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Odds & Ends: Martin, Sweeney, Red Sox, D’Backs

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On this day in 1999, Mark McGwire hit his 500th career homer, reaching that plateau faster than any other player in history.  It was McGwire's second consecutive season with a home run milestone, as he hit homer #400 during his (then) record-breaking 1998 campaign.  But since we're not here to talk about the past, let's get to some news items…

Indians Re-Claim Wes Hodges

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THURSDAY: The Indians claimed Hodges back from the Rockies, according to Castrovince (on Twitter).

TUESDAY: The Rockies claimed infielder Wes Hodges off waivers from the Indians, tweets MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.  Hodges had been designated for assignment on Friday to make room for Josh Tomlin. 

Hodges, a second-round pick of the Indians in 2006, was hitting .270/.316/.423 this year in his second Triple A stint.  He came up as a third baseman, but has been playing first base and DH this year.  Baseball America ranked him 27th among Indians prospects heading into the season, citing health issues and the move off third base.

Red Sox Tried To Re-Acquire Justin Masterson

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The Red Sox tried to reacquire Justin Masterson before the July 31st trade deadline, according to the MLB Network's Peter Gammons on Twitter. The Indians, who obtained Masterson from Boston in the 2009 Victor Martinez deal, told the Red Sox 'no thanks.' Last night, Masterson pitched five strong innings and beat his former teammates, who are now 6.5 games out of a playoff spot.

For the season, Masterson has a 5.40 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9. With those numbers, Masterson could start for many teams (Masterson's numbers are eerily similar to those of Edwin Jackson). Still, it's likely that the Red Sox, who have a full stable of starters, had interest in bringing Masterson back as a reliever and spot starter. The 25-year-old has a clearly-defined role in Cleveland's rotation and he seems to enjoy the stability.

"It’s a good spot to be in," Masterson told MLBTR over the weekend. "It has given me a great opportunity to be a starter and hopefully be one of the integral parts here."

The sides didn't necessarily come close to a deal, even if Masterson's name came up in conversation. Cleveland controls his rights through 2014 and Masterson figures to be a part of the team's rotation for a while, so it's no surprise that the Indians weren't motivated to move him.

Waiver Trade Candidates: AL Central

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The current AL Central picture: the White Sox and Twins are contenders, the Tigers are in the gray area, and the Royals and Indians are out of it.  Waiver trade possibilities:

It's been an up-and-down year for White Sox closer Bobby Jenks; would he be claimed despite a $7.5MM salary?  Would the Sox pull him back?  I'd expect Scott Linebrink and Mark Teahen to clear waivers, although deals seem unlikely.  Mark Kotsay and Tony Pena could be expendable in minor trades.

Twins such as Nick Punto, Nick Blackburn, and Brendan Harris should clear waivers, though Punto can't pass through until he returns from the DL.

Brandon Inge may return from the DL from a broken hand this week, and probably would clear waivers.  Carlos Guillen, dealing with a calf strain, should clear if he returns from the DL this month.  Jeremy Bonderman, Johnny Damon, Jhonny Peralta, Gerald Laird, and Brad Thomas are others who might make it through waivers.  If the Tigers are out of it and one of these players is claimed, trimming a few hundred thousand dollars might be appealing.

Royals righty Gil Meche will attempt to finish the season as a reliever rather than undergo shoulder surgery, but it's hard to say if he'll return from the DL this month.  Jose Guillen is a lock to clear, and perhaps a deal can be worked out.  We'll be curious to see what happens when Yuniesky Betancourt, Brian Bannister, Kyle Davies, Willie Bloomquist, Wilson Betemit, and Bruce Chen hit the wire.  Bloomquist may go.

The Indians' Travis Hafner will clear waivers and stay put, if he's activated from the DL for should inflammation later this month.

For our primer on the waiver trade process, click here.

Odds & Ends: Dodgers, Rangers, Maya, Lowell

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Sunday night linkage..

Yankees Acquire Kerry Wood

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The Yankees may have found their new setup man. They acquired Kerry Wood from the Indians today for a player to be named later and cash. The Indians also picked up $2.17MM of the $3.67MM Wood has left on his contract, but Cleveland will receive an additional $200K from the Yankees if Wood stays healthy. The former phenom was just activated from the DL today after dealing with a blister. In 20 innings this season, the 33-year-old righty has a 6.30 ERA, 8.1 K/9, and 5.0 BB/9.

Wood doesn't know what role he'll have in Joe Girardi's bullpen, but he's excited to be joining a team that has a chance to win the World Series.

"That’s why we all play the game," he said.

Indians manager Manny Acta explained that Chris Perez will now be the team's permanent closer. And though Acta would rather be buying than selling, he's glad to see his former players join contending teams.

"It’s good for those guys to get an opportunity to go somewhere where they have a chance to win," Acta said.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney, ESPN.com's Jayson Stark and Joel Sherman of the New York Post contributed to the story on Twitter as it broke. MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith contributed the quotes.

