The glory days of the second half of the 1990's that included 2 World Series appearances and 6 playoff runs officially came to end on November 1, 2001 with the resignation of gm John Hart. It was on this day that Mark Shapiro, formerly the Indians director of minor league operations, was named the tribe's next gm. Even though Cleveland had recently enjoyed a run of success nearly unprecedented in its history, the roster was aging and the farm system depleted. In fact, according to Baseball America, the Indians had just the 26th best farm system in 2001 and the 20th best in 2002.
Thus, a rebuild and tough times were ahead.
Shapiro began his professional career in the field of real estate and soon after that obtained his first job in MLB as an assistant in player development in 1992. He was then promoted the following year to director of player development and retained that position for 6 seasons until he was again promoted to assistant gm to John Hart in 1999. As a graduate of Princeton, Shapiro certainly had the mental makeup and prowess to quickly scale the peak of MLB front offices.
Once installed as the 7th Indians gm since 1950, Shapiro chose to rebuild the front office before he could rebuild the franchise. In fact, he had made 14 moves in the front office before opening day 2002, including naming Chris Antonetti and John Mirabelli his assistant gms. By mid-season Shapiro had also fired manager Charlie Manuel and began the search for one that would better fit his style. Immediately at the conclusion of the 2002 season Shapiro announced that Eric Wedge would be the tribe's next manager. These changes laid the groundwork for the fire sale and return to glory that ensued throughout the next few years.
John Hart left Shapiro with an aging and relatively talent depleted roster. In fact of the $95 million payroll that was left under the control on the Indians on November 1, $55 million of it lasted no more than one legitimate season after 2001. Thus, Shapiro was faced with the daunting task of rebuilding a team that currently held little value. His first priority seemed to be to cut cut payroll and remain somewhat competitive. The first step was to part ways with free agents Juan Gonzales and Dave Burba freeing up a total of $16 of salary.
Next, Shapiro began discussing a trade of soon to be Hall of Fame 2B Roberto Alomar. Alomar who made nearly $8 million in 2001 still had 2 more $8 million years left on his contract, but not on the field. In fact, Shapiro had the foresight to know that Alomar's great career had come to an end and that his trade value was peaking. On December 11, 2001 Mark Shapiro finalized a trade that sent Alomar to the Mets for Matt Lawton. Along with this move, Shapiro made a series of other small moves over the next few months concerned with lowering payroll while increasing on field performance. Some of these include the signings of Brady Anderson, Karim Garcia, Steve Woodard, and Rickey Gutierrez (all of whom were eventually let go). He also traded OF Dave Roberts for marginal prospects to free up salary. Now, these moves are nothing remarkable and in fact outside of the salary relief in the Alomar deal, the Indians gained very little in Shapiro's initial moves.
However, Shapiro's success as gm turned significantly in his favor via the trade market starting on June 27, 2002, when he managed to complete one of the 3 most lopsided deals since 2000. The other two are the twins get Liriano, Bonser, and Nathan for Pierzynski and cubs getting Lee in exchange for Choi and a nonamed RP. Shapiro managed to obtain future CF star Grady Sizemore along with quality SP Cliff Lee in exchange for Bartolo Colon. This deal set the stage for the rest of the Indians firesale since one of their most valued assets in Colon had been dealt. According to Baseball America at the time of the trade "once the Indians made the decision to deal Colon for prospects, they couldn't have asked for any more in return." After another successful trade of acquiring Coco Crisp for Chuck Finley, Shapiro made a couple more less than impressive moves, outside of salary relief before the deadline in 2002. He sent Shuey to the dodgers in exchange for two did-miss prospects and Terry Mulholland and he sent Ricardo Rincon to the A's for did-miss prospect Marshall McDougal.
The rebuild was relatively quiet until December 6, 2002 when Shapiro proceeded to engineer yet another lopsided deal. This time he acquired Travis Hafner, yes Pronk, for essentially Einar Diaz, yes a backup catcher. At the time of the trade Baseball America reported that "Indians general manager Mark Shapiro was arrested for grand theft slugger." All joking aside this was one of the most important trades in the rebuilding process. Shapiro had been so successful thus far in turning around the farm system that Baseball America had the tribe's minors ranked 1st in MLB on opening day 2003. Over the course of the next 3 years Shapiro made multiple deals exchanging did-miss specs and other loose change while managing to put together three notable deals, 2 good, 1 bad. As for the good, first the Indians managed to acquire Arthur Rhodes, a valuable rp, for Matt Lawton and second Franklin Gutierrez, Gutz, for hothead Milton Bradely. The bad, was bad, Shapiro managed only to get Jeriome Robertson a SP who's career was over by 2004 in exchange for Luke Scott and Willy Taveras both starters in the present day Houston OF.
