Cleveland Sports Forum

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians first baseman Matt LaPorta had arthroscopic surgery on his left hip Wednesday. He's expected to need three to four months to recover, but should be ready when the Indians open the exhibition season in late February.
Dr. Thomas Byrd performed the surgery in Nashville, Tenn. He performed a debridement of LaPorta's left hip joint. At the end of the 2009 season, LaPorta had the same surgery on the same hip.

I note he had a different surgeon this time. So maybe that will turn him around.

My bad

I knew he had surgery and when I searched the Indian websites, I found the article but paid no attention to the dates.

civ ollilavad wrote:I think Rondon will make the Cubs. He has AAA experience and the Cubs are rebuilding and can afford to keep a Rule 5 arm in the bullpen. I am sure the Indians would accept him back if offered.

50/50 that Orioles will keep McFarland. They are planning to compete so won't keep someone that doesn't prove he's ready to help now. He will probably get a tryout as a lefty-one-out reliever. The article that follows says the Birds kept a Rule 5 pick all season in 2012 even while they contended for the playoffs, so they could be prepared to do so again.

Rondon has a lot to prove. He's barely pitched the last 3 years. I wasn't thrilled about losing him, but it's also hard to justify using a roster spot on someone like that (e.g. all those years Adam Miller was on the 40-man for nothing).

McFarland is lefthanded and didn't seem all that overmatched in AAA, so it's not hard to see him sticking in Baltimore. Everyone needs a back-end guy in the bullpen. Right now we've got three minor league veteran first basemen on the 40-man, which would seem to be 2 too many. McFarland would appear to have a brighter future than, say, Lars Anderson, so not rostering him might end up as a mistake. But it won't become a serious mistake unless he winds up as a rotation guy.

Kevin Youkilis's decision is, at heart, a choice between playing for Cleveland/Francona at 2/18 or playing for the Yankees at 1 for $12m

Buster Olney

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Indians are "in the best position" to sign Nick Swisher.
Olney notes that he's "not sure what situation Swisher will want," but it's clear with their offer to Shane Victorino that Cleveland has some money to spend, and they also have manager Terry Francona, who Swisher reportedly is a fan of. The Mariners look like the Indians' biggest competition for Swisher's services and appear determined to add hitting this offseason.


Related: Indians, Mariners
Source: Buster Olney on Twitter Dec 7 - 8:53 AM

Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports that the Diamondbacks have been working to get James Shields in the rumored potential three- to four-team trade.
The last version of the megadeal involved the D'Backs, Rangers, Indians and Mariners, with the D'Backs targeting Asdrubal Cabrera. It sounds as if in this version the teams, and obviously who would be getting what, would change. Olney says that if Arizona acquires Shields, it would allow them to deal one of their young pitchers, presumably for a shortstop.

Related: Diamondbacks
Source: Buster Olney on Twitter Dec 7 - 8:40 AM

Winter Meetings Wrap: Swisher, Youkilis are top targets

Nick Swisher (Photo: AP)
By Tony Lastoria
December 7, 2012
ShareThis
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.

Here are some final news, notes, and thoughts on the winter meetings:

- Things are pretty clear where the Indians stand right now. At the moment they have contract offers out to free agents Nick Swisher and Kevin Youkilis, and they are actively pursuing a trade of Asdrubal Cabrera. There are other players in the mix like Mark Reynolds and Ryan Ludwick on the free agent front, and Dee Gordon and maybe even Corey Hart on the trade front. But right now the focus is on signing Swisher and Youkilis to help the lineup and trading Cabrera for pitching help.

