Brett Myers at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario

The Hot Stove is beyond heating up here at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario after the Cleveland Indians signed free agent, right-handed starter/reliever Brett Myers to kick off 2013. The reports are that the former Phillies/Astros/White Sox hurler has signed a one-year deal with the Indians, with a club option for a second year. As of this writing, it’s unknown how much money the Indians are giving Myers, and that ultimately will decide if this deal is a good one.

Make no mistake, Brett Myers is not an ace, nor does he have the upside to become an ace. Myers is a veteran presence that’s coming to log innings and give the middle-to-bottom-of-the-rotation consistency, and make no mistake, Myers will be in the rotation.

Brett Myers was signed to come to the Cleveland Indians as a starter, and while there have been some reports discussing the possibility of Myers working out of the bullpen, don’t believe it for a second. Myers is a starter going forward, and he immediately will be inserted into the rotation behind Ubaldo Jimenez and Justin Masterson. Here’s a quick look at the presumed Indians five-man rotation going forward, as well as the guys battling for the last spot:

Obviously, it’s hard to predict the rotation past Myers at #3, and it remains a fluid process, but there should be no doubt that Brett Myers immediately becomes that #3 or #4 starter. While the numbers above showcase his use in 2012 as a reliever, as I noted last week in Corner of Carnegie and Ontario, Myers has been an extremely consistent starter for much of his career. That veteran presence and “innings eater” resume makes him the most dependable choice behind Jimenez and Masterson. Just looking at his numbers as a starter over the years gives you an idea of just how durable the 32-year old has been:

Myers has never been a star, and he’s never been an all-star. His best season as a starter was in 2010, when he went 14-8 in 33 starts, with a 3.14 ERA. He finished tenth in Cy Young voting that season with the Astros, but followed that up with one of his worst seasons as a starter. That Astros team had the worst record in baseball.

Interestingly enough, current Indians third base coach Brad Mills was the Astros manager when Myers signed with the Astros. The Astros then signed Myers to a two-year extension to his initial deal after less than a year into his first season. After two seasons as a starter, Mills asked Myers to return to his role as a closer, and Myers was wholeheartedly on board:

"I know I'm going to enjoy it," said Myers, Houston's opening day starter last year. "It's something that I've done before. I want to give it another shot, see if I can. I look at it as a challenge for me. I like challenges," he said. "They asked me about it and ... I've always wanted to do it. I didn't like getting taken out of the role in '07, but we won the World Series the next year so it worked out for us."

Myers has always been a brash, confident player who can rub people the wrong way, but generally not in the clubhouse. He’s always been considered a leader in the clubhouse with whom other players respect on the field. Off the field, over the years, has been a different story altogether.

• In 2006, Myers was arrested after witnesses reported that Myers had been punching his wife in Boston while they were arguing. His wife Kim refused to prosecute Myers, and charges were dropped.
• In 2007, Myers got into a verbal altercation with Philadelphia sportswriter, Sam Carchidi. Here’s a full transcript and audio of the exchange, and it isn’t pretty.

I’m not a judge or a jury, and not going to use this column to comment on anything right now other than baseball. I’ll let the court of public opinion weigh in on those matters that happened a long time prior to Cleveland. While I likely won’t be buying a Brett Myers jersey any time soon, I do like this move for the Tribe as a strictly baseball move.

Are there any concerns with regards to Myers going forward? Of course there are. Any pitcher at the age of 32 is a bit of a concern with regards to drops in velocity or injury issues. Myers did see a drop in velocity with regards to his fastball from 2008-2011. From 2008-2010, Myers fastball was averaging between 89-90 MPH during end of the year averages. In 2011, when he saw a drop in performance, his fastball average dropped over a MPH. This rings true with his slider and changeup, and matches with his MPH drops out of the bullpen during the 2007, as compared to the 2012 season.

