Indians DH Travis Hafner May Be Cut After Season

Former big-time slugger Travis Hafner -- who hit 141 homers from 2003-07 but only 34 since -- likely will force the Indians to consider releasing him after the season if he cannot demonstrate recovery from chronic right shoulder problems that have cost him much of his productivity over the past three years.

The prediction comes from Cleveland Plain Dealer baseball writer Paul Hoynes, who foresees a more likely outcome that the left-handed designated hitter will remain under contract after playing in about 115 games in 2011, hitting 15-20 bombs and driving in 50-60 runs.

Continuing his upnote in Sunday's editions, Hoynes noted that Hafner now seems to resemble the hitter who batted .329 with 15 doubles, five homers and 21 RBI in 44 games after the All-Star break last year, demonstrating continued potential usefulness to the rebuilding team.

The Indians have signed former Angels first baseman Casey Kotchman, who can back up Hafner at designated hitter and first baseman Matt LaPorta, both of whom have missed significant playing time in recent seasons. Though Kotchman has never hit for power, he is thought to have a good eye at the plate and can be effective around the bag.

Angels Acquire Mark Teixeira

The Braves have traded Mark Teixeira to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and minor league pitcher Stephen Marek.

This move is a little surprising, since Arte Moreno is known to be adamantly opposed to trading young talent for potential two-month rentals, but giving up only Kotchman for the biggest bat on the market would have been really tough to turn down. The club also has Kendry Morales to fall back on if they cannot resign Teixeira, who could command a $200 million contract this winter. It would have been nice to upgrade at a different position, since Kotchman has arguably been the team MVP. That being said, this addition definitely makes the Angels, who already have the best record in baseball, THE World Series favorite.

Braves brass probably has mixed opinions of this trade. On the one hand they did not get the top pitching prospect they were seeking, and only got one major league ready player, but that player is a gold-glove caliber first baseman, who is under team control through 2011, and has arguably been the best of the best team in baseball.

Sabathia Deal Spotlights Lance Berkman Trade

A vague and ephemeral MLB rumor that the Astros have been contemplating dealing All-Star slugger Lance Berkman to the Angels for rising first baseman Casey Kotchman has been thrown into sharp relief in the upheaval following the Brewers acquisition of ace pitcher C.C. Sabathia from the Indians.

Though the validity of the rumor has never been established, the prospect of the trade becomes much more probable now that the Brewers have emerged as the prohibitive favorite to win the National League Central Division, or at least secure a wildcard berth, at the expense of the Astros as much as anyone.

Key to the proposition will be the team's determination of whether the Astros can remain competive this year, or should begin peeling off pieces such as Berkman, Carlos Lee, Roy Oswalt, Miguel Tejada and others in exchange for prospects and younger talent. If it was not already a clear choice with the Astros a dozen games off the pace, the Sabathia deal should make it painfully obvious.

Just exactly what the Astros are thinking will be recognizable in the play of veteran infielder-outfielder Darin Erstad, who after a number of years of difficulty staying healthy is playing excellent baseball offensively and defensively and should be heavily relied upon if the Astros expect to climb back into the pennant race.

If Astros owner Drayton McLane is inclined to punt, however, then Erstad will probably lose playing time to younger players whom the team will attempt to further acclimate to the big-league environment.

Ironically, an ongoing team poll of fans had nearly half of the participatants urging the Astros to carry on rather than reconfigure.