Baseball’s silliness season got off to an early start when the

Milwaukee Brewers traded four minor league players to the

Cleveland Indians for big lefthander C.C. Sabathia. The trade

matches Ben Sheet’s status as a “stopper” from the right side with a

lefty who already recorded two wins in two starts in his first week in

brew town.

The trade didn’t go unnoticed in the Central Division of the National

League. The Chicago Cubs acquired pitcher Rich Harden from

Oakland two days later to bolster their starting pitching staff. The

price? The same, four minor leaguers.

On Sunday the Brewers went to the market to acquire second

baseman Ray Durham from San Francisco. The 36-year old

provides another bat in the Brewers line-up at a position where

former Notre Dame star Craig Counsell has played.

These transactions should be just the start of a busy trading season