The Indians have sent left-handed pitcher Giovanni Soto to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for cash considerations. Soto, a 24-year-old who made his MLB debut last season and appeared in six games for the Tribe, was set to begin this season in Triple-A with the Columbus Clippers. He'll now report to Des Moines to play for the Cubs' top minor league team instead.
Soto (whom the Indians originally acquired as part of the Jhonny Perlata trade in 2011) posted a 2.68 ERA in 53.2 innings for the Clippers in 2015. He has posted good strikeout and home run rates the last couple years, but a poor walk rate. Despite his fairly impressive numbers from last year, he was not viewed as a top 20 prospect in the system.
Soto is the third players the Indians have dealt away for cash considerations in under 48 hours, after Zach Walters and James Ramsey were both sent to the Dodgers yesterday. Soto feels like a bigger loss to me than Walters or Ramsey did, more likely to have been a helpful part this season. Without knowing how much cash ends up being included, it's hard to say what sort of impact these moves might have for the team. There likely isn't a lot of wiggle room in the budget right now though, so if the money coming back from these deals is even semi-substantial, it increases the likelihood that management will be able to take on salary in a midseason move if the team is contending.