May 25, 2013

Breaking MLB News: Indians Awarded Claim of Jim Thome

August 25, 2011 by 42 Comments

According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Cleveland Indians have been awarded the right to trade for veteran bat Jim Thome, winning the bidding war that started earlier this week when the designated hitter was placed on waivers.

The Indians reportedly have until 1pm on Friday to make a trade with the Minnesota Twins. Thome has a no-trade clause and has allegedly expressed a desire to go to Philadelphia where he would likely spot fill as a pinch hitter for the Phillies.

If a trade is not agreed to, the Twins can pull Thome off of waivers and decide whether or not they would merely release him and put him on the open market without receiving any compensation in return. Given the Indians’ recent swoon and the fact that Thome has signaled a desire to play for a contender, it would not surprise this author if something “didn’t work out.”

With regard to Thome’s teammate Jason Kubel, a bid by the Chicago White Sox reportedly blocked the right-handed bat from falling to the Tribe. Given that Kubel is set to be a Type-A free agent, it is highly unlikely that a deal gets consummated.

Stay tuned.

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  • christiang

    Wouldn’t be the first time he burned us for Philly.
    How quickly people forget.

  • oribiasi

    @ christiang — Shhh the Thome-lovers who all forget his Titanic-sized lie that he’d never leave will come out of the woodwork and destroy you here.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com DP

    Thome will come to Cleveland if they can include the guy who sets up the pitching machine in the batting cages.

    Oh, wait, that was Manny’s dumb arse back in 2000.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Andrew

    Christiang beat me to it. When it comes to Philly vs Cleveland, we know which one Thome will pick.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com DP

    Cooter Manuel.

    Book it.

  • Humpy

    …..or was it Thome’s “rock” that loves Philly?!

  • http://exiledclevelander.wordpress.com AMC

    Remember, for Thome to get to Philly the Twins would have to cooperate and basically release him, guaranteeing they’d get nothing in return for him. If the Twins can agree on a deal to send him to Cleveland, the Twins will probably pressure Thome to accept it, because they can always tell Thome they have no intention of releasing him if he didn’t accept it.

  • Harv 21

    Contention and $24M reasons the first time, wanting to contend the second.

    Poor Jim Thome: can’t lose for winning around here.

  • NJ

    So Thome might get the chance to stick it to both Minnesota and Cleveland? Awesome. I’ll get the popcorn.

  • http://gooddoctorzeus.blogspot.com DocZeus

    Positive thoughts everybody! I can’t imagine that Thome wants to be a situational pinch hitter for the Phillies instead of playing everyday.

    Unless he just wants to ride some team’s coattails to the a ring…

  • architrance

    Do the Phills really think he can still play in the field? Would,t they really just be eying him for a pinch hitter/DH in the World Series? I’d think he’d jump at the chance for real playing time in the CLE.

  • stin4u

    I don’t see this happening. I had no idea about the no-trade. I’ll be interested in seeing how/if this pans out.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Andrew

    Putting all joking/sarcasm aside, I really hope this happens. I would love to be able to see Thome bat one more time for the Tribe.

  • Ghost To Most

    I highly doubt he goes to Philadelphia. Of course he “prefers” the Phillies, they have the best record in baseball. But in all likelihood his options are staying in Minnesota or coming here. Even if he refuses a trade to Cleveland, the Twins would have to place him on release waivers, or release him outright which I think is highly unlikely. Preferring the Phillies doesnt necessarily mean that he will not or would not come here. We’ll see what happens.

  • Vengeful Pat

    And furthermore, Jim Thome spits on orphans and kicks puppies. Or at least he said he wouldn’t do that and then did it, so he’s a liar. Liars can’t play baseball.

    So in short, my point is “get over it already.” I want to win baseball games.

  • PNR

    He wants a ring – he’s not coming here.

  • 5KMD

    Vengeful Pat,

    I am over it from a competitive standpoint. I just won’t line up and declare my undying love for the man like a lot folks in Cleveland.

    He can still hit a baseball a long way and, because of that, I say bring him on. But I won’t forgive him for making us all think he was with the Tribe till the end and then chase the last dollar, all the while refusing to allow the Tribe to trade him and get some prospects back. His word means nothing.

    Weaver just took less money to stay with the Angels, it is possible to stay true to your word.

  • oribiasi

    @ 5KMD – Thank you. You said it well; don’t write checks your @$$ can’t cash, is all I have to say to Thome. Although, given the money he made when he left I doubt there is a check he couldn’t write, ha.

  • Ghost To Most

    Here is Ken Rosenthal’s article on Thome

    http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/MLB-Jim-Thome-claimed-by-cleveland-indians-jason-kubel-chicago-white-sox-082511

    Here is the part I found interesting:

    “The only way for Thome to get to the Phillies would be if the Twins pulled him off trade waivers and placed him on release waivers. Thome could then reject every team that claims him but the Phillies.”

    Can he actually do that? I know he has a no trade clause, but does that clause actually extend to the waiver wire as well? So if he gets placed on release waivers and 20 teams claim him, he can reject every claim except the Phillies? And Philadelphia can end up with him even though they have the best record in baseball?

