Tuesday was another whirlwind day at the Winter Meetings for the Cleveland Indians. Here’s a look at the Tribe news and rumors that came out of Nashville on Day Two.
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Victorino to Boston. Barely 24 hours after news of the Indians’ “serious interest” in Shane Victorino first broke, the free agent outfielder signed a three-year, $39 million deal with the Red Sox. Cleveland reportedly offered him four years and $44 million—a higher monetary guarantee but a lower annual salary.
High asking price for Cabrera. Paul Hoynes reported Monday night that the Indians had rejected an offer for Asdrubal Cabrera that would have brought the Tribe “one big-league pitcher and two high-level prospects” when the other team refused to throw in a third minor leaguer. Clearly it will take a lot to get Cleveland to part with Cabrera—perhaps the asking price might be too high.
Weak market for Choo. Speaking of potential trade returns, Ken Rosenthal reported that the Indians have been disappointed by the market for Shin-Soo Choo; the Denard Span trade seems to have set an unfortunate precedent for returns on dealing outfielders.
Who’s on first? In news that didn’t really surprise anyone, Hoynes reported that the Indians met with Kevin Youkilis‘ agent. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman also linked the Tribe to Mark Reynolds.
Pestano to Queens? ESPN’s Adam Rubin reported that the Mets are targeting Vinnie Pestano. Luckily for his fans in Cleveland, I have a hard time envisioning New York giving up enough to make trading Pestano worthwhile, especially in advance of the likely departure of Chris Perez. From Hoynes: “the Indians have made it clear he’s not going anywhere.”