May 22, 2013

MLB Trade Rumors: Indians “Strongly in the Mix” for Ubaldo Jiménez

July 28, 2011 by 88 Comments

The Cleveland Indians may have not faired well in the bidding for Carlos Beltran, but they have not given up their pursuit of acquiring talent to help them in the hunt for the 2011 MLB Playoffs. Per FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Tribe front office is one of three teams considered to be in serious contention for Colorado’s Ubaldo Jiménez.

Sure, the Indians need a bat more than anything. And sure, Jiménez, the hard-throwing right-hander, is having a rather pedestrian 2011 campaign, sporting a record of 6-9 with an ERA 4.20. While these may not be glaring signs of a starting pitcher one would want to trade away pieces to acquire, there are several factors to consider:


- It was just one season ago that the then-26-year old started the All-Star game for the National League squad, finishing the season with 19 wins, an ERA just over two runs and a WHIP of 1.15.

- Jiménez is getting crushed in the confines of Colorado’s home stadium, Coors Field. At home, the hurler is getting torched to the tune of .310 batting average against to go with a 5.55 ERA and a WHIP of 1.67. When he’s pitching anywhere outside of Denver, Jiménez looks like he did all last season with ERA sitting at 2.83 and a WHIP of 0.99 with opposing hitters succeeding at a rate of .178. It’s worth noting that Cleveland is in fact not Denver.

- Also in Jiménez’ favor when one looks beyond the record and ERA, his strikeouts per nine innings number is in line with last season and his walks have dropped, improving his strikeout-to-walk ratio. Jiménez was extremely lucky last season with a BABiP of .271; this year’s numbers are more in line with the norm as he’s back near .300. The potentially best numbers of all? Jiménez’ home runs per nine innings outside of Coors Field: 0.15.

- Ubaldo’s contract is very team-friendly, earning him $2.8 million in 2011 and $4.2 million in 2012 with a $5.75 million club option for ’13. For a mid-market team like the Indians, the deal makes incredible sense assuming that the front office can also add a bat.

So, Tribe fans. Take it all for what it’s worth. Jiménez won’t help the Indians score runs, but he can certainly help an already solid pithing staff. Rosenthal also reports that the Indians continue to be in hot pursuit of a bat, but could be the best match for the Rockies if they’re willing to part with the “required” pieces. Feel free to sound off below.

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(Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

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  • REEPJP

    3 things….

    1. Do we have any update on the status of Choo? Last I heard, he was a little ahead of schedule.

    2. I severely dislike the ad right above the “Add New Comment” box that always drops down and covers what I’m typing and then scrolls down until I “X” it.

    3. Like my Shurmurnator Avatar? haha I thought the Disqus profile was a good enough excuse to change! haha

  • christopher

    Re-posting this from the mobile version since the comment thread changed; sorry if it appears twice:

    here is why you do not make this trade nor any other this year:
    1.
    We are clearly not 1-2 pieces away FROM A RING.
    If it was August and we were up 10 games in the division absolutely punishing teams staring down the Yankees, Red Sox, Giants in our way of the rings then yes, do it.
    But we are not.
    We aren’t winning our own division let alone the league then the title.
    2.
    The starting pitching staff and bullpen are the
    solid piecesof this team; why trade them away for 1 spot in the rotation when you could use them for offense…IN THE OFFSEASON.
    The preference right now would be to stand pat.
    Yes I know that hurts to hear but it’s what makes sense.
    Finish the year, clean house of Buck, Kearns, OCab, Hannahan, Carmona and head into spring with a solid core of Brantley, ACab, Santana, Choo, Hafner, The Chiz and Kipnis with a hell of a rotation in Masterson, Carrasco, White, Tomlin and Pomeranz while looking to secure a big left field bat and utility infielder in the offseason.

  • christopher

    this seems like too much for 1 rotation player,

    You’ve got me with Carrasco and Gomez or Huff or Hagadone but not Chiz or Kipnis as well. Problem is I don’t think Colorado is going to pick up the phone if Chiz or Kip aren’t involved along with Carrasco or White.

