Cleveland Indians

Acquired Minor League C Carlos Santana and Minor League RHP Jonathan Meloan from the Dodgers in exchange for INF Casey Blake and cash considerations; acquired RHP Anthony Reyes from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for RHP Luis Perdomo

The Tribe do the July 31st dance as well as any organization in baseball. Be it a grandoise pilfering, such as acquiring Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips from the Expos for Bartolo Colon, or something less glamorous yet eminently prosperous, such as converting a lukewarm Broussard/Perez DH platoon into Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo (Thanks, Seattle!), Cleveland's front office just gets it. Having effectively waived the white flag following the unloading of C.C. Sabathia, the Indians managed to convert a 34 year-old, league average bat into two interesting prospects, while also flipping a reliever for a a righthanded starter who retains a fair amount of promise.

Casey Blake is a perfect example of Cleveland's ability to buy low and sell high. Blake was a 29 year-old, minor league vagabond before latching on with the Tribe in 2003. Despite a strong minor league track record (.292/.371/.469), Blake had bounced around the Toronto, Minnesota, and Baltimore organizations prior to landing in Cleveland. Signed to a minor league free agent contract in December of '02, Blake ended up giving the Indians an OPS+ above 100 in four of his six seasons with the club. Blake may well continue to pay dividends in 2009 and beyond, as the Indians added catcher Carlos Santana and righthander Jonathan Meloan from the Dodgers.

Santana, 22, is a switch-hitter with solid strike-zone discipline. A converted outfielder, Santana has the requisite athleticism and arm strength for the position (46 CS% in the Cal League, after gunning out 38% in the Midwest League in '07), but he remains a little raw behind the dish (16 errors). The 5-11, 170 pounder posted rather tepid lines in 2006 (.268/.345/.384 at Vero Beach) and 2007 (.223/.319/.371 at Great Lakes), but 2008 has brought forth a .325/.431/.563 line in 436 PA, with a healthy 16.7 BB% and 13.5 K%. Some of that is almost certainly a product of the notoriously hitter-friendly Cal League, but Santana's combination of agility and strike-zone control makes him a player worth keeping an eye on.

Meloan, 24, has posted less-than-spectacular numbers at AAA in 2008: 105 IP, 4.97 ERA, 99/60 K/BB, 119 hits allowed. However, those numbers need to be placed in the proper context. The Arizona product was converted from the 'pen to the rotation in '08 (a role he's not especially suited for), and had the misfortune of pitching in Las Vegas: Cashman Field increases extra base hits, and the Pacific Coast League inflates home run production by 12 percent overall. A 6-3, 225 pounder with a low-90's fastball and a plus slider, Meloan performed considerably better as a reliever in 2007 (66.2 IP, 2.03 ERA, 91/27 K/BB between AA Jacksonville and AAA Las Vegas). If placed back in the 'pen, Meloan could be ready to contribute in Cleveland by April 2009.

While converting a .270/.330/.430-type hitter into two prospects was shrewd, Cleveland may have pulled a bigger coup by acquiring Anthony Reyes from the Cardinals in exchange for 24 year-old righty Luis Perdomo. Reyes, 26, long ranked as one of St. Louis' prized youngsters. However, the organization soured on the USC product, the speculative reason being that Reyes wished to be more of a "power pitcher" (thus using a 4-seamer with regularity), while pitching coach Dave Duncan wanted him to utilize a sinker to generate ground balls. The 6-2, 215 pounder has often been dominant in the minors, while showing some glimpses of promise at the major league level:

ERA K/9 BB/9 H/9 HR/9

Minors (Total) 3.33 8.89 2.22 7.75 0.93

Majors (Total) 5.38 6.85 3.43 8.73 1.51

Reyes' main issue at the highest level has been the long-ball: a fly-ball pitcher, Reyes is going to give up his fair share of homers. Was Duncan on to something by suggesting that Reyes change his style in an attempt to limit the damage induced by home runs? It's difficult to say, but a quick look at Reyes' 2008 Pitchf/x data (courtesy of Josh Kalk's blog) suggests that the righty still has the stuff that gained him notoriety in the minors:

Type MPH X(In.) Z(In.)

FB 93.05 -4.9 8.5

CB 80.95 3.99 -2.72

CH 80.96 -7.16 5.59

Type is the type of pitch thrown. FB=fastball, CB=curveball, CH=Changeup . MPH is the average initial velocity of the pitch. X is the amount of horizontal movement on the pitch. A negative X value means the pitch is moving toward a righthanded batter. Z is the amount of vertical movement on the pitch. The lower the Z value, the more downward movement on the pitch.

Reyes' fastball has solid velocity (93.05 MPH), but you can begin to see where the pitch may get him in trouble. His heater is a bit "true" (straight), as it lacks great tailing action in on righties (-4.9X; the league average is -5.46) or illusory "rising" action (8.5 Z; 9.78 league average). His offspeed offerings are more promising: the sweeping curveball is considered a plus pitch by scouts, and his changeup shows good fading and diving action.

It's possible that Reyes will encounter Jason Bergmann-like issues with the long ball, but he is at least going to a ballpark that suppresses home run production:

Year ESPN HR Park Factor

05 0.872

06 0.866

07 1.104

08 0.683

Park factors can be fickle, but Jacobs (er....Progressive) Field has decreased tater production in three of the past four seasons. If Reyes is going to find major league success in spite of his flyball tendencies, Cleveland is a great place to do it. For what it's worth, Reyes has posted a 48 GB% for AAA Memphis this season.

Neither one of these swaps will garner flashy headlines, but these are the sorts of moves that build organizational depth, allowing a team to utilize cost-effective roster solutions as opposed to paying through the nose for marginal players on the free agent market. Rather than paying, say, Carlos Silva $48 million over four seasons for 4th-starter production (sorry, Seattle!), the Indians can turn to Reyes, who retains a fair degree of promise and will make peanuts for the next few seasons. Santana may develop enough to be an option behind the dish or trade fodder, and Meloan is a MLB-ready reliever who should pay dividends in short order. In short, Mark Shaprio and company have a firm understanding of the value of cost-controlled talent, and continue to procure goodies from GMs who aren't quite as in tune with the player development process.

David Golebiewski, a journalism student at Duquesne University, is a contributing writer for Driveline Mechanics, The Transaction Guy on the MVN Network and Inside Edge Scouting Services. Contact David at david@drivelinemechanics.com or golebie1029@duq.edu