SUNDAY, 11:15am: Jon Paul Morosi has written about a couple possible PTBNLs for the Indians:
"One official with knowledge of the transaction said minor league right-handers Jess Todd and Francisco Samuel are on the list of possibilities. It's not known if other players are on the list agreed upon by the clubs. But Todd and Samuel are hard throwers who could fit into Cleveland's bullpen next year. And anyone who has watched the Indians play recently is aware that they have an immediate need for power arms at the end of the game."
Morosi notes Todd has a 2.73 ERA in 28 Triple-A appearances with one big league game this season. The PTBNL will be received on or before September 1.
SATURDAY, 9:58pm: According to MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince, the Cardinals have acquired Mark DeRosa from the Indians for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later.
DeRosa, 34, wasn't in tonight's lineup though this was supposedly a "standard day off," according to Castrovince. DeRosa posted a .270/.342/.457 line in 314 plate appearances for the Indians and is making $5.5MM in the final year of his contract (about $2.9MM remains). He's been the subject of rumors for weeks, and it looks like the Indians are officially sellers.
Perez turns 24 soon. He posted a 4.18 ERA and 30/15 K/BB ratio for the Cardinals in 23.2 innings this year. He was one of the Cardinals' top relief prospects and profiles as a future closer.
It's a little early to make a final judgment on this deal until we find out who the PTNBL is–Castrovince notes that "the PTBN component is an important one," according to Indians GM Mark Shapiro–but for now it looks like a solid deal for both teams, as they each fill in their respective needs.