    It seems hard to believe, you would think MLB would have rules in place to prevent players from doing this. But maybe not…

  • christopher

    “I would love to be able to see Thome bat one more time for the Tribe.”

    me to, so i can boo him just like the times he came back to cleveland in a phillies, white sox and minnesota jersey.

    and @ Vengeful Pat; it’s not a question of getting over it because we want to win games.

    if #6 was on waivers and a new cavs owner won the rights to bid him back would you take him “just to win games”?

    how quickly we forget Thome being the original #6 in this city.

    and bring him back for what? a run at the postseason?
    didn’t the majority of us just declare over the past few days the race was over?

    this is a trade i do not need to see happen. Antonetti already had his chance giving away prospects for “proven MLB talent” and we can all see how that vaulted us into contention.

    thanks but no thanks.

  • Vengeful Pat

    @5KMD, but why hold onto the anger? Especially in light of other things you have to have heard. Thome visiting a sick woman in the hospital for days and never telling a soul in the media. Nobody in MLB has a bad word to say about the guy. One lie, the true motivation behind which you don’t know, undoes all of the good from Jim Thome? This isn’t a scumbag like LeBron James… I just don’t get it. It’s your opinion and you’re entitled to it, I just will never understand it.

  • christiang

    Often times I forgot how often the “rental” year pays off. Ask Z about it.

    Way over the Thome thing. Fix the pitching.

  • BuckeyeDawg

    Too little, too late. A nice feel good story for all the people who still love the guy, but I doubt it gets us into the playoffs at this point.

    (If some consider that too negative, that’s fine…I consider it a realistic and honest opinion given our current situation…)

  • Ghost To Most

    If the Cavs had been a 35 win team and offered LeBron less money than Miami, then I could see people drawing parallels between those 2 situations. Otherwise, and I hate to use the old tired cliche, but its an apples to oranges argument.

    If the Indians were coming off back to back 100 win seasons and offered him more money than anyone else to stay, that would be different.

    Im sure plenty will disagree, but I do believe that Thome actually enjoyed playing here and wanted to stick around. LeBron made it clear from day one that Cleveland wasnt good enough. This town would never be big enough for his ego, and as soon as the opportunity presented itself, he would bolt.

    I get that he contradicted himself, but who hasnt done that at some point or another? I told my first wife I would love her forever, then filed for divorce. Im over that aspect of it, it doesnt bother me anymore.

  • Garry Owen

    If I was Thome, I wouldn’t want to come to Cleveland. Too much anger, hatred, bitterness, and hard feelings – for a stinking baseball player.

    Sheesh.

  • christopher

    anger, hatre, bitterness aside…he doesn’t get us in the postseason.

    that’s the reason we don’t make this trade.

  • JM

    If he wants to come here then I am all for it. But the year is close to being over. Let the young guys develop. For the love of Bob Feller please fix the pitching too.

  • mgbode

    i’d like to see Thome put on the Wahoo one last time.

  • Nicko

    What happened to Kubel?

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Andrew

    I don’t see the Thome move as helping the Indians win the division this year. But having said that, there is still 5 weeks of baseball left, and Thome is better than anyone else the Indians are going to use at DH. The added bonus is the nice PR bump. I have no delusions about this season. The odds are slim of the Tribe winning the division. But this isn’t over yet. Teams have blown 6 game leads in a month before. Hell, the Indians practically did just that.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/ Rick

    @29 The bigger question is What happened to Plevin?!?

  • http://www.morningjournal.com/content/articles/2011/01/31/sports/doc4d463b0cd062d819200129.jpg Return of the (Alex) Mack

    maybe he will sell tickets and we can pretend it’s the 90s

  • Shamrock

    I’m shocked by the reactions here I figured you’d all buy into the storyline of Thome returning to finish where he started. It’s refreshing that people don’t just blindly wipe the slate clean.

    That being said the Indians lineup/roster needs something. I agree though that Thome won’t be the miracle cure. Not by a mile.

  • Nicko

    Didn’t the Tigers blow a 7 game lead late just last year to the Twins?

    Thome isn’t the fix all of course, but I don’t think he is going to hurt anything.

  • mgbode

    @34 – no, Minny ran away with it last year. You are thinking 2009.

    http://alexreisner.com/baseball/history/race

  • BuckeyeDawg

    I harbor no strong feelings one way or the other toward Thome. I just don’t care, beyond what he can do to help the team currently…and I’m pretty sure that adding him to the offense won’t make a big enough difference at this point…

    I will not allow myself to get sentimental or emotional toward professional athletes anymore. I have been burned too many times. Appropriately, Thome is the one who started me down that road. I’m pretty much a “front of the jersey” kind of guy now…

  • Dan

    I too am surprised by the (mild) backlash here. Bring on Thome! Hopefully it’s as much fun as the Lofton reunion in 2007.

    Also let’s be serious, Thome wasn’t the original #6, that honor belongs to Albert Belle.

  • christopher

    @Dan

    I don’t remember Belle proclaiming we would need to tear the Indians jersey from his back as did Thome.

    A ‘la #6….the Cavs have the best chance in signing me.

  • Shamrock

    Christopher maybe he meant his lovely wife would rip it off. Athletes are like politicians they tell you what you want to hear.

  • Ghost To Most
  • christopher

    WE’RE SAVED!!

    (fail music from Price is Right plays)

    I’m gonna throw up when I watch all the 90′s bandwagon fans go down to the Jake and give him a standing applause his first game back.

    Suits and ties, suits and ties!

  • Shamrock

    Tomorrow Thome will cry!