Since the tribe was ready for primetime, prior to the 2005 season, Shapiro has only made two deals that significantly affected the ML roster. First, in true blockbuster fashion on January 27, 2006, he sent Bard C, Riske RP, and Crisp OF to Boston in exchange for Marte 3B, Mota RP, Shoppach C, and then sent Rhodes RP to philly to get Michaels for the OF. At the time I was very excited and pleased with this deal and unlike many others I still am. RP's outside of the elite relief ace type, hold little value for a franchise because they are so prevalent. This trade would have been even more in the tribe's favor had Mota not been hurt and horrible while in Cleveland. First off, Crisp and Michaels are nearly identical players over the last two years. Since the trade Crisp has hit .272/.325/.397 and Michaels has hit .270/.326/.400 so if anything Michaels has the slightest of edges at the plate. Defensively they are also quite similar with range being Crisp's only noticeable advantage. The speed that allows for Crisp's range also shows up on the bases where he has stolen 39 bases compared to Michaels 10 since the trade. Bard and Shoppach are washes as each are backup catchers at this point and doing fairly well at it. Now that leaves this deal as Riske and Rhodes in exchange for Mota, Marte, and a RP prospect yet to show his face. Rhodes had a 5.3 era last season in philly and is not pitching this year, sounds like Mota, and Riske is upholding his mid-3 era he held down in Cleveland as a middle reliever. So, to whoever criticizes this deal I have this to say, being offered a high ceiling middle of the order 3B and any kind of RP prospect in exchange for a quality 7th inning guy is an offer no one can refuse.
The next, and currently last, deal that Shapiro has put together is trading minor league star 3B Kevin Kouzmanoff and RP Andrew Brown for 2B Josh Barfield. At the time of this trade I was skeptical and I still am. I do not bad mouth this trade for what it is, but more so for what it could have been. I am not one of the fans who wanted to keep Kouz for the future, in fact I was of the opinion that he must be dealt immediately due to his age and lack of ML experience. However, I envisioned Kouz pulling in a closer of some kind to anchor the ailing bullpen. On the other hand, I will never criticize Shaprio for being too aggressive or too quick to pull the trigger. When breaking this deal down I again employ my rule that decent middle RP is of infinite quantity and thus of little value. Not to mention that Brown is 26, out of options to the minors, and yet to remove his rookie status with only 16 career ML innings to date. The only differences offensively between Kouz and Barfield are Kouz' 80 points of slugging in exchange for 12 sbs and 30 points of average for Barfield. Barfield also adds value in the field as a slightly above average 2B, while Kouz' defense is significantly below average at 3B. So, again this deal looks to be in our favor and a good one at that, but maybe not the best use of a minor league 3b who had an OPS of 1.089 last season.
Over the course of his 6 seasons as Indians gm, Shapiro has also excelled at adding talent through the draft. Of the current players on the roster, Shapiro added Ben Francisco in the 5th round in 2002 and Garko in the 3rd round of 2003. He also picked Adam Miller and Jeremy Sowers with his first pick in 2003 and 2004 respectively. The 2004 draft also netted three of the Indians top pitching prospects, Lewis, Lofgren, and Sipp. It is always easy though to criticize a teams draft picks, no matter what sport is being debated.
However, I only have two complaints regarding the draft in Shapiro's 6 seasons. The first complaint is from 2005. In the 42nd round of the 2005 June draft Shapiro went out on a limb and took University of Washington, is that in St. Louis, star RHP Tim Lincecum, a draft eligible sophomore. Lincecum was a top round talent, but basically fell out of the entire draft due to his alleged $2 million price tag coupled with his lack of size and awkward mechanics. Now if Shapiro had what it takes to draft him at that position, he should've had what it takes to cough up the $1.1 million bonus Lincecum eventually demanded. This mistake became evident, when with less than a years experience in the minors Lincecum is 5-2 with a 3.96 era for the woeful SFG.
