MILWAUKEE — Contrary to urban legend, the Milwaukee Brewers haven't always been sellers at midseason.

In 1982, they were buyers.

Near the end of August that year, the late Harry Dalton traded for pitcher Don Sutton, a future Hall of Famer who put the

Brewers over the top in the American League East and helped them reach the World Series.

Since then, the Brewers generally have been sellers prior to the trade deadline. As baseball economics changed and Milwaukee's ownership lost the ability and, some say, the willingness, to compete, the Brewers turned into one of those sad-sack teams that kept dealing expensive veterans for alleged prospects in pursuit of some never-arriving future.

Monday, the Brewers were buyers once again.

And suddenly, the future that seemed out of reach for most of a 26-year playoff drought is upon us.

In a trade that has created a Sutton-like buzz, Milwaukee made the boldest move in the major leagues this season when general manager Doug Melvin dealt Matt LaPorta and three other minor leaguers for Cleveland Indians ace CC Sabathia, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner.

For a team that never strikes a major blow at midseason, much less the first blow, the acquisition of Sabathia three weeks before the trade deadline was stunning. Although Melvin traded for reliever Scott Linebrink last year, the Brewers haven't had the means or the opportunity to make a blockbuster in-season move to improve their postseason prospects.

Until now, that is.

"It's a big moment for this team, for this organization," third baseman Bill Hall said. "It just goes to show how far we've come over the last couple years, how much better we've gotten, to be buyers instead of sellers."

The Brewers were aggressive, wouldn't-take-no-for-an-answer buyers seeking an instant return.

In a fundamental shift in team thinking, the Brewers determined they were on solid enough footing throughout the organization that they could risk parting with LaPorta, a player they considered untouchable as recently as two weeks ago, to position themselves for a run at the playoffs.

"Maybe (the fans) never thought this kind of thing could happen," Melvin said, "but we just felt we needed to go for it at this point."

The Brewers handed out plenty of credit.

Owner Mark Attanasio promised to write bigger checks. Melvin knew when to switch gears from the future to the present. Scouting director Jack Zduriencik and farm director Reid Nichols developed a system loaded with talent. The Brewers have played very well lately. And the fans have given the team some working capital by showing up in large numbers (they rank 12th out of 30 teams in attendance).

The Sabathia trade doesn't guarantee Milwaukee a playoff spot, there are no assurances that LaPorta won't become a special player and Sheets and Sabathia likely will leave after the season via free agency — but that makes the change in attitude even more impressive. They understood the risks and were willing to take them just to give themselves a better shot at the playoffs.

"We're giving up a terrific young player and young man in Matt LaPorta — and we would have had Matt for six years — in order to take a shot for this team and this city over the next three to four months to make the playoffs," Attanasio said. "So there's a risk with that. But because of the farm system, we're able to take that risk. If we don't have that deep farm system, we can't take that risk."

Even if the Brewers don't reach the playoffs and Sabathia and Sheets leave, the trade won't automatically be a failure. Just the knowledge that the Brewers have developed the mind-set and amassed the resources to take this gamble should tell fans they're going to be in this position — buying, not selling — in the future.