The trade sending C.C. Sabathia from the Indians to the Brewers is supposed to be finalized later this morning. Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (and BA's Brewers correspondent since the mid-1980s) was the first to break the news that the deal was completed. Though the identity of the players going to Cleveland has yet to be officially revealed, Tom says it will be outfielder Matt LaPorta, righthander Rob Bryson, lefthander Zach Jackson and a player to be named, who could be third baseman Taylor Green.

LaPorta is the prize, as well as a steep price to pay for what might be just three months of Sabathia before he becomes a free agent. Though LaPorta is one of the very best hitting prospects in the minors and could step right into the Cleveland lineup, he also was somewhat blocked in Milwaukee with Ryan Braun and Corey Hart on the outfield corners and Prince Fielder at first base. If Sabathia can put the Brewers over the top in their pursuit of their first playoff berth since 1982, he'll be worth it.

The trade also clears up the future of Mat Gamel, another gifted hitter but a liability as a third baseman. Gamel will move to the outfield, and he eventually could take over a corner with Hart shifting to center field.

Now that the Athletics have signed Dominican righthander Michel Inoa for $4.25 million, where would he rank on their Top 10 Prospects list? Where would he rank on the overall Top 100 Prospects list?

Dave Molchan
San Jose

Inoa, whose bonus set a record for a foreign amateur (excluding players who were products of the Cuban or Japanese leagues), offers ultimate projection for a pitcher. At age 16, 6-foot-7 and 205 pounds, he has plenty of time and room to grow, and he already tops out at 94 mph with his fastball. He's not just a raw thrower, either, as he repeats his fluid delivery well and shows promise with both his curveball and changeup.

However, the track record of foreign bonus babies isn't good, a subject we'll touch on more with our next question. As promising as Inoa is, he's still light years from reaching his ceiling and has yet to face anything resembling the quality of competition he'll face in pro ball, especially as he starts climbing the minor league ladder.

As a result, I'd be cautious before running him up prospect lists. I'd rank Inoa fourth in the Oakland system right now, behind righthander Trevor Cahill and lefties Brett Anderson and Gio Gonzalez. As for the Top 100 list, I'd put him right toward the end. I think he's comparable to Julio Teheran, and we didn't put Teheran on the Top 100 after the Braves signed him last year.

I always thought investing a lot of money in a 16-year-old kid was a poor move because they're so far away in their development. It seems teams would be best off signing a lot of players to smaller bonuses than a few to really big ones because of the high degree of uncertainty. Off the top of my head, the only international talent who received a big bonus and became a major league star was Miguel Cabrera. Of the international players who received the top signing bonuses, how many became stars?

Scott Ehrlich
Atlanta

Though I'd substitute "extremely risky" for "poor," I agree with Scott. Projecting high school players is difficult enough, but at least they're a couple of years older and can be measured against some quality competion on the showcase circuit. Investing heavily in international amateurs requires a lot of faith in being able to determine what they'll be like 7-10 years down the line.

BA's Ben Badler and John Manuel have done a lot of research recently into the history of international amateur bonuses, putting together top 10 lists for both Latin America and the Far East. The results aren't encouraging.

Six of the Latin Americans have had at least five years to develop, and Cabrera ($1.8 million from the Marlins in 1999) is the only one who has been able to carve out a role as a big league regular, let alone a star. The others are Wily Mo Pena ($2.4 million, Yankees, 1999), Joel Guzman ($2.25 million, Dodgers, 2001), Jackson Melian ($1.6 million, Yankees, 1996), Ricardo Aramboles ($1.52 million, Yankees, 1998) and Willy Aybar ($1.4 million, Dodgers, 2000). Melian and Aramboles didn't even make it to the majors.

Interestingly, the last of the top Far East bonuses was paid in 2001, as teams have curtailed their spending on amateurs in that region in the last few years. There are a few more success stories in that group, though still more busts than payoffs.

Chien-Ming Wang ($1.9 million, Yankees, 2000) won 19 games in each of the previous two seasons, while Byung-Hyun Kim ($2.25 million, Diamondbacks, 1999) pitched in an All-Star Game. The next-best signees are Hong-Chih Kuo ($1.28 million, Dodgers, 1999), who has been spectacular this year but also has a long injury history, and Shin-Soo Choo ($1.35 million, Mariners, 2000), who's still trying to find a regular job in Cleveland's outfield.

The rest of the Far East list is a motley bunch: Chin-Hui Tsao ($2.2 million, Rockies, 1999), Jae-Kuk Ryu ($1.6 million, Cubs, 2001), Ching-Lung Lo ($1.4 million, Rockies, 2001), Cha Seung Baek ($1.29 million, Mariners, 1998), Jung Bong ($1.2 million, Braves, 1997), Hee Seop Choi ($1.2 million, Cubs, 1999) and Seung Lee ($1.2 million, Phillies, 2001). Lo and Lee have yet to reach the majors.

What's your assessment of the catchers on the rosters for the Futures Game: Bryan Anderson (Cardinals), Lou Marson (Phillies) and Taylor Teagarden (Rangers) for the United States team, and Welington Castillo (Cubs) and Jesus Montero (Yankees) for the World clubs? Are there others who might have been better selections?

Jon Kauffmann-Kennel
Elkhart, Ind.

He's having the worst statistical season of the five Futures Game catchers, but I still think Teagarden has the best chance to be an all-star catcher in the major leagues. He has the most complete game of the group, with Gold Glove ability behind the plate (provided he can stay healthy, which has been a problem during his minor league career) and solid power potential.

Teagarden also might be the only starting catcher among the Futures Gamers when all is said and done. Montero has the most pop of any of them, but also the most questions about his ability to remain a catcher. Anderson, Castillo and Marson are more line-drive hitters, with Castillo the best defender and Anderson the shakiest among that group.

The best catching prospect in the minors is obviously Matt Wieters (Orioles), who would have been a no-doubt Futures Game selection in previous years. But Major League Baseball wants to use this year's game to help select the U.S. Olympic team, and chose not to include Wieters.

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