  • christopher

    I wouldn’t call 13 RBI’s “helping out”. :)

  • Tom Roeder

    This is a no brainer. You guys get so worried about losing potential future players that have proven nothing when we could get a proven commodity that would be here for 2.5 more seasons. Think of our rotation next year- Masterson, Jimenez, Carrasco, Tomlin and White.

  • christopher

    you’re of course building that rotation on the basis that Colorado is not asking for both Carrasco and White in return.

    and how many more 1-0, 2-1 losses will that produce next year because we have not addressed the right handed batting offense?

    it seems to me that it is just as much a no brainer in the opposite direction.

  • Ghost To Most

    According to Buster Olney, White, Pomeranz, Chisenhall and Kipnis are untouchable.

    http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/rumblings110728/san-diego-padres-narrowing-focus-potential-deals

  • christopher

    i like your theory on trading prospects for proven talent if we were trading for proven offense. not another pitcher.

    as for Asomghua…GO GET HIM!

  • http://www.redright88.com Titus Pullo

    If the Indians do swing a deal for Jimenez, does that signal they have made a decision on not picking up Fausto’s option for next year?

  • CDawgg

    Would love to have him aboard.

  • Anonymous

    Good point. I am willing to give up either White or Carrasco, but not both.

  • Anonymous

    Maybe they will take Carrasco and Carrera. I have no problem doing that. Carrasco’s ceiling is what Ubaldo is now in my opinion.

  • christopher

    and i mean White OR Carrasco and Phelps.

  • christopher

    the most i give up for this deal is White/Carrasco and Phelps.

  • Ghost To Most

    Oops, meant to say Jayson Stark, I get those ESPN guys mixed up. I think Olney tweeted it though, that our big 4 was basically off limits.

  • christopher

    i like this option as well dealing Sizemore in the offseason, moving Brantley to Center and acquiring a big bat left fielder.

  • Roosevelt

    I am a former Indians fan checking in when I see they might actually make a move to improve the team. There is no time that a small market team is going to be dominant. The only way they will win is by knowing their window, and making moves within it. Right now, they have a window, it seems, and this guy will be on board for three years. Go for it, and I will think about following baseball for a few months.

  • Ghost To Most

    How bout Carrasco, another starter, Hagadone and a position player not named Kipnis or Chisenhall?

    Id have to think long and hard about that one. I highly doubt the Tribe would part with any of their top 4 guys. But if they could acquire a young talent like Ubaldo and not give up any of the big 4, I think they would have to pull the trigger.

    I guess it depends on what Colorado is looking for. Carrasco is young, and although inconsistent he does have great stuff and has proven that he can get big league hitters out. Young, cheap and talented, that could be enticing for the Rockies, plus walking away with 4th or 5th starter, a highly regarded bullpen prospect and a position player. Doesnt sound like too bad of a deal for them, but again I have no idea what they are looking for.

    Of course there is always the possibility that they arent serious about dealing Jimenez. Only dangling him to see if a contender will overpay to get him.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Nick-Patronite/542391784 Nick Patronite

    I’d like to see us not pick up the option on Sizemore, then resign him to a 3 year deal worth about 9-10 mill

  • Ghost To Most

    In other breaking news, Matt LaPorta has apparently deleted his Twitter account.

    http://twitter.com/Gator4God

    Maybe hes going to Colorado as part of the Jimenez deal :D

  • mgbode

    since noone else mentioned it yet: Getting Ubaldo would be denying the Yankees of another elite SP (after they swung and missed on Lee in the offseason). Always good to kick them in the groin.

    It would also put us one up on Cinci (the other team reportedly in the mix). It’s good to remind Cinci they are the little brother from time to time.

    I agree with the others that Ubaldo now is what we hope Carrasco will become. So, it would make sense (both for us and Colorado) for Tabasco to be apart of the trade. I would happily include E.Carrera, Phelps, and Gomez. But, I think they will want one more prospect better than that (which one would shape if I would do the trade or not – yes if we have to replace Gomez with CC Lee, House or Gardner).

  • mgbode

    don’t tease like that :)

  • mgbode

    no. ubaldo’s contract is awfully reasonable and we’d likely be trading one of the guys we expected to be in the rotation next year. it should have no bearing.

  • Shamrock

    This is the kind of thinking that is needed. That being said I hope Pomeranz and Chisenhall aren’t two potential names involved.

