C.C. Sabathia could pair with Ben Sheets to form an imposing 1-2 punch in Milwaukee. AP Jon Heyman's Mailbag Got a question or comment for Jon? Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND Follow Jon Heyman on Twitter

The pennant-starved Milwaukee Brewers appear to be a clear favorite in the sweepstakes for star Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia, as those two teams continue to talk today.

The Brewers have told the Indians they'd like to have a deal done before Tuesday, as they'd like to get two starts for Sabathia before the All-Star break -- Tuesday and next Sunday.

The Brewers, who have a deep reservoir of prospects and a just-as-deep desire to return to the playoffs for the first time in 26 years, are said to be offering a package featuring hitting sensation Matt LaPorta, one of 10 All-Stars from the Brewers' stacked Double-A Huntsville, Ala. team. The apparent inclusion of LaPorta is seen by competing teams as giving the Brewers the upper hand.

League sources indicate the Indians have been pressing for top shortstop Alcides Escobar to come with LaPorta; however, the Brewers originally offered two Class-A prospects to go with LaPorta instead. Newsday reported that those two players were third baseman Taylor Green, the Brewers' minor league player of the year in 2007, and outfielder Lorenzo Cain, both from the high Class-A team at Brevard (Fla.) County.

The Dodgers, recently seen as the second most likely landing spot for Sabathia, appeared to be on the deep periphery or even out of the running by Sunday afternoon. One other option would be for the Indians to keep Sabathia and instead acquire two top draft choices when he leaves via free agency after the year - although that seemed like a major long shot, especially after LaPorta was offered.

The Rays, Cubs and Phillies have been among other teams pursuing Sabathia, the 2007 American League Cy Young winner who's on the precipice of free agency.

However, the Brewers' great advantage in the race for Sabathia is their combination of talented prospects and their deep interest in obtaining Sabathia, who would combine with Ben Sheets to form one of baseball's best duos, if not the best. Sabathia started abysmally this season, but carries an ERA around 2 since late April.

The Indians would surely love to work a deal with Milwaukee, which benefits here from a stretch of superb drafts that should position the Brewers to obtain the relief help they need, as well. The Indians and Brewers are well matched since Milwaukee has so many positional prospects and the disappointing Indians badly need better hitting.

LaPorta, the Brewers' first-round pick in 2007, has been a hit from the moment he signed. He is considered a left fielder or first baseman, the two positions currently manned by Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, Milwaukee's two best position players, so it's made sense from the start that he could be part of the package.

The Brewers are currently just one game behind the division rival Cardinals in the N.L. wild-card race and would greatly enhance their playoff chances by acquiring Sabathia.

The cost-conscious Rays may not be as anxious to trade cost-efficient prospects and the Dodgers also have shown a deep reluctance to trade their better prospects in recent years. The Rays, who have baseball's best record, may also want to use their trading chips to bolster their bullpen, which isn't the team's strength.

The Cubs and Phillies would appear to have an interest in Sabathia strong enough to match that of the Brewers, but Chicago and Philadelphia would have to dig deep into their prospect stash to try to match Milwaukee. Their minor leagues are said to be "not deep.''

The Yankees and Red Sox, two teams that figured to be involved in the Sabathia sweepstakes, appear to be mostly monitoring at this point. Both teams haven't been anxious to trade prospects or young players lately, which was a main factor in their inability to wrest Johan Santana from the Twins last winter.

The Yankees told the Indians they would need a negotiating window to try to lock up Sabathia long-term but were turned down. Sabathia presumably wants to wait the few months for free agency.

Around the Majors

• The disappointing Padres appear set to start a sale, though it may not turn out to yield as much as they'd hope. Pitchers Greg Maddux and Randy Wolf are the prime candidates to go, though Maddux has a no-trade and is said to love San Diego enough that he may not approve a trade anywhere. Brian Giles could be another possibility for trade.

• With Rafael Furcal out another right weeks, the Dodgers are looking to pick up a shortstop. Meanwhile, old shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, is handling some of the workload.

• Dominating the pages of the New York tabloids is the reputed hookup of the Material Girl (Madonna) and baseball's Material Man (Alex Rodriguez). However, the latest distraction doesn't seem the be affecting the Material Man's on-field performance so far. It should be interesting to see if the MG has All-Star tickets.