It’s been no secret of my disdain for now former Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta, who has been traded to the Detroit Tigers.

So who did the Indians receive for Peralta?

Who cares! Did you read the above sentence? SOMEONE ACTUALLY TOOK JHONNY PERALTA OFF THE TRIBE’S HANDS!

Ok, ok, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t break down the trade. The Indians received Class A left-hander Giovanni Soto. Soto apparently isn’t just filler either, as he has a a 2.61 ERA in 16 starts. He has struck out 76 batters and walked 25 in 82 2/3 innings and hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in any start. That’s not too shabby. Soto will report to Class A Lake County.

Before you go lament the loss of another Tribesman to trade, remember this: Peralta was basically a dead man walking (and I’m not referring to his play). His option was not going to be picked up, and while it is conceivable that the Indians could have resigned him to a one or two year deal, but really, did anyone want that?

No, this trade, regardless of who the Indians recived, is a great move for the Indians. This clears the way for a Jared Goedert September call-up, as well as plenty of time for a Marte Par-tay.When Lonnie Chisenhall is ready in a year or two, we won’t have to worry about Peralta’s lazy ass blocking anyone from playing time.

(By the way, Andy Marte’s new nickname is El Gato. He’s a freaking cat, he has nine lives. You just can’t get rid of him!)

The fact that the Indians got something that may be of value to them for Peralta is a huge coup. Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski must be on crack or something. I wonder if Shapiro/Antonetti tried to slip in Kerry Wood or Austin Kearns. Sheesh.

No matter what happens the rest of the time up until the trade deadline, the Indians are winners in getting rid of Peralta. I wish I was better with computers. I’d make a montage of Peralta grounding into double plays.

So far, Mitch Talbot has had a positive experience as the #4 starter in the rotation, as a rookie.

Jeanmar Gomez allowed no earned runs in seven innings in his spot start versus the Detroit Tigers.

And Josh Tomlin, my “sacrificial lamb,” threw up a gem last night against the New York Yankees, allowing a run on three hits, no walks, two strikeouts in seven-plus innings.

It’s probably more of a coincidence than anything else, given the fact that both Gomez and Tomlin have yet to make a second start.

But regardless, I’m not going to get all excited over Tomlin’s debut. I don’t want to take anything away from the kid – he was fantastic. He did everything he was supposed to do and has definitely earned another start. But I’m not getting pumped over this guy, as his stuff isn’t great and he might even get relegated to the bullpen eventually. This may seem like me being sour grapes over him (I mean, I called him a sacrificial lamb and now I’m bashing his stuff) but it’s really not. Not all players called up from the minors are going to be studs. Some are just role players, or worse, roster filler. I’m not sure what Tomlin is yet, but I’m pretty sure he won’t end up being a stud.

But as for last night, Tomlin was a stud in  the Tribe’s 4-1 victory over the Yankees, and the Indians did not give up A-Rod’s 600th home run, meaning that I have only two games to get through in order to win $5 from a friend. The bet is simple – he says an Indian will give up the 600th HR, and I have faith in my boys, for some inexplicable reason, that they will keep A-Rod in the park. Winner gets five bucks.

So here’s hoping Fausto Carmona can help me win five bones. And if you’re looking for a reason to go out to the ballpark, Thursday is one of those fantastic dollar dog nights, so get on that.

Win this shirt from Alternative Hero!

Hey everybody, the nice guys over at Alternative Hero have hooked me up with a couple funny Cleveland shirts. While I can’t say I totally agree with the shirt, I do think it’s funny, and I have two XL shirts to give away (sorry, I don’t have any other sizes).

But I’m not just gonna give them to you. No, you have to work for these bundles of goodness. So I have a little bit of trade deadline trivia for you.

Using only trades, I want you to link former Indians catcher Eddie Taubensee to current Indians reliever Joe Smith.

Think of it as six degrees of separation, only with trades. You only need to use one player in the trade to continue the link. I’m not going to tell you where to find this information, only that it can be found online.

Or, you could just buy one of the shirts from Alternative Hero yourself.

Personally, I’d try to win it. If no one gives me a correct answer within a week I will post a new question and be terribly disappointed in all of you.

Anyways, e-mail me at edcarroll34@gmail.com with the subject line “Alternative Hero T-Shirt Giveaway” and your answer in the body. You don’t need to have the whole trade lineage (although I’ll be more impressed if you do), just the players that were directly involved in this linkage. Please also provide your name and shipping address. I have two shirts to giveaway and I will go by the timestamp on the e-mails. Good luck everyone!