CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians on Friday traded utility forward Mike Freeman to the Reds for cash considerations.
The good thing for Freeman is that he does not have to move much because the Indians and the Reds’ training complexes are connected in Goodyear, Ariz. The bad thing for the Indians is that they are losing a player who has done a good job in a difficult role over the last two years.
The Indians also sent six players to the minors: Carlos Vargas, the right-hander, Jean Carlos Mejia, Eli Morgan, the left-handed Scott Moss and Nolan Jones, the third ranger, were elected to the AAA Columbus class. Right-hander Kyle Dowdy was again assigned to the “depth camp” in the minor league. Outfielder Billy Hamilton was named in the deep camp again on Thursday.
There are currently 48 players in the big league camp.
Freeman has expanded due to the presence of Yu Chang and Amed Rosario this spring. While Freeman is a left-handed hit, Chang and Rosario, who compete for the same role, are right-handed hits and fit them better into the team’s grid projection.
The Indians acquired Rosario from the Mets in the Francisco Lindor-Carlos Carrasco agreement. He was short his entire career, but apparently lost the job to Andres Giminez, who he acquired in the same trade from the Mets. Rosario plays a center field in a B game on Sunday.
Rosario also earns $ 2.4 million, so it looks like he’s going to make the final list somehow.
Freeman hit .277 (49-for-177) with four homers and 24 RBI in 2019 for the Indians. He played every position on the field, appeared in the outfield in six games and struck twice. He appeared in 43 games last year, hitting .237 (9 for 38). In the spring, Freeman hit .333 (5-for-15) with one homer and three RBI.
“Cincinnati was probably the team he joined us for this winter,” said manager Terry Francona. “It seems that they have a better opportunity for him to not only make their club, but also play a little more.
Chris (Antonetti, president of baseball operations) tells Mike, ‘Hey, if we think there’s a better scenario for you, we’ll look at you. ‘A lot of it is because of the respect we have for Mike. It’s not fun to say goodbye to someone you really care about. But on the other hand, because we know he’s having a really good opportunity, we felt really good about it. ‘
A variety of Cleveland Indians face masks are available online today. (Fanatics.com)
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