My second nitpick has to do with this years 1st round pick, 1B Beau Mills. Now my criticism here is similar to the Kouz trade. I have nothing against Mills and see him as an elite ML bat. However, he plays little to no defense and reminds me too much of Travis Hafner who still has a significant portion of his career ahead of him. I would have much rather seen the pick used for a high ceiling guy like Brackman SP from NCST or Rick Porcello, a highschooler from NJ. Mills should be a fast track guy with a live bat, so I have no problem with what the pick is, just with what it could have been.
Now at this point in my ramblings I have more than established that Shapiro is one of the best at adding prospects and getting unbelievable value in what I call negative trades, trades that hurt the ML roster immediately(eg. veterans for prospects). However, Shapiro has only made one successful positive(eg. prospects for veterans) move during his time as Indians gm. I do not see the last trade as a positive trade because each player is still a work in progress and basically an even handed move as far as future and current value. The one positive move that I do praise is his signing of Kevin Millwood prior to the 2005 season. Millwood ended up leading the AL in era and propelling the Indians to a 93 win season and their first playoff race since before Shapiro took over.
All of this information leads me to make a rough comparison of Shapiro to another recent ML gm, Chuck Lamar. Lamar was the gm of TB from 1998 through 2005 and always seemed to have the best prospects, yet his teams were never able to get the job done at the ML level. The Shapiro Indians at this point in time very much resemble these devil rays, but have had some more success. Thus, Shapiro has just under a week to establish his legacy as a complete gm, much like Dave Dombrowski of the tigers, by making a positive deal, prospects for veterans, such as the ones I've proposed about a week ago. Some sort of deal is necessary to push this team into the playoffs and beyond.
Thus concludes my complete history of the Indians since Mark Shapiro was named gm in 2001.
GO TRIBE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
We can't hit LHP
Thats all I've got on the tribe today, 1 run off Buerhle today and we lose 5-1. Westbrook is struggling as well, but when you cannot score at all against a LHP you aren't gonna win. Let's add a guy who can hit LHP.
*cough*Teixera*cough*
Too bad Garko is hitting like a fiend with a pinch hit two run homer to tie the game last night in the 9th and then a basehit to win the game in the 11th. I really wish we didn't already have 3 DH/1B in the starting lineup everyday, making Teixera hard to obtain. On another note, Steve Phillips from ESPN believes that as many as 3 big name closers including Lidge from the Astros and Cordero from Washington will be moved before the 31st, for whatever thats worth. That has to be the top priority this deadline.
*cough*Teixera*cough*
Too bad Garko is hitting like a fiend with a pinch hit two run homer to tie the game last night in the 9th and then a basehit to win the game in the 11th. I really wish we didn't already have 3 DH/1B in the starting lineup everyday, making Teixera hard to obtain. On another note, Steve Phillips from ESPN believes that as many as 3 big name closers including Lidge from the Astros and Cordero from Washington will be moved before the 31st, for whatever thats worth. That has to be the top priority this deadline.
Team One South Showcase
Last week this time I was attending Team One's South showcase at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. Alongside 55 college and 3 Major League scouts I was privileged to watch some of the best high school talent the class of 2008 has to offer. The showcase was an extremely well run 3 day event consisting of full tryout for each player(IF/OF, running, BP, pitching) on the first day followed by 8 games (2 games for each of the 8 teams compiled). As far as the tryout I was concerned I was only able to catch the tail end of it, but boy am I glad I did as the top player for me really shined here. The only two minor flaws with the showcase were concerning the rosters of the teams as some players were misnumbered and others, a couple from my shortlist, weren't even in attendance.
After much ado about nothing I would like to present my top 5 from the event. 3 of my top 5 also made Team One's top ten for the event, so I must be doing something right. As a side note because of other obligations I was only able to see about two thirds of the players enough to pass judgment on them.
Anyways here goes.
5. Pablo Bermundez a LF from Miami Springs, FL checks in at the number 5 spot. Bermundez had good size and strength at 5'11" 175 lbs. He also demonstrated average speed and a slightly above average arm in LF. His overall defense in the OF was lacking for me as he misjudged a couple well hit balls in the game I saw. Regardless of his fielding faux pas Bermundez more than made up for it with his baseball sense, his approach at the plate and most importantly his attitude. His performance at the plate was nothing to sneeze at but neither was anyone else's, except my top guy, in this the first game of the tournament. Bermundez did show a smooth swing and good bat speed in his two at bats. However, what made Bermundez stand out over a couple other good players was his attitude. In these games Team One set it up so that if a player walked they stayed at the plate and an extra player was put on first base. On at four occasions Bermundez was the guy to jump at the chance to be that extra runner. I cannot stress enough the importance of positive makeup when scouting amateur talent and Bermundez really delivered here.
