Victor to the Red Sox

Proving that nobody is safe from the chopping block, team captain, all-star catcher and clean-up hitter Victor Martinez has been traded to the Boston Red Sox for MLB starter/reliever Justin Masterson, and minor leaguers Bryan Price and Nick Hagadone.

A tough few days for Tribe fans. Will these guys be key components in 2010 and beyond?

Shapiro first GM to trade Cy Young winners in back-to-back season

According to Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer, and multiple other sources, the Cleveland Indians And Philadelphia Phillies have agreed in principle to a trade that would send Cliff Lee and Ben Fransisco to the Phillies, in exchange for prospects Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, and Jason Donald.

Donald, a 2B/SS/3B utility guy, and Marson, a catcher, create an overabundance of similar players at the AAA and MLB levels for the Tribe. This may be an indication that the Tribe have another move pending involving some combination of Martinez, Marson, Carrol, or Peralta.

This haul appears to be two average defenders with patient bats, albeit not a ton of power, a low-ceiling but high-floor #3 starter, and a very high ceiling single-A pitcher.

More scouting reports to come! Stay tuned, and this has the looks of being part of a larger deal.

Comings and Goings

As often seems to be the case, it's time for the Tribe's mid-season team evaluation and re-tooling for next season.

Who could be on their way out? What pieces need added? We will be exploring these issues in the coming days.

Our list of players to be moved:

Carl Pavano: Definately. He's pitching well, and he's on a cheap one year deal. He won't be here next year, and a lot of contending teams would like to have him. He might attract some "bargain hunters" who are unwilling to meet the demands for Carl Pavano and Cliff Lee.

Raphy Betancourt: His $5.4 million 2010 option is a bit steep, and numerous contending teams could use back-end bullpen help. The Angels could be a strong possibility.

Kerry Wood: He's signed for $10 million per for both this season and next, and his $11 million 2011 option vests if he makes another 18 appearances this season, or 55 next season. The Tribe would love to move him, but the price tag will probably scare away suitors.

Jamey Carrol: He could easily be moved after the deadline, as he's a good candidate to clear waivers. A versatile defender whose bat will neither win nor lose you games, he'd be a great candidate to fill in for an injured or underperforming infielder on a contending team.

Jhonny Peralta: He's seemed to lose motivation since being moved to third, and has expressed his dislike for his new position. Even if he gets his swing back, a .270/20/80 bat is a lot less appealing at third base than shortstop. With Andy Marte still young, and finally showing his potential in AAA, and Wes Hodges back from injury, the time might be right to free up the "hot corner", and give Peralta a shot at starting over with a new team.

Ryan Garko: A cheap lefty-mashing bat who can be a capable 5 or 6 hitter, and put up a realiable .800 OPS. He's losing playing time to Victor Martinez, and will lose even more with an inevitable Matt LaPorta call-up. With other names like Hodges, Mills, Brown, and Weglarz lurking in the minors, Garko is the very definition of expendable.

Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee: They are both free agents after 2010, and it is unlikely that the Indians can re-sign both. Martinez has expressed a desire to finish his career in Cleveland, but Lee may have more value to the team. Do you trade one or the other, and if so which one? Would that be waiving a white flag for next season as well?

Betancourt: Case Closed?

The Angels are in the market for pitching, and according to the LA Times Tribe set-up man Rafael Betancourt is on their list of targets. While they probably will be reserving their biggest trade chips for a top starter, a mid-range pitcher would not be out of the question. The problem is that the Angels have one of the thinnest farm systems in the league (ranked 25th by Baseball America), after a few seasons of trades and signing Type A and B free agents. They lack any consensus top-50 prospects (not that Betancourt would command such a return).

The Chubby Indian's short list:

1) Jordan Walden. Mid 90s throwing righty with a decent slider. He's currently having control problems at the AA level, with 28 BB to 57 Ks in 60 IP, and needs to work on a third pitch to be an effective starter. That might, however, be something that the Tribe could avoid: he can hit 100 throwing from the pen.

2) Sean O'Sullivan. Righty starter. He's shown great promise this season, getting fast-tracked to the MLB level and putting up a 3.80 ERA in 4 appearances. He doesn't have great stuff, but he has good command over his low 90s fastball, as well as an average curve and change. He throws strikes, and uses all of his pitches.

3) Tyler Chatwood. Another Righty starter. The Angels second round pick last season is only 19, hits the mid 90s with his heat, and has a great curve. His 5.9 BB/9 at the A level shows that he still needs plenty of work, but he has all the tools you could want in a kid who is only a year removed from High School.

