Tomlin discusses move to bullpen | indians.com: News

Tomlin won't be optioned down to AAA, but will serve as a long-man in the bullpen, something the Indians haven't had for most of the season. Josh took the move in stride:

"I wasn't performing as a starter," Tomlin said on Wednesday. "I wasn't performing up to my expectations or the team's expectations. Every fifth day, you don't know what you're going to get out there. It's kind of tough to put that burden on the team.

"No one is more upset about it than I am, but it's the reality of the game. It's a business and that's the kind of stuff that needs to be done if you want to win."

The qualifying offer to free agents --required to get draft-pick compensation-- will be in $13.3-$13.4m range, rather than expected $12.5m.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN)

In order for a club to get a compensation draft pick, they will have to offer their potential free agents a one-year contract worth the average of the top 125 contracts in MLB, which will be in the range Olney specified above. Because of several extensions signed during the year, the qualifying offer is going up about $1M. In addition, the player had to have been on their roster at the start of the season, which means they can't get compensation for a rental player.

This system is replacing the old Type A/Type B Elias system, and will drastically reduce the number of compensation picks in next year's draft. For the Indians to get a compensation pick for Travis Hafner, they would have to offer him a 1 year, $13.3M contract for 2013, which isn't happening.

MLB Trade Deadline Ends; Shane Victorino to the L.A. Dodgers - YouTube

SBN's Amy K. Nelson and Steven Goldman discuss the fallout from the Trade Deadline, specifically the future for the Dodgers and Phillies.