4. Taylor Dugas a CF from Teurlings Catholic, LA is my number 4 player. Dugas is the second of three participants in the showcase's first game to make my list and he is also only one of two players in the top five that was not on my original shortlist of about 10. Dugas is a lefthanded hitting CF who exhibited good speed both on the bases and in CF. He made a couple nice plays in CF and showed off his speed by stealing a base in the first inning. As I have previously mentioned there was a great lack of offense in the first game and I do not attribute that to the pitching as it was fairly ordinary. Dugas, however broke through with a couple of smashed base hits. He has a very quick, and short swing that generates a great deal of bat speed and seemed to be more a slap type hitter. With a swing like that Dugas is a basehit machine, but for me lacked much power due to his propensity for ground balls and low line drives. However, his solid defense in CF, good speed, and ability to make consistent hard contact are more than enough for him to crack this list.
3. Luke Erickson a LHP from Richmond, VA is the only pitcher to make my top 5. Erickson's team played the first game of the second day(second game overall) which started early at 8:30 am o'clock. However, the early start did not keep the scouts away as Chappell field at Emory University had its largest attendance of the showcase for this game. Now one cannot appendictally state as to whether or not the scouts were out in full force to see the top pitcher in the tournament, but regardless they came in droves. As I settled into my customary seat atop the bleachers on the firstbase side I learned from one of the spectators that the only pitcher in the showcase I came to see would be throwing the third and fourth innings. It was definitely worth the wait as, to me, he was all that he was advertised. Erickson a 6'3" 185 lbs lefty demonstrated an impressive fastball and offered solid secondary offerings with his curve and change. The fastball seemingly sat in the low 90's(91-93) with good arm side movement for the entirety of his two inning stint, although I was not privy to a radar gun to know for sure. His curveball was hard and possessed late, sharp break making it a worthy pitch. His change although thrown sparingly, if at all outside of warming up showed some depth and was a usable offering. The two negatives from his outing were his inability to keep the ball down while in the stretch and the fact that the last two batters he faced were able to time up the fastball and drive lazy line drives to the gaps. Even still, look for Erickson to be a top rounder in next years June draft.
2. Vickash Ramjit a 3B from Miami, FL is a huge athlete, period. At 6'4" and 200 lbs Ramjit has great size and strength. Even more remarkable is the amount of athleticism pilled into that big frame. He definitely is not a burner but has average to slightly above average speed at the Major League level. He possesses a strong and accurate throwing arm from third along with the hands and quickness to hold down the hot corner. Being one of the names on my shortlist before attending the showcase, Ramjit immediately caught my eye due to his size and overall physical maturity when compared to the other players in attendance. Ramjit, however, was buried deep in the order and the tools I had come to see could not be displayed until the bottom of the third inning. It was in the top of the second, however, that I became sold on this guy. A slow roller was hit his way at third by an above average runner. The ball made it maybe 60 feet down the line before Ramjit came flying in, barehanded the ball, and gun the guy easily at first. It was his impression of Chavez of Rolen at third and not the comparison to A-rod at the plate that did it for me. He delivered at the plate as well. He is a very patient hitter that waits for the right pitch to drive. The ball really jumped off his bat as he tattooed a liner that happened to hit the second baseman in the glove. He has a line drive swing and the balance at the plate to drive the ball to all fields. He definitely is yet another example of why you cannot scout performance, but must scout tools as he was 0-2 at the plate with a pop out to short right field. Regardless, Ramjit possesses many tools as an all-around player and athlete so look for him on the first day of next years June Draft.