Tribe Aquires Chris Perez!

The Indians have traded Mark Derosa for Chris Perez.

Perez is one of the top set-up men in the league.

More analysis tomorrow.

Crunch Time

Pay close attention to the next two games, Tribe fans.

In our opinion, the next two starts (each) by David Huff and Jeremy Sowers will be the major determining factor in Shapiro's decision to buy pitching, or sell for prospects. If these two can continue improving, as they have in their last few starts, the Tribe will have 4 quality starters in their rotation, as well as Westbrook, Laffey, and Scott Lewis all set to return around the end of the month. If they are only able to give 5 4-5 innings per start, the pressure on the bullpen will likely be too much, and the Tribe will find themselves in sell mode as they approach the break.

Both Huff and Sowers have made major strides in the pasat month. In his first two starts, Huff's pitches (particularly his fastball) showed little life or deception, and he had trouble getting them past the batter for strikes. In his four starts since, he has added a couple MPH to his fastball, and more movement to his breaking pitches. Sowers, for the last two seasons, has had a chronic problem getting through the opposing lineup the second time around. This season, he's made great strides in that area, and has finally been able to keep his heat in the low 90s with control.

The key to their success is going to be their efficiency.

Sowers has given up only 5 runs in his last 4 appearances (counting a may 25th appearance when he pitches 5 innings of relief, after Carmona lasted only 1 inning). The flipside is that he only lasted an average of 5.1 innings in those appearances, and had to pitch an average of 83.25 pitches to get that far (if you remove his may 25th appearance, when he was pulled after 57 pitches, it looks a lot worse).

Similarly, Huff has given up only 10 runs in his last four outings, and though he did go 7.1 innings in his last start, it took him 112 pitches to get that far, and he looked pretty shaky at the end.

If these two young starters can pitch consistently, then the Tribe will likely be 3 relief arms away from a solid staff (even before last night's debacle, it should have been obvious to most that Herges, Aquino, and Vizcaino are not playoff-caliber arms). That's not even taking into account the inevitable return of Betancourt. Sowers can possibly fill one of those spots, and Rich Rundles, Vinnie Chulk, and Tony Sipp are waiting in the wings at Huntington Park. The bullpen is fixable. If Huff and Sowers fail to improve, however, there will be simply too many holes for a middle-market team like the Tribe to fill, without mortgaging a large part of their future away.

Keep your eyes on the ball.

A Sad Day for Cleveland

Former Tribe owner Dick Jacobs has passed away today, at age 84. Jacobs owned the team from 1986-2001, ended nearly 40 years of bad teams and ushered in the "Era of Champions".

Jacobs goes down as one of the greatest Cleveland sports franchise owners in the city's history.

Time to pick up the phone?

Leadoff man and short stop Asdrubal Cabrera was helped off the field in tonight's game with a shoulder injury. While it's too early to assume anything, he wasn't moving his arm, which is not a good sign.

If Asdrubal hits the DL, it's very hard to imagine the team contending, which means it is time to start fielding calls for players.

The Cardinals are very interested in Mark DeRosa, by all accounts. How about a trade of DeRosa for hard-throwing righty reliever Chris Perez?

The hits keep coming...

...to the roster, that is.

Those keeping track at home can add Raphael Betancourt, possibly the Tribe's most consistent reliever this year, to the 15-day DL. He sustained a groin strain in Saturday's game.

Tony Sipp has been recalled from Columbus to take his place.

Nail in the Coffin?

The nagging elbow injury that has kept Grady Sizemore out of center field has finally landed him on the DL. He had been playing through the pain for the last couple of weeks, mostly in a DH role, but the pain had finally become too much for Grady.

Couple this with Travis Hafner's shoulder soreness lingering, Anthony Reyes and Scott Lewis both out for extended periods of time, and Aaron Laffey on the DL, and you are not looking at a team prepared to make a big pre-break turnaround.

Chris Giminez, a versatile infielder who is primarily a catcher, will take Sizemore's spot on the roster.

Sad Day for Dellucci's Hoochies

Much maligned Tribe outfielder David Dellucci was designated for assignment today, clearing space to bring lefty Rafael Perez back up from Columbus.

Signed in 2007 as a righty-hitting specialist, Dellucci never managed to re-create the success he had for the Phillies in 2006, when he hit .292/.369/.530 with 13 homers in 264 ABs. This season he is hitting .275/.333/.350 with no HRs and 1 RBI in 40 appearances.

This Indians are still on the hook for the roughly $4 million owed to David, and unless a GM really has their eye on him, that is unlikely to change. There is a ten-day deadline for David to be Waived, Traded, or Released, the latter being the most likely option.

