Indians Sign Nick Johnson
I always kinda liked Johnson's skills, but there's not a ton of room to fit in here. He's kind of a poor man's Pronk (which is also what Pronk is these days), and I'm hoping he doesn't spend much time spelling Laporta at first.
UPDATE: It's a minor league deal. -afh
about 1 year ago
Chemo
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Rosenthal has added the even more curious follow-up:
Source: Johnson in verbal agreement with #Indians. Some physical details pending. Deal will include club or mutual option for 2012. #MLB
I don’t really see why not, If the Indians are completely comfortable with health. Outside of last year, he has put up good numbers when healthy. If we’re talking a Durbin sized contract, couldn’t hurt.
"Spring Training wins are good for the soul."
I find it interesting if this is truly a minor league deal.
May be my memory, but I’m almost sure I’ve never heard of a minor league deal with a club or mutual option.
by FallsTribeFan on Mar 1, 2011 6:06 PM EST up reply actions
Agree wholeheartedly … especially considering what we learned this morning about the wrist …
by FallsTribeFan on Mar 2, 2011 9:41 AM EST up reply actions
Yankees fan here. I honestly don’t know how to feel about Nick Johnson right now, so I’ll wish him the best of luck with you guys (doubt that matters anyway)
I feel like he just has some awful luck, or maybe bad conditioning, but as I’m sure you all know he barely played for the Yankees last year.
When he was signed everyone was saying “when will he get hurt” and others preached patience, but he got hurt after I believe 24 games? Never came back.
If he’s healthy I think he will make the team easily and be productive as an on base guy, but him being healthy is the main thing.
I’m sure some will want to compare him to Pavano in the injuries sense, but I really haven’t heard of him being lazy or not trying to recover from his injuries, so I don’t like that comparison.
That being said, if he does get hurt, he’s a fun guy to make jokes about!
Writer for Pinstripe Alley, MLB Daily Dish
Follow me on twitter @nyybrandonc
Lets go Rangers!
I’m not sure we could jokes about someone who is hurt and making $5.5 million.
"Spring Training wins are good for the soul."
“Nick Johnson and two lawyers walk into a bar in Williamsburg carrying Wells Fargo bags filled with cash. ‘Pabst Blue Ribbons for everyone,’ said the first lawyer, hoisting a heavy bag up on the bar…”
Nick Johnson and two lawyers walk into a bar and Johnson is out 6-8 weeks.
by emd2k3 on Mar 1, 2011 8:29 PM EST up reply actions 8 recs
I wish you wouldn’t use Jody Gerut as a slur.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Mar 1, 2011 11:26 PM EST up reply actions
It’s not like our jokes are “haha hope he gets hurt again” just the standard “he probably broke his hand signing his contract”
Writer for Pinstripe Alley, MLB Daily Dish
Follow me on twitter @nyybrandonc
Lets go Rangers!
Oh well, still best of luck to him, he never Pavano’d the Yankees or any other team that I know of, just caught some bad breaks.
Writer for Pinstripe Alley, MLB Daily Dish
Follow me on twitter @nyybrandonc
Lets go Rangers!
If a hundred Pavanos “Pavano’d” the Yankees, I’d take it as a manifestation of the deity. Until then, I confine my exegesis to burned outlines on toast.
by YoDaddyWags on Mar 2, 2011 7:20 AM EST up reply actions 17 recs
Exegesis on Toast would be a fantastic band name.
"Magic would be getting productivity out of Crowe or Valbuena. I’ll admit we could use a little luck, but that’s not the same thing." - Jay
On Twitter at @grantgw - sports and Cleveland and Columbus stuff
How satisfying it would be to see the yankees stuck within a Pavano Loop.
I'm emotional about my glove...
Is that from ST:TNG it ST:DS9?
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin
by Spidey on Mar 2, 2011 5:17 PM EST via mobile up reply actions
I really haven’t heard of him being lazy or not trying to recover from his injuries
I never heard that about Pavano from anyone other than fans. Why would he fake injuries or purposefully recover slowly only to come back and play well for teams like the Indians?
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Mar 2, 2011 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
From a risk tolerance perspective, Johnson is negligible and Durbin just ate a 40-man roster spot and is guaranteed to make at least $800K.
Durbin is a blip on the risk meter, with the usual caveats about reliever fungiblity (and with his walk rate and homeruns allowed, c’mon, let’s not act like we’ll be surprised if he’s sporting a 5.00ERA come June and he’s off the team). As for Johnson and the risk meter, the Johnson signing doesn’t even register on it.
something I just thought of: LaPorta to LF if they feel uneasy about Kearns?
