Cleveland (AP) -- The Cleveland front office has just announced the acquisition of all-star centerfielder Yorvit Gutierrez. The 31-year-old Gutierrez is a lifetime .299 hitter providing an attractive blend of speed, power and defense. He is signed through season 20 at $6.5 millon per year.
Cleveland GM dcbove stated that the deal was the result of a season's worth of negotiations and that they are excited to acquire the centerfielder in exchange for two prospects.
"We've been actively pursuing Yorvit Gutierrez since the offseason," stated the GM. "It took a lot of hard work, but we think we've dealt from a position of organizational strength to improve our ballclub. One of the strengths of our minor league system is our depth of projectable bullpen talent. McCullough is a strong talent, but one with which we felt that we could part. Wilson is an exciting young centerfielder, but we definitely consider Guiterrez an upgrade."
The first prospect, Matthew Wilson, was a S13 sandwich pick that had played 31 games for the Spiders' big-league club in centerfield this year. He is primarily known as a glove-first player, showing exceptional range in the outfield, top-notch speed, and an advanced approach versus both left-handed and right-handed pitching. His flaw is a lack of power evidenced by his 7 home runs in 3,000 minor league at bats. Gutierrez will assume Wilson's spot on the roster and in the field.
The second prospect is Pat McCullough. A fifth-round selection in S15, McCullough turned the corner during his second year in the Cleveland system and bloomed into a solid major-league prospect. He was the last player cut from the Spiders' pitching staff this spring and projects as a solid 7th or 8th inning reliever. He went 15-2 with a 2.86 ERA for the Spiders' Double-A affiliate last season.
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