"It's either a gutsy trade or a reckless one.

Late Saturday night, the Indians traded their best pitching prospect, Drew Pomeranz, their second-best pitching prospect, Alex White, plus Aeros first baseman Matt McBride and Aeros starter Joe Gardner for Ubaldo Jimenez, the ace of the staff for the Colorado Rockies.

The deal is contingent on Jimenez passing a physical today.

Pomeranz is listed as the player to be named, because as the Tribe's first pick in the 2010 draft (the fifth overall selection), he cannot be traded for one year from the date he signed, which means he must remain property of the Indians until Aug. 16.

The Tribe also acquired outfielder Thomas Neal from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for middle infielder Orlando Cabrera.

Jimenez, 27, was one of the few marquee names of this trading season, which ends at 4 p.m. today. He carries a 6-9 record and 4.46 ERA, but most of his struggles came in April and May, when he was 0-5 with a 5.86 ERA.

Until he gave up four runs in one inning Saturday night, Jimenez had posted a record of 6-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 10 starts for the months of June and July.

Last year, he posted a 19-8 record and 2.88 ERA and was selected to pitch in the All-Star Game. His career record is 56-456 with a 3.66 ERA.

The trade was held up for part of Saturday evening, because the Rockies allowed Jimenez to start, angering the Tribe. Apparently, the transaction hadn't been totally wrapped up by game time."