MILWAUKEE — Doug Melvin had options over the past six weeks as he watched the Milwaukee Brewers surge into contention in the National League Central.

The Brewers' general manager could stick with the roster that had won 29 of 44 games and cut five games off the Chicago Cubs' division lead.

He could tweak his roster for the stretch drive.

Or he could make a really big move.

There was no doubt about Melvin's decision Monday when he announced the acquisition of left-hander CC Sabathia from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for four minor leaguers.

"We're going for it," Melvin said.

"There will be teams out there who will say we (gave up) a lot for a player who may be here for only half a season. ... But I talked to a couple of GMs (Sunday) night who said we got a heck of a pitcher and it looks like we're going for it. That's the mentality we want."

The price was high.

The Brewers sent prized prospect Matt LaPorta — a power-hitting outfielder who was the team's top pick in last year's draft — to Cleveland, along with promising right-hander Rob Bryson along with left-hander Zach Jackson.

The Indians will get one more player, one Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro said will be the key to the deal.

Shapiro said there is a short list of Brewers prospects who will be scouted until the end of the season, when that part of the deal is consummated.

The Indians' focus appears to be on third baseman Taylor Green, the Brewers' minor league position player of the year last season who is playing at Class A Brevard County.

In addition, the Brewers will pick up about half of Sabathia's $11 million salary, with little likelihood of future return other than draft choices when Sabathia becomes a free agent after the season.

Owner Mark Attanasio said the deal will push the Brewers' payroll to nearly $90 million.

"We'll probably generate some measure of a loss this season," he said.

But the addition of a level of enthusiasm could ease some of that financial pain. The Brewers are calling it the "CC surge."

The team is preparing Sabathia T-shirts and jerseys for tonight's start against Colorado. Ticket sales for the game zoomed by 5,000 before noon Monday.

"It's a huge boost to the fans who have had a long drought here," Melvin said. "Maybe (fans) thought this kind of thing couldn't happen. But we felt we needed to go for it. This is a year that gives us a chance."

Melvin said he first contacted Shapiro a month ago. The Indians weren't ready to give up on the season, but Shapiro indicated to Melvin a deal might be possible.

That's when Melvin approached Attanasio.

"When Doug first called and told me he thought we could get involved with CC Sabathia, I have to say I was a little taken aback," Attanasio said.

Last week, Shapiro began to act, drawing interest from Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and the Los Angeles Dodgers.

But the Brewers remained the favorite because of their prospect-rich farm system.

"If we didn't have a really deep farm system, we couldn't even think about this," Attanasio said. "Let's face it, it's still a calculated risk."

Said Melvin: "There's always risk involved in any trade. But there's a real risk involved without (Sabathia) in the rotation and us trying to win without a player of his caliber."