The question is how well will Myers pitch with regards to the drop in velocity, and if the expectations are similar to those in 2011, was this signing worthwhile? My best bet is that in Myers, the Indians get their Paul Byrd. In 2007, Byrd was essentially their #3 starter. He managed to go 15-8, with a 4.59 ERA. His ERA was a nothing-special 4.59, but he won some big games, had some good performances, and was a stable veteran for the 20-somethings in front of him (Sabathia and Hernandez) and below him (Jake Westbrook and a slew of others). Remember, as good as Sabathia and Hernandez/Carmona were that year, the Indians struggled to find that #5 starter all year long. Byrd was a stabilizing influence.

Myers can be that guy for the Indians. Now, if Jimenez and Masterson can only step up and carry the weight.

There’s also scuttlebutt that the Indians were talking to Shawn Marcum over the past weeks. I’ll be interested to see how this all plays out, because there are several thoughts in my head with regards to Marcum, and the Indians talks.

1. Could the Indians have been using their talks with Marcum to shield their talks with Myers? There really hasn’t been anyone of significance on “the inside” reporting that the Indians were even talking to Myers, although there certainly was some speculation in the twitter-sphere that he would make sense. Would be nice to find out that the Indians were using some of the same mojo that had been dealt to them over the years, to help them acquire a needed piece.
2. Are the Indians planning on signing Marcum too? While I doubt that, and it’s hard to speculate since I don’t know the numbers for the Myers contract, could Myers have been the #2 guy all along? Imagine a rotation that looks like this: Masterson, Marcum, Jimenez, Myers, McAllister/Bauer/Carrasco? Seriously, isn’t that what a rotation SHOULD look like? You’d likely see McAllister come out of camp with the #5 job, while Carrasco and Bauer wait in the wings. I could then see a scenario where Carrasco and Bauer work their way into the rotation as the season progresses, moving Myers into the bullpen, when the Indians move Perez to another team. Doubtful, but at this point, I wouldn’t be surprised.
3. The most likely scenario to me is that the Indians were focused on Marcum, in the same way they were focused on Kevin Youkilis. When Marcum wouldn’t come to any sort of decision, the Indians moved to their plan B, and signed Brett Myers. Not sure, but that seems likely, especially after the Youkilis/Mark Reynolds decision.

It takes a long time for anyone to change perceptions with regards to a way to do things, but the Indians certainly are laying the foundation. There’s been a lot of complaining about the Indians willingness to overspend on Swisher, and complaining about their pick being protected in the first round. Yes, most of these complaints were being wielded from those in the big market camps, which I find utterly comical.

The Indians are clearly damned if they do, and damned if they don’t. What’s important to me right now is that they are in play at this point. I’m not sure how long this will last, but I’m going to ride the wave as long as I can.

If you’re wondering who are the players that are going to be on the bubble with regards to the 40-man roster now that the Indians are about to officially sign Swisher and Myers, your guess is as good as mine. Clearly, you have to look at guys that are in a position of depth, have a low ceiling, and perhaps lack the season flexibility and will be casualties anyways.

Looking at the 40-man roster, there are a few that are clearly on the chopping block. This is purely speculation on my part, and in no particular order:

• Jeanmar Gomez—Out of Options, and I don’t believe has a chance to make the 25-man roster, especially with the Myers signing.
• Ezequiel Carrera—Out of Options, but should compete for the fourth outfield spot. There are others that should be below him on this list.
• David Huff—Out of Options, and is a lefty, which the Indians are in dire need of. He’s not going anywhere.
• Thomas Neal—Is definitely behind Carrera, and has two options left. I’d love to know what the Indians really think about him, but he really could be on the chopping block here.
• Juan Diaz—He is what he is, and will never be much better. He’d be my first choice, as the Indians seem to have the shortstop position wrapped up for years to come, and Diaz doesn’t fit in to the big picture.
• Mike McDade—I’d put Yan Gomes here, but think McDade is here by default, because there is McGuiness momentum, and Gomes can play 300 positions. McDade may be the odd man out.
• Frank Herrmann—The Indians have value in him, but I don’t. There are too many better relievers in this system.

While I like all these guys, the Indians upgrade at the top of the 40-man will make the bottom of the 40-man better by default. At the end of the day, most of the guys I listed up above are 40-man fill right now while the lower minors get seasoning. Getting rid of any of them isn’t likely to change the face of the franchise any time soon.

