Let's Go Tribe!

Decisions, Decisions

2008-11-30T01:41:04Z

Baseball's free agency has in past years been a hierarchical process, with money frozen up until the premium players sign. Thus we wait for CC Sabathia to choose the Yankees or a West Coast team; that decision will trigger concrete offers for the next tier of top free agents, as the principals in the Sabathia sweepstakes obviously can't spend on Mark Teixeira or Francisco Rodriguez and hope to sign Sabathia at the same time. Well, except for the Yankees.

As far as the Indians are concerned, their first major action is probably in the closer market, which in a welcome change from offseasons' past seems to have more closers than serious suitors. That's a good thing, for the Indians need to improve several other areas on their club, particularly the infield. The Indians should get a pretty good closer, and they should be able to get one through free agency, not normally an avenue the Indians have used to get their major contributors.

So who's available? There are four free-agent closers that I consider good bets to be effective next season (in no particular order):

Player	Team	WRXL	PRC
Brian Fuentes	COL	3.619	39
Francisco Rodriguez	LAA	5.635	46
Trevor Hoffman	SD	1.843	20
Kerry Wood	CHC	2.182	39

Rodriguez and Fuentes are probably the best long-term bets, but the Indians have no chance at Rodriguez (asking for a 5/$75M contract), and signing Fuentes at his asking price of 3/$30M would fill a large portion of their offseason budget. That leaves Wood and Hoffman as the two options left that would allow the Indians to also make major improvements elsewhere on their roster. Signing Hoffman to a one-year contract, for instance, wouldn't affect their ability to sign Orlando Hudson.

The trade market is also out there (Street, Valverde, Putz, etc), but again, if you can sign Wood or Hoffman to a decent short-term deal, why bother trading your prospects for at best marginal improvement? In this instance, the trade route should only be a backup plan.

Transactions

2008-11-23T03:55:59Z

Signed IF Andy Cannizaro and C Damaso Espino to minor-league contracts and Invited them to Spring Training

The first free agent signings of the offseason!

Cannizaro finished the 2008 season with the Bisons after being acquired by the Indians from Tampa Bay. The 30-year-old has played mostly shortstop during his professional career, though he's become more of a utility guy as his prospect status wore off. He hit .321/.374/.476 during his short time in Buffalo, but that was in just 84 at-bats: his career minor-league line is .274/.343/.354.

Espino is another re-sign for the Indians; he ended the 2008 season with the Aeros after being acquired from the Kansas City organization in June. He'll be 26 next May, but has shown zero power in the high minors.

Purchased the Contracts of C Carlos Santana, C Chris Giminez, OF Trevor Crowe, RHP Jeff Stevens, and RHP Hector Rondon

As always, the question is who you left off the roster, not who you added. Among the eligibles for next month's Rule 5 Draft are Jordan Brown, Randy Newsom, and Chuck Lofgren.

Brown is probably the best Indians prospect left unprotected, and I think he'll be selected in the Rule 5 Draft despite playing first base the past two seasons and not having the upside potential most clubs look for in Rule 5 picks. I just think some teams with serious offensive needs (the Pirates, for instance) will see him as (almost) free talent that could realistically help their club next season.

Added to the 40: Santana, Crowe, Gimenez, Stevens, Rondon

2008-11-21T03:19:20Z

Added to the 40: Santana, Crowe, Gimenez, Stevens, Rondon

Among the Rule 5 unprotected: Brown, Lofgren, Burton, Newsom and Herrmann.

And we can start getting ready for the agony of Rondon being out of options in 2012.

Indians name new bullpen coach

2008-11-19T18:00:10Z

Indians name new bullpen coach

...and it's Chuck Hernandez, former pitching coach of the Detroit Tigers.

BBWAA awards AL MVP to Travelocity Gnome

2008-11-18T19:02:24Z

BBWAA awards AL MVP to Travelocity Gnome

Dustin Pedroia, all 4 feet of him, wins it. Mauer 4th, Sizemore 10th. Cliff Lee 12th. Raul Ibanez actually got a vote.

Everyone back at the Keebler tree is very excited.