1. William Scott a RF from Kell, Georgia did make my shortlist and wasn't even on my radar, but I am definitely glad I got to the park early enough before the first game to see his tryout in RF. There were a handful of catchers being tried out as I settled into my seat and got my bearings for the first time at the showcase. I went through the roster that was in the program to cross reference my shortlist, as this game included half of that list. Unfortunately I quickly became aware that a couple of the guys I came to see were not in attendance. This disappointment did not last long as I began to watch some of the OFs tryout their skills in RF. The first couple players were solid defenders and I was happy to see Bermundez show well in the field, but it was the last player that was the most intriguing. He was noticeably different in two ways. First, he was wearing green a different color than the rest of the players who were all from the white and black teams that were going to play that evening. More importantly his throws were not two hopping the third baseman like the other OFs, in fact, time and time again Scott his the third baseman in the chest with his throws that did not vary between 3 and 5 feet off the ground the entire time. Sure he was a bit lazy in the field and he did dog a couple balls he should've caught, but he was able to makeup for those attitudes(no pun intended) later on in the game. At that point I frantically search for the name of Mr. 16 green and took down some notes. Being from the green team, I thought that he was simply finishing up his tryout, but I was surprised and excited to see that he would be playing for the black team that night. Scott had little opportunity to impress in the field outside of a routine play or two, but he was able to shine at the plate. After a couple of pitches I could tell that Scott had a well balanced approach and could generate a ton of bat speed. In fact, after he had fouled off one of the many balls as he patiently awaited his pitch , I turned to the guy next to me and said, this kid can really hit, hes going to smash one right here. Sure enough right on cue, Scott smashed the next pitch deep into the left-center gap. Due to the rules installed for equality of 5 and only 5 at bats per half inning and due to the lack of light at 9:oo pm o'clock, Scott was denied a second at bat. However, he did repeatedly ask his coach if he couldn't get another at bat as he was the only guy from his team not to get two. The coach responded with something like, you already got your double, and Scott just smiled.
After much ado about nothing I would like to present my top 5 from the event. 3 of my top 5 also made Team One's top ten for the event, so I must be doing something right. As a side note because of other obligations I was only able to see about two thirds of the players enough to pass judgment on them.
Anyways here goes.
5. Pablo Bermundez a LF from Miami Springs, FL checks in at the number 5 spot. Bermundez had good size and strength at 5'11" 175 lbs. He also demonstrated average speed and a slightly above average arm in LF. His overall defense in the OF was lacking for me as he misjudged a couple well hit balls in the game I saw. Regardless of his fielding faux pas Bermundez more than made up for it with his baseball sense, his approach at the plate and most importantly his attitude. His performance at the plate was nothing to sneeze at but neither was anyone else's, except my top guy, in this the first game of the tournament. Bermundez did show a smooth swing and good bat speed in his two at bats. However, what made Bermundez stand out over a couple other good players was his attitude. In these games Team One set it up so that if a player walked they stayed at the plate and an extra player was put on first base. On at four occasions Bermundez was the guy to jump at the chance to be that extra runner. I cannot stress enough the importance of positive makeup when scouting amateur talent and Bermundez really delivered here.
4. Taylor Dugas a CF from Teurlings Catholic, LA is my number 4 player. Dugas is the second of three participants in the showcase's first game to make my list and he is also only one of two players in the top five that was not on my original shortlist of about 10. Dugas is a lefthanded hitting CF who exhibited good speed both on the bases and in CF. He made a couple nice plays in CF and showed off his speed by stealing a base in the first inning. As I have previously mentioned there was a great lack of offense in the first game and I do not attribute that to the pitching as it was fairly ordinary. Dugas, however broke through with a couple of smashed base hits. He has a very quick, and short swing that generates a great deal of bat speed and seemed to be more a slap type hitter. With a swing like that Dugas is a basehit machine, but for me lacked much power due to his propensity for ground balls and low line drives. However, his solid defense in CF, good speed, and ability to make consistent hard contact are more than enough for him to crack this list.
3. Luke Erickson a LHP from Richmond, VA is the only pitcher to make my top 5. Erickson's team played the first game of the second day(second game overall) which started early at 8:30 am o'clock. However, the early start did not keep the scouts away as Chappell field at Emory University had its largest attendance of the showcase for this game. Now one cannot appendictally state as to whether or not the scouts were out in full force to see the top pitcher in the tournament, but regardless they came in droves. As I settled into my customary seat atop the bleachers on the firstbase side I learned from one of the spectators that the only pitcher in the showcase I came to see would be throwing the third and fourth innings. It was definitely worth the wait as, to me, he was all that he was advertised. Erickson a 6'3" 185 lbs lefty demonstrated an impressive fastball and offered solid secondary offerings with his curve and change. The fastball seemingly sat in the low 90's(91-93) with good arm side movement for the entirety of his two inning stint, although I was not privy to a radar gun to know for sure. His curveball was hard and possessed late, sharp break making it a worthy pitch. His change although thrown sparingly, if at all outside of warming up showed some depth and was a usable offering. The two negatives from his outing were his inability to keep the ball down while in the stretch and the fact that the last two batters he faced were able to time up the fastball and drive lazy line drives to the gaps. Even still, look for Erickson to be a top rounder in next years June draft.
