Acclaimed baseball writer of the USA Today Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Cleveland Indians have traded Victor Martinez to the Boston Red Sox. He wrote on Twitter:

The Red Sox are about to acquire Victor Martinez from Indians

We will update this story as it comes in. The Indians have been said to be holding out for Clay Buchholz in the deal.

Update Via Boston.com:

2:13 p.m.: A source confirms to FoxSports's Jon Paul Morosi and Ken Rosenthal that the Sox are on the verge of acquiring Martinez. Still no word on what the Sox will be giving up.

Update via FOX Sports:

The Indians' exact return is not known, but the Red Sox did not include either right-hander Clay Buchholz nor right-hander Daniel Bard in the deal, according to a source.

The Cleveland Indians are still looking to deal Victor Martinez but cannot come to an agreement on terms of the deal. The Boston Red Sox look to be the number one suitor but may be turning their attention to San Diego Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. The New York Mets may put their hat in the ring at the last minute in a three way trade according to another report.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote about an hour ago:

A lot can change in the final hours before the non-waiver deadline.

A lot can change in the final minutes.

But as Friday began, the Indians were pessimistic about their chances of trading catcher Victor Martinez — perhaps an indication that the Red Sox were making progress in their efforts to land Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, perhaps not.

The Red Sox have been involved in discussions concerning Martinez, Gonzalez and Blue Jays right-hander Roy Halladay.

"Not much here," one Indians official said.

While Matthew Cerrone who pens a blog on the New York Mets cites SI saying:

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, “The Mets engaged in brief talks with the Indians about Victor Martinez but remain a major long shot because they do not want to part with their prospects.”

The dismantling of the Cleveland Indians is nearly complete and the last person the Tribe is looking to unload is Victor Martinez. The Boston Red Sox look to be the number one suitor for with various reports saying the Tribe wants Clay Buchholz in exchange for the All-Star Catcher.

If the name Buchholz rings a bell you probably will remember that the youngster threw a no-hitter in only his second start in the big leagues in 2007. Since that gem, things haven't gone too smoothly for the player who is now 24 years old. While still highly regarded as a prospect, he went only 2-9 last season in the Big Leagues and was demoted to Triple A. In his Major League career he has compiled a 6-11 record with a 5.29 ERA.

I am hardly surprised at the backlash that the Cleveland Indians franchise is receiving for trading Cliff Lee today. Yesterday I wrote:

The Tribe would likely have to get a lot in return for the 30 year old left hander as he still has one year remaining ($9 Million Dollars) on his contract. For a bona fide number one starter in the Major Leagues, that is a bargain. Of course we are talking about the same franchise that let CC Sabathia go for a ham sandwich way to early last year and got rid of one of their more consistent sluggers Ryan Garko for next to nothing yesterday. The Indians brass better be weary of upsetting an already disgruntled fan base and better get something in return for one of the only players worth watching on their roster.

So how are the Indians fans taking the news of the Trade that brought four minor leaguers to the team? Here is what Clevelanders are saying on Twitter about the deal:

@KevinHignett Breaking News: #Indians trade John Adams and his drum to Boston for $50 and a case of Heineken.

@hacool Where would Clevelanders be if they didn't have something to complain about regarding our sports teams? ;-)

@DJLitten: Breaking news: Bob Feller statue traded for Free Stamp #tribetimenever

By now you already know that the Cleveland Indians parted ways with Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco. So who are the newest incoming members of the Tribe? Here is a rundown on the newest Indians.

Carlos Carrasco

Carlos Carrasco is listed as the 28th ranked prospect in Major League Baseball. The right hander is 22 years old but has struggled a bit this year giving up more hits than innings pitched and yielding more than 5 earned runs per game.

Scouting report: He can touch 95 mph with his fastball, but it usually sits at 92. His curve is average, but the changeup, which has sink, is a plus pitch at times and is particularly tough against left-handed hitters. He needs to pitch off fastball more.

Lou Marson

Lou Marson (.294 Avg 1 HR 24 RBI in 211 At Bats) is listed as one of the top 50 prospects in the Major Leagues. The Indians getting him from Philadelphia likely means that rumors are true that Victor Martinez will likely be traded before the deadline like Marc DeRosa, Ryan Garko, and Lee before him. Here is what his scouting report says about the 23 year old Triple A player who is said to be a future everyday major league catcher.

For the second straight season, the Cleveland Indians have traded away the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. According to Fox Sports, the team has reached an agreement with the Philadelphia Phillies and will receive pitchers Jason Knapp and Carlos Carrasco, shortstop Jason Donald and catcher Lou Marson. Carrasco, Donald and Marson are currently playing in Triple A while Knapp is in A Ball. The Indians will also ship outfielder Ben Francisco to the Phillies in the deal.

The deal will be finalized after all the involved players take and pass physical examinations.

The Cleveland Indians have the second lowest average home attendance in the American League. Next season, the team will likely reflect their poor performance at the gate (22,241 fans per game) with a drastically reduced payroll. The New York Post is reporting that the Indians will trim their payroll to a miserly $55 Million next season and try to dump both Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee at the trade deadline. Joel Sherman wrote yesterday:

An AL exec said he was "1,000 percent" certain that Lee and and Victor Martinez would be traded for financial reasons.

This executive described the Indians as devastated by their combination of bad play and a poor economy with the need to have about a $55 Million payroll in 2010. Cleveland has already committed $33M to three pretty much untradeable players (Travis Hafner, Kerry Wood, Jake Westbrook).

According to Fox Sports baseball writer Ken Rosenthal the Indians are shopping the 2008 Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee to 5 teams and a deal appears "inevitable" . He writes:

Lee, after learning in spring training that the Indians would not sign him to a contract extension, told the team that he plans to become a free agent when his current deal expires after the 2010 season, according to his agent, Darek Braunecker.

A trade appears inevitable, perhaps even by Friday's non-waiver deadline. Lee, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner, would prefer such a move to happen sooner rather than later, Braunecker said.

The Phillies, Dodgers, Angels, Rays and Rangers are among the teams pursuing Lee.

The Cleveland Indians have announced another trade. The team has dealt Ryan Garko to the San Francisco Giants for class A pitching prospect Scott Barnes. Barnes is a left handed hurler who has been pitching well this year going 12-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 18 starts and 98.0 innings.

Garko fills a void in the lineup for the Indians as he has been hitting a solid batting .285 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs in 78. Garko has been with the Cleveland Indians all 5 seasons of his MLB career hitting 53 homeruns and .283 throughout his career.

If you happened to decide to tune into the Cleveland Indians game tonight (as painful as that may be as they speed ahead to what may become a 100 loss season) you may have witnessed Cliff Lee's final game as a member of the Tribe, according to reports. The normally reliable Ken Rosenthal of Foxnews.com says that Lee is on the being pursued heavily and may head to the defending World Champion Philadelphia Phillies. He writes:

Asked Monday if the team was still pursuing Indians left-hander Cliff Lee, one club official responded, "We have many balls in the air. And we are still looking for top-of-the-rotation help."

Halladay, 32, has a better track record than Lee, who turns 31 on Aug. 30. But Lee represents an excellent alternative, and it's in the Phillies' interests to create the perception that they have other options.

The question is whether they actually do.

Early talks between the Phillies and Indians over Lee went nowhere. The availability — and durability — of Mariners lefty Erik Bedard remains in question. And the Phillies do not seem interested in second-tier starters such as Diamondbacks lefty Doug Davis.