From Ocker article:

"Laffey didn't know much, either.

``(Lovullo) came out and told me I threw the ball well and there's a situation going on right now,'' he said."

I dont think Laffey would call a pipe bursting & flooding the field the day before 'a situation' but who knows. I suppose well have to be patient.

It's also clear that there was pretty strong scuttlebutt amongst the players, both in Cleveland and in Buffalo, that Laffey was Cleveland bound, even before Cliff's last outing. Not only did the Buffalo players give him a congratulatory sendoff celebration as he walked off the mound in the third, but Torey Lovullo mentioned that the "considerations" which could result in Laffey being moved have been present for a few days.

Lovullo also said something fairly telling in his postgame, when asked if Laffey was being moved, whether it would be to Cleveland or outside the organization. Lovullo was emphatic (loose quote): "Aaron Laffey is a Cleveland Indian, and he will stay with the organization. I'll leave it to you to... I don't want to spell it out for you..."

Any Sherlock wannabe would have to make an initial deduction that a trade involving one of the Tribe's starting pitchers is in the works, and that "plausible deniability" is indeed a good characterization of the press releases at this point.

Would have to be Lee or Byrd in that order, can't see the other 3 being touched, for different reasons.

The confusing part for me is how to get him to pitch consistently.  Look at last night: horrible in the first couple of innings, but good the rest of the time.  Does he really need someone in his face all the time so he doesn't forget how to pitch effectively?  

Lee may have the physical ability, but he must be pretty dense to keep going through the same erratic cycle like this.  I wouldn't be surprised if a trade or a demotion woke him up, but by that time it probably wouldn't help the team too much.  

This is an ugly situation in my opinion, I don't see how the Tribe can win here.  A package trade might help the bullpen or the offense, but I'd be very concerned about the state of the rotation if he left (strange, I know).

A larger influence than simply backing up his own words is the reality that CC is likely to be here only this year and next, and this is the time to go for it rather than husband resources for a different target year.

That doesn't mean dramatic moves are a sure thing, but he's certainly got to be putting more on the table for potential deals than he has for the least few years.

Cliff looks like a guy who is going to have a league average strikeout and walk rate but who will give up close to 30 HR a year.  His #3 starter ceiling is in the distant rear-view mirror.

Quite simply, Cliff, with his 0.7 (and dropping?) GB/FB ratio may not bee a good match for the Jake.  It's not that Jake really is a bad HR park, just that it's not a HR suppressing park.  Anyway, the value of a players skill is sometimes different given the ballpark they play in, and it wouldn't surprise me to see him go somewhere flyball pitchers are a little more likely to succeed.  

Honestly, would we really miss him?  The risk in trading him is relatively minor, IMHO, as long as we get a decent return.  While a #4 or #5 starter is certainly of value, he's also not the kind of guy you lose sleep over trading if the deal does not quite work out like you wanted it to.

Put another way - if we make it to the playoffs...would he even pitch?

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bisons/story/125280.html

Apparently he hasn't gotten the word to get in the car yet, but he's packed.

http://buffalonews.typepad.com/insidepitch/2007/07/no-word-yet-on-.html

Turns out Laffey didn't warm up on Sat - nobody did.

...Bisons PR director Brad Bisbing cleared the mystery up down in the clubhouse after the game with just one sentence: "Yeah his (Laffey's) locker is all cleaned out."

http://thesportsroadtrip.wnymedia.net/blogs/2007/07/23/drama-and-intrigue-at-dunn-tire-park/

"UPDATE #3: Not too much to report but I was just down on the field for the Bisons game and no sign of Laffey anywhere. Word out of Cleveland is that he isn't there either which would make sense if they're waiting to activate him until Cabrera clears waivers or if a trade happens."

The Buffalo Bisons stringers are really into this!