Au Revoir, Big Fella…We Will Miss You
July 7, 2008More Questions Than Answers…
July 7, 2008With the Tribe dropping their seventh straight game yesterday, it may be a safe assumption that the C.C. Sabathia trade is the first of what will likely be a handful of deals that the Indians make before the trade deadline at the end of this month. Trading our ace for the Brewers’ top prospect is an instant addition to our club-wide offensive woes, but a quick look at the rest of our team(s), and this organization still has some gaping holes which need tending to.
With that said, what can the fans look forward to over the next few weeks? Which names will now move to the top of the “tradable” list, and which ones look to be here to stay? Let us dig in, shall we?
Problem: Too many first basemen
Sure, Matt LaPorta plays in the outfield right now. But given his tendency to be a defensive liability, it appears that the move to first base is inevitable. One has to hope that we didn’t just trade away an ace starting pitcher for a designated hitter, so for the sake of sanity, let’s agree that LaPorta will be holding down the “3” slot.
Others that are currently at the first bag include Ryan Garko, Michael Aubrey and Jordan Brown. LaPorta arguably becomes are best “potential” first baseman, but don’t count out Victor Martinez, as he will be logging many innings at first base before it’s all said and done. Oh, and Beau Mills could see some future at first as well a la Jim Thome. That is quite a few bodies for one spot, eh?
Likely to be moved? I’m going with Ryan Garko. On value alone, he has major league innings, can hit the baseball, and has improved his fielding immensely. He should have had a better season thus far, as he is 27 already. Teams looking to add a bat for now would likely take on #25. Jordan Brown is a top prospect, and is also a pure hitter. If I had to choose, I’d prefer to hang on to his potential at age 24 than deal him away. Don’t even mention trading Victor. I don’t even want to begin thinking of the ramifications. Plus, I was scolded for even mentioning Grady leaving after 2012…
**
Problem: Casey Blake’s last year of contract, Andy Marte/Wes Hodges/Beau Mills in the waiting
Sure, Wes Hodges is a possible Olympian, and Beau Mills is projected to be one of the top power htters in our farm system. But if Marte would just play to his projections already, we wouldn’t even need to discuss this. We have said it here countless times: Casey Blake is a great utility guy. But he’s just that, and the money that he’ll likely cost us to retain him going forward is simply too much for this market, when we could allocate the funds elsewhere. But what to do with the bearded one?
Baseball Prospectus’ Will Carroll mentioned that the Rays have expressed interest in Blake’s duties, as they’re making a run for the post season. If you’re disappointed in what we got for Sabathia, prepare to look away at the second half of the “Casey Blake traded for…” ticker at the bottom of your screen. It won’t be pretty, but it could provide at least something for the future. Back end bullpen? Perhaps. I would love to get someone along the lines of J.P. Howell, but the Rays love the guy.
Ken Rosenthall has the following:
After Sabathia, the Indians’ player drawing the most trade interest is third baseman Casey Blake, who leads the majors with a 1.281 OPS with runners in scoring position.
Blake, who turns 35 on Aug. 23, is coveted because of his ability to play first base and both outfield corners as well as third; he would be a good fit for teams such as the Dodgers, Mets and A’s.
Translated: Stay tuned.
**
Problem: Middle infield woes continue
Something that hasn’t really been discussed much with the Sabathia deal was the fact that the Idnais were pushing hard for Alcides Escobar, a top shortstop prospect. Why would they look to add a shortstop with Asdrubal Cabrera hitting .306/.364/.389 in Triple-A Buffalo? The only thing I can muster up is that the team would keep Cabrera at second, or simply put would-be Escobar there. Either way, things aren’t looking good for Jhonny Peralta’s future with the team.
We have been talking for months about moving Jhonny to third base. Say that happens. How long can that last? Hodges will be here before too long, and J.P. will continue to be a liability on the left side. The Dodgers are “open to trade for a shortstop“, and wouldn’t you know it: Peralta is currentlyone of those. I didn’t want someone like Matt Kemp to be the pinnacle of the Sabathia deal, but I’d sure love to have him if it only cost me a Peralta. I’m not sure what the odds are, but keep an eyeon any Peralta rumors in the near future.
And regarding second base: Taylor Green, anyone? If he’s the “player to be named” as reported, he apparently has a possible future at second base. Tony Lastoria is pretty excited about the option, and he is way more in tune with the system than I am – so why not? Oh, and don’t forget Josh Barfield, as difficult a task as that may be.
**
Problem: That damned bullpen
This is where things get messy. At least more messy than any of those above, in my eyes. Joe Borowski and Rafy Betancourt’s collapse of 2008 has put the team in a very precocious situation. We went from having one of the best top-to-bottom bullpens in the game to the worst ERA in all the land. Borowski has been DFA’d, and his future is in limbo. Betancourt continues to be hit-or-miss, and has seen his name pop up in trade rumors along with Rafael Perez.
Perez was once thought to be the closer of the future. Masa Kobayashi is near his total innings pitched for ALL of last season, and it is only the All-Star break. Could things possibly get worse?
