Come To Think of It...CC Sabathia Is Treated Like a Rented Mule in Milwaukee

One big difference between Milwaukee's acquisition of CC Sabathia versus the Cubs' trade for Rich Harden is that Harden has an option for next year at a reasonable price. Sabathia is eligible to be a free agent once this season is over.

With the number of potential suitors expected to be high, and the dollar amounts outrageous, it is unlikely that the Brewers will be able to afford signing Sabathia for the long term. And they know that.

The Cubs, on the other hand, fully expect to pick up the 2009 option on Harden's contract, assuming he stays healthy, and perhaps even if he doesn't.

Recognizing that he will likely be a Cubs employee beyond this season, the Cubs are handling Harden with kid gloves. Knowing how fragile his health has been over the years, they are being careful with him.

CC, on the other hand, is being allowed to pitch until his arm falls off. Well, that's not entirely fair because the Brew Crew certainly don't want his arm to fall off before he takes them to the World Series. But after that, whatever happens happens.

First of all, let me say that Sabathia has simply been amazing since Milwaukee acquired him. His record is 8-0 since he left Ohio for Wisconsin. But that kind of performance exacts a heavy toll on a pitcher's arm.

On Monday, Sabathia threw 130 pitches (a career-high) while picking up another victory, this one, a 9-3 beating of the Astros. Sabathia has made nine starts with the Brewers, and he's thrown at least 120 pitches in three of them.

With the Indians, he'd average two to three starts a season at that amount. With the Brewers, though, he's 8-0 with a 1.60 ERA and seems to have proven he can handle the workload and the pressure. Still, you never know...

But with a one-two punch like Sabathia and Ben Sheets, the Brewers are poised to stay with the Cubs for the rest of this season.

In fact, Arizona, the Cubs, and Milwaukee all have solid starting combos in their rotations—the Snakes have Brandon Webb and Dan Haren, the Cubbies have Big Z and Rich Harden (feel free to also throw Ryan Dempster in there too), and the Brewers have the guys we previously mentioned (both Sheets and Sabathia are eligible to be free agents after the season).

It should be very exciting. If I'm CC, I keep a bottle of ibuprofen handy.