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Around SBN: Jerry Sandusky's Wife Tries To Run A Reporter Over

Tribe Signs Casey Blake

Here's the Plain Dealer's report:

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2008/02/indians_sign_casey_blake_to_on.html

What I want to add is:

My wish for the Tribe is to be able to pull every bit of talent out of every player as well as they have pulled the talent out of Casey Blake.

Like his RISP numbers or not, you've got to admit that Blake has been a workhorse for the Tribe these past five years, a solid player and a good teammate. He has certainly helped form the gritty complexion of this team and I assume that's what's he's cashing in on with this, his largest contract.

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Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
At least it was only a one-year deal.
"Hey, you! Get off our lawn!" -- New Detroit Tigers Team Motto

Pronk Needs You

by woodsmeister on Feb 1, 2008 11:07 AM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
i'm a big blake appologist.  i just love the injury protection he provides for lots of just-in-case scenarios.

we may waste a roster spot on our LF platoon or like the end of last year with barfield, gomez and drubs all on the roster at the same time, but it's because casey can do more in a pinch.

i bet it saves us some options and service time on some guys too, not having to shuffle guys up and down as much when you want to DFA a mike rouse or put marte on the DL.  not to mention you don't have to run out and trade for a stop-gap when you've got Casey Stop-Gap Blake on the roster.

by Brick. on Feb 1, 2008 11:36 AM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
with barfield, gomez and drubs all on the roster at the same time

It's really Carroll who solves this problem for us.

i bet it saves us some options and service time on some guys too

Not really.  For a guy already on the 40-man, you burn an option for that year the minute you send him down to Buffalo on March 31.  The only way an option gets burned unnecessarily is if (a) you send a guy down who could have stayed in the majors all year, as we avoided with Barfield last year, or (b) you're forced to add a guy to the 40-man in order to promote him for only a brief time.

(a) is covered by the Carroll signing.  (b) is hard to imagine with so many guys already on the 40-man, including Gutierrez, Francisco, Choo, Snyder, Marte, Aubrey.  So if you want to preserve options, at this point, the better way to do it would be to reduce our depth in this area.

by Jay on Feb 1, 2008 11:45 AM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
well, we just got carroll.  so he didn't solve it last year.  so i guess he's less valuable now than last year when like marte went down.  blake allowed you not to have to start rouse and deal with the roster implications of adding rouse/ginter/prospect. all force you to remove someone else.  if you do the prospect -your (b)- you have to option him later -your (a)- when marte is healthy and back starting.

so, we've got carroll now so casey's versatility is useless?

by Brick. on Feb 1, 2008 12:04 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
No, that's not how I meant it.  Casey provides better depth at 3B than Carroll, who would not be a reasonable option to play there every day for more than a few weeks.

My point was that Carroll provides real depth at all the key defensive infield positions, effectively replacing both Gomez and Barfield on the 25-man and, if necessary, on the 40-man.  We had Blake last season and still needed to add Gomez; not so with Carroll.

Blake's versatility is useful because we have a glut of outfielders, some of whom can be stashed in Buffalo.  If you start Blake in the outfield, you have great depth at all four corner spots plus CF, by shifting guys around.  If you start Blake in the infield, you're not improving the depth at all, you're just giving AB to Dellichaels that should be going to Marte.

by Jay on Feb 1, 2008 12:42 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
We had Blake last season and still needed to add Gomez; not so with Carroll.

That's a great point.

And I guess this always goes back to Marte needs to be starting.  I'd love to see 1 left fielder on the roster instead of 2, Marte start, Blake bounce around and just go ahead and play with a 24-man roster all year.

by Brick. on Feb 1, 2008 1:25 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
This is kind of non-news.  It was too late to non-tender him, and it wouldn't have been smart anyway.  This is just avoiding the arbitration hearing, he basically was already signed.

