Stark: Dodgers dealing for Blake

The Indians and Dodgers are closing in on a trade that would send third baseman/outfielder Casey Blake and cash to the Dodgers for two minor leaguers.

The two teams were in the process of tying up loose ends to the deal early Saturday. Indications are that they will complete the trade before the end of the day.

The Indians are believed to be receiving minor-league catcher Carlos Santana and right-handed pitcher Jon Meloan. Santana is currently hitting .323, with 14 homers, for Inland Empire, in the Class A California League. The hard-throwing Meloan is 5-10, with a 4.97 ERA, at Triple-A Las Vegas, but has piled up 335 strikeouts in only 262 innings in his minor-league career.

over 3 years ago TonyH 105 comments 3 recs |

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Oye como va.

by ken from alexandria on Jul 26, 2008 12:19 PM EDT reply actions 3 recs

How did this not get rec’d once? Too much giddy?

by NickFantana on Jul 26, 2008 11:28 PM EDT up reply actions

with Blake going to LA, and Carroll hurting, who is the backup infielder this weekend?

by palcal on Jul 26, 2008 12:21 PM EDT reply actions

Probably call up Like Tony Graffanino or Jorge Velandia back from Buffalo.

by Tony_O on Jul 26, 2008 12:24 PM EDT up reply actions

any official word on which prospects we’ll receive?

by JP_Frost on Jul 26, 2008 12:27 PM EDT reply actions

Here are Santana and Meloan’s B-Ref pages.

Carlos Santana

Jon Meloan

Meloan was BA’s #8 prospect for the Dodgers this year.

by TonyH on Jul 26, 2008 12:33 PM EDT reply actions

Don’t be fooled by Meloan’s stats this year. The Dodgers for some strange reason are trying to convert him to a starter while he has dominated as a reliever. Here are his stats as a reliever from 06 to 07:

108.2 IP, 63 H, 10 HR, 43 BB, 182 K, 2.15 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 15.07 K/9 (!!!!)

by JP_Frost on Jul 26, 2008 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions

His K-rates coming into this season have consistently been very very very good (35-40% K/PA), as have his K:BB numbers (4:1)

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions

Any reason why this happened? More of a organizational need? It seemed kind of strange considering how dominating his stats look as a reliever.

by painaxl on Jul 26, 2008 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, looks like Meloan was their #8 guy and Santana was their #25 guy in BA’s rankings going into the system in a system ranked 6th overall. Not that that means anything, just for reference.

by cheech99 on Jul 26, 2008 12:36 PM EDT reply actions

Andy Marte is currently knee deep in hookers and gin in celebration.

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Jul 26, 2008 12:42 PM EDT reply actions 8 recs

While Wedge has his head in his toilet hoping to find new sources of grit.

Dear Mr. Sabean, I hear you have a reputation of being stupid. Want to deal Lincecum or Cain? You can pick THREE of these 4 players for either: Borowski, Dellucci, Blake, Byrd.

by westbrook on Jul 26, 2008 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Like you will be on Wednesday night.

"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter

by Denver Tribe Fan on Jul 26, 2008 5:51 PM EDT up reply actions

Wednesday night, I will be elbow deep, good sir. Elbow deep.

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Jul 26, 2008 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Disgusting.

by joeee on Jul 28, 2008 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions

I wonder if the Indians will keep Meloan as a SP or stick him back into the bullpen. It looks like he had some success there:

For the 2007 season, Meloan began the year with Double-A Jacksonville, compiling a 5-2 record with a terrific 2.18 ERA in 35 relief appearances and notching 19 saves to be selected to the Southern League All-Star team. He won the post-season “Double-A Relief Pitcher of the Year” Award

Wedge: [letting go of Casey's hand] I'll never let go, Casey. I promise.

by cclemens31 on Jul 26, 2008 12:47 PM EDT reply actions

Just saw this too and was hoping for more details from LGTites – guess not.

Dear Mr. Sabean, I hear you have a reputation of being stupid. Want to deal Lincecum or Cain? You can pick THREE of these 4 players for either: Borowski, Dellucci, Blake, Byrd.

by westbrook on Jul 26, 2008 12:49 PM EDT reply actions

Details of the Blake for Meloan/Santana deal…

Eh.

by fleerdon on Jul 26, 2008 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions

To clarify, I’m very happy with the return. But as for the trade, it’s like Cloverfield…by the time the monster shows up, I’m just glad it’s gonna be over.

by fleerdon on Jul 26, 2008 1:27 PM EDT up reply actions

This is a fantastic metaphor.

