May 22, 2013

The Indians’ offseason hunt for a veteran starting pitcher

December 22, 2012 by 11 Comments

The Scott Kazmir signing was nice and all, but it’s not going to be it for the Cleveland Indians in the starting pitching market. All offseason, the Tribe’s front office has expressed its desire to sign one more free agent starter: a veteran that could provide some more depth to the rotation.

Entering 2013, the starters for the Tribe are Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez, then likely Zach McAllister and Trevor Bauer. As I broke down last week following the Bauer-Shin Soo Choo trade, there are no other immediate options in Columbus or elsewhere. Indians fans would simply see the usual revolving door at No. 5 should no other pitcher join the fold: a la Jeanmar Gomez, Carlos Carrasco, et al.

So what’s left on the market for the Indians? Reportedly, Cleveland was on the short list of suitors for RHP Edwin Jackson, who signed a 4-year, $52 million deal with the Cubs earlier this week. But with the New Year approaching, the list is shrinking quickly. [Read more...]

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Indians’ Derek Lowe Surprises with Hot April Start

April 29, 2012 by 3 Comments

Entering today’s game against the Los Angeles Angels, the Cleveland Indians remain in first place in the AL Central with a 10-9 record. That’s quite an odd feat alone, but then one must discern which individual has been the most impressive thus far for the Tribe. After looking around a little bit, I’ve got a top four candidate, and it’s someone no one expected to be in this position.

Derek Lowe, a 38-year-old starter, made his way to Cleveland in a small late October 2011 trade with the Atlanta Braves. After notably collapsing down the stretch last year while the Braves faltered to miss the playoffs, Lowe was pretty much given away to Cleveland. Atlanta ate up $10 million of his $15 million salary, and hardly got anything in return (just Single-A LHP Chris Jones). [Read more...]

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Why Care About Manny?

September 1, 2010 by 10 Comments

Manny Ramirez was in the on-deck circle last night when A.J. Pierzynski hit a bomb to nail down a victory for the Chicago White Sox.  Manny was quickly yanked off the field as he was no longer needed to deliver a hit in his first game as a member of the White Sox.  Yes, Manny Ramirez returned to Cleveland last night as a member of the White Sox!  Did you hear?  He was going to play and then he didn’t!  I felt a lot of this kind of excited sentiment last night from Indians fans, and I couldn’t figure out why.

Don’t get me wrong.  I have really loved writing about Manny Ramirez over the years.  For me it is a personal story as I lived through the Manny Ramirez / Jeff Moorad free agency circus while living in Boston.  I also love to talk about it as it relates to the failing business of baseball between the haves and have nots.  For me though, it is a topic that lives in the past.  I can still get worked up over it based on that, but in the present day I couldn’t possibly care less about Manny Ramirez or what he might be able to do at the plate for the White Sox against this version of the triple-a Tribe that is tossed on the field every night. [Read more...]

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MLB Trade Rumors: Cliff Lee AND Victor Martinez to LA?

July 27, 2009 by 15 Comments

Cliff LeeWhile Cliff Lee was cruising through the Seattle Mariners yesterday afternoon, and Victor Martinez was given the day off, both players found their names in one of the bigger 2009 trade deadline rumors that we have seen thus far.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has had his ear to the street over the last few months, and has featured Lee and Martinez quite frequently in his updates.  But while we have heard rumors of both players being on the trade market, did we ever feel that they would both go to the same team?

The [Los Angeles] Dodgers and Indians are in serious discussions about a blockbuster that would send left-hander Cliff Lee and catcher Victor Martinez to Los Angeles for first baseman James Loney, one of the Dodgers’ young starting pitchers and prospects, according to major-league sources. [...]

Lee would replace either left-hander Clayton Kershaw or right-hander Chad Billingsley — it is not known which the Dodgers would part with in the package — giving manager Joe Torre the more experienced starter that he covets.

[Read more...]

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Report: Cliff Lee Will Test Free Agency

July 1, 2009 by 19 Comments

Cliff LeeFresh off of one of the worst starts of Cliff Lee’s career, we are now also confronted with a recent report by Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal that states that the team is most definitely listening to offers for their ace starting pitcher.

