Daily Tribe News/Playoffs Thread: October 10, 2011

by Ryan on Oct 10, 2011 7:01 AM EDT in News

Prince Fielder's two-run homer was a key blow in Milwaukee's win over St. Louis in Game One of the NLCS.

St. Louis Cardinals at Milwaukee Brewers - October 9, 2011 | MLB.com MIL Recap
The Brewers scored six runs in the fifth inning to take the lead, and never looked back. The big blows were two two-run homers, one Prince Fielder and the other by Yuniesky Betancourt. Betancourt had a typical (read: bad) season at the plate in 2011, but he's hit very well thus far in the postseason.

Detroit Tigers lose Magglio Ordonez to broken ankle for rest of postseason: ALCS Insider | cleveland.com
The Tigers have lost two of their outfielders in the last several days. First, Delmon Young after he injured his oblique in Game 5 of the ALDS, and now Magglio Ordonez is out for the rest of the playoffs with a broken ankle.

Twitter / @Buster_ESPN: Reds prepared to listen to offers for Votto
Although this is a rumor, this winter would be the time for the Reds to deal the 2010 NL MVP. Votto is a free agent after the 2013 season, and the Reds have a replacement in Yonder Alonso.

Today's Games:

American League Championship Series

Detroit at Texas, 4:19 PM (Game 2, TEX 1-0) - FOX

Scherzer vs. Holland

National League Championship Series

St. Louis at Milwaukee, 8:05 PM (Game 2, MIL 1-0) - TBS

Jackson vs. Marcum

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Comments

This Texas pen makes ours look terrible. Especially Ogando and Feliz.

by westbrook on Oct 10, 2011 7:21 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah they have a sick bullpen

Adams and Uehara havent been amazing for them since the trade though. Solid, but not out of this word.

by NewCavsfan on Oct 10, 2011 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions

Wow. How many lives does Valverde have?

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Oct 10, 2011 7:57 PM EDT reply actions

3 K’s and that GIDP for Mitch Moreland tonight. Horrific night for him at best as they head into the 10th.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Oct 10, 2011 7:59 PM EDT up reply actions

suck it, Tigers.

by westbrook on Oct 10, 2011 8:46 PM EDT reply actions

I’m still waiting for Valverde to completely implode in a game. I’m hoping this occurs in Games 3 or 4.

by themadlibs on Oct 10, 2011 8:52 PM EDT reply actions

It’s coming.

With or Without the H

by johnf34 on Oct 10, 2011 11:14 PM EDT up reply actions

Pujols wants the green apparently.

by westbrook on Oct 10, 2011 10:56 PM EDT reply actions

Votto or bust for the Tribe next year!

by hans on Oct 11, 2011 12:56 AM EDT reply actions

What could we even offer for him?

by Roger Dorn on Oct 11, 2011 5:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Joint naming rights? Progressive Field at Votto Park?

Matt LaPorta is the bane of my existence.

by USSChoo on Oct 11, 2011 7:13 PM EDT up reply actions

Well, Votto in a vaccum would be very expensive. But here’s his current contract:

3 years/$38M (2011-13)

    signed extension with Cincinnati 1/17/11
    $6M signing bonus ($2.5M on signing, $1.5M in 2012, $2M in 2013)
    2011:$5.5M, 2012:$9.5M, 2013:$17M

So the receiving team is basically on the hook for 26.5 million over the next two years. It’s not overpayment in comparison to free agent players, but it would also put him in the upper echelon of player contracts.

But you are right, the Indians certainly lack top end prospects to offer in a deal. Though it isn’t necessarily true that the Reds are looking for a straight player for prospects deal here, in fact they are basically in the same situation as the Indians, a .500 ish club at the moment. The Reds aren’t “years” off from competing, they have more than a few solid players already in house on the ML club. Where can we meet their needs.

Asdrubal Cabrera SS certainly looks much better than the Paul Janish 42 OPS+ and the Edgar Renteria 78 OPS+

In this deal the Indians go from Asdrubal Cabrera to Jason Donald at SS and Matt LaPorta to Joey Votto at 1B.
I almost think this could be done straight up here.
Cabrera is not entering his first Arb year, so Reds get him for three years min.
Votto, as noted above will have two years remaining for the Indians.

As far as adding salary against the budget, Votto’s $9.5 million is only and increase over what Cabrera would get in arbitration, using’ the diatribe’s number we’ll estimate $5.5. million. So that’s only a $4 million dent into this offseason’s payroll. Still flexible enough to resign Fausto and Sizemore, while picking up a utility infielder (Jamey Carroll type). This also keeps in tack the few minor league trading chips (Cord Phelps, J. Gomez, etc.) and our other trading chips in the bullpen (the Perez’s), so that a move can be made to acquire a LF and or starting pitcher.

Crazy idea, but I’m all about cashing in on what I think will be Asdrubal Cabrera’s best season in his career.

by hans on Oct 11, 2011 8:03 PM EDT up reply actions

error on my part, I just saw that there is signing bonus money spread out over the duration of the contract, I’m not sure how that would work in a deal (whether or not the Reds would pay that), but it is of consideration and if anything would just ding Votto’s value a bit.

by hans on Oct 11, 2011 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions

I am just guessing, but being a signing bonus, I would think the Reds would be on the hook for that. No?

I am not 100% against your idea. Actually, I’m not necessarily against it at all – I don’t know how I feel about it. Asdrubal is just about to turn 26. What you see as his career year may in fact not even be his peak. Votto just hit 28 and is likely never going to get better, though probably won’t be any worse. Not a criticism at all, but you don’t improve much on 1.000ish OPS, maintaining his production would be a win. But all that doesn’t really do much for me one way or another, but I would have to believe that finding a SS with the offensive and defensive tools of Asdrubal is more rare than finding a 1B with (close to) what Votto has, though he is what you might consider elite hitting, not simply above average. Then again, maybe the Indians have already found the Cabrera of the future in Lindor, but we are a ways from knowing whether that is the case or not.

Matt LaPorta is the bane of my existence.

by USSChoo on Oct 11, 2011 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Lindor probably never comes close to Asdrubal offensively, but he could be much better defensively (I think at this point it is probably fair to say that Asdrubal is not greatly above average defensively and is possibly worse). Also It’s likely that Lindor never makes it at all.

by hans on Oct 11, 2011 9:30 PM EDT up reply actions

The Reds are on the hook for whatever the other team can convince them to pay.

by Jay on Oct 16, 2011 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions

Interesting. Since the bonus is spread out, I guess that makes sense.

Matt LaPorta is the bane of my existence.

by USSChoo on Oct 16, 2011 5:45 PM EDT up reply actions

It makes sense in every situation.

You are right, however, in the sense that it’s more common for the original club to pay deferred signing bonuses payments than it is for them to pay future salary after a trade.

In most cases, however, the original club has to send the new club a lump-sum payment up-front. Selig has been a stickler about this; he doesn’t like a team owing money to another team’s players for years on end. He’s a real hawk on individual club solvency.

by Jay on Oct 21, 2011 12:26 AM EDT up reply actions