For those who want to see Blake gone, this news is neither positive nor negative.  As a free agent, he would have gotten at least $6 million annually for 2-3 seasons.  With this deal, he's at his most tradeable.

by Jay on Feb 1, 2008 11:39 AM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
what the heck is that streak at now, like a decade?

by Brick. on Feb 1, 2008 11:41 AM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Anyone know who the last Indian to go to arbitration was?

by painaxl on Feb 1, 2008 11:56 AM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Greg Swindell and Jerry Browne, both in 1991.
Sizemore-Shapiro 2008. The Official Red Bull of Let's Go Tribe Game Threads.

by Gradyforpresident on Feb 1, 2008 12:02 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Is it crueler to Blake or to us as fans that the box score for Game 7 is shown on that Web page?

by JulioBernazard on Feb 1, 2008 12:20 PM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
I was wondering about that the other day, it's kind of disgusting actually.  I bet Hoynsie loves the fact that it's still up though.  

by Pronk33 on Feb 1, 2008 8:32 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
I'm not sure if I'm angry about this or not, but ESPN says that Casey "broke in with the Cincinnatti Reds".  What those 10 ABs with the Tribe don't count?
"the most vehement Yankee-hating guy I know" - Jay

by mauichuck on Feb 1, 2008 1:41 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
I would agree with Dear Leader's assessment, because 10 ABs is like Moonlight Graham territory.

by emd2k3 on Feb 1, 2008 1:57 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Props to Casey for not being an a-hole and holding out for a 2nd (or 3rd) year.

Team player through and through. I am rooting for him this year.

by Toxicadam on Feb 1, 2008 2:50 PM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Was this a joke?  I'm not sure which Casey you're even talking about, but neither one was in a position to "hold out" for a longer deal.

by Jay on Feb 1, 2008 3:29 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
"There are no performance incentives in the contract, but Blake can earn $100,000 for being named MVP..."

by FranklinScott on Feb 1, 2008 3:35 PM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Should have made it $1 million for the MVP.  There's a check any owner can write with a smile.

by Jay on Feb 1, 2008 3:49 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Glad to hear. Casey deserves it. I'm a Blake apologist and proud of it.

by Voltaire on Feb 1, 2008 4:15 PM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
I am, in my own way, also a Blake apologist.  I like having him on the team and even in the lineup most days.  I like about everything I know about him, at a distance of hundreds of miles.

Where I depart from the Indians' (apparent) line of thinking is when liking a mediocre player keeps you from developing and exploiting young talent, more or less indefinitely.  In a rebuilding year, Marte might have been in the majors to start 2006.  Instead, he was held at Buffalo to work out some mechanical issues, yes, but mostly in deference to Aaron Boone and to suppress his service time a little.

Then, in 2007, he basically lost his job to an injury, which is something you'd never do to a veteran.  (Hell, they demoted Carmona in May out of deference to Jeremy Sowers, hard to believe in retrospect.)  Basically, they deferred to Blake and Nixon -- from May through July, Blake got about 350 PA and Nixon got about 250, while Marte got nada, nothing, zippo.  At some point you gotta ask, was that really necessary?

I mean, seriously, Francisco got more big-league time last year than Marte.  Nixon, Dellucci, Michaels, Asdrubal, Barfield, Shoppach, they all got more chances -- even Chris Gomez came damned close.

What was my point?  Oh, yeah, I like Blake.  But he's a role player.  And I don't like any role player enough for us to never bother finding out if this Marte guy can just give us three years of replacement level production on a minimum salary.  Is that too much to ask?

by Jay on Feb 1, 2008 8:02 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
i'm the same.  love blake.  as depth and versatility only.  not as a one-position starter.  1/2 of a platoon - sound fine to me.  bench player who can start if there's an injury - Great!.  super utility - Fabulous!.  starting 3B while Marte runs his clock out - not so much.

by Brick. on Feb 1, 2008 9:34 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Jay, I know this is somewhat of a hot button issue with you regarding Marte, and I've taken the opposing view in the past.  Not trying to put words in your mouth but let's see if I can summarize this somewhat.

You contend Marte lost his starting job to injury and wasn't given an opportunity while others contend that Marte may not be the long term answer at 3B.  While Marte was on the DL, Blake stepped in and did a decent job; that is something I think we can all agree on.