Cardinals, Padres, Indians Complete Deal Involving Westbrook, Ludwick

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The Cardinals, Padres, and Indians completed a complicated three-team deal today.  Starter Jake Westbrook and Padres prospect Nick Greenwood go to the Cardinals, the Padres get Ryan Ludwick, and the Indians get prospect Corey Kluber.  The Indians will send cash to the Cardinals and some cash to the Padres, but they still save money in the deal, according to Indians vice president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. The trade needed union approval, as Westbrook reduced the $2MM trade bonus in his contract. Westbrook has yet to pocket about $3.9MM of his $11MM salary for 2010.

The Cardinals' interest in Westbrook had been known for a while, as they've been dealing with injuries to Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse.  Westbrook has a 4.65 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and 53.3% groundball rate this season.  He had Tommy John surgery in June of '08, and wasn't healthy until this year.

The Indians discussed the deal late into the night, partly because of Westbrook’s trade assignment bonus. The right-hander co-operated with the Indians when it came to the bonus, partly because he missed time with injuries.

“I didn’t really feel like I honored the contract as much as I would have liked to have,” Westbrook said.

The Cardinals should have their new starter in short order, as Westbrook will now head to St. Louis. He would be open to returning to the Indians after the season, when he becomes a free agent. For now, he says he’s looking forward to joining a team in the pennant race.

“I’m excited to go to a club contending for a playoff spot and pitch in some meaningful ballgames,” Westbrook said.

Ludwick was not known to be available, but perhaps the strong play of Jon Jay swayed the Cardinals.  The 32-year-old Ludwick has settled at a level between his stellar '08 and disappointing '09 seasons.  He's under team control for next year, so the Padres will step up and pay his potential $8MM salary for 2011.  The Padres designated recently-acquired Quintin Berry for assignment to make room for Ludwick.

Kluber, 24, has a 3.45 ERA in AA with 10.0 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9. The Padres selected the right-hander in the fourth round of the 2007 draft and have eased him through the minor leagues. In 122.2 innings this season, the 6'4" starter has allowed just 121 hits. Antonetti says the Indians like Kluber's four pitch mix and low-90s fastball, but he doesn't like trading away veteran players.

“We don’t like doing these deals," Antonetti said. "We want to be on the other end of them.”

The Padres selected Greenwood in the 14th round of last year's draft and he's now pitching at A ball. The 22-year-old lefty has a 4.15 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9 as a starter in the Midwest League.

Tom Krasovic of AOLFanHouse, Joel Sherman of the New York Post, ESPN.com's Buster Olney, Dan Hayes of the North County Times, Jon Heyman of SI.com and Bob Nightengale of USA Today all contributed to the story as it broke on Twitter. MLBTR gathered all the above quotes.

Cardinals Close To Jake Westbrook Trade

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11:13am: Westbrook has agreed to lower the $2MM trade bonus, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  It's currently unclear whether the Padres are involved in this as part of a three-team deal, though Sherman thinks they may have dropped out.

10:53am: A third team might be involved in the deal, reports MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince.

10:19am: The Cardinals are close to acquiring starter Jake Westbrook from the Indians, tweets Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.  Westbrook is scheduled to start against the Blue Jays a few hours from now.

Westbrook is pricey – he has $3.89MM remaining in base salary this year, and a $2MM bonus and $353K salary bump for being traded.  That's a total of $6.24MM remaining.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets that the deal is at the union level as the teams try to sort through the financials.

Westbrook, 32, will solidify the back end of the Cardinals' rotation given the injuries to Kyle Lohse and Brad Penny.  Westbrook has a 4.65 ERA, 5.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9, and 53.3% groundball rate this season.  He had Tommy John surgery in June of '08, and wasn't healthy until this year.

Yankees Acquire Austin Kearns

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The Yankees acquired Austin Kearns from Cleveland for a player to be named later or cash, the Indians announced. This acquisition won't make the headlines the Yankees' other trade will, but the Yanks like Kearns for his right-handed bat, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Kearns, 30, is hitting .268/.351/.413 this season and has a .799 OPS against lefties in his career. He'll earn $270K between now and the end of the season and hit free agency afterwards.

Jon Heyman of SI.com first reported that a deal was close, Joel Sherman of the New York Post noted that the Indians were getting a PTBNL and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported that the deal was complete (all Twitter links).

Despite their busy day, the Yankees are working on another trade, according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney (via Twitter).

Cardinals Targeting Jake Westbrook

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The Cardinals are targeting Jake Westbrook, rival teams tell ESPN.com’s Jayson Stark. The Cards are no longer pursuing Aaron Cook or Livan Hernandez, since they’re focused on the Indians right-hander. However, Stark hears that there’s just a 50% chance of a trade.

The Indians don’t want to absorb salary in a deal, but Westbrook will make about $4MM between now and the end of the season. He also obtains a $2MM bonus if the Indians trade him.

The Cardinals have been looking for an innings eater and Westbrook fits that description. The 32-year-old has posted a 4.65 ERA in 127.2 innings, with 5.1 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Westbrook is scheduled to face the Blue Jays tomorrow.

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