Brian Slocum was considered for bullpen duties after a few solid outings in Buffalo. But as seen by a semi-implosion against the Twins, four earned runs in two-thirds of an inning is not helping matters much. Rick Bauer showed a ray of hope, but he’s currently the name attached to Borowski’s DFA news. So much for that.
But as we can now all atest to, bullpen production is about as inconsistent as it comes. Eric Gagne, C.J. Wilson, you name it. Unless you can find yourself a Johnathon Papelbon, you are rolling the dice more often than not. So how much does the team want to allocate in the way of the ‘pen? Probably too much as of now, mostly due to overreaction and simply awful performance. I’ve read some good things about Rob Bryson (one of the pitchers in the Sabathia deal), but at Class-A, I don’t see him making any sort of impact for a while.
So there you have it, Tribe fans. If you’re itching to see any of our new acquisitions play some ball (you know, after the deal is confirmed and all), Akron and Lake County will be the places to be. And if you’re still down on losing the big man, as most of us are, just sit tight. This (dare I say it?) fire sale ain’t over yet. At least in terms of speculation, anyways.
12 Comments
Well….dollar beer and hot dog could become much more interesting now
I need to learn to proofread my posts…….
Dollar beer and hot dog night could become much more interesting now
That may be the fattest image of Peralta I’ve ever seen; he looks like Colon. Let’s trade him for three all-stars.
I think the team’s situation in light of the bullpen problems is precarious, not precocious…
I definitely see Blake being dealt, with Marte getting full-time at third base for the rest of the season to prove his worth. If he continues to be miserable, Ensberg gets some playing time, but we look to others (Hodges?) next year.
I’d love to see Peralta dealt. I’m comfortable with Carroll at second base, at least for now, and we could bring Cabrera back up and put him in at shortstop.
Why not just move Peralta to 3B? He’s 2nd on the team in VORP, so if you’re just going to remove him from the lineup, you need to replace him with someone with a higher VORP. Should the Indians make a run for 31 year old Joe Crede in the offseason? Crede has a lower VORP than Peralta does. Here’s the crop of free agent 3b coming up (with age):
Casey Blake (35)
Joe Crede (31)
Nomar Garciaparra (35)
Dallas McPherson (27)
Not exactly a stellar list. So I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss Peralta as everyone is. Yeah, his defense is ATROCIOUS, but his offensive production, especially for a middle infielder, isn’t easily replaceable.
Perhaps a better idea is to sign a free agent SS like Guzman or Furcal (both of whom have higher VORPs than Peralta) and keep Asdrubal at 2B. Maybe then you could try using Jamey Carroll at 3B. Or again, maybe you just slide Peralta over to 3B.
I wouldnt mind having Peralta at 3B. He’s a decent power option… No Garrett Atkins, but sufficient.
Yeah, I’m not saying Peralta is a great player or the long term answer for the Indians. I’m just saying, you can’t just say ‘lets get rid of Peralta’ without having a feasible backup plan.
I’d be very happy with Joe Crede as a 3B replacement, though I think that if we go after anyone in free agency, it’s gotta be a starting pitcher or two and a reliever or two. I’d be content with guaranteeing Lee, Fausto, and Laffey spots in the rotation, and one free agent…with Weaver, Sowers, and whoever else vying for the fifth spot. Then, when Westbrook is ready, a decision is made about who to bump (unless the decision is made for us by someone being hurt or whatever else could happen).
Another name commonly thrown around in terms of being traded is Paul Byrd. I’d be glad to get anything for him.
I just thought about that and realized that we’d need to fill another starting slot immediately if we parted with Byrd, so I’m not sure how feasible that is…but if the season’s been deemed a wash, we might as well tinker around with guys from the minors or sign another journeyman in the mold of Weaver.
kevin keane today at that presser was an embarrassment
Shapiro said, at the beginning of the season, he would be willing to bring the whole team back. He also said nobody is untouchable. He is only willing to make trades that will help the team.
The Tribe at the beginning of the season was in “Win now” mode.
They are disappointed in any number of players this year(Hafner, Byrd, Garko, etc.). Injuries have hurt them this year too (Martinez, Carmona, Westbrook, Borowski?, Hafner?). They have given up on this year, but not next. They are only a couple of pieces away from another great season.
If Shapiro wants to win next year, he will match most any offer made to CC. He got his top prospects for CC. That mitigates the risk signing CC to a long term contract next year (i.e., he gets his prospects and he gets CC). He doesn’t sacrifice the future so much by signing CC. Are two bad to mediocre years worth the price of 4 good years?
CC is looking at $137 M offered to Santana. He was better than Santana last year.
This year his numbers will be slightly off because of a poor start. He should still be able to command $138 M. 6 years @ 23 M.
If CC helps the tribe win a Major League Championship in one of those years is it worth it? Yes.
At some point you have to pull the trigger. You can shoot yourself in the foot or you can hit the target. The time is now! Take the chance!
You know, I actually kind of agree. I’ve said all along, who cares if we regret the 5th or 6th year if CC is awesome for years 1-4? I’d take 4 excellent years of CC and just 2 bad years. Sign me up.