2. Vickash Ramjit a 3B from Miami, FL is a huge athlete, period. At 6'4" and 200 lbs Ramjit has great size and strength. Even more remarkable is the amount of athleticism pilled into that big frame. He definitely is not a burner but has average to slightly above average speed at the Major League level. He possesses a strong and accurate throwing arm from third along with the hands and quickness to hold down the hot corner. Being one of the names on my shortlist before attending the showcase, Ramjit immediately caught my eye due to his size and overall physical maturity when compared to the other players in attendance. Ramjit, however, was buried deep in the order and the tools I had come to see could not be displayed until the bottom of the third inning. It was in the top of the second, however, that I became sold on this guy. A slow roller was hit his way at third by an above average runner. The ball made it maybe 60 feet down the line before Ramjit came flying in, barehanded the ball, and gun the guy easily at first. It was his impression of Chavez of Rolen at third and not the comparison to A-rod at the plate that did it for me. He delivered at the plate as well. He is a very patient hitter that waits for the right pitch to drive. The ball really jumped off his bat as he tattooed a liner that happened to hit the second baseman in the glove. He has a line drive swing and the balance at the plate to drive the ball to all fields. He definitely is yet another example of why you cannot scout performance, but must scout tools as he was 0-2 at the plate with a pop out to short right field. Regardless, Ramjit possesses many tools as an all-around player and athlete so look for him on the first day of next years June Draft.
1. William Scott a RF from Kell, Georgia did make my shortlist and wasn't even on my radar, but I am definitely glad I got to the park early enough before the first game to see his tryout in RF. There were a handful of catchers being tried out as I settled into my seat and got my bearings for the first time at the showcase. I went through the roster that was in the program to cross reference my shortlist, as this game included half of that list. Unfortunately I quickly became aware that a couple of the guys I came to see were not in attendance. This disappointment did not last long as I began to watch some of the OFs tryout their skills in RF. The first couple players were solid defenders and I was happy to see Bermundez show well in the field, but it was the last player that was the most intriguing. He was noticeably different in two ways. First, he was wearing green a different color than the rest of the players who were all from the white and black teams that were going to play that evening. More importantly his throws were not two hopping the third baseman like the other OFs, in fact, time and time again Scott his the third baseman in the chest with his throws that did not vary between 3 and 5 feet off the ground the entire time. Sure he was a bit lazy in the field and he did dog a couple balls he should've caught, but he was able to makeup for those attitudes(no pun intended) later on in the game. At that point I frantically search for the name of Mr. 16 green and took down some notes. Being from the green team, I thought that he was simply finishing up his tryout, but I was surprised and excited to see that he would be playing for the black team that night. Scott had little opportunity to impress in the field outside of a routine play or two, but he was able to shine at the plate. After a couple of pitches I could tell that Scott had a well balanced approach and could generate a ton of bat speed. In fact, after he had fouled off one of the many balls as he patiently awaited his pitch , I turned to the guy next to me and said, this kid can really hit, hes going to smash one right here. Sure enough right on cue, Scott smashed the next pitch deep into the left-center gap. Due to the rules installed for equality of 5 and only 5 at bats per half inning and due to the lack of light at 9:oo pm o'clock, Scott was denied a second at bat. However, he did repeatedly ask his coach if he couldn't get another at bat as he was the only guy from his team not to get two. The coach responded with something like, you already got your double, and Scott just smiled.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Cleveland Indians Trade Deadline
For the first time in years there is a team in Major League Baseball that has the means to trade for basically anyone that could bolster their playoff roster. The Cleveland Indians most certainly have what it takes to put together a blockbuster deal. The farm system is booming filled primarily with outfielders and starting pitching and it is these prospects that can be moved to fill the current gaping holes in the Indians 25 man roster.
