 |
Peralta Traded To Tigers For Prospect
July 29, 2010 By Todd Shapiro
|
The Cleveland Indians continued their youth movement on Wednesday when they traded third baseman Jhonny Peralta to the Detroit Tigers for left-handed pitching prospect Giovanni Soto.
Peralta, the Indians all-team leading home run hitter at shortstop, was in the final year of five-year, $13 million dollar contract and was not in Cleveland's future plans due to the emergence of Jared Goedert as the third baseman of the future.
The Tigers were desperate for offensive help after losing third baseman Brandon Inge, and outfielder Magglio Ordonez and Carlos Guillen to the disabled list since the All-Star break.
Indians GM Mark Shapiro said there was no sense of urgency to make a trade but things happened quickly with the trade deadline approaching and the club saw an opportunity to bolster the farm system and get a chance to look at some young talent in the final two months of the season.
"We have a lot of players we want to get a look at and the stark reality is we came to a decision we were not going to pick up the option on Peralta's contract," Shapiro said. "This is a trade to help us win now and in the future."
In return for Peralta, the Indians acquired Soto, who was spent the entire 2010 season with Class A West Michigan Whitecaps of the Midwest League where he went 6-6 with a 2.61 ERA. The 19-year-old Soto pitched two shutouts this year for the Whitecaps, one of those coming on June 16 against the Lake County Captains.
"He's a projectable left-hander, a wiry kid with good potential," Shapiro said. "Our guys have had a chance to see him quite a few times this year in the Midwest League. He has a good cutter and can get people out. He's another starting arm in the mix."
Soto, a 6-foot-4 left-hander, was Detroit's 21st round pick in the 2009 draft. In 2009, he led the Gulf Coast League with an earned run average of 1.18. He holds a career minor league record of 10-6 with a lifetime ERA of 2.10. Soto will be assigned to Lake County and make his Captains debut Thursday against his former team at Classic Park.
Since making his Indians debut in June of 2003, Peralta had a career average of .264 with 103 home runs, 201 doubles and 456 RBIs in 923 games.
"Jhonny had a great run with this club. He signed as a teenager and replaced a legend (Omar Vizquel) and did it very well," Shapiro said. "He has been an outstanding professional and a class guy. This was not a very easy thing to do."
Luis Valbuena will rejoin the Tribe from Class AAA Columbus to take Peralta's spot on the 25-man roster. Valbuena was on the Indians Opening Day roster and played 49 games with the big league club before being optioned back to AAA on June 24.
Valbuena struggled in Cleveland hitting .166 with eight extra-base hits and 14 RBIs in 156 at-bats. But he found his swing with the Clippers, batting .313 with eight doubles, six home runs and 20 RBIs in 25 games.
With the trade of Peralta, the Indians now only have three players on their roster who make more the $1 million dollars, designated hitter Travis Hafner ($11.5 million), and starting pitchers Fausto Carmona ($5 million) and Jake Westbrook ($11 million). A fourth million dollar player, relief pitcher Kerry Wood ($10 million) is currently on the 15-day DL.
The Indians now have 39 players on their 40-man which could be a sign that more trades are in the works before Saturday's non-waiver trading deadline.
