Mota fails physical in Cleveland
01/24/2006CLEVELAND -- Coco Crisp remained an Indian at the end of the day Tuesday. Now that The Associated Press is reporting that Guillermo Mota failed his physical in Cleveland, it's possible Crisp could end up staying that way.
The Tribe moved a step closer to shipping the popular outfielder to the Red Sox by having Mota in town for a physical that was generally regarded to be the last step in the days-long trade saga.
Reports indicate the Tribe was planning to send Crisp, right-hander David Riske and backup catcher Josh Bard to Boston for Mota, third base prospect Andy Marte and catching prospect Kelly Shoppach.
Once that deal was complete, the Indians were expected to trade left-handed setup man Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies for outfielder Jason Michaels.
But a Phillies official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that Mota had failed his physical, putting the chain of deals in jeopardy.
Given Mota's injury troubles while with the Marlins in 2005, during which he missed nearly all of May with right elbow inflammation and two weeks of September because of shoulder tendinitis, the failed physical is not a total shock.
An Indians spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the report of the failed physical.
Should the Mota portion of the deal fall through, speculation out of Boston is that he could be replaced in the trade by right-handed reliever Manny Delcarmen, who posted a 3.00 ERA in 10 appearances with the Red Sox last season.
Still, the Indians remain tight-lipped about the trade conversations.
That has left Crisp's agent, Steve Comte, in the dark about what might be going on with his client.
"He could [end up] in Boston but he could still be in Cleveland," Comte said Tuesday. "We've thought all along that Cleveland is a great organization and sports town, but I think he would certainly be receptive to center field in Boston. We think he can play out there. Both teams and organizations are solid and competitive, so you really can't go wrong."
Crisp's name has floated in trade rumors involving the Red Sox all winter. Callers have flooded local sports talk radio shows in recent days with rallying cries against trading Crisp, who is one of the team's most popular and marketable young players.
Comte said Crisp hasn't been rattled by all the speculation one bit.
"If you know Covelli at all, he's a very mature young guy," Comte said. "He understands it's all part of the business and there are different issues that come into play, such as economics and team need. He understands it's the way of life."
If the deal were to go down as speculated, the Indians would likely replace Crisp, who is arbitration eligible, in left field with Michaels, who hit .304 with four home runs and 31 RBIs in 289 at-bats while scoring a career-high 54 runs last season. Michaels recently avoided arbitration with the Phillies by agreeing to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
But the biggest acquisition for the Indians in the trades would be Marte, who is considered to be on the cusp of big-league readiness after posting a .275 average with 20 home runs and 74 RBIs for Triple-A Richmond last season. Marte saw 24 games of action with the Braves in '05 and hit .140 in 57 at-bats.
For what it's worth, Baseball America ranked Marte as the Red Sox's top prospect, with Shoppach and Delcarmen each ranking in the Top 10.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
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