people of Milwaukee.  Melvin and the Brewers have traded for the 2007 American League Cy Young Award winner, C.C. Sabathia.  The Brewers are currently tied with their division rival the St. Louis Cardinals to be the National League Wild Card, but the big hard-throwing lefty Sabathia now makes them the favorite to win the NL’s fourth playoff spot.

THE DEAL

Milwaukee receives:  Carston Charles Sabathia.  He’s 6-8, 122.3 IP, 123 K, 34 BB, 3.83 ERA this season.

Cleveland receives:  Matt LaPorta: Brewers’ number one prospect entering 2007.  He’s an outfielder hitting .291/.404/.584 with 20 homers in Double-A.  Zach Jackson:  A struggling left-handed swingman.  He’s 1-5 with a 7.83 ERA in Triple-A.  Robert Bryson has worked as a starter and closer in Class Low A.  He’s 3-2 with 5 saves and a 4.25 ERA in 55 innings.  The player to be named later is said to be Taylor Green, a third baseman in Class High A hitting .297/.381/.452 with 10 homers with more walks (40) than strikeouts (39).

Matt LaPorta played at the University of Florida and was the SEC Player of the Year and an All-American his sophomore season.  After a disappointing junior season, he returned to school and was drafted by the Brewers seventh overall in 2007.  Milwaukee quickly converted LaPorta from a first baseman into a corner outfielder, but it was his conversion to the wooden bat that opened people’s eyes.  He dropped 12 bombs and slugged .696 in just 30 professional games after signing. 

Much like the Brewers’ first round choice in 2005, Ryan Braun, LaPorta will never be good defensively but his offensive production will more than compensate.

Brewers GM Doug Melvin has stacked his organization’s minor league system with quality talent.  In last month’s draft, the Brewers had five picks before the third round.  Third baseman Mat Gamel, LaPorta’s teammate in Double-A, is putting up monster numbers.  His .381/.443/.637 line could garner him Minor League Player of the Year honors.  He is terribly defensively himself and will more than likely move to the corner outfield spot that LaPorta had played.  With Gamel and the rest of Brewers’ loaded system, LaPorta could be used as the key piece to get Sabathia. 

C.C. Sabathia’s contract expires at the end of this season, creating obvious baggage for Milwaukee.  He turned down a 4-year, $72 million offer from Cleveland earlier this season, and it seems unlikely that the Brewers could make a better offer.  Disregard his record and Sabathia’s 2008 numbers are very good.  The 2007 AL Cy Young turns 28 on July 21, so get ready this offseason when this frontline left-handed starter hits the open market of free agency.  That means the Brewers will probably give up an elite power hitting prospect in LaPorta for a three-month rental for C.C. Sabathia.  They would receive a sandwich round draft choice if they prove unable or unwilling to sign the lefty. 

But the Brewers think it’s worth it.  Their first playoff berth since 1982 is theirs to lose.

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  Ryan Braun apparently likes Milwaukee.  He and the Brewers have agreed to an 8-year extension worth $45 million. 

Braun was selected number 5 overall out of the University of Miami in the 2005 draft–which may eventually go down as the great draft ever, by the way.  He won the National League Rookie of the Year Award last season, of course, when he slugged a whopping .634: a record for rookies.

Braun is just another in the explosion of great young talent in the Major Leagues.  They are taking over.  And they are getting paid for it.

Braun’s contract isn’t the gaudy and glamorous type that Alex Rodriguez (10 years, $252 million), Derek Jeter (10 years, $189 million), or Manny Ramirez (8 years, $160 million) signed in the late-1990s, but what is surprising is the similar length of this contract for a guy with less than a year of MLB service time.

Braun is off to a solid start in 2008, hitting .286/.316/.560 with 10 homers and 30 RBIs.  But within his remarkable rookie year–he also stole 15 bases, by the way–he struck out 112 times compared to just 29 walks in 113 games.  This season, the rate is 34 strikeouts and 8 walks but he’s not setting any slugging records in 2008.  In other words, Braun’s 1.004 OPS of 2007 is an aberration.

Braun should hit a ton, though, albeit with a sometimes questionable on-base percentage if his plate discipline does not improve.  The other factor in the Brewers’ long-term commitment to Braun is that he has already been moved off his natural position of third base after 26 errors in his rookie year.  He may be better defensively in left field, but even that poses a new problem:  the Brewers’ 2007 first rounder Matt LaPorta is raking in AA and is a corner outfielder as well.

The Brewers have made quite a commitment to Ryan Braun.  When will they get to Prince Fielder?  He was clearly unhappy in Spring Training when the Brewers simply renewed his contract rather than offering him a long-term extension.  Even so, Milwaukee is building a nice nucleus to compete in the NL Central for several years to come.

A good college team could win the National League Central. Ok, that’s a joke, but this division was by far the weakest in the Majors in 2007. The Cubs won it last year with only 85 wins, and were quickly swept in the first round of the playoffs. They are the favorite to repeat as division champs in 2008, but the Brewers are young and talented. Many thought last season was the going to be the breakout year for Milwaukee, but they went 9-18 in August and the Cubs won the division. The Cardinals’ aging teams of the last decade have finally caught up to them. They won’t be formidable until Albert Pujols’ and Chris Carpenter’s aching elbows are soothed. The Astros have added Miguel Tejada and Jose Valverde and could make some noise in this division in 2008. The Reds will be exciting in 2008 because hot prospects Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, and Homer Bailey will all become regulars. Pittsburgh is just bad. Real bad.

Check out the teams:  UPDATE:  All of the 2008 outlooks for the NL Central teams are now posted. 

http://thebigleaguebeat.com/2008-nl-central-preview/

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