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Jul 26, 2008 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions

in 7.1 IP with LA last seaon, Meloan gave up 9 ER and struck out 7.

Dear Mr. Sabean, I hear you have a reputation of being stupid. Want to deal Lincecum or Cain? You can pick THREE of these 4 players for either: Borowski, Dellucci, Blake, Byrd.

by westbrook on Jul 26, 2008 12:51 PM EDT reply actions

I would assume this means we can cross Lucroy off of the PTBNL list in the Sabathia deal.

by Fundamentals on Jul 26, 2008 12:54 PM EDT reply actions

I was thinking along the same lines – it’s likely down to Brantley and Green now.

The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.

by indiansfan on Jul 26, 2008 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions

in this week prospect hot sheet they talk about Carlos Santana, here is the link( he is the last player in the page, in the section of Helium Watch)

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/prospect-hot-sheet/2008/266554.html

by luifer5 on Jul 26, 2008 1:05 PM EDT reply actions

yeah…however he was regarded last year, it was for his defense behind the plate. his offense this season should make his stock rise considerably

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions

trade completed

by palcal on Jul 26, 2008 1:11 PM EDT reply actions

“Casey Blake is a gamer,” Dodgers GM Ned Colletti said.

Wedge’s message discipline pays off.

by JesseAK on Jul 26, 2008 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

that’s the kind of detail i wanted

Dear Mr. Sabean, I hear you have a reputation of being stupid. Want to deal Lincecum or Cain? You can pick THREE of these 4 players for either: Borowski, Dellucci, Blake, Byrd.

by westbrook on Jul 26, 2008 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions

No time, I’m still dealing Grady to the A’s for their entire AA affiliate.

by fleerdon on Jul 26, 2008 1:13 PM EDT reply actions 6 recs

HAHAHA!!!

by jerseywahoo on Jul 26, 2008 2:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Greeeeeeen

--
2008: let the hate flow through you.

by vbc3 on Jul 26, 2008 2:02 PM EDT up reply actions

GROVER DID NOTHING WRONG

by SuddenSam on Jul 26, 2008 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

YES HE DID

by Buckeye Brad on Jul 26, 2008 4:33 PM EDT up reply actions

I haven’t formed an opinion on the guys we received in return, but give Shapiro credit for selling high on Blake.

by JesseAK on Jul 26, 2008 1:18 PM EDT reply actions

And suddenly my faith in Shap is restored. I was worried there for a while.

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 1:24 PM EDT reply actions

Meloan is a great prospect. Age, age, age. So is Santana. I’m giddy.

I like the deal, a lot. I hope we still take LuCroy. I’m not worried about doubling up positions with guys that young. Teach one of them to play first. They can both hit for it.

by afh4 on Jul 26, 2008 1:24 PM EDT reply actions

I had no idea we were getting anybody this good for Casey.

by fleerdon on Jul 26, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

on first glance, I like it too. I happen to be of the opinion we have a fair amount of catching depth in the system, but Santana might be the one who projects most (or at least most likely) as a starter

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions

Hello APV,

I too agree with you that we have a fair to good amount of catching depth in the Minors, especially compared to most organizations, but adding a quality one like Santana is always a plus.

Just my 2 cents.

The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.

by indiansfan on Jul 26, 2008 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions

Best case scenario in not trading Blake was two compensatory draft picks. We seem to have gotten that return with the added bonus of them already being a few years along in their development. Meloan is an obvious candidate to be a major contributor next year.

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 1:36 PM EDT reply actions

We’re gonna win it all in 2010. No question.

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 1:39 PM EDT reply actions

I really need somebody to mock up a new top prospects list for me after the deadline, incorporating 2009 performance. There’s way too much data going on and it would be very helpful if somebody would just tell me what to think.

by fleerdon on Jul 26, 2008 1:42 PM EDT reply actions

maybe something like this: (n.b. this is with about 3 minutes of thought)

Laporta
Huff
Mills
Weglarz
Rondon
Miller
Hodges
Santana
Meloan
De La Cruz
Lewis

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 1:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I like it. Lot of great stuff on there.

Also, what happened to the PTBNL in the Michaels trade?

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 1:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Quite possibly up there in the 5-7 area

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions

But I mean, do we have any idea who’s on that PTBNL list?

