Carmona placed on restricted list
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The Cleveland Indians made a move with the pitcher they have only known for the past 11-plus years as Fausto Carmona .
Arrested last week in the Dominican Republic on false identity charges, Carmona was placed on baseball's restricted list. The Indians had to apply to the commissioner's office in order to have Carmona placed on the list due to his unusual legal entanglement.
Players on the restricted list do not count against a team's 25- or 40-man roster and will not be paid until they report.
Players can remain on the list for two years. The Indians have options on Carmona for 2013 and '14.
Carmona was arrested outside the U.S. consulate in Santo Domingo last week and charged with falsifying his name and birth date so he could play for the Indians who signed him as a free agent in 2000.
Authorities in his homeland revealed Carmona's real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia and that he's 31 -- three years older than the Indians believed. Carmona's date of birth is listed as Dec. 7, 1983, in Cleveland's media guide, meaning he was 17 when he signed.
He was released from jail on bail of around $13,000 Friday and was ordered to stay in the Dominican to complete his judicial process.
The Indians report to training camp next month, but it appears unlikely Carmona will have his case resolved by then. In the meantime, the club will continue to refer to him as Carmona.
Manager Eric Wedge says he's leaning toward moving Ichiro Suzuki out of the leadoff spot as a way to improve an anemic offense. Wedge said he's not completely sold yet on moving Suzuki from the spot he has held since he arrived from Japan in 2001. Wedge said he's considered the No. 2 and No. 3 spots in the batting order for Suzuki.
The name of Miami's new ballpark is apparently not changing anytime soon. For now, it'll remain Marlins Park. Team president David Samson told the team's flagship radio station that he "didn't want to pressure anyone or myself" into rapidly closing a complex naming-rights deal before the start of the 2012 season.
Free-agent reliever Brad Lidge has agreed to a one-year contract with Washington. Last season, the right-hander only threw 191/3 innings for the Philadelphia Phillies, going 0-2 with a 1.40 ERA and one save. He didn't pitch until late July because of elbow and shoulder problems in his right arm.
The Yankees have finalized their $10 million, one-year contract with free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda . The deal, which had been pending a physical, was agreed to on Jan. 13, the same night the Yankees acquired right-hander Michael Pineda from Seattle.
Oakland and outfielder Jonny Gomes have agreed to a one-year contract. The A's cleared room on the 40-man roster for Gomes by designating infielder Adrian Cardenas for assignment. Gomes, 31, batted .209 with 14 home runs and 43 RBIs last year for Cincinnati and Washington.
Closer John Franco will be inducted into the New York Mets Hall of Fame before the June 3 game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Franco saved a Mets-record 276 games from 1990-04 and finished with 424 saves overall, the most by a left-hander.
First Published January 27, 2012 12:00 am