The Indians signed Brett Myers, and I have to admit, that took over my column today. With that said, I promised some New Year’s resolutions, and you’re going to get them. Here’s a look at some resolutions from the big league, heading into 2013.

Terry Francona: Francona may already have his resolution. He’s managing for a team in which he actually trusts management and ownership. LOL, does anyone else find that ironic?

Chris Antonetti: Antonetti’s 2013 resolution is to see how many days and how many ways he can thank Terry Francona for saving his job throughout the next 365.

Sandy Alomar Jr.: Sandy’s 2013 resolution is to learn everything he can from Terry Francona, so he can figure out how to beat him in 2014, when he’s managing his own club.

Drew Stubbs: Drew is so thankful to be out of Cincinnati, where expectations were ridiculously high. So his 2013 resolution is to finally play loose, and not like a former first round pick who was supposed to “carry the team.”

Cody Allen: Cody’s 2013 resolution is to just keep doin’ whatever it was that he was doin’. Cody was playing T-Ball at the beginning of 2012, and finished as the Indians closer…lol…well…in the bullpen. But…the story would have been better the other way. Alright, it’s pretty good anyways.

Tim Fedroff: TFed’s 2013 resolution is to hit in 90 games in a row, and bat .520, so that the Indians actually start to take him seriously offensively.

Trevor Bauer: Bauer’s 2013 resolution is to smile every day now that he’s in an organization that is grateful to have his immense talent, and not whining and moaning about his eccentricities.

Michael Brantley: His 2013 resolution is to strike out less than his total walks. He struck out 56 times in 2012, while walking 53 times.

Carlos Carrasco: His 2013 resolution is to be a #1 starter…in 2013.

Nick Hagadone: His 2013 resolution is to carry a couple of soccer-boppers in his back pocket, in case the wall or locker or water cooler or whatever starts throwing punches his way again.

Mark Reynolds: His 2013 resolu-WHIFF-tion is to try and c-WHIFF-up down on his strikeWHIFFouts.

Cord Phelps: His 2013 resolution is to get noticed (HELLO, I’M OVER HERE MR. ANTONETTI!!!)

Chris McGuiness, Mike McDade, and Yan Gomes: Their 2013 resolution is to make everyone forget Matt La…uh…what was his name again? HEY, THEY DID IT!!!

Ubaldo Jimenez: His 2013 resolution is to cut his “arsenal” of pitches to six instead of seven, and to actually throw more than one strike to at least one batter a game.

Jason Kipnis: His 2013 resolution is to play his game, instead of carrying the weight of the team’s struggles on his shoulders.

Justin Masterson: His 2013 resolution is to prove to everyone HE’S the #1 starter…

Zach McAllister: His 2013 resolution is to start the season in the rotation, then prove he’s more “Cliff Lee” than anyone is willing to admit.

Lonnie Chisenhall: His 2013 resolution is to remind everyone that he’s not too far removed from being the #1 prospect in the system.

Asdrubal Cabrera: His 2013 resolution is to skip out on dessert a couple of times a week…at least.

Chris Perez: shhhh………

Vinnie Pestano: His 2013 resolution is to take over the closer role…by June 1^st.

Joe Smith: His 2013 resolution is to continue to stay behind the scenes, and continue to be the best Indians’ pitcher that nobody talks about…ever.

Carlos Santana: His 2013 resolution is pretty simple: YOU HIT THE BALL!

Tony and I will have a special edition of Smoke Signals on Thursday, January 4^th at 1:00 P.M. We’re going to be focusing on all the offseason moves, especially the Nick Swisher and Brett Myers signings. Of course, if there’s anything else that happens between now and then, you can count on IBI to cover all the angles! Remember…IBI’s Smoke Signals at 1:00 P.M. on Thursday!

Jim is currently the co-site editor, the ATF/Carolina Mudcats/Indians/General Site Columnist, and the co-host of IPI's weekly online radio show, Smoke Signals. You can follow Jim on Twitter @Jim_IPI, or contact him via e-mail at jpete@indiansprospectinsider.com.