Affeldt Signs with Giants

2008-11-18T05:49:40Z

The Giants have signed Jeremy Affeldt to a two-year deal worth $8M. The left-hander isn't really a matchup guy, and that's a good thing; he's been a versatile and durable reliever, making 74 and 75 appearances, respectively, since moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis in 2007. Last season with the Reds he was used as a multi-inning setup man, and he averaged more than a strikeout an inning. With the Rockies in 2007, he threw only 59.0 innings, which was really a misuse of his strengths. Almost every bullpen could use a guy like him, and the price looks reasonable.

Grady adds Silver Slugger to Gold Glove

2008-11-14T03:20:44Z

Grady adds Silver Slugger to Gold Glove

One of three players to get both... along with Wright and Mauer.

(intentional)

Open Cliff Lee Just Won the Cy Young Award Thread

2008-11-13T15:58:32Z

UPDATE, 2:00 PM: And boom goes the dynamite

via img390.imageshack.us

22-3, 4 CGs, 2 SHOs, 223.3 IP, 170/34 K/BB, 3.8% BB/PA, 19.1% K/PA, .304 BABIP, 0.48 HR/9, 1.11 WHIP, 2.54 ERA, 175 ERA+, 3.81 tRA, 141 tRA+

I figure at about oh, say 3:00 PM (or whenever the award gets announced) this can change into the Official Cliff Lee Cy Young Celebration Thread, sponsored by the worst web site ever. Until then just go nuts.

I'll be the first one to say I was pretty miffed when Cliff Lee A) wasn't traded, B) won a starting job out of spring training. I thought Aaron Laffey would pitch circles around him.

For a good laugh, head over to this article which explains why Roy Halladay is the deserving Cy Young winner. Listen, I've heard the discussion several times. There's no doubt that Halladay is a better pitcher but Cliff Lee just had a better year. You can't fault someone for competition or what they would have done. Or can you? Anyway, the best part of the article:

Removing the stat lines from Halladay's six worst starts (an average of one per month), he was 19-7, with a 1.88 ERA in 191 1/3 innings. Defensive lapses sometimes contributed more than him having bad stuff.

Of course like a good jouirnalist he goes on to show us that without Lee's worst six starts he would be undefeated and-- what's that? He doesn't use the same selective stat-picking for Lee? Interesting. And I'm not quite sure how many defensive lapses the best defense in baseball had this year.

Anyway, have at it. Back to back Cy Young winners is an impressive feat. No pressure, Fausto.

via img204.imageshack.us

Herb Score has died.

2008-11-11T15:38:45Z

From the PD:

Former Cleveland Indians pitcher and broadcaster Herb Score's died this morning at age 75 in his room at home in Rocky River, the Indians confirmed today.

He was a brilliant Indians pitcher whose baseball career was virtually ended at age 23 when he was hit in the right eye by a line drive off the bat of Gil McDougald of the New York Yankees on May 7, 1957.

Then he became a Cleveland sportscasting institution, calling Indians games on radio and television for 34 years, longer than anybody else in the city's baseball history.

I obviously knew Score only as a broadcaster, or as many other people saw him, a long-distance friend. I've missed him since he signed off for the final time in 1997, and to this day I regret that the man who was the enthusiastic voice for so many awful teams couldn't end his career calling a World Series winner.

News and Notes

2008-11-11T04:51:41Z

So far, it's been quiet for Cleveland this offseason, though I think we all expect this winter to be eventful. We know that the Indians will acquire an infielder, a significant reliever, and possibly a another starter. With only one arbitration case on the roster and no significant free agents to try to retain, the Indians should be aggressive in both free agency and the trade market.

Anthony Castrovince previews the Indians' offseason with the type of story we've seen for the past six years:

The Indians have the needs.

But as tends to be the case for small- and mid-market teams in the high-priced and high-risk world of free agency, they don't have the dollars.

Free agency is a very inefficient way to get decent talent if you don't have a lot of payroll to work with. And even if you are a GM with a large payroll, building your team from the bottom up with free agents isn't a great idea. It's much better to go just for the stars and fill in around them with your farm system. And if you can't make a play for the Sabathias or the Teixeiras of the market, you're left with the second-tier free agents, who are even more expensive if you consider the value you're getting.

Therefore, Shapiro and his staff will prioritize their needs, which include an infielder at third base, second base or shortstop, back-end relief help (preferably in the closer's role) and a third starter.

