After the Indians questioned the condition of Boston reliever Guillermo Mota's right shoulder following his physical Tuesday, they re-opened negotiations with the Red Sox. They were willing to keep Mota, according to a major league source, if the Red Sox sweetened the deal.
Right-hander Manny Delcarmen, Boston's second-round pick in 2000, was the sweetener that the Indians wanted. They feel the hard-throwing Delcarmen, who appeared in 10 games for the Red Sox last season, could help this year in the bullpen.
So the Indians' "final offer" is this:
Indians get: Marte, Mota, Shoppach, Delcarmen
Red Sox get: Crisp, Riske, Bard
The Indians would be getting 3 of the top 10 prospects (per BA) in a pretty good system. Mota is a free agent after the 2006 season, but the other three would be under the team's control through at least the 2011 season, and probably longer.