CLEVELAND (AP) — The Indians made another trade just before the deadline Friday, sending reliever Phil Maton to the AL West-leading Houston Astros for outfielder Myles Straw.
Cleveland, which dealt second baseman Cesar Hernandez and outfielder Eddie Rosario in separate trades, also sent catcher Yainer Diaz to Houston for the speedy Straw, who will fill an open outfield spot for the remainder of this season — and maybe beyond.
Maton has been used in a setup role this season, his third with the Indians. The 28-year-old right-hander was 2-0 with a 4.57 ERA in 38 appearances.
The 26-year-old Straw batted .262 with two homers and 34 RBIs in 98 games for the Astros. He has also scored 44 runs and is currently tied second in the AL with 17 steals in 22 attempts.
Straw has also played well defensively, and did not commit an error over 96 games in center field.
A right-handed hitter, Straw was drafted in the 12th round by Houston in 2015.
Rosario signed a one-year, $8 million free agent contract this winter with the Indians, who essentially signaled surrender in the AL Central on Thursday by dealing second baseman Cesar Hernandez to the first-place White Sox for a minor league pitcher.
The Braves will pay a portion of Rosario’s contract, easing the financial burden on the Indians, who have been ravaged by injuries and are quickly fading from the playoff chase.
The Indians have begun looking toward next season. They trail Chicago by eight games entering a weekend series between the teams. Also, manager Terry Francona has stepped down for the rest of this season to address some serious health issues.
Sandoval has been mainly used as a pinch-hitter by the Braves. It’s still not known if the 34-year-old will be added to Cleveland’s roster.
Sandoval, who was the World Series MVP in 2012 for San Francisco, has four pinch-hit homers this season, and is batting .178 with 11 RBIs in 69 games.