While some might question why Shapiro waited until after top-prospect Matt LaPorta was sent back down to AAA (LaPorta was in a direct competition for PT with Dellucci during his brief MLB stint), this move is a sign of Shapiro's committment to win this season, putting the best players possible on the 25 man roster and worrying about the cash later.

The Tribe are currently in 5th place, 1.5 games behind the 4th place White Sox, and 6.5 back from the 1st place Tigers.

Weekend Comings and Goings

There were some pretty big changes in the roster this weekend.

Relief "savior" Aaron Laffey was put on the 15 day DL (oblique injury), along with Anthony Reyes. Rich Rundles and Jeremy Sowers were brought up.

It's hard to imagine this being anything less that Sowers' last shot with the team, as trade season moves closer and (one way or another) the Indians will be moving some players.


Matt LaPorta was sent to Columbus, Trevor Crowe was recalled. Probably a sign that the Tribe has a list of things to work on for LaPorta, who needs some every-day at bats to work on some holes in his swing. Crowe will probably stick around until Hafner is ready to rejoin the team, unless Delucci finds his way out the door,

No new rumors about Shapiro's attempts to trade Mark DeRosa. Only that he is looking for MLB ready starting pitching, the Mets have some interest, and the Brewers do not.

According to John Heyman at SI.com, Tribe 1st/3rd baseman Mark DeRosa is officially on the trading block, as Mark Shapiro tries to add some pitching to get the team turned around. DeRosa, while versatile, is left without a solid position on the club, due to the shift of Peralta (who is hitting well) to third, and the Garko/Martinez holding down 1st.

While this move shows a commitment to turning around this season, it can also be viewed as a vote of confidence for LaPorta and Valbuena, in our eyes.

Now who could they get in return? What caliber of pitcher can be had for a player like DeRosa, who is having a horrible start to the year?

Random Trade Thought

With Carlos Delgado ailing, the Mets are in dire need of a 1st baseman. With David Ortiz woefully ineffective, the Red Sox need a DH.

While neither team in the Yankees, both are in the upper echelon of payrolls. Might one or the other be willing to take on a large contract, in order to fill that void, instead of giving up a top prospect?

Travis Hafner makes an average of $12 million per year, for the next 3 years. Would getting that contract off of the books be enough of a return value for the Tribe? Would either of those teams bite on that deal?

While fans might be upset initially upset about the team just giving a player away, what if that Money could be used to extend Cliff Lee or Victor Martinez's contracts? Or to sign a quality starting pitcher in the offseason? Sounds like a pretty decent option.

Lineup Changes

Giving in to the inevitable?

Finally seeing what everyone else could see?

Trying to save his job?

In addition to finally re-shuffling the infield, playing Jhonny Peralta at 3rd and Asdrubal Cabrera at short, tonight's lineup features Asdrubal Cabrera leading off. This is a role that the Chubby Indian has been saying he should have been given since last fall.

Cabrera has a solid OBP (.376 as opposed to Grady's .302), can lay down a bunt, uses the whole field while batting, and (as of the last month) is a more effective base-stealer than Grady.

Grady, in the meantime, has become almost strictly a power/pull hitter, has shown an inability to beat the spread, and has been making poor choices on the basepaths. It's clear that he's trying to take carry struggling team on his shoulders, but it's just ruining his effectiveness.

Now, if we had our way, the next move would be to put Choo in as the #2 hitter, move Grady back to #3, and put Victor back in the clean-up spot. Cabrera/Choo/Sizemore has as much potential, in terms or a rare speed/power combination, as Damon/Jeter/Rodriguez a few years back. Maybe even enough potential to force Eric Wedge into dusting off his copy of "How to Play Baseball" and open up the "run and hit" chapter.

Martinez on the Block?

From The Boston Globe:

There has been talk among scouts that the Indians might be willing to deal 29-year-old catcher/first baseman/DH Victor Martinez for young pitching. Martinez, who earns $5.7 million this season and $7 million in his option season next year, is hitting .409 with 7 homers and 25 RBIs.

We would have to rate this as pure East-Coast media hype. Victor has been the glue that holds this team together for years. All indications are that he loves playing here. Combine that with his injury history, and the Indians should be able to work out an extension at a relatively inexpensive price.

While such rumors warrant at least a response of "for the right price...", the Red Sox do not, at a first glance, have much to offer for a player of Victor's caliber. A reliable switch-hitting .300 bat with 25 HR/100 RBI power and a near 1:1 K/BB ratio in the midst of his career year, who is also a good defensive catcher and is signed cheaply through 2010 is about as valuable as you can get. Think Mark Texeira valuable; a player for whom the Rangers recieved Elvis Andrus, Neftali Feliz, Matt Harrison, and Jarrod Saltamacchia.

The top prospects in Boston's system are already up at the MLB level. The only prospect in the Red Sox listed on any top-50 list is a 1st baseman, a position which the Indians already have too many potential bats. You would have to start the conversation with either John Lester, or more likely a combination of Justin Masterson and Clay Bucholtz, and then toss is a lesser arm (maybe a high-heat reliever?) and a position player.

Now a potnetial trade of Ryan Garko, on the other hand...

First Look At David Huff?

The Chubby Indian is predicting a first appearance by 24 year old lefty David Huff, making a start on Sunday. With Jeremy Sowers sent down due to his usual ineffectiveness, Zach Jackson having just pitched on Friday night, and Aaron Laffey locked into a relief role, there aren't a lot of options. After all, the powers-that-be wouldn't honestly send us Tomo Ohka or Jack Cassel, after all the pain we have already endured in this young season, would they?

In 39.1 innings, Huff is 5-1 with a 4.35 ERA, with 32 Ks and 16 BBs. While those are not dominating numbers, he has dominated the minors for the last two seasons, and was also dominant at UCLA, and currently ranks 8th on Baseball America's list of prospects in the Indians system.

He has a make-up somewhat reminiscient of Cliff Lee, throwing a low 90's fastball with deceptive speed, mixing it in with a great changeup. While his curveball is not dominant, his slider has evolved into a great pitch, and his inflated ERA can be partially attributed to his working on that pitch.

As for who could be sent down? While many have speculated that Masa Kobayashi could be released, or that Valbuena could be sent down, here's a quote from Eric Wedge after last night's game, in regard to Jensen Lewis:

"He's throwing," Wedge said of Lewis. "I'm tired of watching him throw. He's got to pitch. He's got a lot of moxie, got a lot of guts. He has good stuff. But you've got to pitch. If you're going to make it up here, you can't miss spots by a foot or a foot and a half and expect to have success."

While Kobayashi has been a mess, and recent interviews make it sound as though he's lost all confidence, sending Lewis down to Columbus to get straightened out might make the most sense.

Unless they bring up two pitchers....

Jamey Carrol to DL

Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer is reporting that utility man Jamey Carroll is going on the DL with a broken hand, after being struck with a pitch in Saturday's final exhibition game.

Tony Graffanino has been recalled from Columbus to take his place. Between Graffanino, Mark DeRosa, Josh Barfield, and Asdrubal Cabrera, the Indians should have more than enough versatility to cover his absence.

Scott Lewis shelled/Eddie Mujica traded

The Indian's 5th starter went a long way towards giving the fans in Cleveland a sense of trepidation in his last Spring start, giving up 13 hits and 10 runs in 2 2/3 innings, following up similar numbers in his prior start.

Lewis attributed a poor grip on the ball, due to lack of moisture in the air, to his poor start. There's not much to do but hope that was the case.

Also, struggling reliever Eddie Mujica was traded to the Padres, a team in dire need of pitching. Mujica has all the "stuff" you could want, but locating his pitches has been a struggle for him. Maybe a change of scenery, and guaranteed playing time at the major league level will help straighten him out. The Indians' pitching staff is crowded at botht the AAA and major league level, and it's hard to imagine how a guy like Eddie would have fit in.

The Indians will either recieve cash, or a player to be names. We will keep you posted as information on potential players comes to light.

Barfield wins final Spot

Josh Barfield will open the season as an additional utility man, adding some much needed speed to the roster.

While it remains to be seen what kind of arm Barfield has, his speed and range should make him an asset in the outfield, and at the very least an average 3rd baseman.

He also makes for a decent contingency plan, should Asdrubal Cabrera have a slow start, as he did in 2008. One of the two has to get back to form, right?

It remains to be seen how this affects David Dellucci's playing time, although it is hard to imagine him fitting in on the roster at this point. Barfield is young, with a ton of upside, and it is doubtful that Wedge and Shapiro put him on the roster with the intention of warming the bench. His defensive ability has never been in doubt; if he can get back to the offensive form he showed in 2006, he could be the long-term 2nd baseman for the Tribe, finally forcing the move of Peralta to 3rd. Barfield just needs to focus at the plate, use the whole field, and let his legs get him on base.

It would not be surprising to see Josh in at least 3 games per week, until he either earns more time, or strikes his way out of the organization.