No baseball adage rings truer than the saying ‘you can never have enough pitching.’ It may seem cliché, but not if you’re one of the many Cleveland Indians fans that watched your favorite team last season go seemingly full weeks without a quality start. The IPI's Michael Goodman makes his site debut with a look at the Indians starting rotation now and in the future, and what options they have to improve it.
Terry Francona and Chris Antonetti are off to a good start this offseason with reshaping the major league roster. To take this team from simply improved to playoff contention, though, some upgrades will need to come cheaply via the minor league system. As such, the growth of minor league players into major league contributors is a key to having successful teams in Cleveland. The IPI's Jim Piascik provides his list of ten prospects he thinks can help the team in 2013.
The Cleveland Indians 2012-2013 offseason is in full swing, and to say that Chris Antonetti has been active would be an understatement. With the Indians acquiring Trevor Bauer and Drew Stubbs in their latest move, it's clear that this isn't the same old Indians...and they aren't done. Join Jim Pete at the Corner of Carnegie, as he takes a look at the Indians new aggression....
Wow, what a night for the Indians. They came away as big winners in the three-team trade last night that saw them pickup highly coveted pitching phenom Trevor Bauer. Tony chimes in with his thoughts on all the players in the deal, what may happen next for the Indians, what it means for a possible Perez or Cabrera trade, the immediate impact Francona has had on the organization, and lots more.
Everyone loves the Trevor Bauer pickup for the Tribe, and it is obvious why. But the IPI's Jeff Ellis says not to sleep on the secondary pieces in this deal for the Indians. They were able to get four players in all who should play for the team next season and could all make the opening day roster.
The Indians made a big trade on Tuesday night shipping out outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and three other players for right-handed starting pitching phenom Trevor Bauer, outfielder Drew Stubbs, and two Major League relievers. Charlie Adams chimes in with some great analysis of all the players the Indians gave up and received, and gives his thoughts on the big three-team nine player deal.
The Cleveland Indians acquired Trevor Bauer and three other players tonight as a part of a three-team nine player mega-trade involving outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. The IPI's Jim Piascik has the scoop on what Bauer will bring to the team: a legit front of the rotation starting pitcher.
The Indians have received right-handed pitcher Trevor Bauer, right-handed pitcher Matt Albers, and right-handed pitcher Bryan Shaw from the Diamondbacks and outfielder Drew Stubbs from the Reds. To complete the deal the Indians sent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, infielder Jason Donald and cash considerations to the Reds, and sent left-handed pitcher Tony Sipp and first baseman Lars Anderson to the Diamondbacks.
According to a report from Danny Knobler of CBS Sports, the Indians and Reds are deep in trade talks for Shin-Soo Choo. The reported players the Indians could receive in the deal are young shortstop Didi Gregorius and outfielder Drew Stubbs. There is also talk that the Indians may send another player to the Reds to complete the deal.
The IPI's Steve Orbanek returns with the latest edition of Then & Now. Steve looks this week at Chris McGuiness, who was selected in last week's Rule 5 Draft by the Indians. McGuiness has had a solid minor league career, but what does the future hold for the 24-year-old left-handed hitter? Does he have a chance at sticking with the Tribe? Steve reviews McGuiness' career after the jump.
The Indians made their first major signing of the offseason last night as the team inked first baseman Mark Reynolds to a one-year deal worth $6 million. Reynolds certainly fills some glaring holes for the Indians, but he is not without his flaws as well. Was Reynolds the right signing for the Tribe? The IPI's Steve Orbanek ponders after the jump.
According to several reports, the Indians have agreed to a deal with free agent third baseman/first baseman Mark Reynolds pending a physical. It is being reported that the terms of the deal are a one year deal for $6 million with an additional $1.5 million in incentives.
It was quite a busy week for the Indians in the winter meetings out in Nashville. They did not come away from the meetings making any signings or trades, but the foundation was more than laid on a lot of deals. They missed out on a few players they wanted to sign and they have a few deals on the table to some others, and Tony says it is time to seal the deal and get some of these signings and trades to go through to help change the perception of the team not only for the fans, but the players, agents and teams around the league. All that and more in today's Happenings...
The IPI's Steve Orbanek returns with this week's edition of Then & Now. Steve looks at right-hander Trey Haley this week, who just completed his fifth season in the Indians system. Haley arguably possesses the best fastball in the Indians system, but will high walk totals prevent Haley from ever making a Major League impact? Steve looks back at Haley's career after the jump.
While much of the news centered around the MLB Winter Meetings this week, Indians players continue to hone their craft in the various winter leagues. In this week's Winter Ball Notebook, the IPI's Steve Orbanek touches on the selection of VWL standout Hector Rondon in the Rule 5 Draft as well as slumping slugger Carlos Santana. Plus, Steve takes a look at Luis Hernandez's brilliant winter and reviews the winter statistics of the player the Indians selected in the Rule 5 Draft.
The winter meetings are over and everyone has gone home. The Indians were very active on the free agent and trade fronts, but were unable to come away from the meetings with any new acquisitions in tow. But the offseason continues on, and the Indians are clearly looking to sign both Nick Swisher and Kevin Youkilis and trade Asdrubal Cabrera.
The 2013 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!