Updated: Jan. 27, 2006, 8:42 PM ET
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
Coco Crisp apparently is going to wind up in Boston after all.
A day after Crisp's trade from Cleveland to the Red Sox nearly fell apart, the two sides were close enough to reconstructing the trade Friday that the Indians tentatively agreed to a companion deal that paves the way for the Crisp trade.
On Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians reached agreement on a Jason Michaels-for-Arthur Rhodes trade, which could trigger a bigger swap involving the Red Sox.
A source told ESPN.com on Friday that the Boston-Cleveland trade headlined by Crisp is being described as "likely," though neither deal was considered "done" as of late Friday afternoon.
Rhodes was in Philadelphia taking a physical, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been finalized.
If the trade is completed, the Indians could turn around and send center fielder Crisp to the Red Sox to fill the gap left when free agent Johnny Damon left for the New York Yankees.
Boston had been trying to send third base prospect Andy Marte and reliever Guillermo Mota to Cleveland.
Trades involving the three teams had a hitch earlier this week when the Indians got an unfavorable medical report on Mota, which initially derailed trading Crisp. Mota, a right-handed reliever, spent about a month on the disabled list with Florida last season because of elbow inflammation.
It wasn't immediately clear how the Red Sox satisfied the Indians' concerns over the Mota's health, but indications are that language was being negotiated to protect the Indians if Mota breaks down during the season.
Multiple sources say Mota didn't technically "fail" his physical with the Indians. But his examination raised enough questions that the Indians told Boston they would keep Mota only if the Red Sox upgraded the rest of the package -- which originally had Mota, third-base prospect Marte and catcher Kelly Shoppach heading for Cleveland, with Crisp, reliever David Riske and catcher Josh Bard landing in Boston.
The Red Sox, however, balked at trading away one of their top young pitching prospects, Manny Delcarmen, whom Cleveland likes. When the two teams couldn't agree Thursday on an alternative, or find a third team to fill in the missing pieces, the trade nearly collapsed.
But the Red Sox had made Crisp their No. 1 target to replace Damon both in center field and in the leadoff hole, and they weren't thrilled with any of their other options. So they worked feverishly to piece the Crisp trade back together.
It's believed they have offered to include a prospect other than Delcarmen, plus some sort of future considerations if Mota has any significant health issues during the season.
Rhodes went 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 47 games for the Indians last year. But the left-handed reliever missed most of the final two months for family reasons.
Michaels hit .304 with four homers and 31 RBI for the Phillies. He platooned in center field with Kenny Lofton.
Michaels recently was put on six months' probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service following a fight with a Philadelphia police officer last year.
Crisp was a sparkplug and fan favorite for Cleveland, hitting .300 with 16 home runs, 69 RBI, and stealing 15 bases.
Mota went 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA and two saves in 56 games last season with the Florida Marlins.
Information from ESPN's Peter Gammons and The Associated Press was included in this report.
By Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
Coco Crisp apparently is going to wind up in Boston after all.
A day after Crisp's trade from Cleveland to the Red Sox nearly fell apart, the two sides were close enough to reconstructing the trade Friday that the Indians tentatively agreed to a companion deal that paves the way for the Crisp trade.
On Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians reached agreement on a Jason Michaels-for-Arthur Rhodes trade, which could trigger a bigger swap involving the Red Sox.
A source told ESPN.com on Friday that the Boston-Cleveland trade headlined by Crisp is being described as "likely," though neither deal was considered "done" as of late Friday afternoon.
Rhodes was in Philadelphia taking a physical, two people familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been finalized.
If the trade is completed, the Indians could turn around and send center fielder Crisp to the Red Sox to fill the gap left when free agent Johnny Damon left for the New York Yankees.
Boston had been trying to send third base prospect Andy Marte and reliever Guillermo Mota to Cleveland.
Trades involving the three teams had a hitch earlier this week when the Indians got an unfavorable medical report on Mota, which initially derailed trading Crisp. Mota, a right-handed reliever, spent about a month on the disabled list with Florida last season because of elbow inflammation.
It wasn't immediately clear how the Red Sox satisfied the Indians' concerns over the Mota's health, but indications are that language was being negotiated to protect the Indians if Mota breaks down during the season.
Multiple sources say Mota didn't technically "fail" his physical with the Indians. But his examination raised enough questions that the Indians told Boston they would keep Mota only if the Red Sox upgraded the rest of the package -- which originally had Mota, third-base prospect Marte and catcher Kelly Shoppach heading for Cleveland, with Crisp, reliever David Riske and catcher Josh Bard landing in Boston.
The Red Sox, however, balked at trading away one of their top young pitching prospects, Manny Delcarmen, whom Cleveland likes. When the two teams couldn't agree Thursday on an alternative, or find a third team to fill in the missing pieces, the trade nearly collapsed.
But the Red Sox had made Crisp their No. 1 target to replace Damon both in center field and in the leadoff hole, and they weren't thrilled with any of their other options. So they worked feverishly to piece the Crisp trade back together.
It's believed they have offered to include a prospect other than Delcarmen, plus some sort of future considerations if Mota has any significant health issues during the season.
Rhodes went 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 47 games for the Indians last year. But the left-handed reliever missed most of the final two months for family reasons.
Michaels hit .304 with four homers and 31 RBI for the Phillies. He platooned in center field with Kenny Lofton.
Michaels recently was put on six months' probation and ordered to complete 100 hours of community service following a fight with a Philadelphia police officer last year.
Crisp was a sparkplug and fan favorite for Cleveland, hitting .300 with 16 home runs, 69 RBI, and stealing 15 bases.
Mota went 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA and two saves in 56 games last season with the Florida Marlins.
Information from ESPN's Peter Gammons and The Associated Press was included in this report.
