Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was arrested in his native country of the Dominican Republic on Thursday after being accused of using a false identity. Authorities claim that Carmona's real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia and that he is 31-years-old, not 28 as he had previously claimed. He has now been released on bail as Dominican authorities investigate his alleged use of a false identity to play baseball in the U.S.

Carmona apologized to fans, his team, and the U.S. government as he left the jail. He was released on Friday by Judge Kevla Perez on $13,000 bail. He has been ordered to check in with prosecutors as their investigation continues.

So what does this all mean for the Indians? The club is more than likely following closely the situation with the Miami Marlins and pitcher Leo Nunez, who was outed as using a false identity. Nunez was found to be Juan Carlos Oviedo. He is currently on MLB's restricted list, and is stuck in the Dominican Republic without a visa to return to the U.S. The Marlins splashed out $27 million on a new closer, Heath Bell, a sign that they are either not expecting Oviedo back or will release him if he does return.

Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona was arrested in the Dominican Republic on Thursday for allegedly using a false identity. Officials in his home country are contesting his real name and birth date.

According to police spokesman Maximo Baez Avbar, Carmon was arrested in Santo Domingo outside the U.S. consulate where he'd gone to renew his visa. Carmona has been in the Dominican Republic to play winter ball in preparation to report to the Indians' spring training camp in Goodyear, Arizona, next month.

Avbar says that Carmona's real name is Roberto Hernandez Heredia and that he is 31 years old. That's three years older than he claimed. The Indians list his birthday as being December 7, 1983 in their 2011 media guide.

Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti said of the situation:

“We were recently made aware of the situation that occurred today in the Dominican Republic and are currently in the process of gathering information. We are not prepared to make any additional comment at this time.”

Meanwhile, Carmona's agent Jay Alou said that he was caught-off guard by the arrest and noted that there are Dominican lawyers working on his behalf. Alou added:

According to Dutch police, Seattle Mariners outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death, and his brother was arrested as a suspect.

A spokesperson for the Rotterdam Police said that police were called out to a home in the Dutch port city early Monday morning. Upon arrival, police found Halman bleeding from a stab wound and were unsuccessful in their attempts to resuscitate him.

Officers arrested Halman's 22-year-old brother. His name has not been released, keeping in accordance with Dutch privacy rules. The brother is being questioned by police.

Halman, 24, played in 44 games over the past two seasons with the Mariners, hitting .207 with 2 home runs and six RBIs. Halman is a native of the Netherlands.

On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced a major change to how the playoffs will operate. An additional wild card team will be added to each league, which would then create a one-game playoff at the end of the regular season, with the victor moving on.

Commissioner Bud Selig made the announcement after the owners' meetings were finished. He said:

“It’s an extra playoff game. The one criticism we’ve had is that we didn’t put enough on winning the division. Now we have. Now we have in a big way."

It's not clear when the new format will go into effect. Selig says that it could go into effect as early as the 2012 season, but it might not happen until 2013.

Selig believes that the extra wild cards will add a little excitement to the game:

“The addition of two wild cards will really help us in the long run; people are really excited about it. Like everything else in life, you’ve got to take the long run when you look at it."

The commissioner said that all of the members of the 14-member committee was in favor of a one-game playoff rather than alternative options like the best of three.

The World Series ended, and Major League Baseball is officially in off-season. The Cleveland Indians, however, are not resting on their laurels. The Tribe's front office has already been busy making moves that will alter next year's line-up: they decided to waive Grady Sizemore's $9 million contract option for 2012, opted to pick up Fausto Carmona's option for next season, and have acquired right-handed pitcher Derek Lowe via trade with Atlanta.

Indians GM Chris Antonetti visited Arizona last week to tell Sizemore the news. The Indians have not officially closed the door to his return, but aren't willing to keep him at the option price. Over the course of the next couple of days, Sizemore and the Indians will keep talking as they still hold exclusive negotiating rights. Antonetti is not expecting any agreement to be reached this week, and if an agreement cannot be reached eventually, Sizemore will become a free agent where he will be sure to have his choice of new teams.

Jim Thome, who started his Major League Baseball career in Cleveland, was claimed off waivers by the Indians just one week after hitting his 600th career home run with the Minnesota Twins. The Indians and the Twins have until 1pm ET Friday to agree on a deal.

It had been rumored that the Chicago White Sox were interested in claiming Thome, if only to block the Indians from getting him, however, manager Ken Williams did not make a move for the left-handed slugger.

