Cleveland Indians trade Mike Freeman to Reds; send six players to minors

CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians traded infielder Mike Freeman to the Reds for cash on Friday.

The good thing for Freeman is that he didn’t have to do much because the Indian and Red training complexes are connected to Goodyear, Arizona. The bad thing for the Indians is that they are losing a player who has done a good job in a difficult role for the past two years.

The Indians also sent six players to the minors: right-hangers Carlos Vargas, Jean Carlos Mejia, Eli Morgan, left-hander Scott Moss and third baseman Nolan Jones were opted for Class AAA Columbus. Right-hander Kyle Dowdy has been reassigned to the minor league’s “depth camp”. Outfielder Billy Hamilton was reassigned to depth camp on Thursday.

There are currently 48 players in the big league camp.

Freeman became expandable thanks to the presence of Yu Chang and Amed Rosario this spring. While Freeman is a left-handed hitter, Chang and Rosario, competing for the same role, are right-handed hitters and fit better into the team’s projection.

The Indians acquired Rosario from the Mets under the Francisco Lindor-Carlos Carrasco deal. He was a short stop his entire career, but apparently lost his job to Andres Giminez, acquired from the Mets in the same trade. Rosario will play on the central pitch in a B game on Sunday.

Rosario is also making $ 2.4 million, so it looks like he’s making the final list somehow.

Freeman hit .277 (49 for 177) with four homers and 24 RBIs in 2019 for the Indians. He played all positions in the infield, appeared in six games in the outfield and pitched twice. He played 43 games last year, hitting .237 (9 for 38). This spring, Freeman was 0.333 (5 in 15) with a homerun and three RBIs.

“Cincinnati was probably the team he came back to when he signed with us again this winter,” said manager Terry Francona. “They seemed to have, what they believe, a better opportunity for him not only to make their club, but also to play a little more.

“Chris (Antonetti, president of baseball operations), to his credit, said to Mike, ‘Hey, if we think there’s a better scenario for you, we’ll look after you.’ A lot of this is due to the respect we have for Mike. It’s no fun saying goodbye to someone you really care about. But on the other hand, knowing that he has a really good opportunity, we feel really good.

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