Maybe Wedge/Shapiro/Antoinetti looked at the situation in late April/early May of last year and decided they'd rather have a veteran who they knew was solid (not spectacular in any way - but solid) manning 3B rather than a rookie just coming off an injury and likely pressing to produce.

Maybe the aforementioned brain trust decided that they had a potential championship caliber team and they felt Marte would do better in Buffalo where the pressure was less.  Maybe they thought he would find his stroke in Buffalo and they were open to bringing him back once he got back in the groove.  

IMO, Marte never really did catch fire at Buffalo and the Indians were winning so they probably just decided that there was no need to rock the boat.

Back in spring training of last year, there were comments in this forum to the effect that Marte looked as though he lacked confidence at the plate, and also looked shaky in the field.  I attended quite a few games last spring (as I will do again this year) and saw Marte make several errors where it appeared he was a bit unsure of whether to charge in for a grounder or wait back.    Granted, this is something that you "feel" as you watch a player and can't really be proven by a random fan.  Marte has always been regarded as an excellent defensive player so when I saw this it surprised me.

Several questions:

Is it fair to make assessments on young players in spring training to the effect that it determines whether they make the opening day roster ?  Is it fair to use spring training performances to decide how much playing time they'll receive once the season starts ?

In spite of Marte struggling last spring, he DID make the opening day roster and in fact was the starter at 3B until he was injured.  I think his not coming back to Cleveland after coming off the DL was more a function of management being comfortable with the veteran Blake.  If Marte would have gone to Buffalo and tore the cover off the ball, I don't think there's much doubt that he would have been recalled and given the opportunity.  

All this said, I hope Marte comes out this spring and tears it up and gets the starting job.  It would make the Indians a better team.  Will it happen ?  Only time will tell.

by SpringTrainingFun on Feb 2, 2008 10:52 AM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
I think it's important to differentiate between Spring Training performance and Spring Training numbers.

The numbers can be distorted by small sample size, and by the variable level of competition.  The numbers record outcomes, but not context (hits vs. minor leaguers, hits vs. rehabbing TJ survivors, wind-aided homers, etc.)

So, it's not terribly worthwhile for most of us to read much into Spring Training numbers; but it's essential for the front office to evaluate the numbers in their context.

by CaptainEasy on Feb 2, 2008 12:48 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
I think your basic premise is essentially correct -- that Marte's lack of opportunity in 2007 was almost entirely about being comfortable with Blake and not really about Marte.  It is however important to recognize that after May, Blake was merely serviceable at 3B and nothing more.  The problem the Indians faced, however, was that Marte was a greater risk to be "sub-serviceable" at least for a month or two once he came back.  (Echoing the draft discussion, by mid-May, Marte's risk was higher than his reward in terms of the 2007 season alone.)

I think it also was in large part about an offense that already had significant holes developing at three positions, LF RF 2B, and no obvious solutions in sight.  Given that reality, the Indians probably felt they couldn't afford to be patient while Marte put up a 550 OPS for a month or two.

I also think they swallowed hard before cashing in that last option year on Marte.

The point being, they had two option years to spend on Marte, and they've spent them.  They spent them because they could afford the luxury of going with short-term security over the long-term value of an asset.  They made the choice to give Boone another go and spend an option.  They made the choice to stick with the safe choice in Blake and spend that last option.  And I don't necessarily disagree with those choices, either.  But there are no more options now, and the Indians need to do the right thing.

What we are looking at here is the difference between Brandon Phillips and Jeremy Guthrie.  With Guthrie, the Indians got blindsided -- they more or less had no choice but to dump him, when you consider the other guys they gave opportunities to at the end of 2006 and retained for 2007 -- live-armed guys like J.D. and Fernando, just to give the worst possible examples.

But not so with Phillips, who, like Marte, hadn't done anything to impress people in two seasons at Buffalo.  Phillips wasn't DFA'ed in favor of toolsy guys, he was DFA'ed in favor of Ramon Vazquez, despite Vazquez's utter lack of long-term value, despite Phillips' having been scouted as a premier talent, and despite Phillips' having achieved everything short of major league success.

