The Ubaldo Jimenez sweepstakes has drawn to a close, however the winner wasn't the New York Yankees (Thank God!), the Boston Red Sox, or even the Cincinnati Reds, it was the dark horse candidate, the Cleveland Indians. After being the National League's starter for the annual All-Star Game last year, Jimenez struggled early on, making many a team wonder why the Colorado Rockies would be willing to deal who they thought was a top of the rotation starter. His loss of velocity prompted the Yankees to ask for him to complete a physical, a request the Rockies denied, and as a result the Yankees bowed out. The asking price for Jimenez was supposedly the baseball equivalent of the moon, which in the case of the Cincinnati Reds, was Devin Mesoraco, who is one of the best, if not the best, catching prospect in the majors, flame thrower Aroldis Chapman or slugger Yonder Alonso, and Homer Bailey and Travis Wood. These players all have the potential to be the best at their positions, and Reds GM Walt Jocketty knew better than to sell the farm, literally. The Red Sox just didn't have the prospects, and later ended up getting Rich Harden as a consolation prize.
Coming from a Cincinnati native, it's hard for me to say this, but I wish the Indians organization well. I hope this deal works out for both sides and the prospects traded reach their potential. I know must be hard for Jimenez to leave the organization he has developed in for the last ELEVEN years, and his last action in a Rockies uniform was embracing his teammates.
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