Orlando Cabrera traded to Giants

The Cleveland Indians continued their wheeling and dealing on Saturday night when the sent infielder Orlando Cabrera to the defending World Champion San Francisco Giants for Triple A prospect Thomas Neal.

Neal, predominantly a left-fielder, is currently hitting .295 at Triple A Fresno, with two homers and 25 RBI. He had a break-out season for the Giants in 2009, hitting .337, with 22 homers and 90 RBI at High A San Jose. He followed that up with another solid season at Double A Richmond in 2010, hitting .291, with 12 homers and 69 RBI. He was struggling at the plate with regards to his power production this season, but perhaps some of that can be attributed to his three stints on the DL this season. Neal is currently on the DL.

Baseball America has him ranked 7th for the San Francisco Giants top prospects, and other services have him ranked as high as #2. This is a legitimate haul for the aging OCab.

Cabrera became expendable when the Indians called up top prospects Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall. He was regulated to the utility role, and had been rumored to have caused some commotion with regards to his displeasure at the lack of playing time. With injuries to the Giants Mark DeRosa, Miguel Tehada and Freddy Sanchez, Cabrera will be in the starting line-up, and for a World Series contender. Not a bad shake for OCab...

...and definitely not a bad shake for the Indians. Look for Jason Donald to make his long overdue appearance with the Indians, taking over the utility role from the departing Cabrera.

Look for Neal to head to the DL in Columbus, and become a regular starter once healthy. Nice job by Antonetti in getting a quality player for a bench guy.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

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