  • B-bo

    I miss my avatar…

  • christopher

    i wouldnt give up two starters and a position player for 1 rotation player.

    the most i give is White or Carrasco and Carrera or Phelps.

  • Believelander

    I -love- this acquisition, because it gives us a potentially monstrous pitching staff going into the home stretch, and October, and makes us likely even deadlier next year.

    2012: Masterson, Jiminez, Carrasco, and 2 of the following 5: Tomlin, Carmona, White, Huff, Gomez, and the potential to call up Pomeranz if need be.

    Disgusting.

  • christopher

    while i agree with you that small market teams need to strike during there window i will disagree that this is the tribe’s window.

    we are a year ahead of schedule right now with the club and i am good with holding the cards until next year when the window will be much wider open.

  • christopher

    i’d like to see Sizemore off the team in the offseason.

  • Believelander

    Or we -could- tease like that, let LaPorta see if he can actually learn to play baseball somewhere else (The White Brandon Phillips!), as Santana is no loss at 1st, and we always have guys who can perform at Matt LaPorta’s stellar AAAA level hovering around the system. Or Carlos Santana. Lou Marson’s name doesn’t elicit any more sad from me than Matt LaPorta’s.

  • christopher

    while i enjoy your entusiasm for trade deadline moves i do not share your sentiment for the 2012 rotation.

    colorado is going to want Carrasco, White or Pomeranz OR a combination of the three….then next year’s rotation looks like this:

    Masterson, Jimenez, Tomlin and either Carmona or Huff or Gomez…not exactly the Phillies starting rotation nor an improvement of this year’s nor what it could look like without this trade….Masterson, Carrasco, White, Tomlin, Pomeranz.

    plus because we haven’t addressed the anemic offense our first three starters will have losing records and all of them will come in games in which the final scores are 1-0, 2-1, etc.

  • kunal

    I would love to get Jimenez, just as long as we aren’t trading anybody too important, but thats probably going to be necessary to get the deal done

  • Scotty

    I don’t think Asomugha can hit left handed pitching very well..

  • Scotty

    That’s ridiculous. Just because we may not be title contenders this year doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to get better. You don’t think Dolan is enjoying having more people in the seats now that we’re winning? As long as we’re making moves to get better at the trade deadline instead of giving our best players away, I’ll be happy.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Scott @ WFNY

    They may not pick it up anyway – check out Jon’s piece from last week. Spelled stuff out pretty well.

  • Shawn

    I haven’t been in favor of dealing one of the “Untouchable 4″ but if we could somehow get Ubaldo, I would say White would be the guy I would prefer moving out of the 4. It’s difficult to try to figure out what else they would want along with White, since we as fans tend to overvalue our own talent -or- say that a guy sucks and then try to ship him out in a deal for a stud, ie. Cord Phelps.

    In my ideal world, as long as Santana, A Cabrera, Masterson, Pomeranz, Carrasco, Kipnis, Chisenhall, and LeVon Washington aren’t involved, I would feel okay with any package of players. Ubaldo would be the biggest acquisition for this organization in a very, very long time. And, I don’t want to pass up another Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, or Curt Schilling to put us over the top. Sure, he doesn’t hit, but this rotation would be nearly unhittable.

  • Shawn

    I haven’t been in favor of dealing one of the “Untouchable 4″ but if we could somehow get Ubaldo, I would say White would be the guy I would prefer moving out of the 4. It’s difficult to try to figure out what else they would want along with White, since we as fans tend to overvalue our own talent -or- say that a guy sucks and then try to ship him out in a deal for a stud, ie. Cord Phelps.

    In my ideal world, as long as Santana, A Cabrera, Masterson, Pomeranz, Carrasco, Kipnis, Chisenhall, and LeVon Washington aren’t involved, I would feel okay with any package of players. Ubaldo would be the biggest acquisition for this organization in a very, very long time. And, I don’t want to pass up another Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, or Curt Schilling to put us over the top. Sure, he doesn’t hit, but this rotation would be nearly unhittable.

  • Ghost To Most

    Ok, nevermind on trading Carrasco for Jimenez. Maybe the Padres will take him off our hands for Ludwick. :D

    All joking aside Id be looking to move him, if not now then in the offseason. This kid has no composure out there.

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