Does this sound familiar?  Blake obviously is more valuable than Vazquez, but he similarly does not have significant long-term value to the club.  Marte's history as an elite prospect, early success in the minors and early struggles in the majors are almost harrowingly comparable to Phillips'.  In Phillips' case, the potential value of the asset was overlooked in favor of some vague personality preference, which may or may not be unfair to the player but is almost certainly stupid regardless.

In short, everybody who still howls about giving away Phillips ought to be howling about giving Marte a starting job.  Before we give another stalled top prospect away, this time let's make sure we know what kind of talent we've really got.  That will take 500 PA's this season, and there are no more options.

by Jay on Feb 2, 2008 5:25 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
All true, but to be fair, they went with short term security and came 1 game from going to the World Series.

This argument falls apart a bit when you remember that Blake hit into what was essentially a season-ending and soul-killing double play.

Maybe Marte does the same thing overall this season (meaning the good things Blake provided, not so much with the soul-killing), but the Tribe apparently thought that Blake provided them a better chance to get deeper last year.  It'd be nice now to not have our hand forced in terms of Marte's playing time and options, but I wouldn't trade what happened last year at this point.

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Feb 3, 2008 11:42 AM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
i thought higher of MS than this.

blah

by Freneau on Feb 1, 2008 10:33 PM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Should you guys be trying to restore Kansas City's innocence or extending Reggie Sanders about now?

by gte619n on Feb 2, 2008 4:20 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Split down down the middle ... just as I guessed previously. One bids high, the other bids low ... settle in the middle.

by talonk on Feb 3, 2008 1:40 AM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
There have been so many posts about Blake justifying his presence due to his versatility and moderate price tag over the years. IMO all that reasoning went out the window with this signing. Marte insurance policies shouldnt run $6M. And we shouldnt be thinking about taking PA's away from Marte this year. We have a boat load of young talented OF's, so every PA for Blake prevents other young players with upside from developing. This signing is money wasted. Yeah, sure, I take him back for $2M, but not this.

by elsandito on Feb 3, 2008 9:12 AM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
And while I agree that Blake isn't worth $6M ... it is the economics part of the game the Tribe must play/pay. The first three years when Blake was playing 3rd and RF and putting up league avg OPS, we payed him barely $1M/season.

Think of it as a reward for past perfomances and be glad he didn't get an extension. He'll surely be gone next season.

by talonk on Feb 3, 2008 11:23 AM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Just to be clear, this was not Blake's signing.  We signed Blake back on December 10 or whatever when we offered him a contract for 2008 -- an offer he was required to accept.  Our alternative was releasing him, and of course he could have been or could still be traded at any point in that process.

This was just agreeing on a specific salary, and the team already knew the approximate salary back when he was tendered a contract.

You overestimate the kinds of guys who make $2 million -- Michaels, Carroll, they make $2 million.  Blake is a more valuable player than those two.  Had we non-tendered Blake, we could not have found someone comparable to take a one-year deal -- Dellucci got three years and $11.5 million.  Does that seem like a better deal to you?

So we are paying a premium for the certainty of having Blake and the luxury of only being committeed for one year.  But Blake clearly is a $4 million player.

Also!  Blake is not just insurance for Marte, he provides reasonable production certainty in the outfield as well.  We don't really know how healthy Dellucci is, and not one of our "talented" young outfielders save Gutierrez should be considered a lock for healthy, replacement level performance.

by Jay on Feb 3, 2008 2:40 PM EST up reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
I assume that with Blake, trade is still an option, even with his new contract level.

by ploni on Feb 5, 2008 12:27 PM EST reply actions  

Re: Tribe Signs Casey Blake
Sure, the Indians could trade him tomorrow if they wanted to. There's nothing in the MLB bylaws that say that they can't, and a $6M contract isn't that much to most MLB clubs.

by Ryan on Feb 5, 2008 12:34 PM EST up reply actions  

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