But why would a team look to trade a guy that they still have for one more season when they feel that they can compete and “like their core?”  Well, according to a “source close to Lee,” he is set to test the free agent waters following the 2010 season.  Of course he is.

Earlier reports had the Dodgers looking to add Lee to their pitching staff as they (likely) head into the 2009 post season.  However, the asking price at the time of the report was a “potential top-of-the-rotation starter” a la Tommy Hanson or Clay Buchholz.  Now, Rosenthal adds the Texas Rangers to the mix as a team that could look to add Lee.  But he also states that they will not only not part with their top pitching prospect, but won’t move any of their top three prospects – including the flame throwing Neftali Feliz, who has reached triple digits and just turned 21 years of age.  Somehow, I can’t see both teams being close to an agreeable price.

[Read more...]

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Dodgers Interested In Cliff Lee

June 25, 2009 by 9 Comments

Cliff LeeAccording to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Los Angeles Dodgers are discussing the possibility of trading for Indians pitcher Cliff Lee-

The Dodgers like Cliff Lee. They have discussed him internally. But their chances of meeting the Indians’ price for the ace left-hander are slim, according to major-league sources. The only way the Indians will trade Lee, sources say, is if they are offered a potential top-of-the-rotation starter at the level of the Braves’ Tommy Hanson or Red Sox’s Clay Buchholz.

This is the first report I’ve heard this season about the Tribe even taking calls on Cliff Lee. Remember, the Indians have a club option on Lee for next season at $8 million. They certainly do not have to start looking for trade partners at this point, and if they did pull the trigger on a deal, it would have to be an UNBELIEVABLE type of offer. Do the Dodgers even have those kinds of prospects?

With the Indians falling further out of contention, we are going to start hearing more Cliff Lee rumors going forward.

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Manny Ramirez Selling His Boston Condo for $8.5 Million

March 5, 2009 by 7 Comments

Who cares about a recession leaking into depression?  Certainly nobody who can afford to look at Manny’s condo that he recently put up for sale in Boston for $8.5 million.  The condo is 4421 square feet with four bedrooms, five and a half bathrooms and three valet parking spaces.  Oh yeah, and if you can afford the mortgage, you aren’t done there.  The monthly condo fee is $5718.  That’s right folks.  Monthly fee.  Just to let you know, that is $68,616 per year not including property taxes or the inevitable Christmas tips that must be handed out to residential staff.

This is certainly a long far trip from the guy who used to stash his paychecks in his glove box when he was up and coming in Cleveland.  (Thanks Jeff Moorad!)  And try to imagine what kind of real estate Manny would have lived in in the Cleveland area.  These rich types of options aren’t even available as far as I know as far as residences at the Ritz.  But let’s put it in perspective anyway.

[Read more...]

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Indians: Continuing to Temper Expectations

November 3, 2008 by 13 Comments

Let’s face it: Off-seasons are only exciting if your team of rooting interest makes moves.  The Browns?  We loved it when the team managed to acquire players like Corey Williams and Shaun Rogers.  The Cavaliers?  Mo Williams, come on down.  But all of the moving and shaking seems to stall out when it comes to the Indians and their off-seasons.

Sure, Mark Shapiro and company made several key moves for the future this year when the ship began to sink.  But what about the months of November through March?  Last winter was pretty uneventful.  And while Craig did his best to tell us that we shouldn’t expect much to happen, some of us (hello!) still hold out hope for the big splash.  And then I see things like this. [Read more...]

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About Carlos Santana and Jon Meloan

July 28, 2008 by 8 Comments

Now that we’ve finished up the series with the Twins, and the whole Casey Blake trade has started to sink in, I thought it would be best to give the WFNY readers some info on the two players we received in return for Casey: Carlos Santana and Jon Meloan.

With All-Everything catcher Russell Martin playing in L.A. for the foreseeable future, trading a catching prospect to the Indians was a lot easier for the Dodgers to do than most other teams.  After the Tribe dealt Max Ramirez for a couple of months of a 40-plus Kenny Lofton, we desperately needed to bolster the farm system behind the plate.