There are basically three holes that the tribe needs to plug in order to put themselves over the top. The first of these is most obviously the bullpen. Outside of the make believe success of Joe Borowski and his 26 saves in 29 chances and the actual success of Rafael Betancourt's 37 Ks and stuningly low 3 walks, the Indians bullpen consists of Cabrera's erratically electric arm and other unproven rookies, some as old as 30. In fact, the Indians rank 19th in the ML in ERA with a bullpen ERA of 4.06 and 18th in BAA from the bullpen at .253. Even more telling is the fact that the Indians have used their bullpen more than only 4 other teams at 255 IP.
Now, you might be thinking well thats accountable to the great SP, well, not so much. In those same two categories for SP the Indians rank 20th and 24th respectively, which leads me to next point. If the Indians are going to win it all this year they are going to need to add another top tier SP to follow the 1-2 punch of CC and Fausto. The 4 man combination of Sowers, Lee, Byrd, and Westbrook simply has not gotten it done this year nor had I really expected it to. To me before the season the rotation was basically a one man show. Like every other tribe fan, I was anxiously awaiting the complete emergence of CC as an ace and boy has he delivered so far. I also was hoping to see the Fausto Carmona I new existed, the one with an electric fastball and even better sinker and slider. Even after arguably the worst rookie season for a rp ever, once blowing 4 saves in 5 days, I still had faith in the young man's unbelievable stuff. He too has achieved way beyond even my optimistic expectations.
As for the other four they basically are the types of pitchers that hit their spots and create lots of (sometimes) weak contact, thus relying greatly on the defense behind them. This becomes a problem when the SS is more suited for 3B and often times the corner outfields are filled with guys of similar limited range. Needless to say I had little to no expectations for the soft throwers that round out the rotation.
The third whole for the tribe is a true defender at one of the corners who can really mash on LHP. Usually with the Indians at the trade deadline the discussion stops right there as it is usually unlikely not only that they make a deal to fill a hole, but even that they have what it takes to make a deal like that.
However, this year is different.
From what I have heard and read the Indians can most easily obtain what they need in two deals. The first deal would concern the bullpen and the hitter and would consist of moving many marquee guys including Glaus, I mean Marte, Garko, and other lesser known prospects such as Trevor Crowe, John Drennen, and Brian Barton. These three outfielders are the most expendable prospects for the tribe do the very over-crowded OF. In fact, the Indians currently have 7(Choo, Nixon, Michaels, Sizemore, Gutz,Frisco, Dellucci) who have started significantly for the Indians in the last year or so. This makes those three the most logical and valuable players that can be moved.
All this buildup leads to this in a deal to Texas the Indians could acquire 1B Mark Teixera and RP Akinori Otsuka. Otsuka would provide the experience and consistency so sorely needed in the pen and Teixera would greatly improve the defense at 1B and provide a huge threat against LHP. In fact, Teixera's career line against lefties is .309/.385/.562, not too shabby. These two would come at a hefty price though. It would probably at least take Crowe, Marte, Garko and one of the other two OF prospects, but it would definitely be worth it for a chance to win it all. The likelihood of this deal is not very high due to the success of Garko and on the GM's insistence on standing pat, but a possibility as the Rangers are looking to get younger and to get rid of Teixera's huge salary.
The second deal that could potentially make the Indians a world champion revolves around a great, but much lesser known SP. His name is Erik Bedard and he is the ace of the woeful Baltimore Orioles. It is rumored that the Orioles my be looking to move Bedard as the are unlikely to be able to resign him at the end of his current deal. Bedard is certainly the type of guy that can put the tribe over the top. He is leading the American League in Ks and currently has an 8-4 record and a 3.22 era for a team that is currently 10 games under .500. I cannot imagine that the Orioles could pass on an offer of Lee and Sowers for Bedard. Lee, although having a horrible year, has produced quite well in the past and could succeed with a change of scenery to a non-contender and Sowers is a very young pitcher that has the makings to be a very good middle of the rotation guy but is just not quite ready for primetime yet. Sowers' departure is of little concern in the longterm as the Indians would have three frontline starters all under 30 and Adam Miller and Chuck Lofgren who promise to be similar to the new big three in just a couple of years.
There you have it through two major deals the Indians could turn themselves into a virtual lock to win it all without making much sacrifice for the future. It will be interesting to see how the next two weeks pan out as the Indians continue their chase of the Tigers for the division lead and their chase for help as the deadline approaches.
