Tribe completes trade with Phillies
01/27/2006CLEVELAND -- The first domino in the Coco Crisp-to-Boston trade saga has officially fallen.
The Indians completed a trade Friday night that sent left-handed setup man Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies for outfielder Jason Michaels.
The deal is expected to spur a second trade in which the Indians would send Crisp, right-hander David Riske and backup catcher Josh Bard to the Red Sox for right-handed reliever Guillermo Mota, third base prospect Andy Marte, catching prospect Kelly Shoppach, a player to be named later and cash.
The second deal, though, could require approval of the Commissioner's Office, depending on the amount of the compensation.
For now, the only done deal is the one with Philadelphia.
In Michaels, the Indians acquire an outfielder who has never had an everyday job in the big leagues. The 29-year-old right-handed hitter spent last season platooning in center field with Kenny Lofton, compiling a .304 average with four homers and 31 RBIs in 105 games. More impressively, he put together a .399 on-base percentage along the way.
Should the Crisp deal go down as planned, Michaels is expected to be the Tribe's new left fielder. He recently avoided arbitration with the Phillies by signing a one-year, $1.5 million contract.
"Jason Michaels is a hard-nosed, tough player that complements our lineup extremely well," general manager Mark Shapiro said in a release. "He has always been a tough out while recording a high on-base percentage, and he has the ability to play all three outfield positions well."
A fight with a Philadelphia police officer recently earned Michaels a sentence of six months of probation and 100 hours of community service.
Rhodes, acquired by the Indians in the trade that sent Matt Lawton to the Pirates before the 2005 season, leaves town after going 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 47 relief appearances. Rhodes' season was hampered by right knee inflammation that kept him out of action the second half of August and a significant family illness that forced him to leave the team for good in early September.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
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