As a fairly serious baseball fun, I am routinely baffled by the option rules. How is it that we don’t know if someone has/doesn’t have options? Are they flipping coins somewhere to determine who gets options?

I agree. Until today, Buck was not playing well (yes, its early) and it would be hard to justify keeping him over duncan who was good for us last year. We can now let buck develop a bit more and keep duncan. best of both worlds.

Sorry, Grady was the intended antecedent there.

I think the excitement over Buck is strictly the “something for nothing” thing – it really is a unexpected present. That, and we literally do not have a single OF with his tools in the entire farm system, and the thought that we might have lucked into getting him for free when he’s finally healthy and entering his prime years is reason for… well, dreaming.

You’ve certainly hit on something about the lack of excitement regarding Grady’s return. He was/is, after all, the most exciting Tribe player in the last decade. So why not more excitement on this forum (and beyond) on his return? Do we not think he’s a huge upgrade for the team? Here’s Manny:

“Regardless of what type of lineup you have,” Acta said, “when you add Grady Sizemore to any lineup, any team in America, you’re adding to it. Is that an understatement?”

Is it? I think the crux of the issue is in the uncertainty over tense. He was, but is he? True, he’s recovering from injury, but he’s passed all the physical tests and performed very well in his rehab stint. Isn’t Grady at 90% still really good?

I think there’s a bit of a psychological block going on, somewhat connected to the team’s misfortunes the last couple years – nobody’s really written him off, but he doesn’t occupy the same fan headspace right now, for whatever reason.

I hope he starts tomorrow. I hope he can return to the level of play he’s capable of. The shot of him in the dugout today, grinning, young, and excited, kindled something for me at least.

I thought, “shit – Grady could be in CF tomorrow!”

I’m already excited abut this season. I got a little more excited just by seeing him in the dugout today, ready to play.

Evidently you have stopped reading every newspaper in Northeast Ohio, possibly the nation.

Right now, Brantley has a 744 OPS with a .348 BAbip that he probably can’t sustain.

Someone on the radio is (unsurprisingly) wrong. Brantley can hit anywhere in the order, and I assure you, the world will not end if he’s hitting 8th or 6th or even 4th. This batting-order “role orthodoxy” is 100% stupidity.

You know where Grady should hit? Right behind Asdrubal leading off, just as he was before the injury.

Hey, shouldn’t you be off somewhere writing something that I’m waiting to read?

Actually, it’s lower, because batting order debates are a component of manager debates, and possibly the dumbest component at that.

Grady’s Richard Nixon moment, if you will.

Meant to mention earlier, I would imagine that the option was one reason the Indians were willing to give Buck 625K guaranteed for what was essentially a minor league signing type of player. It just makes him more valuable.

Gomez would be my guess, but its just that.

Noooooo

Jeremy Sowers.

wtf

Given the nature of the injury, I think he is just as likely to injure himself sliding into second.

Every expert on baseball injuries will tell you that a position switch — any position switch — makes an injury more likely. So your statement is completely false. Familiarity is what he needs to stay healthy, not an “easier” position that he’s never played before.

Oh, meaning me, if it wasn’t clear.