The IBI's Jeff Ellis missed the Nick Swisher press conference on the radio and TV on Thursday, but he followed it via Twitter and was impressed with the way his words sparked excitement and energy among the fans and media. He talks about how it was nice for once to have a player happy to come to Cleveland rather than cutting bait and leaving town like so many others have before him.

The playoffs in the winter leagues kept rolling Thursday night, with some Cleveland players in key roles. Jose Ramirez kept hitting (no surprise there), Ezequiel Carrera joined him, and Paolo Espino turned in a strong performance on the mound. To help recap their performances and look at the others in action, join Jim Piascik as he takes you Around The Farm.

On Thursday the Indians officially announced that they have signed free agent outfielder Nick Swisher to a four year $56 million deal with a vesting club option for 2017. To make room on the roster they designated outfielder Thomas Neal for assignment.

Smoke Signals is back on the cyberwaves tonight for a special half hour edition from 11:00pm – 11:30pm EST. Indians Baseball Insiders Tony Lastoria and Jim Pete will take a look at the Hot Stove League, including the the signings of Nick Swisher and Brett Myers. They'll also look ahead at the rest of the offseason, and the players that could fall into the Indians laps before pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear on February 10th.

With Tuesday's signing of Brett Myers, the Cleveland Indians continued to address the team's needs. The Myers move is just the latest in what has been a very busy offseason for the Tribe. The team's needs have not differed much this offseason when compared to last offseason, yet the Indians have approached the needs in an entirely differently way this year. The IBI's Steve Orbanek chimes in with his thoughts after the jump...

The Venezuelan Winter League playoffs began on Wednesday and both Ezequiel Carrera and Asdrubal Cabrera kicked things off with a hit. Plus, playoff round-robin play continued in the Dominican Winter League and Jose Ramirez and Juan Diaz were both in action. The IBI's Steve Orbanek recaps all of the night's action as he takes you Around the Farm.

Today we continue on with our eleventh batch of 2013 scouting videos. We shot tons of video of over 135 players this season, and in today's batch of videos we feature Luigi Rodriguez, Nelson Rodriguez, Ronny Rodriguez, Juan Romero, Brian Ruiz, Jerrud Sabourin, Danny Salazar, Anthony Santander, Joe Sever and Grant Sides.

The Indians made a small transaction on Wednesday bringing back first baseman/outfielder Russ Canzler and in turn designated right-handed pitcher Jeanmar Gomez for assignment. The Blue Jays had claimed Canzler off waivers from the Indians almost two weeks ago, but the Indians returned the favor as they reclaimed him today.

The Indians have reportedly come to terms with free agent right-handed pitcher Brett Myers. Tony chimes in with lots of insight and thoughts on the signing and looks at how he helps the Indians rotation next year, the personal baggage he comes with, his history as a pitcher, what moves if any may come next for the Indians, and what players on the 40-man are in danger of being designated for assignment.

Just a quick site update to note that the transformation from IndiansProspectInsider.com to IndiansBaseballInsider.com is now complete as the URL change to make www.IndiansBaseballInsider.com the primary domain was made today. If you are having trouble logging in, take a quick check at this post to help you get back in.

The Corner of Carnegie and Ontario celebrates the New Year with several resolutions from the players on the Cleveland Indians 40-man roster. Jim Pete will also analyze the signing of right-handed starter/reliever Brett Myers to a one-year deal, with a club option for a second season. Are the Indians planning on making a run at Shawn Marcum as well? Join Jim Pete with his weekly staple, after the jump...

The Cleveland Indians ended 2012 with a flurry of moves that culminated with the signing of outfielder Nick Swisher. It looks like 2013 is beginning in much the same way, as the Tribe signed right-handed pitcher Brett Myers to a one year deal, with a club option for a second year.

Today we continue on with our ninth batch of 2013 scouting videos. We shot tons of video of over 135 players this season, and in today's batch of videos we feature Scott Peoples, Roberto Perez, Kyle Petter, Cord Phelps, Bryan Price, Mason Radeke, Jose Ramirez, Mike Rayl, J.D. Reichenbach, and Will Roberts.

Another year has come and gone here at the Indians Baseball Insider. It has been a busy year with the unveiling of a new site, a name change, and tons more, as well as the content doubling from 2011 and the hits exploding to over 70 million for the year! While our New Year's resolution is to continue to improve the site and make it the #1 site for Cleveland Indians fans, some of the IBI staff share their New Year's resolutions for the Indians in 2013....

Another year has come and gone, and while the 2012 Cleveland Indians did not come together as planned there were still some bright moments during the journey. 2012 is over, and as we look back on it one more time here on New Year's Eve, it is time for an Indians Baseball (Baseball!) Insider year-end recap piece. To avoid a generic, boring article, however, the IBI's Jim Piascik framed the year around Pink Floyd's famous The Dark Side of the Moon album. Check out one of the best pieces of the year after the jump...

Today we continue on with our ninth batch of 2013 scouting videos. We shot tons of video of over 135 players this season, and in today's batch of videos we feature Shawn Morimando, Toru Murata, Bryson Myles, Tyler Naquin, Thomas Neal, Mitch Nilsson, Rob Nixon, Matt Packer, Nick Pasquale, and Dorssys Paulino.