May 16, 2012

MLB Trade News: Indians Reportedly Trade Orlando Cabrera to Giants

July 30, 2011 By 27 Comments

The headline really says it all.  The Cleveland Indians have reportedly unloaded their veteran gamble for the season – Orlando Cabrera – for an injured AAA outfielder named Thomas Neal.  The good news?  Thomas Neal bats right handed.  Not exceptionally powerful, but he is right handed.

Cabrera was reportedly a good clubhouse guy until the Indians brought up his replacements Cord Phelps and then Jason Kipnis.  Cabrera had a hot start to the season and was a big part of the Indians’ hot start.  Unfortunately for Cabrera and his detractors, he wasn’t able to keep his average up, batting 0.230 in May.

So the Indians make two trades in one night.  Can’t accuse them of not trying to get something done.  No word yet on who the Indians will now have pinch run for Travis Hafner late in games.  Orlando Cabrera and Adam Everett are out.

(Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer)

Filed Under: Indians Tagged With: , , , ,
  • Anonymous

    Good-night, sweet prince; And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

  • Ezzie Goldish

    Yay!

  • gleeple

    Hmm. Anyone else on the roster we can just give away? Kipnis, Lonnie, and everyone else for some Ludwick guy hitting .230

  • gleeple

    Hmm. Anyone else on the roster we can just give away? Kipnis, Lonnie, and everyone else for some Ludwick guy hitting .230

  • christopher

    how sad is it that the highlight of Neal is that he’s a right handed bat?

  • Jdravis1

    sarcasm hmmmmm…no way they give away lonnie or kipnis for Ludwick. I think you are missing the point of these moves. O Cab is not playing anymore and is not under contract for next year so why not try to get what we can for him.

  • CleFan4Life

    Sometimes you have to realize when a veteran’s presence in the clubhouse is more valuable than a AAA right handed bat that won’t make an impact anyways.

  • Jdravis1

    explain to us how his presence directly wins or loses any games for us? VETERANS PRESENCE is an intangible item that means nothing. Do you not think this trade was not ran by our manger to see if this was an issue with him?

  • Anonymous

    not when that veteran is bitching and moaning about young guys taking his playing time. If we want veteran leadership we can bring up Shelly Duncan (hopefully for Austin Kearns)

  • Ghost To Most

    Quote:

    “No word yet on who the Indians will now have pinch run for Travis Hafner late in games.”

    It wont be easy to replace his clutch pinch running :D

    At least they are (apparently) committing to Kipnis as their second basemen. No more shuffling the lineup, no more OC hitting 5th. Let the kid play and lets see what we have.

  • Jack

    @gleeple: what is the tone of that comment?

  • Anonymous

    GOOD RIDDANCE! I love Neal’s minor league avg and obp, even if he isn’t a huge power guy. We just need more hits in general, as has been painfully evident this past week.

  • Anonymous

    Is this someone who could potentially come up to the big league team or will they wait a little while longer before adding him?

  • anthony

    He was VERY unhappy here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had requested a trade behind closed doors.

  • Anonymous

    I’m honestly a bit sad about this trade. I’m just remembering that 30-15 start I guess. I have to remember that game when he let a run score behind his back because he was all melodramatic about fumbling a double-play ball. However… who’s gonna pinch run for Hafner in the ninth now?!?!? Yeah, you’re not so happy about this move now are you?!?

  • Joe

    I LIKE the trades…and there is something we can ALL agree on: No matter WHAT the Tribe did tradewise over this weekend, the LOSERS on WKNR would bitch, whine & complain about it – GUARANTEED. 92.3 FM “The Fan” can’t get here soon enough!

  • Joe

    I LIKE the trades…and there is something we can ALL agree on: No matter WHAT the Tribe did tradewise over this weekend, the LOSERS on WKNR would bitch, whine & complain about it – GUARANTEED. 92.3 FM “The Fan” can’t get here soon enough!

  • Scotty

    Dude….shut up about WKNR, no one cares about your little grudge with them..

  • Khdenn

    Disagree CleFan4Life – respectively of course.

    I see this as a positive in the clubhouse. Now Kipnis can show up to the park everyday and expect his name in the lineup instead of wondering the whole morning, and the whole drive to the stadium.

    Routine, routine, routine is huge for confidence and performance, and Kipnis can have that now.

    To me, that’s more important than a “veteran’s presence”.

    Plus, I’ve been reading about the Neal kid – I like what I hear.

  • Khdenn

    I’d love to land Ludwick. He was an absolute monster in St. Louis, and hitting in a better stadium (for hitters) and slotted between Hafner and Santana would be great for this lineup.

  • Ctowndawgpound

    Its a blog forum!He can say anything he wants u dont have to read it!

  • Ctowndawgpound

    OR maybe he’s being paid to detract from WKNR and promote the FAN!…sunday morning conspiracy theory

  • Daquano

    if you could get 5 bob feller type pitchers for the team, wouldnot mean a damn thing
    if you cant bring any runners on base home. you ask me ubaldo will be a bust. i hope not, but i have been a fan since 1954. i have seen great players leave and go else where and shine, you ask me this team is snake bit. i guess i will never see a world series won by the indians.
    i have been waiting 57 years for that to happen.
    john d

  • Daquano

    why does cleveland keep carasco and carmona? masterson has pitched great his last
    5 turns and has really nothing to show for. maybe cleveland should bring the columbus clippers down and sent the current team to the farm. they are doing something right
    and thats winning games.
    jd

  • Jim

    O Cab. at this point is better then Phelps and Kipinis. In fact, his terrible numbers are still better than what the rooks are giving the Tribe. So if you’re truly in win now mode as the Indians apparently are then you don’t trade your best player at 2nd base prior to the stretch run. Contradictory moves by the Indians.

  • Scotty

    Well, because I’m interested in what other people think about the posted topic, I enjoy reading the comments to get feedback about it. I don’t do it to read completely unrelated idiocy from some guy who has an axe to grind with a radio station that must have cut him off too early in the middle of a call.

    This wasn’t the first time he’s wasted my time by posting random anti-WKNR rants on this website, and as I can see from some of his more recent posts, it’s not the last.

  • mgbode

    @Jim – I don’t think the move are contradictory. Let’s sit back and realize that we are not winning the WS this year. I want to be positive and hope beyond hope, but really, it’s likely not this year.

    However, what we can do this year is get a ton of pennant race experience for the young kids (and hopefully a little October taste as well). Getting more ABs for Kipnis (and Phelps/Donald behind him) can only help the team as it tries to compete not only this year, but next year and 2013 as well.

    Ubaldo is not a 2 month rental, so having some longer-range moves plays perfectly into the team dynamics.