May 23, 2013

On the Wisdom of Sending David Huff to Columbus

August 4, 2011 by 24 Comments

What if I told you we have a pitcher under club control for the next four seasons who is striking out more than 7.5 batters per nine innings, walking about 2.0, and hasn’t allowed a home run yet this season?

Now what if I told you that pitcher was David Huff, who just got optioned back to Columbus to make room on the Big League roster for the newly added Ubaldo Jimenez?

Now, what if I told you that Carlos Carrasco has been suspended for six games for doing something silly, opening up a spot in the rotation?  On top of that, since the beginning of July, Carrasco has a 9.13 ERA. Woof.  But he’s sticking on the roster for the time being, suspension and all, while David Huff dances down I-71 to ply his trade in the minors.

Finally, what if I told you only a stupid organization would have kept David Huff on the 25-man roster in light of all this?

Since Huff’s six-strikeout, five inning performance against the Red Sox on Tuesday night, his 2011 ERA sits at a ridiculous 0.51.  Obviously, this is the product of a small sample size and some good luck: only three starts and 17.2 innings, to be precise.  Even still, if you’re prone to believing in either redemption or the “hot-hand”, David Huff is the sort of pitcher you’d like to have in your rotation to make a stretch run.

Here’s the glitch, though.  Had the club sent Carlos Carrasco down to Columbus and kept David Huff on the 25-man roster, we would have lost our final “option year” on Carrasco, meaning that next season, he’d have to be exposed to waivers to be sent to the minors.  (This also wouldn’t be an option for avoiding his suspension; he’d still have to serve it eventually.)

If, on the other hand, we can make it to August 13th (the next day we’ll need a fifth starter), we can send Carrasco down to Columbus and call up Huff, and we won’t lose Carrasco’s option year.  This gets a bit technical, but you only use an option year on a player if he spends more than 20 days in the minors in a given season.  If the Indians can wait until the 13th to send down Carrasco and call up Huff, they can leave Carrasco in Columbus until September 1st (when MLB rosters can expand to 40 players) and save his last option year.

I know this seems like a small issue, but keep in mind that option years are particularly valuable on a team with as many viable starters as we’ll have for the next several years.  If we exposed Carrasco to waivers next year, he’d almost certainly be snatched away by another club.  By sending David Huff down for 10 days, the team can assure its choice of its five best pitchers for an entire year in 2012.  And all it cost was one more start out of Carrasco.*

*All of this rosterbation probably could have been avoided if Colorado hadn’t started Ubaldo Jimenez on Saturday after they ALREADY HAD A TRADE IN PLACE.  This was not remotely acceptable behavior in my opinion.  In jest, I’ve suggested that the Indians call up Drew Pomeranz to the Majors to start his arbitration clock to pay the Rockies back for their malfeasance.  He has not been, so far as I know, “named” yet, so he is still OUR player to do with as we like.  Also, don’t mess with me.  I’m devious.

So while I understand that David Huff isn’t happy about the decision, there’s no reason for us to lament it.  The front office is doing the smart thing here to protect the club’s best interests going forward.  In fact, to do otherwise would be a mistake.

 

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  • Lloyd Braun

    Great writeup – good to know that background. In light of that, it seems like a good decision to send him down. Huff’s three starts were encouraging though. I had completely written him off.

    It was a bush league move by the Rockies no doubt.

    As for Pomeranz – what’s the protocal there? Does he continue to pitch in the minors, or does he do nothing until the 15th rolls around and the deal is final?

  • gabriel

    does anyone else think Huff’s career is starting to resemble Cliff Lee’s to a degree? Southpaw gets sent down to work on his command after a rough year in the minors.. comes back with what seems to be much sharper command and mental focus? (hey What If?’ right?)

  • jimkanicki

    i like where youre head is at.

  • gabriel

    *rough year in the majors

  • chucky brown

    thanks for the clarification, I nearly ran my car off the road when i heard on the radio that Huff got sent down

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Jon

    @ gabriel:

    You’re not the first one to think that. From last year: http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2010/05/sabr-toothed-triber-who-is-david-huff/

    I’d say we still have a LONG way to go before those comparisons start carrying any water though.

    And Lloyd, from what I hear he’s only throwing bullpen sessions until next week when the move can become official. I hope we pull him back and name someone else. I’m spiteful.

  • http://serandez.blogspot.com Ezzie

    Regardless of the actions of the Rockies, the Indians playing any games or taking any risks with Pomeranz would only result in nobody ever trading with the Tribe again.

    Great piece.

    All seriousness, if Huff can continue to this form and settle in as the Tribe’s #4 next year, and I’m certainly happy with Carrasco as a #5, the Tribe will have a really solid rotation for a long time.

    Now, if we could only get a couple more bats…

  • http://www.whitecollarredneck.com Narm

    I’m 99% sure we can’t send Carrasco down to the minors until after his suspension – so there was no choice but to send down Huff until the suspension is over. Then you just call him right back up.

    It makes for great afternoon sports radio ranting – but it was really the only option.

  • theherd10

    The more I read/hear about the Rockies starting Jiminez last week, the more irritated with them I get. They really messed us over for, what, one inning? Forty pitches? Thanks, Colorado.

  • Tommy

    “If the Indians can wait until the 13th to send down Carrasco and call up Huff, they can leave Carrasco in Columbus until September 1st (when MLB rosters can expand to 40 players) and save his last option year.”

    Seems like they would want Carrasco to be eligible for the postseason, even if it is to pitch out of the bullpen, so it seems doubtful to me that they wouldn’t call him back up before Sept 1.

    Another option on the Huff situation… DFA Hannahan, (Who needs to waste a roster spot on a 1/2 position defensive replacement anyways. He has fallen to 3rd on the depth chart at 3rd.) Make it through Carrasco’s suspension with a 3 man bench and that gives us at least one more Huff start to evaluate who’s best going forward.

    If we’re still in the hunt a week from now after Tex and Det series (bigger possibility of this not being the case than I’d like to think about right now), maybe Carrasco takes Durbin’s place in the bullpen if Huff is still pitching well. 2-3 innings worth of Carrasco’s stuff dialed up for short stints could be a perfect jolt for a bullpen (who’s magic is starting to dry up) down the stretch.

    In my opinion, more emphasis needs to be put on winning games RIGHT NOW, or else we’ve wasted 2 months of Jimenez and all the additional revenue that a division race to the finish would bring. So let’s get creative.

  • Tommy

    “It makes for great afternoon sports radio ranting – but it was really the only option.”

    @Narm

    I guess it was the only option if we are crusted in our traditional baseball roster management ways of 5 SP, 7 RP, 4 Bench guys at all times.

    We need to think outside the box.

  • http://www.whitecollarredneck.com Narm

    @Tommy

    But who else do you send down? I’m not against having a 6 man rotation (as guys like Masterson, Carrasco and I believe Tomlin haven’t pitched this many innings before)…

    But other than cutting Kearns – which is apparently impossible, you would have to send down Donald / Carrera for a full 10 days.

  • Tommy

    @Narm

    Sorry, I should’ve pointed you to my post @10 also. I’m in favor of DFA’ing Hannahan I think. I like the guy a lot (I mean how can you not love a guy that plays Gaelic Storm before his home at-bats?), but I think his usefulness has run out now that he’s fallen behind Chiz and Donald on the 3rd base depth chart.

    I just don’t believe that a guy that only plays 2 defensive innings every 4 games is worth a 25 man roster spot. Hopefully he clears waivers and accepts a spot in Columbus to serve as our insurance. Maybe he plays SS, 2B somewhere over the winter and makes a run at the Util job next spring, who knows. But if we lose him, I wouldn’t be too upset.

  • GhostToMost

    I have an idea…

    DFA Chad Durbin, move Carmona to the pen as a long reliever and keep Huff in the rotation. Its looking less and less likely that we will pick up Fausto’s option for next season anyway. Unless they still feel that Carmona is one of our “core” guys.

  • Mike

    Really good stuff here. Nice work.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Scott

    FWIW, Colorado insists that the trade wasn’t in place when Jimenez took the hill. Also, there were three scouts in the stands from teams looking to acquire the kid and he had been coming off of a rough outing in ARI. Alas, if they pull him from his start without a deal in place, they shoot themselves in the foot with regard to his demand.

  • mgbode

    @Ghost – i like your suggestion and they can even spin it that Fausto is one of our core guys from the long-reliever position.

  • http://www.whitecollarredneck.com Narm

    @Tommy I see your point. For me – you are really only missing like one start – so it is hard to get behind cutting anyone just to save one start by David Huff (no matter how good he was the last 3 games) – though I see how the argument could be made.

  • NJ

    You DFA Hannahan and he probably doesn’t clear waivers. Somebody probably needs a defensive 3B. You basically would be giving him away.

  • mgbode
  • TSR3000

    @ Scott- No way. You are telling me dealing him was possibly contingent on how he pitched that night? I call shenanigans and I put a hex on Colorado.

    We should make Pomz throw 1,000 pitches a day until the 15th.

  • B-bo

    Jon, your idea about calling Pomz up is exactly why I’ll never be in charge of an MLB team (and really the only reason why, I’m sure): I’d make that move in a heartbeatand and tell the COL brass where on my anatomy they should apply their lips. Ezzie is completely right about the ramifications, but it’d be satisfying in the short term at least.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Jon

    You’re right, Scott. To hear the teams tell it, the trade wasn’t finalized. But to Ubaldo tell it, he’d already been informed that he was being traded before he even took the mound. Either way, we pulled our guys and they didn’t. It just looks bad. And makes me angry.

  • Dan

    Yeah, the Rockies can suck rocks. Although if Ubaldo pitches great tonight, I’m sure this will all be forgiven and forgotten. If there’s one thing Jimenez’s acquisition does is finally solidify the top of the rotation. Carmona is not a #1 (3-5 sure, so long as he gets his command back), Carrasco could become a #1 or 2 but he isn’t consistent enough yet. Masterson and Jimenez starting for the next two seasons (and hopefully the postseason) has my mouth watering already.

    I’m still not sold on Huff. Lest we forget he pitched a complete game gem (I remember ’cause I was there) his 1st start last season and it was all downhill from there. Carrasco looks like a solid 3-5 starter and maybe even better going forward. For one thing, he’s young and his consistency should improve as he gets more experience, plus he has quality stuff. I won’t complain if Huff legitimately earns his way into the rotation next year and beyond, because it would be great for the Indians, especially in the postseason to have a southpaw starter. I can see everyone stacking their lineups with lefties against them otherwise. That’s why I think Pomeranz was the guy the Indians didn’t really want to part ways with in the deal, but the Rockies wanted him. I love the bitchy idea of calling him up until he’s officially named. That’ll show the Rox!

    So yeah, back to my original point I doubt Carrasco’s being sent down. I think Huff will surely be back in September though. He had to know he was going back down once the Jimenez trade happened. He is the fifth starter after all. What I’m anticipating is seeing how the Indians will look next year. The way the guys on the team now are playing, could Sizemore and Carmona be gone? I like Hannahan too, but Donald should be the utility man for the foreseeable future, so I doubt he’ll have a place next year. If LaPorta doesn’t pan out, the entire infield (even the pitcher no less!) sans Cabrera could be different from Opening Day 2011 to Opening Day 2012.