Indians acquires second baseman Josh Barfield

[Cavsfan89]

The Indians have acquired second baseman Josh Barfield from the San Diego Padres. The deal is expected to be announced this afternoon and could include infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff and right-hander Andrew Brown.

Barfield, the son of former Toronto outfielder Jesse Barfield, hit .280 (151-for-539) with 32 doubles, three triples, 13 homers and 58 RBI as a rookie this year. He stole 21 bases.

The Indians, since trading Ronnie Belliard in July, have had a hole at second base.

Kouzmanoff, who hit the first pitch he saw in the big leagues for a grand slam in September, hit .214 (12-for-56) with three homers and 11 RBI for the Tribe. Brown, who is out of options, had no record and a 3.60 ERA in nine appearances for the Tribe.

The Padres need a third baseman, Kouzmanoff’s primary position. He hit a combined .379 (131-for-346) with 28 doubles, 22 homers and 75 RBI in 94 games at Class AA Akron and Class AAA Buffalo.

Paul Hoynes, phoynes@plaind.com

 

[cdt]

I heard Kouzmanoff was beating the hide off the baseball..idk about this one..

 

[Cleveland56]

his worry is his back...had some pretty serious problems. not a good sign for a young player...or they think Marte is their guy at third.

 

[PIP]

Great...I guess

We get a national league style of player here in the AL... If Marte gets hurt, I'm sure our depth will be so stacked at 3rd, we won't miss a beat...

When looking at these trades, usually you look for statistics as to why the deal was made... However, when it comes to the awesome tribe, the first thing you need to look for is their salary.. That's sad..

If it's cheap, it's right..

If this guy can field the ball, steal some bases, ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO LAY A BUNT DOWN, I guess it was a good move..

Woo

 

[CornerThree]

I guess they were going to trade for Soriano, but they weren't sure whether or not he was a second baseman.

It would be great if there were a post somewhere that could clarify this for me.

 

[PIP]

Harp-

I was only able to find a couple blurbs on it...

It was my understanding that the Tribe was going to offer Soriano a 5 year deal for 3 million in total dollars...However, they were going to sweeten the deal with an incentive laced contract..

The reports are fuzzy, but, the word on the street is, if Soriano was to get a home run in every at bat this upcoming season, and finish the year with zero strikeouts, the tribe would pony up an additional 5 grand....

He's probably thinking it over...

 

[Deadlock]

Heard about this on The Buzzard. I guess people are saying we got Josh Barfield as a steal. I personally know nothing about the guy.

 

[SportMcAllister]

Great trade for the Indians.

Kouz was going nowhere - he was blocked at third and first. Andy Brown was out of options. For the two of them the Indians managed to get second base solved for a few years (instead of having to fill in on a day by day basis).

Now that they have second base solved they can go on to tackle the bullpen, and maybe get a bat for the OF for good measure.

I can't really see much wrong with this deal from the Indians POV.

 

[cdt]

Barfield to Indians for Kouzmanoff, Triple-A pitcherAssociated Press

CLEVELAND -- Just like his dad, Josh Barfield made it to the big leagues. Now, he's following his father to the American League.

Barfield, who as a rookie second baseman helped San Diego win a division title, was acquired Wednesday by the Cleveland Indians, who traded infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff and right-hander Andrew Brown to the Padres.

The 23-year-old Barfield, who played in 150 games last season, was stunned by the deal.

"I had no idea when I got the call this morning," he said. "It took me by surprise. But I know it's going to be a better situation for me."


LINK

Played in a tough hitters ballpark and San Diego and has a .987 fielding % which is a sharp contrast to our infielders..only 23 years old..nice move.

 

[lebron720]

looks like a great deal, Barfield was considered for rookie of the year.

he has good speed and decent power, also pretty good in the field. now we need some relievers.

 

[SportMcAllister]

Agree completely. And this trade ought to make that easier to do too.

 

[The Oi]

Will he show up in Cleveland with a jheri curl as greasily intense as his father had?

 

[PIP]

If I was him, I wouldn't even show up... Only a moron leaves San Diego for Cleveland..

 

[Cavs1]

so you're saying that he just quit baseball then and live at home with pops?

 

[PIP]

yes