Breaking away from the usual all-rumor/no-activity cycle of the lead-up to the deadline, the Cleveland Indians and Detroit Tigers have agreed to a trade that will send Jhonny Peralta to Michigan.
The #Indians have traded 3B Jhonny Peralta to the Tigers for LHP Giovanni Soto. Indians.com. #mlb
The Indians are also sending some cash to Detroit to help cover at least some of what remains of Peralta's $4.6m 2010 salary. The 28 year old third baseman has hit .246/.308/.389 on the year with passable defense at the hot corner, and will fill in for Brandon Inge, who is sidelined for the time being with a broken hand. He is by no means an impact addition, but he is an improvement over recent fill-ins like Don Kelly, and would become a useful part of the bench upon Inge's return.
As far as Giovanni Soto is concerned, he's a 19 year old southpaw who's spent the year in A-ball, striking out 76 and walking 25 in 82.2 innings. He doesn't have much in the way of fastball velocity, but he has a complete repertoire and pretty good command, giving him the potential to rise through the system.
Be sure to look for more at Bless You Boys, Let's Go Tribe, SB Nation Cleveland, and SB Nation Detroit. After Peralta, we may now begin seeing a number of other bench bats start getting moved.