AL Central Notes: Hunter, Thornton, Rauch, Indians
The American League Central welcomed a handful of new players this week – most notably right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez. Yet many other trades didn't materialize. Here are the details on some deals that could have impacted the division…
- The Tigers tried to acquire Tommy Hunter from the Rangers before the Orioles obtained him in the Koji Uehara deal yesterday, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Tigers did acquire Doug Fister for their rotation.
- The Brewers called on every good left-handed relief option out there, including White Sox southpaw Matt Thornton, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (on Twitter).
- The Twins talked to the Blue Jays about re-acquiring Jon Rauch, but talks went nowhere, according to Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
- The Indians discussed as many as 75 players leading up to the deadline, according to MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter).
Indians Designate Mitch Talbot For Assignment
The Indians activated Mitch Talbot from the 15-day disabled list and designated him for assignment, the team announced. The right-hander had been on the disabled list with a lower back strain since July 9th. The move creates 40-man roster space for the newly-acquired Ubaldo Jimenez and the Indians will make a corresponding 25-man move in the coming days.
Talbot, 27, posted a 6.33 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 58 1/3 innings for the Indians before hitting the disabled list. He pitched 159 1/3 innings of 4.41 ERA ball last year after the Indians acquired him from Tampa Bay for Kelly Shoppach in December of 2009.
Indians Acquire Ubaldo Jimenez
The organization that sent C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee packing in high-profile summer trades is about to acquire an ace of its own. The Indians and Rockies have agreed on a deal that will send Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland for Joe Gardner, Alex White, Matt McBride and a player to be named, the teams announced. The deal, which will apparently include left-hander Drew Pomeranz once he's eligible to be traded in mid-August, became official today when Jimenez passed his physical.
Jimenez, 27, has a 4.20 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 46.8% ground ball rate midway through an up and down season that has included flashes of brilliance, stretches of poor performance and a stint on the disabled list with a cuticle cut on the right-hander’s thumb. The third place finisher in last year's Cy Young voting, Jimenez broke out in 2010, posting a 2.88 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in 221 2/3 innings.
Some of Jimenez's value comes from a contract that now seems team-friendly. Jimenez earns $2.8MM this year and $4.2MM in 2012. His contract includes a $5.75MM club option ($1MM buyout) for 2013 and an $8MM club option for 2014 ($1MM buyout), however Jimenez will be able to void that 2014 option with the trade.
GM Dan O'Dowd, who signed Jimenez to his extension, spent a decade in the Indians' front office from 1988-1998, working his way up to assistant GM before moving on to Colorado. He maintained throughout the negotiations that he would have to be overwhelmed to make a deal and said he'd turn down offers unless someone approached him with a Herschel Walker-type deal.
Pomeranz appears to be the key to the trade for Colorado, however the fifth overall pick in the 2010 draft can not officially be traded until August 15th. He will have to be a player to be named later until then. The 22-year-old southpaw has a 1.98 ERA in 91 innings this year, most coming with Cleveland's High-A squad. Baseball America ranked him as the 14th best prospect in the game earlier this month.
White was the 15th overall pick in the 2009 draft, and he made his big league debut earlier this season. He made three starts before being placed on the disabled list with a strained finger ligament, pitching to a 3.60 ERA. White is still on the disabled list but can be traded. He was considered the 47th best prospect in the game by Baseball America before the season.
Unlike Pomeranz and White, McBride was not a first round pick. He was a second rounder in 2006, and Baseball America did not rank him among the Tribe's top 30 prospects in their Prospect Handbook before the season. The 26-year-old has hit .279/.339/.501 in 393 plate appearances this year, most coming with Cleveland's Double-A affiliate.
Gardner, 23, was a third round selection in 2009. The right-hander has a 4.99 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9 in 97 1/3 innings as a starter in his first stint at Double-A.
Troy Renck of the Denver Post broke the news on Twitter and Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Jon Heyman of SI.com added detail. Mike Axisa contributed to this post. Photo courtesy Icon SMI.
Blue Jays Working Hard On Iannetta
1:12pm: These talks have cooled a bit, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
12:47pm: The Blue Jays are working hard on Iannetta, tweets Andrew Baggarly. The Rockies catcher is not in today's lineup.
1:08am: The Indians and the Blue Jays are pursuing Rockies catcher Chris Iannetta heading into Sunday’s deadline, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Iannetta has also received mild interest from the Padres and Red Sox this week.
The Pirates were also looking into the 28-year-old but their interest has apparently dropped off. Iannetta is hitting .221/.375/.402 with 10 homers this season.
B.J. Upton Likely To Stay Put
The latest on Rays center fielder B.J. Upton, who is hitting .226/.308/.398 on the season and is owed $1.59MM prior to his last arbitration year in 2012…
- Though Upton is expected to stay, the Reds, Pirates, and Indians are kicking the tires, tweets Heyman.
- Upton appears likely to stay put, tweets SI's Jon Heyman.
