The Cleveland Indians, whose outfield has been decimated by injuries to Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore, traded for Kosuke Fukudome on Thursday. In exchange, they sent two ... young players. I know the headline reads "prospects," but that was just to get you in the door. You've been duped.
Cubs-Indians Trade: Carlton Smith And Abner Abreu To Cubs For Kosuke Fukudome
The two players are 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Carlton Smith, and 21-year-old right-handed outfielder Abner Abreu. According to Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, Smith is going to be a six-year minor-league free agent after the season if he isn't put on the 40-man roster. Here are his stats from Baseball Reference:
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 19 | Burlington | APPY | Rk | 4.76 | 9 | 9 | 28.1 | 30 | 16 | 15 | 3 | 5 | 25 |
| 2006 | 20 | Lake County | SALL | A | 4.09 | 11 | 11 | 55.0 | 49 | 27 | 25 | 4 | 24 | 38 |
| 2007 | 21 | Lake County | SALL | A | 4.22 | 31 | 18 | 121.2 | 125 | 67 | 57 | 13 | 33 | 79 |
| 2008 | 22 | Kinston | CARL | A+ | 4.37 | 26 | 26 | 146.1 | 143 | 91 | 71 | 12 | 33 | 81 |
| 2009 | 23 | Akron | EL | AA | 2.72 | 37 | 2 | 79.1 | 68 | 36 | 24 | 5 | 23 | 40 |
| 2010 | 24 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | AAA-AA | 5.40 | 46 | 0 | 58.1 | 72 | 39 | 35 | 7 | 23 | 38 |
| 2010 | 24 | Akron | EL | AA | 0.87 | 9 | 0 | 10.1 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| 2010 | 24 | Columbus | IL | AAA | 6.38 | 37 | 0 | 48.0 | 66 | 36 | 34 | 7 | 20 | 30 |
| 2011 | 25 | Columbus | IL | AAA | 4.50 | 34 | 0 | 46.0 | 45 | 25 | 23 | 4 | 20 | 46 |
| 7 Seasons | 4.21 | 194 | 66 | 535.0 | 532 | 301 | 250 | 48 | 161 | 347 | ||||
It's hard to see him pitching well enough to make that 40-man, but the Cubs probably had interest in him as a free agent after the year, so a little preview over the next couple of months wasn't going to hurt.
Abner Abreu is the centerpiece of the deal, then. He still has youth on his side, and he shows some decent power and speed.
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | G | AB | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 17 | Indians | DOSL | FRk | 56 | 228 | 69 | 13 | 7 | 4 | 41 | 5 | 4 | 18 | 46 | .303 | .353 | .474 | .827 |
| 2008 | 18 | Indians | GULF | Rk | 51 | 199 | 50 | 16 | 4 | 11 | 37 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 52 | .251 | .289 | .538 | .827 |
| 2009 | 19 | Lake County | SALL | A | 63 | 246 | 75 | 16 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 3 | 3 | 11 | 68 | .305 | .351 | .488 | .839 |
| 2010 | 20 | Kinston | CARL | A+ | 106 | 409 | 103 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 58 | 11 | 2 | 20 | 130 | .252 | .289 | .362 | .651 |
| 2011 | 21 | Kinston | CARL | A+ | 91 | 336 | 82 | 16 | 5 | 12 | 35 | 19 | 3 | 22 | 102 | .244 | .294 | .429 | .723 |
| 5 Seasons | 367 | 1418 | 379 | 82 | 26 | 38 | 201 | 42 | 13 | 80 | 398 | .267 | .311 | .442 | .754 | ||||
He’s played 64 games in right field this year, but he also played 24 in center. Fukudome is a useful-enough player, so it fits that his return was one interesting-enough prospect.
See More:
