MLB Hot Stove

[Hermie13]

3. Hanny sticks until Lonnie proves he can play the spot everyday. Or, at least that's the way Francona seems to work his players in the past.

That's really going to be the biggest change from the last couple of years. Manny Acta's approach to bringing guys up and into the games versus the way Francona has in the past. Francona follows a different path.. we'll see if that impacts the Indians in the coming season..

I could see Hanny sticking around for the reason stated, but I think Jason Donald is sort being forgotten here. Can play 3B (best infield position IMO) as well as 2B, SS, and the OF. Has hit lefties well in the past...plus, back in 2009 the Red Sox (managed by Terry Francona) were trying to get Jason Donald from the Phillies (before the Tribe got him). Maybe that was strictly Theo Epstein liking him but gotta think Francona had some input there. Francona may have had some reports from old Phillies contacts from his days there (though that's pure speculation on my part).

Unless Cabrera is dealt (which is very possible) I don't see a spot for Hannahan, Aviles and Donald...and I don't think the Tribe will cut Donald (and definitely not Aviles). Hanny is the odd guy out at the moment IMO even with his plus defense at 3B. And even if Cabrera is dealt think a guy like Juan Diaz could get a utility look as a backup SS (or Phelps I guess). Hanny will make $1.5-2M next year and that's money I think that can be put elsewhere personally...

Donald did struggle against lefties this year hitting only .175 with a .511 OPS....but Hanny was even worse hitting .167 with a .481 OPS. Makes me wonder think that Hanny's 2011 splits were just an outlier. Donald still has a career OPS over .770 against lefties (over 100 pts higher than Hanny). Sample size is still small but personally have more faith in Donald bouncing back against lefties. Throw in that he's out of options and think he gets a shot still...

[criznit2009]

3. Hanny sticks until Lonnie proves he can play the spot everyday. Or, at least that's the way Francona seems to work his players in the past.

That's really going to be the biggest change from the last couple of years. Manny Acta's approach to bringing guys up and into the games versus the way Francona has in the past. Francona follows a different path.. we'll see if that impacts the Indians in the coming season..

I could see Hanny sticking around for the reason stated, but I think Jason Donald is sort being forgotten here. Can play 3B (best infield position IMO) as well as 2B, SS, and the OF. Has hit lefties well in the past...plus, back in 2009 the Red Sox (managed by Terry Francona) were trying to get Jason Donald from the Phillies (before the Tribe got him). Maybe that was strictly Theo Epstein liking him but gotta think Francona had some input there. Francona may have had some reports from old Phillies contacts from his days there (though that's pure speculation on my part).

Unless Cabrera is dealt (which is very possible) I don't see a spot for Hannahan, Aviles and Donald...and I don't think the Tribe will cut Donald (and definitely not Aviles). Hanny is the odd guy out at the moment IMO even with his plus defense at 3B. And even if Cabrera is dealt think a guy like Juan Diaz could get a utility look as a backup SS (or Phelps I guess). Hanny will make $1.5-2M next year and that's money I think that can be put elsewhere personally...

Donald did struggle against lefties this year hitting only .175 with a .511 OPS....but Hanny was even worse hitting .167 with a .481 OPS. Makes me wonder think that Hanny's 2011 splits were just an outlier. Donald still has a career OPS over .770 against lefties (over 100 pts higher than Hanny). Sample size is still small but personally have more faith in Donald bouncing back against lefties. Throw in that he's out of options and think he gets a shot still...

I would be SHOCKED if Hanny returns.. Aviles - will be a back up for Chiz if someone else (Youk) isnt brought in via FA or trade. Also Gomes adds depth though not ideal. Plus there is Donald as mentioned. Hanny is gone. Could be brought back but he should (and will) be non-tendered.

[GoTribe028]

What will it take to pry Logan Morrison from the Marlins?

Would anyone be willing to trade Danny Salazar?

What about Vinnie Pestano for Morrison straight up?

Here's my ideas...
1. Salazar for Morrison
2. Pestano for Morrison
3. Wolters and Aguilar for Morrison
4. Armstrong or Haley and the Tribes competitive lottery pkfor Morrison

Would any of that be enough or would it need to be a larger pkg perhaps of 3 players?

Honestly, I'm not really that comfortable with any of those deals but the Tribe has to act aggressively and needs to take some chances, this is one of those opportunities that the Tribe could land a young controllable bat. IS Logan Morrison this yrs Josh Reddick? - young bat that breaks out after a change of scenery.

I would be okay with Armstrong and Haley for Morrison and the Marlins Competitive Lottery Pick

Quick question about any teams Competitive Lottery picks. Isn't there a rule stating that those picks can only be traded during the season in which they were awarded?

[homerawayfromhome]

There is a rule about trading them. Here's the link...

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... b&c_id=mlb

The Tribe can not acq. the Marlins pick bc it has been swapped with Detroit's and picks can only be traded once. (ASanchez & Infante trade).

[GoTribe028]

There is a rule about trading them. Here's the link...

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... b&c_id=mlb

The Tribe can not acq. the Marlins pick bc it has been swapped with Detroit's and picks can only be traded once. (ASanchez & Infante trade).

Thanks for the link, exactly what I recalled reading initially.

Only a team that wins a pick in the lottery can trade it, meaning that selection can be traded just once. It can't be sold for cash, and it may only be dealt during the season. Trading can commence the day after the lottery is held and is allowed until the end of that regular season. So seeing a lottery pick or two involved in some July 31 Trade Deadline deals is a possibility. They cannot be included in any Winter Meetings deals, however, with trading of picks again permitted at the beginning of the following regular season.

[TonyIBI]

Just a little tidbit....but I've been in contact with several "people in the know" over the past week. I am not going to divulge any further who those people are because everything we talked about was off the record. But, I can say, that the Indians have no plans whatsoever to go the rebuild this offseason and are on board with retooling. They are not trading everyone, but they are open to trading anyone so long as they bring back major league starting pitching or near ready major league starting pitching. That is their main focus in any trade, so they will entertain offers for guys like Cabrera, Choo, Perez, etc, but likely will not trade them all. They know they have a HUGE issue with pitching, so they are going to try to address it head on this offseason.

Also, as I mentioned, while we have yet to see results of their new approach.....it has been enacted behind the scenes already. They've been in on some free agents very early....something they never did in the past.

Pardon the vagueness, but that's all I can share. I'll try and write more on it for Sunday, though in a careful manner of course.

[GeronimoSon]

Just a little tidbit....but I've been in contact with several "people in the know" over the past week. I am not going to divulge any further who those people are because everything we talked about was off the record. But, I can say, that the Indians have no plans whatsoever to go the rebuild this offseason and are on board with retooling. They are not trading everyone, but they are open to trading anyone so long as they bring back major league starting pitching or near ready major league starting pitching. That is their main focus in any trade, so they will entertain offers for guys like Cabrera, Choo, Perez, etc, but likely will not trade them all. They know they have a HUGE issue with pitching, so they are going to try to address it head on this offseason.

Also, as I mentioned, while we have yet to see results of their new approach.....it has been enacted behind the scenes already. They've been in on some free agents very early....something they never did in the past.

Pardon the vagueness, but that's all I can share. I'll try and write more on it for Sunday, though in a careful manner of course.

So.. it's the proverbial duck floating serenely along the surface of the pond while the webbed feet and legs are furiously working away below and out of sight..and if you believe that one, I have a bridge to sell..

[GoTribe028]

Just a little tidbit....but I've been in contact with several "people in the know" over the past week. I am not going to divulge any further who those people are because everything we talked about was off the record. But, I can say, that the Indians have no plans whatsoever to go the rebuild this offseason and are on board with retooling. They are not trading everyone, but they are open to trading anyone so long as they bring back major league starting pitching or near ready major league starting pitching. That is their main focus in any trade, so they will entertain offers for guys like Cabrera, Choo, Perez, etc, but likely will not trade them all. They know they have a HUGE issue with pitching, so they are going to try to address it head on this offseason.

Also, as I mentioned, while we have yet to see results of their new approach.....it has been enacted behind the scenes already. They've been in on some free agents very early....something they never did in the past.

Pardon the vagueness, but that's all I can share. I'll try and write more on it for Sunday, though in a careful manner of course.

Hope this is mostly true. I just hope that if they're interested in FA, it's more than Jason Bay and Kevin Youkilis.

[homerawayfromhome]

I've run through this a number of times but I'd love to see the Tribe go for Mike Napoli or Angel Pagan... I'd prefer Napoli to fill the need at 1b / DH and a few games as a C but I'd really try to minimize he's games at C. First to keep him healthy and secondly to maximize the number of games of Santana behind the plate, of course that's assuming they view Santana as a C first---which I'm sure they do. Maybe the Tribe could land him with 3 yrs $33M and a 4th yr vesting option for $12M.

The Tribe has been linked to Youkilis, Bay and Shane Victorino - who they inquired upon before being traded to the Dodgers.
A few names I think we Tribe fans should be hearing besides these are Jonny Gomes, Scott Hairston and Cody Ross. I've largely stayed away from Ross bc I thought the Red Sox would have already resigned him.

I'm sure the Tribe has been active on a number guys and looked at a serious number of trades, think about it...they have to. I mean there should be some push to right the ship particularly with Terry Francona now on board.

IF this org. has another offseason like last yr we are in for a major rebuild. CA did make several (worthwhile-?) moves during the offseason although most of which simply didn't pan out. I will give CA credit for snagging several bullpen arms in effort to fill the MR spot, which he really didn't do until they snagged Esmil Rogers from the Rockies. He also acq. Canzler who seems like he could fill a number of roles off the bench.

It's not as if the Tribe has been entirely quiet on the mkt it's still early in the offseason, but I think a number of fans are looking for some quick / aggressive moves by the Tribe. The Tribe actually does a good job keeping rumors quiet. I really don't expect any moves to start going on until the winter meetings take place where I could see the Tribe getting a cpl deals done.

[ironmike]

Tony, the big question remains, why haven't they been doing this all along?

[homerawayfromhome]

Here's a link to several trade proposals I found posted on Bleacher Report...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1411 ... n-soo-choo

I could see the Tribe interested in all these guys BUT a cpl of these moves are simply ridiculous. On the other hand if you swap Choo's name for ACab I think there could be real interest.

[GeronimoSon]

I've run through this a number of times but I'd love to see the Tribe go for Mike Napoli or Angel Pagan... I'd prefer Napoli to fill the need at 1b / DH and a few games as a C but I'd really try to minimize he's games at C. First to keep him healthy and secondly to maximize the number of games of Santana behind the plate, of course that's assuming they view Santana as a C first---which I'm sure they do. Maybe the Tribe could land him with 3 yrs $33M and a 4th yr vesting option for $12M.

The Tribe has been linked to Youkilis, Bay and Shane Victorino - who they inquired upon before being traded to the Dodgers.
A few names I think we Tribe fans should be hearing besides these are Jonny Gomes, Scott Hairston and Cody Ross. I've largely stayed away from Ross bc I thought the Red Sox would have already resigned him.

I'm sure the Tribe has been active on a number guys and looked at a serious number of trades, think about it...they have to. I mean there should be some push to right the ship particularly with Terry Francona now on board.

IF this org. has another offseason like last yr we are in for a major rebuild. CA did make several (worthwhile-?) moves during the offseason although most of which simply didn't pan out. I will give CA credit for snagging several bullpen arms in effort to fill the MR spot, which he really didn't do until they snagged Esmil Rogers from the Rockies. He also acq. Canzler who seems like he could fill a number of roles off the bench.

It's not as if the Tribe has been entirely quiet on the mkt it's still early in the offseason, but I think a number of fans are looking for some quick / aggressive moves by the Tribe. The Tribe actually does a good job keeping rumors quiet. I really don't expect any moves to start going on until the winter meetings take place where I could see the Tribe getting a cpl deals done.

There are a couple of points in your posting to comment on. The first is the desire to keep Carlos Santana healthy by moving him away from the catching role. BIG MISTAKE. Carlos Santana is signed through the 2016 season for around $ 19 MM with a $ 12 MM option for 2017. Either 2016 or 17 will be the end of his career as an Indian. Keeping him healthy or reducing his workload or what ever is okay, but keep in mind, he, like every other Indian player is gone at the end of their first extended contract. The same holds true for Asdrubal. After the 2014 season, he's done. Shin-soo Choo is right at that point now. Not even new ownership will change the landscape for baseball in Cleveland. It's a realistic view of the market and the ownership.

The second part is the focus on offensive position players. When a team like the Indians have the holes they do, the first thing they MUST do is focus on the pitching. Both starting as well as the bullpen and specifically what it takes to be successful. TBH, it's really a very simple formula. Have the starting pitching staff make all their starts. The combined 2005 (5 SP's) and 2007 (7 SP') starting pitchers accounted for 318 of the 324 starts. That is an INCREDIBLE accomplishment. The Indians FO need to get this one area correct. If that means moving guys like choo and asdrubal, then it has to be done. The Indians offense can be whatever it's going to be, but, without the starting five or six or seven guys at most, the Indians will never compete. The only way to do this is through player evaluations and development. Each member of the Indians current staff (Masterson, Ubaldo, Kluber, McAllister and some combination of Carrasco,Tomlin Gomez Huff etc) hasn't been able to make 30 starts. Get this right and the Indians have a fighting chance.

[Hermie13]

A few names I think we Tribe fans should be hearing besides these are Jonny Gomes, Scott Hairston and Cody Ross. I've largely stayed away from Ross bc I thought the Red Sox would have already resigned him.

Gomes is a guy I really think the Indians need to go after hard. Guy just flat out destroys lefties. Can DH or play LF/RF. I'd much, much rather sign him than Delmon Young (who I've seen other say we should go after). Made $1.75M two years ago and only $1M last year. Sounds like he wants a multi-year deal from someone and personally would have no issue with giving him 2 years. 2yr/$5M would be a steal for him IMO. Even if you had to go up to $7-8M, or hell even $10M (total) I'd honestly be fine with that. In 2010, he played above 140 games and still put up solid numbers, and while it was in Cincy, his home-road splits weren't that big (so can't say it was the park that helped him out). His fWAR the last two years have been 1.5 and 2.1. If the Tribe believes a win is worth $9M on the open market then getting Gomes for less than 2yrs/$18M should be a bargain to them no? Definitely could bring back memories of Dellucci but feel Gomes has the better track record. You know what you'll get (great against lefties, struggle some against righties). Has hit in both hitters parks (Cincy) and pitchers parks (Oakland), whereas Dellucci put up big numbers in Philly and Texas (hitters parks).

[Hermie13]

There are a couple of points in your posting to comment on. The first is the desire to keep Carlos Santana healthy by moving him away from the catching role. BIG MISTAKE. Carlos Santana is signed through the 2016 season for around $ 19 MM with a $ 12 MM option for 2017. Either 2016 or 17 will be the end of his career as an Indian. Keeping him healthy or reducing his workload or what ever is okay, but keep in mind, he, like every other Indian player is gone at the end of their first extended contract. The same holds true for Asdrubal. After the 2014 season, he's done. Shin-soo Choo is right at that point now. Not even new ownership will change the landscape for baseball in Cleveland. It's a realistic view of the market and the ownership.

I agree with what you're saying here on Santana. However, I do think there's another way to look at it. Yes, Santana in all liklihood is gone when his current contract expires (hey, miracles happen so won't say it's 100% lol), so can fully understand the arguement for leaving him behind the plate. He's still somewhat young so the rigors of catching shouldn't take a big toll til later down the line.....BUT...

I think the Tribe needs to ask themselves if they can get more out of Santana's bat while they have him by moving him from behind the plate. No one will disagree (or shouldn't) that catching is the toughest, most demanding position on the diamond. You take a beating everygame from foul tips and just having to squat down for half the game. Santana is a power hitter...and your power comes from your legs. Could he go from a 20-25 HR guy to a 40 HR guy by moving to the OF or 1B and saving his legs over the course of the season? I have no issue with leaving Santana behind the plate but I do think this is a question the Tribe must ask themselves and make a determination on. Is the tradeoff of having such a good hitting catcher worth it if you're not getting the most out of your best young hitter???


EDIT:
The sample size is way too small to say this is why he should move, but here are his 2012 splits as a catcher vs non-catching:

as Catcher: .241 BA, .345 OBP, .393 SLG, .737 OPS, 10 HRs, 21 doubles in 99 games, 412 plate appearances. Also had a K/BB ratio of 1.32 while homering once very 34.9 at-bats.

non-catching: .278 BA, .406 OBP, .481 SLG, .887 OPS, 8 HRs, 6 doubles in 49 games, 197 plate apperances. With a 0.77 K/BB ratio (walked more than K'd) while homering once every 19.8 at-bats.

Again, sample way too small and could have just been the time of year he was at each position as he went thru some hot-cold spells thru the year....but I think it's something worth keeping an eye on this year and next. If trends like this continue you really have to consider moving out from behind the dish...

[homerawayfromhome]

@ GSon...
You read that wrong. It says maximize the number of games with Santana behind the plate IF they signed Napoli and minimize the number of games behind for Napoli to keep him healthy. I probably should have made that two paragraphs to make that more clear. IF the Tribe views Santana as their C they should max him out behind the plate. I think his bat could be better if he played a less demanding position. As much as I like Lou Marson he's a defensive C ONLY and I wouldn't want see him in the lineup everyday unless the rest of the lineup was a juggernaut.

I've laid my thoughts out on here on a number of occasions, you may have not read it clearly or simply overlooked them whatever the case may be, it doesn't really matter.

My personal philosophy with the on the field product is this...

1. Pitching first. Draft and or acq. SP teams say they need 8 starters, I say 10. Always draft or acq. SP when players are deemed equal value. Draft SP and draft it often.
2. Take chances, be aggressive in trades and creative in contract offers. Offer vesting options and numerous attainable incentives.
3. Think outside the box. Try to acq. or trade: International slot money or comp. lottery pks.

As for this team sign 1 anchor type piece for both sides of the ball. Examples: Edwin Jackson and Mike Napoli would be two. Trade Choo for a young SP and a prospect. Trade ACab for a young SP and prospect. Trade CPerez for a young SP or young bat and a prospect. Trade Smith for a young SP or bat (probably prospects). Hold onto Justin Masterson and see how the club does unless blown away in a deal. Try to sign a cpl guys like Scott Hairston and Jonny Gomes and try to land 1 of Victorino and Cody Ross to fill RF. BTW, that's landing at least 2 of the 4 OF I mentioned. Signing Jackson to help front the rotation and try to sign an extra arm like Blanton to fill out the rotation.

[homerawayfromhome]

Mlbtraderumors is reporting Melky Cabrera will sign with the Jays for 2 yrs / $16 M.

[GeronimoSon]

Mlbtraderumors is reporting Melky Cabrera will sign with the Jays for 2 yrs / $16 M.

So much for the three way deal between the Dbax, Jays and Indians... and it was just sooo promising !! HNQ

[homerawayfromhome]

How will this affect the mkt for Choo? It seems like it should help the Tribe's price tag (prospects and his 1 yr deal -$- wise) on him look a bit better to other clubs.

Honestly, I had not even thought about Melky to Toronto. I thought teams like the Tribe, Red Sox, Rangers, Giants might all have interest to some degree.

[daingean]

Mlbtraderumors is reporting Melky Cabrera will sign with the Jays for 2 yrs / $16 M.

Can't believe the Jays would give him $8m a year. I wonder if it's a base with easy incentives to reach the $8m per year.

[GoTribe028]

Mlbtraderumors is reporting Melky Cabrera will sign with the Jays for 2 yrs / $16 M.

Can't believe the Jays would give him $8m a year. I wonder if it's a base with easy incentives to reach the $8m per year.

Nope, from what's being reported its just 2 years 16 million guaranteed. Damn big risk by Toronto who seem to be in buy all mode.

[Rocky55]

Just a little tidbit....but I've been in contact with several "people in the know" over the past week. I am not going to divulge any further who those people are because everything we talked about was off the record. But, I can say, that the Indians have no plans whatsoever to go the rebuild this offseason and are on board with retooling. They are not trading everyone, but they are open to trading anyone so long as they bring back major league starting pitching or near ready major league starting pitching. That is their main focus in any trade, so they will entertain offers for guys like Cabrera, Choo, Perez, etc, but likely will not trade them all. They know they have a HUGE issue with pitching, so they are going to try to address it head on this offseason.

Also, as I mentioned, while we have yet to see results of their new approach.....it has been enacted behind the scenes already. They've been in on some free agents very early....something they never did in the past.

Pardon the vagueness, but that's all I can share. I'll try and write more on it for Sunday, though in a careful manner of course.

Tony, this is good news. Maybe (finally) they recognize the problem. Do us all one favor: If you have anyone's ear, tell them Just Say No to Jason Bay.

[Edible14]

The Blue Jays are an interesting case for people who like to examine the impact of "spending more money to get more wins". They tried this before, signing guys like Burnett, Rios, Halladay and Wells to lengthy extensions. They got really close to $100M in 2008, after acquiring Eckstein, Rolen, Shannon Stewart, and Armando Benitez (this was after giving Wells that gigantic extension). They finished fourth that year at 86-76. That team likely would have been a playoff team in a place like the central, but in the AL East it really doesn't matter if the Blue Jays spend close to or exceeding their revenues. They're only going to be a playoff team if they produce a lot of good minor league talent at once. As good as this trade is for their major league team in the short term, it might still not push them into the playoffs. And since the contracts are all back-loaded, and guys tend to get worse with age, the return on that investment isn't likely to improve going forward. And since Johnson is a free agent at the end of 2013, they'll likely have to pay him even more to stay on, or see their team get even worse.

I tend to lean towards siding with the teams getting younger guys who will be club-controlled for longer and less costly. I don't really like the package the Marlins got for a number of reasons (should have eaten some of the contract money for better prospects, done multiple trades to increase the return, what purpose does Yunel Escobar serve?) besides the usual "the Lorias are scam artists" hand-wringing. But I'm not entirely sure I like what the Blue Jays have here either. The mega-deal the Dodgers got last year didn't get them into the playoffs, and I'm not sure this puts the Blue Jays over the top in a tough division. And losing these prospects isn't helping their future (though keeping D'Arnaud and Syndergaard helps). I think I put them right where I'd put the Tigers. The lineup looks good for now, and they're spending the money for it. But they've invested a lot in aging players and it seems clear that they will be in a terrible position in a few years as a result. Similar to the Mets of the last few years or the Rangers when they were still paying ARod to play for the Yankees.

[GeronimoSon]

After the Jays/Marlins trade...

Not much seems to be happening. Torii signed and will be killing the Indians 19 times each year, now. Melky is back in the AL east.. and Tyson Ross and his horrible stuff is starting to follow the Edwin Jackson path of going to a different team each year.

The Jays spent a bunch and got a bunch including two ML SPs. That's pretty good. After 2013, Josh Johnson was going to become a FA and the Marlins would have lost him.. So, getting something for him now may prove to be the wisest path. Buehrle will be a BOR SP as long as his arm in attached.. Reyes is the wild card. IF (a BIG IF) he stays healthy, he's worth the price of admission. If not, instead of the Jays fighting the O"s & Rays for the WC coming out of the AL East, they'll be fighting the Red Sox to stay out of the cellar.

Why Yunel? When the market for ML SS's is Asdrubal Cabrera and maybe Jed Lowrie, even Yunel w/ his very team friendly contract and lousy reputation will see his value goes up.

The largest problem with this off season, so far, appears to be a massive over valuation of prospects by clubs. The Tigers are playing the game as it relates to hyping prospects, however, when it matters, the Tigers are acquiring proven talent. A wise path with a LOT of truth in there. Other clubs will begin to realize when their protected prima dona's start failing more than they succeed that having someone who knows how to close the deal is who they should be acquiring... Perhaps a very small amount of Fiscal Sanity might even break out. You never know...

[GoTribe028]

Do not believe this is anything new, but Nick Cafardo mentioned a little bit on the Indians in his recent article.

http://bostonglobe.com/sports/2012/11/1 ... story.html

3. Asdrubal Cabrera, SS, Indians — The Red Sox and Diamondbacks are two of the teams interested in Cabrera, who will earn $6.5 million in 2013 and $10 million in 2014. That’s fairly cheap for a starting shortstop, but with Mike Aviles now in tow, the Indians may listen to serious offers for both Cabrera and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.

Also

9. Kevin Youkilis, 1B/3B, free agent — Good-sized market so far for Youkilis, at both third and first base, according to his agent, Joe Bick. The Indians are looking at him as a first baseman, while the Phillies and Dodgers are considering him at third (a back-burner option for the Dodgers). The Diamondbacks made a call, but Towers indicated they will likely not be involved.

[homerawayfromhome]

Raffy Furcal set to have an MRI on his elbow...
http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/ ... his-month/

The article specifically mentions the Cards interest in ACab particularly IF Furcal is not healthy. Truthfully they have to consider an addition bc Furcals decline in play and injury history. Moving Furcal to 2b could alleviate the elbow injury somewhat and IF they decided to add a player of ACabs caliber it would further strengthen that club...at a cost.

[GoTribe028]

Well this would be interesting...

Buster Olney on the Twitter

@Buster_ESPN: Manny Acta has been strongly reviewed by Jays, who are expected to soon announce their manager.

[BrianM]

Well this would be interesting...

Buster Olney on the Twitter

@Buster_ESPN: Manny Acta has been strongly reviewed by Jays, who are expected to soon announce their manager.

I liked Manny Acta. I eventually gave in to the fact he should not be the coach of the Indians, but I have always thought a guy with his personality would fit better on a contending team that had a lot of "star" players, similar to Joe Torre with the Yankees. I would be surprised if he got the job though.

[homerawayfromhome]

I don't doubt Manny can manage myself but once he lost this team - he was done for.

[GeronimoSon]

I don't doubt Manny can manage myself but once he lost this team - he was done for.

A couple of musings on a Sunday evening..

-As an alumni of MENTOR HELL YES !! Cardinals and Toledo Witmer in Mansfield next up on the agenda...

-Browns find way to another way to lose. A moral victory it was not.. it was more of the same, failing & more failing

-Manny Acta is a good manager. He'll move on and survive or even prosper.

-Btw.. Not another word has been uttered about Scott Boras and his attack on the desire to win by the Indians. NOT ONE SINGLE WORD by anyone. VERY STRANGE, indeed...

-The latest in Paul Hoynes credit-less trappings & ramblings has poor little Chrissy Antonetti in a shameful and obviously ripped off moment from initiation ceremonies at Omega house (the 'other frat at mythical Faber College) needing to go to Mr. Dolan, hat in hand, to ask him: "THANK YOU SIR, may I have another?" There is one quote in the entire story from CA about wiggle room, WTF is WIGGLE ROOM??!?!?!? That quote could have come from anywhere. The listing of FA signings, both good and bad are almost as insightful as a well stirred puddle of muddy water. No wonder the Plain DULL readership continues to drop like a stone from a blimp.

-The Rants & Rumors are mentioning the availability of Alex Gordon from the Royals. He's the goods. The Indians and Royals don't match up very well.. Both see their needs at Starting Pitching.

-Billy Hamilton should NEVER be acquired in a trade by the Indians for any reason. DiDi Gregorius, on the other hand would look mighty fine with Chief Wahoo on his sleeve..and Asdrubal playing SS someplace else after he returns ML ready SP's and perhaps a bat.. Hello Josh Byrnes?..

-WBC Qualifier games are exciting / entertaining. If you have a chance to watch one or more.. do it..

[homerawayfromhome]

Nice win by the Mentor Cardinals, I went to elementary school there for several yrs before life carried me away - but I still try to keep up a bit.

I read on Hardball Talk yesterday, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski still wants to add another RH hitting OF to the bench even after signing Torri Hunter to patrol RF.
Talk about problems... I'd love to see the Tribe have that kind of problem...who gonna blow money on.

I'm guessing the next few weeks remain a bit quiet until the Winter Mtgs where I think we could see a very active Tribe make a cpl moves.

[Rocky55]

Mlbtraderumors is reporting Melky Cabrera will sign with the Jays for 2 yrs / $16 M.

Taking roids really hurt Melky didn't it? This should really discourage future users.

[homerawayfromhome]

I think Melky would've gotten a bigger deal if he had not been caught, but guy gets a $2 M bump in pay per yr. That's the world of professional sports for you.
Yeah it cost him some money, but how much? -We'll never know, but I would have guessed he'd get near $10 per yr over 3/4 yrs at least.

[Rocky55]

I think Melky would've gotten a bigger deal if he had not been caught, but guy gets a $2 M bump in pay per yr. That's the world of professional sports for you.
Yeah it cost him some money, but how much? -We'll never know, but I would have guessed he'd get near $10 per yr over 3/4 yrs at least.

Yeah, but why would he have merited the money you mentioned? Based on results while on PEDs, right? Without them he might have been one of the Tribe's $1.5 million specials this year.

Any player looking at this contract is going to consider the current penalties no deterrent at all. I wouldn't. Not trying to argue, I just think that the penalties have to be more harsh if you intend to curtail usage. Otherwise you might as well just look the other way.

[daingean]

I think Melky would've gotten a bigger deal if he had not been caught, but guy gets a $2 M bump in pay per yr. That's the world of professional sports for you.
Yeah it cost him some money, but how much? -We'll never know, but I would have guessed he'd get near $10 per yr over 3/4 yrs at least.

Yeah, but why would he have merited the money you mentioned? Based on results while on PEDs, right? Without them he might have been one of the Tribe's $1.5 million specials this year.

Any player looking at this contract is going to consider the current penalties no deterrent at all. I wouldn't. Not trying to argue, I just think that the penalties have to be more harsh if you intend to curtail usage. Otherwise you might as well just look the other way.

I think this is a huge risk for the Jays. I think that w/o PED's, Melky has more of a chance to regress to his 2010ish .671OPS and all around horrible play than duplicating his 2012 1/2 year. I wouldn't pay $8mil per year until I know that he can be an .800OPS.

[homerawayfromhome]

I dont see Melky getting that kind of money without the PEDs based on his previous results I would have guessed much cheaper than the $8 Mil. Toronto wanted him and decided to take a risk to get him... banking that he somehow puts up those mid-level FA (based on pay) numbers.

[Rocky55]

I dont see Melky getting that kind of money without the PEDs based on his previous results I would have guessed much cheaper than the $8 Mil. Toronto wanted him and decided to take a risk to get him... banking that he somehow puts up those mid-level FA (based on pay) numbers.

I don'y have any idea if his performance will justify this contract but I'm glad we didn't give it to him. Lots of risk there.

[GeronimoSon]

I think Melky would've gotten a bigger deal if he had not been caught, but guy gets a $2 M bump in pay per yr. That's the world of professional sports for you.
Yeah it cost him some money, but how much? -We'll never know, but I would have guessed he'd get near $10 per yr over 3/4 yrs at least.

Yeah, but why would he have merited the money you mentioned? Based on results while on PEDs, right? Without them he might have been one of the Tribe's $1.5 million specials this year.

Any player looking at this contract is going to consider the current penalties no deterrent at all. I wouldn't. Not trying to argue, I just think that the penalties have to be more harsh if you intend to curtail usage. Otherwise you might as well just look the other way.

I think this is a huge risk for the Jays. I think that w/o PED's, Melky has more of a chance to regress to his 2010ish .671OPS and all around horrible play than duplicating his 2012 1/2 year. I wouldn't pay $8mil per year until I know that he can be an .800OPS.

A reduction from his 900+ OPS is certainly possible, however, at age 28, entering the prime of his career and playing with a lineup like the Jays have, I doubt the drop in OPS, if ANY, is going to be that severe. Melky can hit. He would have looked very good w/ Chief Wahoo on his sleeve for the sum of $ 8 MM/yr.

[Rocky55]

I'd have bet that you could get Cody Ross for that kind of money but now I'm not sure. I do know I'd much rather have Ross than Melky.

I heard/read that Ross was looking for 3yrs/$24 million. Wouldn't have believed it was possible but after what Melky got, who knows?

[Hermie13]

I think Melky would've gotten a bigger deal if he had not been caught, but guy gets a $2 M bump in pay per yr. That's the world of professional sports for you.
Yeah it cost him some money, but how much? -We'll never know, but I would have guessed he'd get near $10 per yr over 3/4 yrs at least.

Yeah, but why would he have merited the money you mentioned? Based on results while on PEDs, right? Without them he might have been one of the Tribe's $1.5 million specials this year.

Any player looking at this contract is going to consider the current penalties no deterrent at all. I wouldn't. Not trying to argue, I just think that the penalties have to be more harsh if you intend to curtail usage. Otherwise you might as well just look the other way.

I think this is a huge risk for the Jays. I think that w/o PED's, Melky has more of a chance to regress to his 2010ish .671OPS and all around horrible play than duplicating his 2012 1/2 year. I wouldn't pay $8mil per year until I know that he can be an .800OPS.

Melky Cabrera posted a 4.2 fWAR in 2011 with the Royals....unless he was using and just beat the MLB drug policy (IMO it's possible) then he was never really looking at a $1.5M Tribe special.

He was terrible in 2010, but decent in 2009 with the Yanks posting a 1.6 fWAR. Has some speed, some power, and can play all 3 OF positions (albeit not that well). Just think if he had been a free agent after 2011 what he could have gotten. Compare his perfomance leading to free agency with say a guy like Cuddyer (who got 3 years and $30M) and don't think it's a stretch to think he'd have gotten $20M before the PED bust.

I really don't think $8Mis much of a risk if any. However, 2 years was a bit surprising (and think that's a bit of a risk), but it sounds like there was a ton of interest still.

[daingean]

I think Melky would've gotten a bigger deal if he had not been caught, but guy gets a $2 M bump in pay per yr. That's the world of professional sports for you.
Yeah it cost him some money, but how much? -We'll never know, but I would have guessed he'd get near $10 per yr over 3/4 yrs at least.

Yeah, but why would he have merited the money you mentioned? Based on results while on PEDs, right? Without them he might have been one of the Tribe's $1.5 million specials this year.

Any player looking at this contract is going to consider the current penalties no deterrent at all. I wouldn't. Not trying to argue, I just think that the penalties have to be more harsh if you intend to curtail usage. Otherwise you might as well just look the other way.

I think this is a huge risk for the Jays. I think that w/o PED's, Melky has more of a chance to regress to his 2010ish .671OPS and all around horrible play than duplicating his 2012 1/2 year. I wouldn't pay $8mil per year until I know that he can be an .800OPS.

Melky Cabrera posted a 4.2 fWAR in 2011 with the Royals....unless he was using and just beat the MLB drug policy (IMO it's possible) then he was never really looking at a $1.5M Tribe special.

He was terrible in 2010, but decent in 2009 with the Yanks posting a 1.6 fWAR. Has some speed, some power, and can play all 3 OF positions (albeit not that well). Just think if he had been a free agent after 2011 what he could have gotten. Compare his perfomance leading to free agency with say a guy like Cuddyer (who got 3 years and $30M) and don't think it's a stretch to think he'd have gotten $20M before the PED bust.

I really don't think $8Mis much of a risk if any. However, 2 years was a bit surprising (and think that's a bit of a risk), but it sounds like there was a ton of interest still.

Add in a poor 2008. Unfortunately, 2010 was when I saw him play day in and day out. I gotta judge by what my eyes see more than statistics. Plus, my guess is 2011 was when he started using PED's. I would have given him a lower contract with incentives - not just hand him $8mill per year after being proven to have been juiced.

[homerawayfromhome]

Danny Knobler from CBS sports is reporting the Tribe is contacting teams letting them know they'd be willing to move Choo and ACab.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny ... brera-choo

[TonyIBI]

I dont see Melky getting that kind of money without the PEDs based on his previous results I would have guessed much cheaper than the $8 Mil. Toronto wanted him and decided to take a risk to get him... banking that he somehow puts up those mid-level FA (based on pay) numbers.

If he wasn't caught, he'd have probably received a deal close to 4-5 years for around $14M per season. So he lost about $40-54M in FA money because of the PEDs. Yes, in the end, he still got good money, but he still took a HUGE hit financially.

[GoTribe028]

Danny Knobler from CBS sports is reporting the Tribe is contacting teams letting them know they'd be willing to move Choo and ACab.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny ... brera-choo

To be fair it only says the Indians "have let teams know" they're willing to deal, if they feel they're getting value. It says nothing about the Indians contacting teams and telling them they're willing.

[homerawayfromhome]

I guess I could've phrased that better... I wasn't trying to imply they were searching desperately to move them.

[GeronimoSon]

Danny Knobler from CBS sports is reporting the Tribe is contacting teams letting them know they'd be willing to move Choo and ACab.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/danny ... brera-choo

To be fair it only says the Indians "have let teams know" they're willing to deal, if they feel they're getting value. It says nothing about the Indians contacting teams and telling them they're willing.

There were immediately around 60 comments from folks offering trade ideas, both good ones and dumb ones & of course someone from Cleveland.DUMB (Noah DINGALING) got in a shot at Mr Dolan. Got for the most part, pretty good response.

Link http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2012/11/i ... qus_thread

[timdav]

I think the FO is holding off to see if they can re-sign 1b Russell Branyan (sic).

[GoTribe028]

:confused I guess I could've phrased that better... I wasn't trying to imply they were searching desperately to move them.

It will be interesting to see what happens. Personally I don't see the Indians making any deals cause I don't see a team offering up what they're looking for. Or at least not enough to justify the deal. I don't see a team offering up a Lance Lynn or Patrick Corbin/Tyler Skaggs in a legit offer. Could happen ultimately in some sort of bigger deal with a few secondary players being swapped but in the end I see Asdrubal playing shortstop in Cleveland to begin 2013.

Choo...well he's harder to get a fix on. They simply might not get anything worth while but I doubt they'll settle for accepting the future draft pick.

[homerawayfromhome]

Hardball Talk is reporting the Cards got good news on Furcals elbow... 100% healed.

I'm not sure that takes the Cards out of the running...Furcal could be bumped over to 2B to alleviate the elbow - volume and intensity of throws to 1B specifically. Furcal has a history of injury as well.

[GoTribe028]

So the Blue Jays hired John Gibbons.

The same one they fired a few years ago. Not unheard of, just really strange choice IMO.

[A.Zajac]

Guthrie re-signed by Royals on a three year deal.