The Cleveland Indians are involved in a blockbuster deal, only this time the Indians are sending away prospects and receiving star talent, not the other way around.
The Indians sent star pitching prospects Drew Pomeranz (player to be named later) and Alex White along with Matt McBride and Joe Gardner to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for Ubaldo Jimenez. The trade will be official pending the results of a physical Jimenez must complete.
Indications first came around 7:00 p.m. EST, when Pomeranz was scratched from his scheduled start in Akron.
The Indians have been in talks with the Rockies for a couple days now. At first, the price was seen to be steep, but the Indians felt they were doing what needed to be done.
On the year, Jimenez has posted a 4.20 ERA to go along with a 6-9 record. This year is not indicative of what Jimenez is capable of, as he is coming off of a Cy Young contending season in which he posted a 2.88 ERA and a 19-8 record.
The Indians must see that Jimenez can turn things around and return to 2010 form, giving up two of their top five prospects. However, there is a great upside to the Jimenez trade—he is under contract through through the 2012 season with club options for 2013 and 2014 at a very affordable rate.
I do believe that the Indians gave up too much for just Ubaldo. White or Pomeranz alone, along with other players, would have been good deals for both sides. The Rockies got a great deal picking up two sure-thing starting pitchers.
At the same time, the Indians have the opportunity to come out as big winners. Adding another ace to the staff puts deepens their rotation. With Masterson and Tomlin returning to form and Carmona and Huff notching a couple of quality starts of late, these Indians are a team to fear when they arrive at the ballpark.
Cleveland’s front office has been hard at work getting deals done for their hunt for October. This is the Indians’ second trade since Thursday, and by the looks of it they are poised to get outfielder Ryan Ludwick as well.
With less then 24 hours until the MLB trade deadline arrives, the Indians have made their big move and could be adding one more piece to the puzzle. Roll Tribe!
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