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 2:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha, thanks, Adam.

by fleerdon on Jul 26, 2008 3:08 PM EDT up reply actions

I think I’m going to do a full minors rundown in the next couple of days, hopefully with help from Adam.

by afh4 on Jul 26, 2008 6:29 PM EDT up reply actions

That will be something to look forward to.
Its interesting how much our system has changed this year, not just w/ the trades, but with the emergence of Rondon, Huff, and DLC. You could probably add Wegz, Mills, and Hodges as guys that have solidified their status as well.

by bewwolv on Jul 26, 2008 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Super-duper. I’m looking forward to it.

by fleerdon on Jul 27, 2008 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions

Its Marte Time!!!

by Tim1122 on Jul 26, 2008 1:43 PM EDT reply actions

Marte sits tonight—book it!

by odradek on Jul 26, 2008 2:07 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

I would laugh so hard.

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Jul 26, 2008 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions

I was hoping Casey went to a better team and had a better shot at the playoffs. Nice to see we got some decent prospects for him .. no way I could have ever predicted that before the season started.

by Toxicadam on Jul 26, 2008 1:57 PM EDT reply actions

I am REALLY excited for tonight’s game.

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 2:00 PM EDT reply actions

Please tell me the Buffalo Bison are playing close by this weekend.

by jerseywahoo on Jul 26, 2008 2:03 PM EDT reply actions

As Harry Caray used to say, “They’re dancing in the streets of Cleveland, Ohio.”

by odradek on Jul 26, 2008 2:11 PM EDT reply actions

Marte is finally free and we can finally see if he was worth the campaign around here.

by DixonCayne on Jul 26, 2008 2:13 PM EDT reply actions

2008 extended instructional league is great

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions

If we had gotten our way earlier, we wouldn’t have these two awesome prospects. Um…thanks Shapiro.

by joeee on Jul 26, 2008 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Funny how teams are built, isn’t it.

by jhon on Jul 26, 2008 4:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Wedge’s plan all along. Build up Blake for a better return.

HIRE WEDGE!!

by Buckeye Brad on Jul 26, 2008 4:36 PM EDT up reply actions

You guys completely screwed us. Congratulations.

Co-Author Of The Fourth Most Popular NL West Based Blog On SBN

by Andrew on Jul 26, 2008 2:23 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs

Thank you. Many happy returns.

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Jul 26, 2008 2:25 PM EDT up reply actions

You guys are mean. To me, this actually looks like a decent deal for both teams. Dodgers are currently FIFTEENTH in OPS in the NL and one game out of first in the disastrous NL West.

Nice work, Shap.

"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter

by Denver Tribe Fan on Jul 26, 2008 2:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Whoops. Just re-read this and realized Andrew is a Dodgers blogger. My mistake. Adam, YOU’RE mean.

"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter

by Denver Tribe Fan on Jul 26, 2008 5:50 PM EDT up reply actions

It’s posts like this that make it all worthwhile.

Free Andy Marte!

Pronk Needs You

by woodsmeister on Jul 26, 2008 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions

Dude, you got CASEY BLAKE. He hits like .550/.620/.999 with runners in scoring position. He’s super clutch! Derek Jeter without the rings, if you will.

by Buckeye Brad on Jul 26, 2008 4:39 PM EDT up reply actions

EEYEAHH!!!

by Tim1122 on Jul 26, 2008 2:25 PM EDT reply actions

Didn’t know Howard Dean was a Tribe fan.

by fleerdon on Jul 26, 2008 3:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Santana

Hey guys…first time posting on here. I am an athletic training intern for the High A team for the Padres. Ive seen Santana play what feels like a million times since he crushes our pitching. This guy is a legit hitter and i thought it weird that he wasnt in the lineup last night. At times they would DH him 2 or 3 times in a 4 game series but is developing into a good catcher when out there. The guy hits…and hits plenty and i think this is a much better version of max ramirez in an athletic way.

by tribefaninCA on Jul 26, 2008 2:51 PM EDT reply actions 5 recs

Awesome news – welcome. It’s nice to hear from someone who’s actually seen him play.

Free Andy Marte!

Pronk Needs You

by woodsmeister on Jul 26, 2008 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions

Great. thanks for the info!

by Buckeye Brad on Jul 26, 2008 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Hello tribefaninCA,

Thanks for the info. – that’s very good to hear from someone who has seen him play!

The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.

by indiansfan on Jul 26, 2008 5:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Alright – props to Casey for having a fantastic season and netting us such a steal.

by joeee on Jul 26, 2008 2:52 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Seconded. We can all stop ragging on him now that he plays for someone else.

by still ill on Jul 26, 2008 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions

I want to see him do well! I HATED him earlier in the year – but as Ryan said, it was misplaced blame. I seriously hope he continues to hit and get a decent deal after this year.

by joeee on Jul 26, 2008 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah same here. Good luck Casey.

