Bobby Abreu On Verge Of Being Traded To Indians, According To Report

Here's the deal with Bobby Abreu: he's old, he's declining, and he's making $9 million in 2012. More, while Abreu's still capable of contributing by getting on base, he's all but out of a job with the Angels. This doesn't make Abreu happy, because Abreu wants to start.

Here's the deal with the Indians: they're in the market for outfield help, with Grady Sizemore sidelined for a while. Shin-soo Choo is fine, and Michael Brantley is fine, but then it gets adventurous.

#indians, #angels on verge of abreu trade

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) March 30, 2012

Sources tell @Ken_Rosenthal and me #Indians are close to trading outfielder Trevor Crowe. Not clear if he is in the Bobby Abreu deal.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 30, 2012

You have to think this is going to go down. The Angels will have to eat just about all of Abreu's contract, but they need to get rid of Abreu lest he become a distraction, and if the Indians have any interest at all, the Angels will seize that. They don't need a ton of value in return. Just a little, to compensate them for the loss of a talented malcontent.

Any shot Abreu had at playing time in Anaheim went out the window when Kendrys Morales demonstrated that he's ready. Abreau could play more in Cleveland, and given his .353 OBP last season, he could conceivably help. An issue is that his defense is not what it was. Also, he showed up out of shape this spring and has under-performed. But ... well now this doesn't look so great for the Indians, does it? I suppose that's their problem.

It looks like Bobby Abreu's going to the Indians. It's not certain, but it's probably but a matter of time.