The Cleveland Indians announced on Tuesday, July 24 they have acquired Brent Lillibridge from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jose De La Torre.
Lillibridge, who has spent most of his career with the Chicago White Sox, was one of the key pieces in the deal that sent Kevin Youkilis to Chicago. He is a career .212 hitter with 16 home runs and 58 RBIs in 295 games played. Thus far in 2012 he is batting .165 with no home runs and two RBIs.
On the bright side for Cleveland fans, Lillibridge bats right-handed and plays left field. I am unsure if this is the caliber of player fans have been calling for all season to improve the team. My honest guess would be no.
To make room for Lillibridge on the 40-man roster, the Indians have transferred Lonnie Chisenhall from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list, essentially leading me to believe he will not be returning anytime soon, if at all this season.
De La Torre has been one of the better pitchers this season for the Double-A Akron Aeros. He is currently 7-1 with a 2.80 ERA. He has struck out 42, walked just 19, and posts a WHIP of 1.156.
While some fans may be scratching their head at this acquisition, I am going to take the stance of an early proponent. Lillibridge comes in as a right-handed bat that will remain under team control through 2016. Lillibridge is inexpensive as well, making just $500,000 in 2012.
I am a bit surprised they gave up De La Torre but at 26 years old having his first good season at the Double-A level, perhaps now was as good of a time as any to maximize the value of what little trade assets the Indians have available in their farm system.
Overall I am not completely blown away by this deal in light of all the team's needs but if it is one that can be beneficial in the long-term, I am all for it.
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Sources:
All statistics provided by MLB.com
Media Release - Cleveland Indians
Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Indians fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook.