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions

Just so long as that decent deal is not with us.

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Jul 26, 2008 3:01 PM EDT up reply actions

Haha exactly

by joeee on Jul 26, 2008 3:36 PM EDT up reply actions

Comments from the peanut gallery at Cleveland.com busting on Hoynsie for getting beat on this story by ESPN.

by odradek on Jul 26, 2008 2:53 PM EDT reply actions

Didn’t he get beat on the CC trade as well?

Free Andy Marte!

Pronk Needs You

by woodsmeister on Jul 26, 2008 2:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, but he might have been on a flight back from Minneapolis when it happened. Though Castrovince was able to report on it.

by odradek on Jul 26, 2008 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions

Just when you thought Kinston couldn’t become any more interesting to watch, here come HDLC and Santana.

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 3:00 PM EDT reply actions

I hope Santana plays well enough that he’s promoted within a month or. I’d like to see him log some time at AA before the year is over.

by fleerdon on Jul 26, 2008 3:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Hello Mario,

By “HDLC,” do you mean Hector (Rondon) + (Kelvin) De La Cruz, or did you mean to put “KDLC”? Just wondering. :-)

The "cream of the crop" doesn't always rise to the top.

by indiansfan on Jul 26, 2008 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah yeah, my finger slipped on the keyboard. You wait until your next typo, Joe. I’ll be giving you my two cents alright.

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 5:30 PM EDT up reply actions

hell yeah

by Gradyforpresident on Jul 26, 2008 3:03 PM EDT reply actions

We give Blake a lot of grief, but he’s had a pretty solid and unexpected run with the Indians. Not a bad acquisition at all. Here’s his final line in Cleveland:

2981 AB
794 H
435 R
417 RBI
183 2B
9 3B
116 HR
281 BB
648 K

.266 BA
.337 OBP
.450 SLG

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 3:12 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Hallelujah, hallelujah! Thank God we are free at last!

Words do not do justice to my hatred for Boston sports teams.

by FaustosSinkingFastball on Jul 26, 2008 3:13 PM EDT reply actions

So do Laffey and Ginter both stay for the time being then, since this opens up the 25-man spot for Fausto?

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 3:14 PM EDT reply actions

Laffey was sent down, per the PD. Also, Tribe trades for Anthony Reyes and assigns him to Buffalo, per the PD.

by Fundamentals on Jul 26, 2008 3:16 PM EDT up reply actions

woah…we get former top prospect Reyes for next to nothing (Luis Perdomo). Reyes may just be a bust, but he was thought of extremely highly just a few years ago. I like it.

by APV on Jul 26, 2008 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions

Plus, he won a WS with the Cardinals. So he’s a Proven Winner.

by Buckeye Brad on Jul 26, 2008 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t understand how Dodgers’ fans are upset about this.

Blake DeWitt 2008 OPS : .688

Andy LaRoche 2008 OPS : .641

Nomar Garciaparra 2008 OPS: .815

Casey Blake 2008 OPS : .830

For most of 2008, the Dodgers have had replacement-level production from 3B. As a poster on the ESPN comments section pointed out, Blake is now first (!) among all qualified Dodgers hitters in OPS+ with 119. You could say he’s just having a career year, but from 2004 until now, Blake has been regularly posting OPS numbers between 100 and 120, so his 2008 production can’t really be categorized as an anomoly. He’s just a durable, slightly above-average offensive ML player who is made even more valuable by his versatility. What’s not to like?

by Cap'n Snegiryov on Jul 26, 2008 3:16 PM EDT reply actions

Wait, has Sowers been sent down?

Words do not do justice to my hatred for Boston sports teams.

by FaustosSinkingFastball on Jul 26, 2008 3:19 PM EDT reply actions

Bulletin: St. Louis trades Reyes to Indians

by palcal on Jul 26, 2008 3:22 PM EDT reply actions

Anthony Reyes – relief pitcher

by palcal on Jul 26, 2008 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, check the fanshots.

by supermarioelia on Jul 26, 2008 3:25 PM EDT up reply actions

most recently, 11 starts at Memphis, 2-3, 3.25 ERA

by palcal on Jul 26, 2008 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Set your Tivos for Aug 15,16, and 17 to see if Blake gets a chance to hit off CC. Milwaukee travels to LA that weekend. I really hope that they face off against one another.

Also, I’m a big fan of trading all our guys to the NL so I do not have to start hating them.

by obobcatu on Jul 26, 2008 3:36 PM EDT reply actions