When both of those aforementioned efforts went south, the Tribe had no choice but to seek out a deal for Sabathia. The Brewers, loaded with Minor League talent, were identified as a perfect partner, a deal was consummated Sunday and the particulars were officially announced Monday.

So it is that Sabathia, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, is headed to a Milwaukee team looking to make a playoff push, while the last-place Indians will receive a batch of Minor Leaguers -- outfielder/first baseman Matt LaPorta, right-hander Rob Bryson, left-hander Zach Jackson and a player to be named -- they hope will help them retool for the future.

It is believed the player to be named will either be Class A third baseman Taylor Green or Double-A outfielder Michael Brantley, both of whom are considered prime prospects.

The centerpiece of the deal, for the Indians, is LaPorta, who was the seventh overall pick in last year's First-Year Player Draft and considered the top prospect in the Brewers' system.

At 23 and in Double-A, LaPorta projects to have a quick ascension to the big leagues. The University of Florida product was batting .288 with 20 homers, 23 doubles and 66 RBIs through 84 games at Huntsville. He's most likely headed to Double-A Akron.

The Brewers moved LaPorta to the outfield because he was road-blocked by Prince Fielder. With Ryan Garko struggling mightily at first base on the big league club, it's conceivable the Indians might move LaPorta back to first, though they could also use more run production in the corner outfield spots.

Bryson, 20, was a 31st round, "draft and follow" pick in 2006. He is the type of power pitcher that the Indians are generally lacking in their system. Working primarily as a reliever, he was 3-2 with a 4.25 ERA in 22 appearances, including five starts, at Class A West Virginia.

Jackson, 25, is included in this deal mainly to provide the Indians with some starting depth at Buffalo, where the rotation has worn thin because of injuries and callups. Jackson was 1-5 with a 7.85 ERA at Triple-A Nashville in 22 games, including six starts. He was with the Brewers briefly this year, making a pair of relief appearances.

The last linchpin of the deal is the player to be named, and that player will likely be the second-most prized acquisition for the Indians.

Green, 21, was the Brewers' Minor League Player of the Year last season. This season, he is batting .295 with 10 homers and 54 RBIs in 81 games at Class A Brevard County.

rantley, 21, is a speedy center fielder who is batting .324 with four homers, 34 RBIs and 25 stolen bases in 74 games at Huntsville.

The deadline for when the Indians must choose the player to be named was not immediately known.

Sabathia, the 20th overall pick by the Indians in the 1998 Draft, made his 237th and final start in an Indians uniform July 2 in Chicago. He was on the Indians' team flight from Minnesota to Cleveland for Monday's off-day, and it was said to be an emotional moment as Sabathia said farewell to his longtime teammates on the tarmac.

In those 237 starts, Sabathia, who turns 28 on July 21, compiled a record of 106-71 with a 3.83 ERA. He has the most career wins of any active pitcher under the age of 28 and the second-most wins by a left-hander in team history (Sam McDowell had 122). His 1,265 strikeouts are the fifth-most in club history.

Sabathia won his first Cy Young Award last season by going 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA in 34 starts. He was the first Tribe pitcher to win the award since Gaylord Perry in 1972.

Over the offseason, the Indians offered Sabathia a four-year extension, through 2012, that would have paid him $18 million a year. He turned it down and broke off negotiations at the outset of Spring Training.

With their contention hopes dashed by a brutal first half of '08, the Indians made one last push to try to sign Sabathia in recent weeks before committing to trading him in the past week.

No shortage of suitors existed, and the finalists for Sabathia included the Brewers, Phillies, Rays and Dodgers. In the end, Milwaukee's prospect pool was unmatched.