With Meloan having less-than stellar numbers this season, perhaps the LA Blue thought that his once-heralded arm was done?  [Read more...]

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Used Byrd For Sale

July 27, 2008 by 9 Comments

When the Blake deal was announced did anyone else find it strange that we were sending cash to Los Angeles? As it turns out the Indians are basically paying the remainder of Blake’s salary, or roughly $2.2 million dollars. Does that seem right to you? Apparently, it would have been a deal breaker had the Indians not ponied up the cash. Read this from Peter Gammons-

The reason the Indians were able to get Carlos Santana, a very high-level prospect, in the Casey Blake deal is that the Indians took on all of Blake’s remaining $2 million salary. Several general managers around baseball wonder whether L.A. doesn’t have cash flow problems.

In fact, the Indians and Dodgers had a deal in place for Sabathia with L.A., but it was turned down after being reviewed by Dodgers’ ownership. Could it be [Read more...]

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Goodbye Death…

July 26, 2008 by 15 Comments

ESPN is confirming that Casey Blake has been traded to the Dodgers, with cash, in exchange for two minor leaguers-

The Indians received minor league catcher Carlos Santana and right-handed pitcher Jon Meloan. Santana is hitting .323, with 14 homers, for Inland Empire, in the Class A California League. The hard-throwing Meloan is 5-10, with a 4.97 ERA, at Triple-A Las Vegas — but has piled up 335 strikeouts in only 262 innings in his minor league career.

The centerpiece of this deal should should be Santana. Meloan is at AAA, and may even get a look on the big club, but the Indians needed a top catching prospect. The Indians would like for Martinez to eventually make the transition to first base, and as witnessed by the Sal Fasano signing, the cupboard is rather bare at catcher. [Read more...]

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Blake to Dodgers?

July 26, 2008 by 2 Comments

From Anthony Castrovince’s MLB Blog:

Blake is expected to go to Los Angeles in exchange for Triple-A right-hander Jon Meloan and Class A catcher Carlos Santana (no, not the guitar player). This deal is not yet official but could be in a matter of hours.

Stay tuned…

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Byrd’s Splits Strike Again

June 23, 2008 by Leave a Comment

Jhonny Peralta, Out By a MileDodgers 4, Indians 3 (box)

It’s never good when there is action in the bullpen during the first inning.  Such was the case yesterday afternoon when Paul Byrd gave up four runs before even recording an out. 

I bet Byrd would like that inning back, because from the second inning on, we saw a completely different pitcher – allowing two hits from that point on.  Still, it wasn’t enough for the bats to overcome, as the Tribe’s one inning of runs simply couldn’t trump that of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

[Read more...]

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More ABs for CC?

June 22, 2008 by 7 Comments

C.C. Sabathia, Home Run TrotIndians 6, Dodgers 4 (box)
Indians 7, Dodgers 2 (box)

How about that home run? Don’t worry, more on that in a second.

First things first. Can these starting pitchers get a little help here? Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia have been nothing short of dominant over the last two days. Their combined numbers: 14.1 innings, 11 hits, two earned runs, 13 strikeouts, two walks. Oh, and two “no decisions,” or ND for the stat heads.

The combined numbers for Joe Borowski and Masa Kobayashi? Three innings, four hits, two earned runs, three strikeouts, two walks. Their results? Two wins and a save.

[Read more...]

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Eric Wedge: Persona Non Grata

June 19, 2008 by 11 Comments

wedgeDo we here at Waiting For Next Year tend to focus much nihilism towards our professional play-calling directors?  Perhaps.  And often times, it may be laced with a dab of frustration that can lead to unwarrented blame.  It is a secret to no one that the Cavaliers’ Mike Brown was a frequent target of much angst and solicitude thanks to an almost-stubborn lack of offensive execution.  Frequently leaving a fan base in such a state of disbelief will oftentimes result in comparable response.

Alas, I engross this piece regarding a man in a similar position, haplessly for a similar reason: a severe lack of offense.  But unlike Brown, who sticks to his virtues and says that his team focuses on – and wins basketball games thanks to - the defensive side of the ball, Eric Wedge seems uncomfortably complacent with said scarce run production. 

[Read more...]

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