The Indians have acquired 32-year old righty reliever Winston Abreu from the Rays for 24-year old righty reliever John Meloan. Abreu pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Rays this season and he was 0-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. The Indians must have been scouting Abreu in AAA-ball where he was dominating this season. He pitched in 23 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he was 3-0 with 10 saves, a 1.41 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. Abreu whiffed 49 batters in AAA this season while only allowing 14 hits in 32 innings. Abreu has 35 games (0 starts) of major league experience and he is 0-1 with a 6.43 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. The Indians will likely be adding Abreu to the active roster as they need bullpen help in the worst way. Meloan was the #18 prospect in the Indians’ minor league system coming into this season according to Baseball America. Meloan has pitched in 25 games (2 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he is 0-0 with a 5.52 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. This could be a trade that works out for both teams.

The Indians have acquired 28-year old righty reliever Jose Veras from the Yankees in return for cash considerations. Veras has already pitched in 2 games (0 starts) for the Indians and he hasn’t allowed a run in 1 1/3 innings while whiffing 2 batters. Veras pitched in 25 games (0 starts) for the Yankees this season and he was 3-1 with a 5.96 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP. Veras has now pitched in 108 games (0 starts) in his major league career in which he is 8-4 with 3 saves, a 4.37 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. The Indians need help in the bullpen in the worst way so acquiring Veras was worth the risk.

The Indians have released 34-year old righty reliever Luis Vizcaino. Vizcaino pitched in 11 games (0 starts) for the Indians this season and he was 1-3 with 1 save, a 5.40 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. Vizcaino still throws hard so he should find a job with another team soon.

The Indians have traded 27-year old lefty swinging 1B Michael Aubrey to the Orioles for a player to be named later. Aubrey has played in 61 games in AAA-ball this season and he is 66 for 228 (.289 avg, .760 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 5 homers and 31 RBIs. Aubrey finished his career with the Indians having played in 15 games in which he was 9 for 45 (.200 avg, .613 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 2 homers and 3 RBIs. Aubrey never lived up to his potential in Cleveland but he still has time to turn things around in Baltimore.

The Indians have traded 34-year old righty swinging 3B Mark DeRosa to the Cardinals for 23-year old righty reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. DeRosa played in 71 games for the Indians this season and he was 75 for 278 (.270 avg, .799 OPS) with 47 runs scored, 13 homers and 50 RBIs. Jhonny Peralta will replace DeRosa as the Tribe’s starting 3B the rest of the way this season unless he is traded. Chris Perez will give the Indians a very valuable arm for the bullpen. Perez pitched in 29 games (0 starts) this season for the Cardinals and he was 1-1 with 1 save, a 4.18 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. He has now pitched in 70 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 4-4 with 8 saves, a 3.72 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Perez has only allowed 51 hits while whiffing 72 batters in 65 1/3 major league innings. This was a trade the Indians had to make because of their bullpen which has been pathetic so far this season.