Three seasons ago, the Indians signed Paul Byrd to replace Kevin Millwood in the rotation. And as free agent pickups go, Byrd was a pretty good deal, starting over 80 unspectacular but effective games for the Indians. He cost the Indians roughly $21M; for Cleveland to get a starting pitcher with a similar profile is probably going to cost them at least $2-3M more a season. The rub is this: the Indians are already paying Jake Westbrook quasi-market value, and he won't pitch until mid-season. And this offseason is the time to get an extension done with Cliff Lee. So between the rising cost of the current rotation and other priorities, I don't see the Indians spending a lot of dollars or talent to land a starter.

So how about the infielder? Second base would be the choice if you want to improve your defense, but Mark Ellis just re-signed with Oakland, leaving just Orlando Hudson as a good fit (in other words, better than Jamey Carroll). The legitimate third base options consist of creaky Joe Crede and Casey Blake, part deux. I think Hudson makes a lot of sense considering the current roster and lineup; if the Indians are going to spend on anyone this winter, it should be him. Brian Roberts would be an option if Baltimore lowers their demands significantly.

Though the Indians won't have a chance of landing Francisco Rodriguez (sigh of relief) or even Brian Fuentes, I think they'll get someone. The Padres aren't bringing Trevor Hoffman back, so he's an option, especially since he came close to signing with the Indians the last time he was a free agent. I think a trade would make more sense here, especially Huston Street (if he's not in the Holliday deal).

Grady wins Gold Glove

2008-11-06T21:08:09Z

Grady wins Gold Glove

Michael Young, really?

Posnanski on Feller

2008-11-04T20:14:07Z

Posnanski on Feller

Some of you guys might have already seen this, but Posnanski has an excellent piece up today on Bob Feller. One of my fondest childhood memories was meeting Bob Feller at a Drug Mart in Euclid and having him sign the game ball I got for scoring the winning run in my little league game that day. I also remember my grandpa glowing every time he told the story about when he met Bob Feller on a plane to Florida. Outspoken as he may be, Feller holds a place in Cleveland history that no one else could ever fill, and I think he's probably one of the most under appreciated sports figures in history.

Cliff Lee captures IBA Cy Young

2008-11-04T19:02:39Z

Cliff Lee captures IBA Cy Young

Surprising no one, Cliff Lee was named the AL Cy Young winner by fans voting in the 17th annual Internet Baseball Awards. Over 75 percent of voters put Lee in the top spot of their ballots, while 98 percent him in the first or second spot.

In a shining example of the wisdom of the masses, the IBAs have a proud history of making almost no totally asinine picks. This stands in stark contrast with the "real" awards, which are voted on by the newspaper beat writers of the Baseball Writers Association of America, and which include at least one totally asinine, retrograde, idiotic or simply indefensible pick every single year.

Grady Sizemore finished third in the AL IBA MVP balloting, while Lee finished fifth for that award. Just don't ask me who won.

Transactions: Free Agent Filings

2008-11-03T02:35:40Z

RHP Brendan Donnelly, RHP Juan Rincon, and RHP Scott Elarton filed for Free Agency

Not exactly cornerstone contributors, but let's talk about them.

Brendan Donnelly is the most interesting of the three. The Indians signed him knowing that he'd be rehabbing most of the season, and have only a slight chance of getting anything out of him before the end of the season; even after a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery is physically able to throw competitively, it usually takes at least a couple months to get back to his former prowess. And while Donnelly doesn't enough service time to file for free agency, the contract he signed stipulated that the Indians would have to essentially release him so that he'd be a free agent along with all the other players with 6+ years of service time.

Whichever team signs him will be getting Donnelly at full health; whether that translates into getting a good reliever is unknown, but I think it would have been a very easy decision to keep Donnelly around had the clause not been in his contract. But with him out on the open market, there's really no reason for the Indians to favor him over any of the other relievers available. Maybe Donnelly would favor the Indians if he had a good experience with the staff, but given that this is his first (and likely last) chance as a viable reliever on the open market, those distinctions probably won't come into play.

I'm a lot less interested in Juan Rincon, who although healthy, has been a train wreck for the past two seasons. Like Donnelly, this is Rincon's first shot at free agency, but while Donnelly can point to his elbow surgery for a reason why he struggled in Boston last season, Rincon can only point to his past success. Juan wants to come back to Cleveland, but I don't see the Indians wanting Rincon back, at least on a major-league deal.

