Cleveland Sports Forum

Cubs trade rumors: Chicago discussing Carlos Carrasco with Indians

Chicago is exploring every possible option for starting pitching and now Carlos Carrasco has joined that list. The Cubs have been engaged in dialogue with the Indians on Carrasco, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

Ken Rosenthal
✔
@Ken_Rosenthal

Sources: #Cubs among teams engaged in ongoing dialogue with #Indians about deal for Carrasco. Teams continuing to call CLE, make offers.

The Cubs are going to have some competition for Carrasco, as the Red Sox are looking for controllable pitching, and have talked with the Indians about him.

Jerry CrasnickVerified account
‏@jcrasnick

#Redsox are in market for controllable starting pitching. Heard they've talked to #Indians about Carlos Carrasco.

@keithlaw: Padres picked up Rzepcynski from Cleveland for Almonte

Abraham Almonte is a 26 year old CF'er that has had no success at major league level. In 990 AAA at bats he has hit .288/.369/.437 ... 21 homers, 38 steals.

http://www.baseball-reference.com/minor ... mont001abr

I managed to dig up some info on him from FanGraphs. Excerpts. This is about a year old though:

Abraham Almonte has overcome a veritable minefield of obstacles on his way to the majors, the most obvious of which being his height. Originally signed by the Yankees as a 17-year-old, the diminutive Dominican stands just 5’9″. Upon acquiring him, the Yankees tried Almonte as a second baseman in rookie ball before quickly shifting him to the outfield.

For the next seven years, he worked his way slowly through the organization, finally reaching Double-A in 2012. By that point, Almonte was generally viewed as a quick, switch-hitting outfielder who lacked the power to play in a corner spot at the major-league level and had never hit .300 in the minors. He was still more than just organizational depth, but not enough of a prospect to land on any top prospect lists.

As mentioned previously, his height was not the only roadblock between Almonte and major-league success. He missed most of 2010 with a shoulder injury and faced down some personal demons in 2011, when he quit drinking in a successful effort to fight a serious alcohol problem. In 2012, after being moved up to Double-A, he was sidelined yet again, this time with a troublesome hamstring.

Let’s look at how he profiles as a hitter. A switch-hitter, Almonte’s home-run power comes from the left side of the plate. Since his return to health (and sobriety) in 2011, 20 of his 22 minor-league homers came against righties, as did both of his long balls in the majors last year.

From the left side, Almonte’s quick, compact swing enables the barrel of the bat to get around quickly on inside pitches, providing him with ample power to pull the ball out to right field.

In short, Almonte possesses good discipline from both sides of the plate, a surprising amount of pop from the left side, and plenty of speed to steal bases in the majors.

I think Almonte is pretty well worthless. Unless they just needed a replacement for Holt in AAA for the time being. I don't see the rush to unload Scrabble. It's not like we have a log jam of lefty specialists, especially with Hagadone's serious injury. So why unload him unless it's for a piece that has a future? I don't see this as any more than a favor to the Clippers.

If you're under 6 feet tall, the Indians want you.

Another midget slap hitter.

@IndiansAccounts:

Indians Francisco Lindor A.L. ranks by SS since All-Star break:

1) HR 3
1) RBI 10
2) WAR 0.8
2) wRC+ 153
2) Runs 9
2) OPS .900
2) Hits 20

Bourn is hitting .406 his last 9 games. If he keeps it up maybe somebody will lose their mind and pick him up off waivers before August 31st.

OK, a guy named Danny Valencia was waived by the Blue Jays.

This guy has crushed lefties this year, plays 3B and outfield. Just caught in Blue Jays acquisition roster crunch.

Ummmm???? Is this a natural fit or what?

Great seats at Fenway again this year!

AWESOME!!!!

Good call!

Hope that seat was free.

There are worse seats than that at Fenway. You can actually see the mound and home plate from there. But here is a selfie taken from our actual seats: