Indians acquire Asencio from Braves

Today the Indians announced that they have acquired right-handed pitcher Jairo Asencio from the Atlanta Braves in exchange for cash.

Asencio, 28, pitched most of last season at Triple-A Gwinnett where he went 3-2 with a 1.81 ERA in 47 games (54.2 IP, 39 H, 22 BB, 70 K).  He also had an International League leading 26 saves in 27 opportunities and held hitters to a .196 average. He was up and down with the big league team a few times last season, and in six games for the Braves he posted a 6.97 ERA (10.1 IP, 16 H, 5 BB, 8 K). This spring he made ten appearances with the Braves in Major League camp he had a 3.27 ERA (11.0 IP, 13 H, 3 BB, 12 K) before being traded to the Indians.

Asencio also once went under a false name of Luis Valdez and thus missed the entire 2010 season because of visa issues that stemmed from that incident.  Considering the Indians just acquired him in a trade, he is out of options, and there is less than a week left in camp, it is probably safe to guess that he is a frontrunner for one of the final two spots in the bullpen.

The Indians have not yet announced who they have removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Asencio.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his new book the 2012 Cleveland Indians Prospect Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIBI. Also, his new book the 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.