Scott Elarton missed the final three months of the season due to a "non-baseball medical condition," so I don't even want to comment on his baseball future, other than to hope that some time in the future he's ready to play again.

Game Thread: World Series Game Five

2008-10-28T00:38:44Z

Cole Hamels goes for the coronation.

The game so far.

UPDATE: For the first time in history, a World Series game has been suspended. Officials essentially scheduled a 22-hour rain delay once the top of the 6th inning was completed. Despite the possible need to travel back to Florida on Wednesday and a high probability of more crappy weather tomorrow night, MLB's quixotic pursuit for tiny national ratings boosts will keep the game from resuming at any point during the afternoon, as any sane person would schedule it.

Interestingly, commissioner Selig met with officials of both teams before the game and got them to agree with his decision that regardless of the situation, the game would not go final without playing all nine innings. Under normal rules, had the Rays failed to tie the score in the top of the 6th, then the game would not have been suspended due to rain, it would have been declared finished, with the Phillies winning both the game and the championship on a rain-shorted 5.5-inning game. It's hard to imagine someone taking issue with Selig's stand on this, but the question remains, if the postseason should be treated differently in this regard, then why don't the rules already reflect that?

Cole Hamels' bid to become the only pitcher ever to have a 5-0 postseason is a likely casualty of the rain delay. The score is tied now, and his outing is over of course. If the Phillies re-take the lead in the bottom of the sixth, and hold it through the ninth, then he'll get his fifth win, even though he'll be lifted for a pinch-hitter as soon as play resumes.

FURTHER UPDATE: The rain delay has been stretched to 46 hours; the game is now scheduled to resume tomorrow night (Wednesday) rather than tonight (Tuesday). That will also make this the longest Game Thread ever.

The final.

FINAL UPDATE: The Phillies win. We don't. I mean, they're about as good of a team to win it as you could ask for, since it's not going to be us, and for all kinds of different reasons. Still, another relatively "starved" town dances in the streets — outside my windows — while we wait another year.

Game Thread: World Series Games Three and Four

2008-10-26T02:26:46Z

Game Three: Jamie Moyer vs. Matt Garza

Anyone else working tonight?

Fan promotion in Philly tonight: if you can throw faster than Moyer on the pitch speed machine, you get a free jumbo dog. Moyer is old ... very old. He debuted in 1986. I'm pretty sure a few of the Rays weren't even born then. Looks like the Phils are already up 1-0 as Garza is starting the game off shaky.

Game Four: Didn't seem like we needed a whole new thread for it. Carry on. [Jay]

Blue Jays claim Bullington

2008-10-24T21:48:04Z

Blue Jays claim Bullington

That's the last time I buy a jersey from the Indians. I swear to god, they just wait for me to get someone's jersey and then get rid of the guy.

Oh well. At least I've got my Fasano Fa'sure customized tee.

Game Thread: World Series Game Two

2008-10-24T00:24:30Z

And now it gets interesting — will we see another nail-biter? Which Brett Myers shows up, and which Ryan Howard? Can the good guys (that's the Phils, people) take a commanding lead back to the Brother of Lovely City? Will Voltaire ever figure out that he doesn't really like the Rays, he just likes the idea of the Rays in the abstract?

Any World Series matchup that doesn't include the Indians sucks, by definition, but this matchup might suck the least. Personally, I'm hoping for another connoisseur's delight, a one-run, low-scoring affair that gets the game in under 3.5 hours.

Game Thread: World Series Game One

2008-10-22T23:39:06Z

Something about Philly and Tampa... not sure what's going on. I don't think anyone here has an opinion about it, either. Just some innocuous sporting event with no repercussions for anyone.

I will be zipping in and out of here through the course of the night, but unfortunately won't be drinking anything interesting enough to generate 200+ comments, so I hope to see some witty banter from the non-Communists amongst you that are watching the game.

Philly and Cleveland, kindred sports towns

2008-10-20T22:01:39Z

Philly and Cleveland, kindred sports towns

Our own Turkmenbashi (writing under the pen name "Phil Kehres") makes his debut on iVoryTowerz, a group blog about American culture and society, and artfully explains why a Phillies victory would bring Cleveland its first championship since 1964.