SAN DIEGO — Mothers know best. Ramona Jimenez followed her intuition Saturday. Her son, Ubaldo Jimenez, the greatest pitcher in Rockies’ history, was worried about his future. He wasn’t sleeping well of late, his nerves were frayed.

So, she jumped on a plane to San Diego to comfort him. The end of his Rockies’ career was near, she figured, leaving her son to wait for the tap on the shoulder or tweet on the Internet that his days with the Rockies were over.

“I was prepared for this. I was praying they would do something one way or the other,” Jimenez said Saturday evening. “Then I started getting calls and messages on Facebook. I guess I was the last to (officially) know.”

The Rockies traded their ace to Cleveland for four players, including top pitching prospects Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, pending Jimenez passing a physical today. The Rockies will also receive Double-A sinkerballer Joe Gardner and utilityman Matt McBride. Pomeranz can’t be officially announced as part of the trade until Aug. 15 on the one-year anniversary of his signing.

Jimenez’s final appearance with the Rockies was a forgettable four-run first inning, after which he was removed from the game and hugged his teammates.

“This was a very difficult decision for us to make, but our focus with this deal was to make our team better in the very near future and we feel like we were able to do that in this situation,” general manager Dan O’Dowd said. “We believe the timing of this deal also allowed us to maximize the value we were able to get in return.”

What began as a way to motivate their ace grew into serious trade discussions over the past two weeks as the Rockies fell out of contention. The Rockies found themselves in a tough spot. The team has been a colossal disappointment and Jimenez offered a way for O’Dowd to restock a farm system nearly barren of top starting pitcher candidates. In the end, their need for more players outweighed their desire to keep an ace who was under contract through 2014 at $17.95 million.

“It’s hard to see Ubaldo go, obviously. But this doesn’t mean we are throwing in the towel,” shortstop Troy Tulo-witzki said. “I know some of the guys we are getting back, and they have a chance to help us too.”

Jimenez left San Diego on Saturday night and will have the physical today. There have been no red flags with his arm — his injuries this year involved a thumb cuticle and right groin/hip flexor — so there’s no reason to believe the deal will collapse. It has been a whirlwind for Jimenez since his name first appeared in trade rumors at the All-Star Game.

“This is the only organization I have every known. They gave me the opportunity,” Jimenez said. “It’s been hard. You know it’s a business. That’s the fun part about being traded to a team like this because right now they’re in a good position. They’re fighting for first place. As a player that’s all you can ask.”

Pomeranz and White are the keys to the deal for the Rockies. Pomeranz, who pitched at the University of Mississippi, was the fifth overall pick in last year’s draft. He’s a left-hander who throws 94 mph. He projects as the top-of-the-rotation starter.

White, a University of North Carolina product, has already reached the big leagues, going 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in three starts. He’s currently on the disabled list with an injury to his right middle finger. He was scheduled to make a rehab start Saturday before being scratched when the deal was being completed.

“It’s hard. We all know what kind of talent Ubaldo has. But at the same time, we know that we have to get better as a team,” said outfielder Carlos Gonzalez, who has been part of two monster trades in his career. “You hope Ubaldo will have success and we will get better from it.”

Jimenez became stressed by the trade rumors over the past week and the irresponsible attacks on his character from media outlets. The trade was not officially completed before the national anthem, so Rockies manager Jim Tracy made the decision to let Jimenez start. It was predictably ugly and awkward, as he allowed four runs and had almost no control.

“I couldn’t even throw a strike because I didn’t have my mind on the game,” Jimenez said. “I couldn’t focus.”

Jimenez admitted Friday that he should have participated in winter ball to get his arm ready for spring training. He didn’t because his team, Licey, wasn’t in the playoffs. He also acknowledged that pitching with a hip flexor injury in March was a mistake and compromised his preparation for the regular season.

As the trade proposals came in — namely from the Reds, Yankees and Red Sox — the Rockies became intrigued.

Getting pitching prospects, however, is always a gamble because there is little predictability of performance at altitude. Teammates also felt like Jimenez needed a fresh start. He wasn’t himself this season. He’s 10-16 with a 4.18 ERA since the all-star break last season. But there’s never been a Rockies pitcher like him.

“I understand what we are doing with this,” Tracy said, his voice cracking, “but it doesn’t make it simple to say goodbye to this man.”

Troy E. Renck: 303-954-1301 or trenck@denverpost.com

The newest Rockies

A look at the prospects the Rockies acquired from Cleveland, with a breakdown from Keith Law, scouting expert for ESPN.com.

Alex White, RHP, 6-3, 195, 22 years old

Indians’ first-round pick in 2009 from University of North Carolina; ACC pitcher of the year in 2008; last year he was second in organization in ERA (2.45) and victories. 2011: 4-0 with 1.90 ERA in four starts at Triple-A.

Law: Fastball/splitter pitcher. He hasn’t found a consistent breaking ball. If he starts, he’s a potential No. 2 type. Otherwise, shutdown closer with the out pitch of a splitter.

Drew Pomeranz, LHP, 6-5, 230, 22

First-round selection in 2010 from Ole Miss, SEC pitcher of the year, 139 strikeouts ranked third in Division I. 2011: 0-1, 2.57 ERA in three games at Double-A; 3-2, 1.87 ERA in 15 games at High-A.

Law: Participated in Futures Game. Throws 90-94 mph with some more in the tank; above-average curveball, improved changeup, cleaned up his arm action since college. He might never be a command guy, but he could have three above-average pitches and he has good size.

Joe Gardner, RHP, 6-5, 225, 23

Third-round 2009 selection from UC-Santa Barbara, first in organization in 2010 in wins (13), strikeouts (142) and fourth in ERA (2.75). 2011: 7-8, 4.99 ERA in 19 starts at Double-A.

Law: Generates a ton of groundballs. Good extra guy in the deal.

Matt McBride, C/1B, 6-2, 215, 26

2006 second-rounder from Lehigh, Baseball America in spring of 2008 named him fifth-best catching prospect. Missed half of 2008 season after shoulder surgery. 2011: .156 average, 1 HR, 3 RBIs in 12 games at Triple-A; .297, 14-53 in 84 games at Double-A.

Law: A throw-in bat. (He has versatility as catcher, first baseman and outfielder).

Washington Post Writer’s Group