Otherwise, agree with Julio above.
"I want to be playing at the end of October or the end of September -- not just at the beginning of April." —Grady
Speaking of Julio, the Durbin signing seems to me to be subtly different from the Jorge Julio-type signings of yesteryear. I think the FO used to have a lot of theories about adding particular pitchers to add to the bullpen. Pitchers like Julio, or Kobayashi, or whomever else all had their own quirks, but there always seemed to be some accompanying theory as to how each pitcher could achieve good things. The theory for Durbin working out, I guess, is “let’s get lucky.” And maybe that’s not so bad. And of course if Durbin isn’t lucky, no big deal.
by jhon on Mar 2, 2011 12:25 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Interesting. I hadn’t thought of that either. Then there’s the LaPorta to Columbus scenario.
by ken from alexandria on Mar 2, 2011 7:10 AM EST up reply actions
I’m not loving the idea that even with LaPorta – a former 5-star prospect – and Hafner – our highest paid player – and Santana supposedly getting some time there, this front office thinks we still need to take a flyer on a 1B/DH.
Agree.
I love that the move has no downside from here on out. I hate that the reason we signed him might be a downside that already happened.
"I want to be playing at the end of October or the end of September -- not just at the beginning of April." —Grady
by westbrook on Mar 1, 2011 11:12 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Why would you not take a proven major league talent on a minor league deal with a rumored club option for 2012? I don’t care what position he plays. There’s just no downside.
This has nothing to do with Santana.
If LaPorta are all producing and Johnson isn’t needed, nothing lost.
If one of LaPorta or Hafner struggles, and Johnson is hitting at AAA or off Cleveland’s bench, great, he steps in. If somebody is struggling and Johnson is hurt and can’t fill in, Johnson still hasn’t cost the team anything.
I don’t think the Tribe did this solely because they saw Nick Johnson walking along the side of the road and decided to give him a ride. I think it indicates the Tribe sees a thinness at first base, and maybe some uncertainty about LaPorta’s ability to contribute.
It would be foolish not to see uncertainty with LaPorta, yet also foolish to write him off. The Indians are perpetrating neither foolishness, which is nice.
And sure, maybe he’ll give Jordan Brown something to think about, as he draws two walks per game in the minors and is promptly promoted.
I agree with you about LaPorta, but I was being sarcastic about Jordan Brown in light of hopeful comments made earlier about Orlando Cabrera’s setting a good example for young Indian infielders.
My point was that Johnson’s signing implied reasonable concern about LaPorta, and was thus prudent. It’s not as if it was a mysterious signing or one without an implicit downside (LaPorta crapping out). It’s not a meaningless or neutral signing.
Don’t get me wrong. I completely agree with what you’re saying, but it’s like westbrook said. I love the idea of picking up guys like Johnson, proven ability on a cheap deal and very little downside. It’s that my sudden pessimism about LaPorta and Hafner easily outweighs my optimism about Johnson.
Why sudden pessimism? How were you able to get through last year feeling good about either Hafner or LaPorta?
Dittos. The Johnson signing tells us nothing we didn’t already know, except that the Indians were looking for an opportunity to create depth and short-time upside for 2011 at that position. Frankly, is see that as good news. It means they’re taking 2011 more seriously than I may have guessed.
The word “downside” is mis-applied here, I think.
by Jay on Mar 2, 2011 7:39 AM EST up reply actions
Maybe I got too optimistic in the offseason hearing about LaPorta being able to get back to regular workouts and getting in better shape. And Hafner put up a 130 OPS+ in 120 games. I’m not saying its worth his salary, but he was a pretty useful player. I don’t think its unreasonable to have some legitimate hope that these guys could be counted on.
Hope is one thing.
Counting on something is quite another.
“hope that these guys could be counted on” doesn’t really make any sense.
Applied to a player who has struggled with injuries and certainly never established himself as a major leaguer, it’s a proposition beyond reason or understanding.
by Jay on Mar 3, 2011 1:13 PM EST up reply actions
a player who has struggled with injuries
Thankfully, Nick Johnson is made of solid titanium.
by JulioBernazard on Mar 3, 2011 8:42 PM EST up reply actions
Fine, if no one else will say it … CHAMPIONSHIP!
by emd2k3 on Mar 2, 2011 10:31 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
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