Indians trade stars Lindor, Carrasco toMets
The Cleveland Indians traded four-time All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets on Thursday.
Cleveland obtained infielders Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario, right-hander JoshWolf and outfielder Isaiah Greene.
Hedge fund owner Steven Cohen bought the Mets on Nov. 6 fromtheWilpon and Katz families and pledges to increase spending.
The 27-year-old Lindor is one of baseball’s best allaround players, capable of winning games with his bat, glove or legs. He’s a career .285 hitter and averaged 29 homers, 86 RBIs and 21 steals in his six major league seasons — all in Cleveland.
Hehas alsobeentheface of the Indians’ franchise, with an infectious smile and joy for playing that has made him one of Cleveland’s most popular athletes.
Carrasco is one of the game’s best comeback stories, overcoming leukemia to become one of the AL’s steadiest starters. The 33-year-old has a 88-73 career
record with a 3.73 ERA.
Once the Indians’ pandemic-shortened 2020 season ended with a loss to the New York Yankees in the wild-card round, it became a matter of when, and not if, Lindor would be traded.
Cleveland had run out of options. Lindor has turned down numerous long-term contractoffers fromthe cashstrapped Indians, betting on himself and knowing he could get more money from amajor-market team when he becomes a free agent.
He is only under contract through the 2021 season, so
theMets will have to quickly get to work on locking him up long-term.
TheIndiansmadeitknown that Lindor was available for the right price. Andwhile it’s never easy to trade a generational talent with perhaps his best years still ahead of him, Cleveland’s financial situationwas never going to make it possible to keep him.
Cohen is hoping to turn aroundafranchisethathasnot wonaWorldSeriessince1986.
Cohen hired general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and brought back former GMSandy Alderson as team
president and hired Jared Porter from Arizona as GM under Alderson.
Increasing spending, the MetskeptpitcherMarcusStromanforan$ TrevorMay to a $15.5 million, two-yearcontractandcatcher James McCann, to a $40.6 million, four-year deal. New Yorkalso signedinjuredrighthanderNoahSyndergaardto a $9.7million, one-year deal.
Pitcher goes from Rangers to Reds
Right-hander ArtWarren was sent by the Texas Rangers
to the CincinnatiReds on Wednesday for $100,000.
Texas claimed Warren off waivers from Seattle on Oct. 21 and designated him for assignment Dec. 26whenthe Rangers signed right-hander Kohei Arihara to a $6.2 million, two-year contract.
Warren, a 27-year-old righthander, made his big league debut in September 2019 with Seattle andwent 1-0 in 5 1/3 scoreless innings over six relief appearances. He did not pitch in the majors last season, spending time at the Mariners’ alternate training site.
Ex-pitcher Tommy John hospitalized
Tommy Johnhas been battling COVID-19 for at least three weeks.
The 77-year-old former pitching great remains hospitalized near his home in Indio, California. He said he started to feel ill following a trip to Nashville before he was hospitalized on Dec. 13.
John said he has had a bout of pneumonia and did receive oxygen, but is not presently on oxygen. He said the biggest side effect at the moment is he has no strength in his legs. As far as some of the other symptomsassociated withCOVID19, such as loss of taste or smell, John said he didn’t experience those.
“I feel good. Theonly thing right nowis trying to arrange for someone to do physical therapy from my home,” he said.
John pitched for six teams over a 26-year career from 1963-89. He is known for undergoingthegroundbreaking ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction surgeryonhis left elbowin 1974 that bears his name. Hewent on to win 20 games three times with the Dodgers and Yankees.