Indians Trade for Starting Second Baseman
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The Cleveland Indians acted quicky and boldly to fix one of their two major problems for the 06-07 offseason by trading for a starting second baseman. The Tribe announced Thursday that they acquired 23-year-old second baseman Josh Barfield from the San Diego Padres in exchange for infielder Kevin Kouzmanoff and reliever Andrew Brown.
Many wondered how the Indians would fill the hole that was left open when the Tribe sent Ronnie Belliard to the St. Louis Cardinals. Some speculated that the Indians may resort to bringing the aging (now World Series Champion) second baseman back to Cleveland.
Instead the Tribe brings in a younger second baseman who in 2006 was a legitimate ROY candidate who hit .280 with 13 homers and 58 RBIs for the NL West champions and finished second among MLB rookies with 21 stolen bases.
If Barfield is able to keep away from the dreaded "sophomore slump" his offensive numbers should improve simply by moving from the Grand Canyon-esque pitcher's park of PETCO Park to the hitter-friendly Jacob's Field.
Dealing Kouzmanoff wasn't an easy move for the Tribe. "Kouz" quickly became a fan favorite after becoming the first Major Leaguer to hit a grand slam on the first pitch of his first major league at bat after being up to fill in for injured DH Travis Hafner late in the 2006 season. Kouzmanoff recently won the Lou Boudreau Award being named the Indians' top minor league player.
Brown was dealt because he was out of Minor League options and the club wasn't sure what else to do with him.
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