Last month the Rockies acquired Kevin Slowey from the Twins and penciled him into their rotation, but after picking up more pitching in the Seth Smith trade with the A’s they decided Slowey was no longer needed.
Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com reports that the Rockies have traded Slowey to the Indians for pitching prospect Zach Putnam, which is a pretty solid move for Colorado considering he’s more highly thought of than the prospect (Daniel Turpen) they sent to Minnesota for Slowey in the first place.
Slowey gives the Indians some rotation depth in case Fausto Carmona’s legal situation keeps him from being cleared to pitch (or the team tries to void his contract).
He struggled with the Twins last season, angering management by refusing to accept a bullpen role, but Slowey has generally been a solid mid-rotation starter with mediocre raw stuff and excellent strikeout-to-walk ratios. He’ll make $2.7 million in 2012.
Putnam, who was the Indians’ fifth-round pick in 2008, ranked 10th on Baseball America‘s list of Cleveland’s top prospects.
