The Indians get Ubaldo Jimenez 

For months, the Cleveland Indians were saying that they weren’t going to mortgage the future at the trade deadline. Team president Mark Shapiro said it, so did club GM Chris Antonetti, and manager Manny Acta echoed those same sentiments. However, when it got right down to it at the trade deadline, with an opportunity to acquire one of the top 30 starting pitchers in the game of baseball, the strategy changed.

In a stunning blockbuster deal, the Indians sent their top two starting pitching prospects (left-hander Drew Pomeranz and right-hander Alex White), along with first baseman Matt McBride and Double-A starter Joe Gardner, to the Colorado Rockies for ace Ubaldo Jimenez.

Jimenez, 27, was 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA and had the highest single-season WHIP of his career (1.336) at the time of the transaction. Last year, after a 15-1 start with a 2.20 ERA, he finished the year with a 4-7 record and a 3.80 ERA after the All-Star break. His career splits include a home record of 30-19 with an ERA of 3.67, and a 26-26 record with a 3.58 ERA on the road, clearly dispelling any issues he had with pitching at Coors Field. In 2010, he represented the Rockies in the All-Star Game and finished third in the Cy Young Award voting. Jimenez’s contract includes salaries of $2.8 million this year and $4.2 million next year, with club-friendly team options in 2013 (for $5.75 million) and 2014 ($8 million).

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