Thome is currently hitting .248 with 12 home runs and 40 RBIs. His contract includes a no-trade clause that could veto the trade. Thome would reportedly prefer to join the Philadelphia Phillies.

With Travis Hafner potentially out for the season with a foot injury, the Tribe is in the market for a power hitter. Thome is a familiar face to Indians fans, having been drafted by Cleveland in 1989, and playing 12 seasons (1991 to 2002) with the team. Thome hit a franchise record of 334 home runs while with the Indians.

The Indians are currently six games behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central Division.

Alex Rodriguez is now under investigation by Major League Baseball for allegedly participating in illegal poker games, an anonymous MLB executive revealed to ESPN. This investigation stems from a report published on RadarOnline.com that claimed the Yankee played in at least two underground games at a record executive's mansion in Beverly Hills.

The RadarOnline.com report claimed that Rodriguez, 36, was at one game that involved people openly using cocaine and a fight over one player not wanting to hand over his $500,000 in losses.

Six years ago, Rodriguez had already received warnings from the New York Yankees organization and MLB commissioner Bud Selig about his participation in underground poker games. The anonymous source says that Selig is "fed up" with A-Rod.

On Wednesday, Sports Illustrated reported that Selig is intending to interview Rodriguez himself about the latest allegations. Should the investigation confirm Rodriguez's participation in the illegal poker games, he could be facing a suspension from MLB.

Rodriguez was mostly investigated by MLB in June, when the league looked into his contact with a cousin who was banned from the team for his role in the player's using performance enhancing drugs in 2003.

The Cleveland Indians executed a blockbuster trade on Saturday evening, acquiring Colorado Rockies ace Ubaldo Jimenez just ahead of the trade deadline. In exchange for Jimenez, the Tribe will give up their top two pitching prospects, Alex White and Joe Gardner, along with first basemen/outfielder Matt McBride and a player to be named later.

The "player to be named later" is pitching prospect Drew Pomeranz, however the left-handed pitcher is not officially eligible to be traded until August 15 because he was drafted last June.

Jimenez, the starting pitcher for the National League in the 2010 All-Star Game, has been considered one of the top names on the market this trade season. The Yankees and Red Sox expressed interest in Jimenez, however, he ultimately had more value to the Indians.

On Thursday, the Cleveland Indians acquired Cubs outfielder Kosuke Fukudome in exchange for two prospects. $48Abrner Abreu, an outfielder, and Carlton Smith, a left-handed pitcher, are both headed to Chicago.

So far this season Fukudome, a left-handed hitter, is hitting .273 (80 for 293), including three homeruns and 13 RBIs. The 34-year-old also has 46 walks, 57 strikeouts and a .742 OPS.

Major League Baseball had to approve how the two teams pay the remainder of Fukudome's $13.5 million salary for this season. There is $4.7 million left on the deal. The Indians will pay $775,000 on it, while the Cubs will pay the rest. Fukudome is in his final year of a $48 million, four-year deal with the Cubs.

Fukudome is likely to start in right field for the Indians as Shin-Soo Choo is on the disabled list with a broken thumb after being hit by a pitch on June 24.

Abreu, 22, is hitting .243 (82-for-377) with 16 doubles, five triples, 12 homers, 34 RBI and 42 runs for Class A Kinston. He's a 6-3, 182-pound outfielder. Smith, 25, is 2-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 34 games at Class AAA Columbus. Smith is 6-1 and 219 pounds, and has been in the Indians system for seven years.

Over the weekend, Derek Jeter hit his 3,000th hit, but when Major League Baseball's best gathered for the All-Star Game, the Yankees' slugger was nowhere to be found, and not everyone is pleased with his decision.

An official with MLB says that the league is hoping Jeter would fly out on Tuesday and at least appear on the field during player introductions, tip his cap, and then go home to New York. The official added:

"This could have been a celebration of his 3,000th hit. He didn't have to play."

Several players also disagree with Jeter's decision. Lance Berkman, a teammate of Jeter's last season, commented:

"I don't think it's my place to speak for others. But for me, personally, if you get selected to be here you have an obligation. You gotta be here. If you can go, you gotta go."

Carlos Beltran also chimed in:

"I do believe, as a ballplayer, if you have no injuries, you should be here. The fans are the ones that vote for you and want to see you here."

Major league sources say that even Joe Torre couldn't talk Jeter into showing up, as the Yankees' captain decided to take three days to himself.