There are basically three holes that the tribe needs to plug in order to put themselves over the top. The first of these is most obviously the bullpen. Outside of the make believe success of Joe Borowski and his 26 saves in 29 chances and the actual success of Rafael Betancourt's 37 Ks and stuningly low 3 walks, the Indians bullpen consists of Cabrera's erratically electric arm and other unproven rookies, some as old as 30. In fact, the Indians rank 19th in the ML in ERA with a bullpen ERA of 4.06 and 18th in BAA from the bullpen at .253. Even more telling is the fact that the Indians have used their bullpen more than only 4 other teams at 255 IP.
Now, you might be thinking well thats accountable to the great SP, well, not so much. In those same two categories for SP the Indians rank 20th and 24th respectively, which leads me to next point. If the Indians are going to win it all this year they are going to need to add another top tier SP to follow the 1-2 punch of CC and Fausto. The 4 man combination of Sowers, Lee, Byrd, and Westbrook simply has not gotten it done this year nor had I really expected it to. To me before the season the rotation was basically a one man show. Like every other tribe fan, I was anxiously awaiting the complete emergence of CC as an ace and boy has he delivered so far. I also was hoping to see the Fausto Carmona I new existed, the one with an electric fastball and even better sinker and slider. Even after arguably the worst rookie season for a rp ever, once blowing 4 saves in 5 days, I still had faith in the young man's unbelievable stuff. He too has achieved way beyond even my optimistic expectations.
As for the other four they basically are the types of pitchers that hit their spots and create lots of (sometimes) weak contact, thus relying greatly on the defense behind them. This becomes a problem when the SS is more suited for 3B and often times the corner outfields are filled with guys of similar limited range. Needless to say I had little to no expectations for the soft throwers that round out the rotation.
The third whole for the tribe is a true defender at one of the corners who can really mash on LHP. Usually with the Indians at the trade deadline the discussion stops right there as it is usually unlikely not only that they make a deal to fill a hole, but even that they have what it takes to make a deal like that.
However, this year is different.
From what I have heard and read the Indians can most easily obtain what they need in two deals. The first deal would concern the bullpen and the hitter and would consist of moving many marquee guys including Glaus, I mean Marte, Garko, and other lesser known prospects such as Trevor Crowe, John Drennen, and Brian Barton. These three outfielders are the most expendable prospects for the tribe do the very over-crowded OF. In fact, the Indians currently have 7(Choo, Nixon, Michaels, Sizemore, Gutz,Frisco, Dellucci) who have started significantly for the Indians in the last year or so. This makes those three the most logical and valuable players that can be moved.
All this buildup leads to this in a deal to Texas the Indians could acquire 1B Mark Teixera and RP Akinori Otsuka. Otsuka would provide the experience and consistency so sorely needed in the pen and Teixera would greatly improve the defense at 1B and provide a huge threat against LHP. In fact, Teixera's career line against lefties is .309/.385/.562, not too shabby. These two would come at a hefty price though. It would probably at least take Crowe, Marte, Garko and one of the other two OF prospects, but it would definitely be worth it for a chance to win it all. The likelihood of this deal is not very high due to the success of Garko and on the GM's insistence on standing pat, but a possibility as the Rangers are looking to get younger and to get rid of Teixera's huge salary.
The second deal that could potentially make the Indians a world champion revolves around a great, but much lesser known SP. His name is Erik Bedard and he is the ace of the woeful Baltimore Orioles. It is rumored that the Orioles my be looking to move Bedard as the are unlikely to be able to resign him at the end of his current deal. Bedard is certainly the type of guy that can put the tribe over the top. He is leading the American League in Ks and currently has an 8-4 record and a 3.22 era for a team that is currently 10 games under .500. I cannot imagine that the Orioles could pass on an offer of Lee and Sowers for Bedard. Lee, although having a horrible year, has produced quite well in the past and could succeed with a change of scenery to a non-contender and Sowers is a very young pitcher that has the makings to be a very good middle of the rotation guy but is just not quite ready for primetime yet. Sowers' departure is of little concern in the longterm as the Indians would have three frontline starters all under 30 and Adam Miller and Chuck Lofgren who promise to be similar to the new big three in just a couple of years.
There you have it through two major deals the Indians could turn themselves into a virtual lock to win it all without making much sacrifice for the future. It will be interesting to see how the next two weeks pan out as the Indians continue their chase of the Tigers for the division lead and their chase for help as the deadline approaches.
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