Indians Confidential

The Following is the official Press Release from the Indians on the C.C. Sabathia trade:

CLEVELAND, OH — The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has acquired OF MATT LaPORTA, RHP ROB BRYSON, LHP ZACH JACKSON & a player to be named from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for LHP CC SABATHIA.

LaPorta, 23, has spent the entire season at Class AA Huntsville in the Southern League where he has hit .288 (87-302) with 23 doubles, 2 triples, 20 home runs & 66 RBI in 84 games. He currently leads the Southern League in homers, is 2nd in RBI and extra base hits (41), 3rd in slugging % (.576), 6th in on-base % (.402) and tied for 5th with 56 runs scored. The right-handed hitting outfielder is hitting .301 (68-225) this season off right-handed pitching and .307 (31-101) with RISP. The Double A All-Star has also been selected to play in the Futures Game on July 13 for Team USA and is one of 60 players currently being considered for the 24-man United States Olympic Team roster.

LaPorta is in his second year of professional baseball after being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round (7th overall) of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Florida where he was two-time Southeastern Conference Player of the Year. Last season after signing with the Brewers he hit .304 (35-115) with 12 HR & 31 RBI in 30 games between rookie Helena and A West Virginia. Prior to the 2008 season the Pt. Charlotte, FL native was named the top prospect and best power hitting prospect in the Brewers organization by Baseball America. He was also named by Baseball America as the 23rd best prospect in all of baseball entering the 2008. He will report to AA Akron in the coming days.

Bryson, 20, has spent the entire season at Class A West Virginia of the South Atlantic League where he has gone 3-2 w/5 saves and a 4.25 ERA in 22 games/5 starts (55.0IP, 43H, 26ER, 20BB, 73K), limiting SAL hitters to a .209 (43-206, 3HR) average against. In relief this year he has compiled an ERA of 3.96 (35.1IP, 24H, 16ER, 11BB, 53K) and has allowed 1ER in his last 7 outings (9.2IP, 4H, 2BB, 16K). He is averaging 11.9 strikeouts per 9.0IP. Entering 2008 he was named 11th best overall prospect in the Brewers organization by Baseball America.

He was signed in 2007 as a draft and follow pick from the 2006 draft by Milwaukee (31st round) out of Penn High School in New Castle, Delaware. He posted a 2.67 ERA in 18 games/4 starts at Rookie Helena last year (54.0IP, 49H, 16ER, 12BB, 70K). Bryson was named the 8th best prospect in the Pioneer League following the 2007 season as he ranked 3rd in the league in saves (8) and 4th in strikeouts (70). He will be assigned to A Lake County.

Jackson, 25, has spent much of the season at AAA Nashville (1-5, 7.85ERA, 22G/6GS) and appeared in 2 games with the Brewers in May (0-0, 4.91ERA, 3.2IP, 5H, 2R/ER). He was acquired by the Brewers in December of 2005 from Toronto in a trade that sent 1B Lyle Overbay to the Blue Jays. He owns a Major League career record of 2-2 w/a 5.36 ERA in 10 games (7GS, 42.0IP, 53H, 25ER) with the Brewers and last year at AAA Nashville went 11-10 w/a 4.46 ERA in 28 starts (169.2IP, 184H, 84ER, 123K). He finished 2nd in the Pacific Coast League in innings pitched & games started and 3rd in strikeouts. Jackson, who has pitched professionally since 2004, will have his option transferred from Nashville to Buffalo.

Sabathia posted a career record of 106-71 with a 3.83 ERA (1528.2IP, 1435H, 650ER, 1265SO) with the Indians from 2001-08. The 2007 American League Cy Young winner owns the 7th highest winning % (.599) and 5th most strikeouts (1265) in Indians club history. He is 6-8 with a 3.83 ERA in 18 starts this season with Cleveland (122.1IP, 117H, 52ER, AL-high 123SO).

Said Cleveland Indians Executive Vice President and General Manager MARK SHAPIRO –

“While we are disappointed to have reached this juncture, we are focused on positioning the organization for success in 2009 and beyond. No player has impacted this team and community more in the last eight years than CC Sabathia. However, by trading CC, we have infused several promising players into our organization – including Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, Zach Jackson, and a Player to be Named Later. ”

The 40-man roster still stands at 37 players.