Traded 1B Russell Branyan and Cash (or PTBNL) to the Seattle Mariners for OF Ezequiel Carrera (AAA) and SS Juan Diaz (A+)
Recalled 1B/OF Matt LaPorta from Columbus (AAA)
If the Indians don't want to pay the rest of Branyan's 2010 salary, they have to send the Mariners a minor-league player.
With Matt LaPorta hitting .362/.457/.638 in Columbus and needing a regular spot in the Cleveland lineup, it was time to move Branyan. The Indians probably could have got a better deal (and gotten someone to eat the rest of the contract) had they waited until the middle of July, when there would have been more competition for Branyan's services, but since this season is more about 2011 than 2010, they took a lesser return for three more weeks' worth of LaPorta at-bats.
Even if the Indians have to subsidize the remainder of Branyan's contract, this was an excellent signing. Branyan gave the Indians exactly what they needed: 10 home runs and a .491 slugging percentage in 190 plate appearances for a lineup that desperately needed power. He was a liability at first base, but his bat made up for it.
Matt LaPorta is going to get Branyan's at-bats, probably starting with today's game. Because of injury, the Indians weren't able to get Matt on the field regularly at the beginning of the season, but they have to commit to him now. He's 25 years old, obviously with nothing to prove in the minors, and the Indians need to figure out who their corner players of the future are. I would suspect that Austin Kearns will get moved soon as well in order to make room for Michael Brantley. I would also assume that they'd like to give Jordan Brown and Shelley Duncan some at-bats in left and first to see if either of those guys has a future as a reserve player.
The Indians got two prospects for Branyan, one almost ready to help at the major-league level, the other with more upside but a couple years away.
OF Ezequiel Carrera (23 Years Old)
Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB 2005 18 Mets VESL FRk NYM 45 173 150 19 34 3 2 0 8 7 8 15 47 .227 .308 .273 .581 41 3 3 4 1 0 2006 19 Mets VESL FRk NYM 57 247 216 41 65 4 5 1 19 22 11 16 28 .301 .365 .380 .745 82 3 7 6 2 0 2007 20 2 Teams 2 Lgs Rk-A- NYM 65 286 249 52 82 10 3 1 32 22 6 30 42 .329 .408 .406 .813 101 0 3 4 0 0 2007 20 Mets GULF Rk NYM 45 209 179 41 61 8 3 1 26 16 5 26 29 .341 .430 .436 .866 78 0 2 2 0 0 2007 20 Brooklyn NYPL A- NYM 20 77 70 11 21 2 0 0 6 6 1 4 13 .300 .347 .329 .675 23 0 1 2 0 0 2008 21 St.Lucie FLOR A+ NYM 114 494 430 61 113 11 12 7 29 28 9 46 86 .263 .344 .393 .737 169 6 9 6 3 1 2009 22 WestTenn SOUL AA SEA 91 405 329 68 111 12 4 2 38 27 13 59 62 .337 .441 .416 .857 137 4 4 10 3 1 2010 23 Tacoma PCL AAA SEA 64 243 213 24 57 6 2 0 18 9 5 20 32 .268 .339 .315 .654 67 2 3 7 0 0 6 Seasons 436 1848 1587 265 462 46 28 11 144 115 52 186 297 .291 .374 .376 .750 597 18 29 37 9 2 FRk (2 seasons) 102 420 366 60 99 7 7 1 27 29 19 31 75 .270 .341 .336 .678 123 6 10 10 3 0 AA (1 season) 91 405 329 68 111 12 4 2 38 27 13 59 62 .337 .441 .416 .857 137 4 4 10 3 1 Rk (1 season) 45 209 179 41 61 8 3 1 26 16 5 26 29 .341 .430 .436 .866 78 0 2 2 0 0 A- (1 season) 20 77 70 11 21 2 0 0 6 6 1 4 13 .300 .347 .329 .675 23 0 1 2 0 0 AAA (1 season) 64 243 213 24 57 6 2 0 18 9 5 20 32 .268 .339 .315 .654 67 2 3 7 0 0 A+ (1 season) 114 494 430 61 113 11 12 7 29 28 9 46 86 .263 .344 .393 .737 169 6 9 6 3 1
Provided by "Baseball-Reference.com":http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/sharing.shtml: "View Original Table":http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=carrer001eze#standard_batting Generated 6/27/2010.
Carrera has the upside of a fourth outfielder. He has a good eye at the plate, has good speed, decent to good range in center field, and that's about it. With Grady Sizemore out until the first half of the 2011 season, though, he'll have a shot of supplanting Trevor Crowe as the interim center fielder, and later as a reserve outfielder. He's currently on the DL with a hip injury. He's pretty short (5'10") for an outfielder.
The Mariners acuired Carrera from the Mets in the same 2008 three-team deal that brought the Indians Joe Smith and Luis Valbuena.
SS Juan Diaz (21 Years Old)
Year Age Tm Lg Lev Aff G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS TB GDP HBP SH SF IBB
2006 17 Mariners DOSL FRk SEA 58 218 178 23 34 8 4 0 23 4 5 30 46 .191 .324 .281 .605 50 5 6 2 2 0
2007 18 2 Teams 2 Lgs A-A+ SEA 81 309 279 23 62 12 1 1 20 2 10 21 61 .222 .284 .283 .567 79 8 3 6 0 0
2007 18 Wisconsin MIDW A SEA 75 287 259 22 59 12 0 1 18 2 10 19 53 .228 .288 .286 .574 74 7 3 6 0 0
2007 18 HighDesert CALL A+ SEA 6 22 20 1 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 2 8 .150 .227 .250 .477 5 1 0 0 0 0
2008 19 Wisconsin MIDW A SEA 122 497 451 38 105 16 4 3 45 6 5 28 86 .233 .275 .306 .581 138 8 1 9 8 1
2009 20 2 Teams 2 Lgs A+-Rk SEA 85 355 328 58 104 22 5 5 30 5 2 24 65 .317 .364 .460 .824 151 3 0 3 0 0
2009 20 Mariners ARIZ Rk SEA 1 4 3 3 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 2.000 3.000 6 0 0 0 0 0
2009 20 HighDesert CALL A+ SEA 84 351 325 55 101 22 5 4 29 5 2 23 65 .311 .356 .446 .802 145 3 0 3 0 0
2010 21 HighDesert CALL A+ SEA 70 276 254 39 75 8 3 7 41 8 2 19 45 .295 .345 .433 .779 110 3 1 1 1 0
5 Seasons 416 1655 1490 181 380 66 17 16 159 25 24 122 303 .255 .314 .354 .668 528 27 11 21 11 1
A+ (3 seasons) 160 649 599 95 179 30 9 11 72 13 4 44 118 .299 .347 .434 .781 260 7 1 4 1 0
A (2 seasons) 197 784 710 60 164 28 4 4 63 8 15 47 139 .231 .280 .299 .578 212 15 4 15 8 1
FRk (1 season) 58 218 178 23 34 8 4 0 23 4 5 30 46 .191 .324 .281 .605 50 5 6 2 2 0
Rk (1 season) 1 4 3 3 3 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1.000 1.000 2.000 3.000 6 0 0 0 0 0
Provided by "Baseball-Reference.com":http://www.baseball-reference.com/about/sharing.shtml: "View Original Table":http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=diaz--004jua#standard_batting Generated 6/27/2010.
Diaz has better upside. He could be a major-league starting shortstop, as he has the glove for the position. He's having a good offensive year, but it's in the offense-friendly California League.