Pirates, Indians In Mix For Ryan Ludwick
The latest on Padres right fielder Ryan Ludwick, who is hitting .238/.301/.373 and has $2.2MM left on his contract…
- The Pirates are back in on Ludwick, tweets Brown. An earlier report had the Indians close but then balking at the Padres' asking price.
- The Pirates are in play for Ludwick but he's not their top target, tweets Rob Biertempfel. That might be Jason Kubel, he adds. However, Jon Paul Morosi says there are no serious talks now between the Pirates and Twins about Kubel.
- As of last night, the Pirates were still in the mix for Ludwick along with the Indians, tweets Ken Rosenthal. The Pirates are still trying for Ludwick this morning, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Indians Close To Deal For Ryan Ludwick?
1:28pm: The Indians are balking at the price for Ludwick, tweets MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo.
12:11pm: The deal is not yet close but seems inevitable, tweets Ken Rosenthal. Scott Miller of CBS Sports says the deal is close.
11:57am: The Indians are close to a deal with the Padres for right fielder Ryan Ludwick, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.
Ludwick, 33, is hitting .238/.301/.373 and has $2.2MM left on his contract. He was previously with the Tribe for part of 2003 through '05.
Michael Bourn Rumors: Saturday
Astros GM Ed Wade is keeping an open mind on trades, so it's possible outfielder Michael Bourn and others could still go. The latest on Bourn:
- The Braves refuse to include both Randall Delgado and Arodys Vizcaino in a deal for Bourn, according to ESPN.com's Jim Bowden (on Twitter).
- The Giants do have interest in Bourn, Morosi tweets.
- The Reds aren't likely to acquire Bourn, according to Mark Sheldon of MLB.com; Houston's asking price is too high.
- The Giants may have interest in Bourn, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter).
- The Braves are getting more involved on Bourn, tweets Rosenthal. ESPN's Buster Olney hears the Braves are working hard on getting the center fielder.
- The Astros' efforts to trade Bourn are picking up steam, tweets ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, and it appears more likely he'll be dealt by tomorrow's deadline.
- The Astros want Major-League ready prospects for Bourn, tweets MLB.com's Bill Ladson. It makes sense that Wade would seek certainty here, with his Hunter Pence haul being of the high-risk, high-reward variety.
- The Indians and Reds are the main suitors for Bourn right now, tweets Stephen Goff of Examiner.com, but he'd be surprised if the center fielder is traded.
- The Braves are not one of the main teams in on Bourn yet, tweets Rosenthal.
- "The Nationals, Braves, Indians and Reds are among the clubs with varying levels of interest in Bourn," report Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Indians are the new suitor here.
Giants Acquire Orlando Cabrera
It appears that Orlando Cabrera is headed for October baseball yet again. The infielder, who has appeared in four consecutive postseasons for four different teams, is going to San Francisco in exchange for outfield prospect Thomas Neal, the Indians announced.
With Mark DeRosa, Freddy Sanchez and Miguel Tejada on the disabled list, the defending World Champions needed infield depth. Cabrera, who will become San Francisco's primary shortstop, began the season as the Indians' everyday second baseman and has since transitioned into more of a utility role. The 36-year-old Colombia native has a .244/.277/.321 line in 344 plate appearances at second, third and short this year.
Meanwhile, the Indians will continue rely on rookie infielders Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall, two of the top prospects the Indians did not send to Colorado in the deal that will send Ubaldo Jimenez to Cleveland.
Neal, 23, has spent the 2011 season at Triple-A Fresno, where he has a .295/.351/.409 line. Baseball America ranked him 96th among all MLB prospects before the 2010 season and seventh among Giants prospects before the 2011 season. Neal, who played on a youth travel team with Mike Leake, Stephen Strasburg and the son of Giants manager Bruce Bochy, has an enviable combination of power and arm strength, according to Baseball America, which suggested he could become an everyday player. However, Neal has seen his power numbers decline this year (13 doubles, two homers, .409 slugging percentage).
Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com broke the news and Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle added detail.
Good Chance Of Ludwick To Indians
8:42pm: The Padres aren't close to completing a deal that would send Ludwick to Cleveland, according to Dan Hayes of the North County Times (on Twitter).
7:16pm: The Indians are in position to acquire Ludwick either later tonight or early tomorrow morning, reports Scott Miller of CSBSports.com (on Twitter).
3:00pm: Yahoo's Tim Brown sees the Ludwick field as the Indians and Pirates, with the Indians more likely.
1:58pm: Talks between the Padres and Indians have some traction, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and there appears to be a good chance the two teams will work out a deal for Ludwick.
1:05pm: The price to acquire Padres right fielder Ryan Ludwick won't be too high, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He says the Indians are still interested. SI's Jon Heyman considers the Tribe the favorite, as it seems like the Braves and Reds are concentrating on others.
Given Ludwick's .238/.301/.372 line in 416 plate appearances, unloading most of his remaining $2.27MM should be GM Jed Hoyer's primary goal.