July 7 (Bloomberg) -- Reigning American League Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers from the Cleveland Indians for four prospects.

Sabathia, who will be a free agent after the Major League Baseball season, was traded for minor-leaguers Matt LaPorta, an outfielder; Rob Bryson, a right-handed pitcher; Zach Jackson, a left-hander; and a player to be named later, the teams said in separate news releases.

Sabathia will wear uniform number 52 when he makes his debut tomorrow night as Milwaukee hosts Colorado, Brewers General Manager Doug Melvin said at a televised news conference.

``We just felt we need to go for it at this point,'' Melvin said of the team's willingness to part with prospects for a shot at the World Series. ``We feel that this is a year that gives us a chance.''

The 27-year-old Sabathia joins a Milwaukee team that hasn't made the playoffs since 1982. The Brewers are tied for the second-best record in the National League behind the Chicago Cubs.

The left-hander had a 6-8 record with a 3.83 earned-run average this season after going 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA last year to win the Cy Young Award as the AL's best pitcher. He led the league with 123 strikeouts and was tied for second with three complete games.

Sabathia, a three-time All-Star, was drafted by the Indians in 1998 and has a 106-71 Major League Baseball record, with a 3.83 ERA in 237 starts.

``We did not take our decision to trade C.C. lightly,'' Indians President Paul Dolan said in a letter to Indians' fans posted on the team's Web site. ``In fact, we offered C.C. a top- of-the-market contract that included the highest annual salary in the history of the Indians' organization. Unfortunately, due to C.C.'s desire to test the free-agent market, we determined that trading C.C. provided the best outcome for the long-term success of the organization.''

Last Place

The Indians are in last place in the AL Central with a 37- 51 record.

LaPorta, 23, was the seventh selection in the 2007 first- year player draft. He was batting .288 with 20 home runs, 23 doubles and 66 runs batted in through 84 games at Double-A Huntsville.

Bryson, 20, has spent the season at Single-A West Virginia, going 3-2 with five saves and a 4.25 ERA in 22 games.

Jackson, 25, is at Triple-A Nashville, where he's 1-5 with a 7.85 ERA in 22 appearances. He also pitched in two games for the Brewers in May, posting a 4.91 ERA in 3 2/3 innings.

Melvin said the task of re-signing Sabathia after the season or losing him to free agency was not a concern when making the move.

``Most trades in July are going to be rentals,'' he said. ``Our focus is the rest of the season. We'll worry about all of that the rest of the year.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: July 7, 2008 13:23 EDT