- Regarding Swisher, he does not appear to be close to signing, but a lot of people in the industry believe the Indians are in the best situation to sign him. At the moment the Indians, Mariners, and Phillies are his biggest suitors, but the Phillies interest may have wavered some after trading for Ben Revere. Now, as we know, these things can change at a moment’s notice, and more teams may enter the mix once Josh Hamilton signs. But Hamilton’s market is not that big, so it should not affect things too much other than maybe add the Rangers into the mix if they miss out on Hamilton and Justin Upton. What it could really affect is the Mariners interest as if they lose out on Hamilton they could intensify their efforts considerably to get Swisher. This one is going to be interesting to follow, but the Indians should be in on him until the very end. Ultimately, as it always does, it will come down to a decision from the player on where he wants to play because as we have seen with the Indians this offseason, sometimes offering the most money doesn’t mean everything to the player.

- As for Youkilis, this is a situation that you would think would be resolved very soon, possibly sometime today or by Monday morning if he wants to take the weekend to think about it. Pretty much the industry consensus has it as being down to a two team race between the Yankees and Indians to sign him. The Yankees are offering him a one year $12 million deal, and the Indians are reportedly offering him a two year $18 million deal. Ultimately his choice will come down to whether he wants to win and take more money for one year to re-establish his value to get a better contract next offseason, or if he wants more security with a longer contract for more total money and maybe not have a chance to win but go to a situation he would be much more comfortable in than in New York and play for his former manager Terry Francona.

- On the Cabrera trade front, this is something that should continue to be fluid as the Indians shop him around to teams this offseason. There is obviously a lot of interest from the Diamondbacks. I don’t care what their GM says about wanting a shortstop with more than two years control, that is simply nothing more than GM speak. You don’t waste two weeks working hard on a deal for Cabrera if you seriously would not take a guy with only two years of control. But the Indians have talked to other teams about Cabrera, and there are a lot of deals they are considering that have not even hit the rumor mill. The Indians may not have been able to seal the deal on a Cabrera trade in Nashville, but the foundation has been more than set to deal him, and deal him soon. They know he is their best chance to get a young difference maker for the starting rotation, maybe two difference makers, and it looks like they have passed the point of no return and will trade him at some point this offseason. There was thought that momentum was being gained where he would be dealt before the end of the meetings, but with Zach Greinke and Hamilton holding up the market, any trades involving Upton and Cabrera have pretty much been put on standby as so many of the teams that want Upton and Cabrera are affected by what happens with Greinke and Hamilton.

- It is important to note that the offseason is not a failure because the Indians did not make a deal at the winter meetings. If so, then about 25 other teams would be considered failures too as this was one of the least active winter meetings in some time as far as done deals go. What this means is a lot of deals could be coming in the next seven to ten days, and I would expect the Indians to be at the center of a lot those deals. They may lose out on a few more free agents, but it looks like they are committed to spend some money and get someone, and they also look pretty committed to trading Cabrera. It is disappointing that the Indians were unable to make some news by making a big deal at the winter meetings, and I am sure they are too, but winter meetings or not the process moves on and continues and we are going to continue to see the rumors fly the next few weeks as teams and players look to get deals done before Christmas.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his new book the 2012 Cleveland Indians Prospect Insider which profiles the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is available for sale.

Castrovince: 1988 Tribe squad was skipper factory

What do Terry Francona, Ron Washington, John Farrell, Bud Black and Charlie Manuel have in common? The managers were part of the 1988 Tribe squad. More»

I guess this is the big news post winter meetings. Exciting stuff !!

Asdrubal Cabrera will not play until contract status in USA solved

12/06/2012 6:22:49 PM |

The Cabrera situation and trade from the Indians asks why not finish up the season with Lions

The shortstop still trains with the Lions

CARACAS. -

Asdrubal Cabrera was placed on the roster of 34 of the Caracas Lions in the ninth week, but still unable to make his debut. His contractual status in the United States has prevented shortstop from debuting in Caracas as it sounds like he will change uniforms from the Cleveland Indians. " Asdrubal Cabrera will play he just has to resolve his situation in the United States. should be this week, "said the lions manager, Frank Kremblas .

Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2012

Otani meets with Fighters; still undecided

Kyodo

OSHU, Iwate Pref. —

High school pitcher Shohei Otani met Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters manager Hideki Kuriyama on Monday but did not announce a decision about where he will pursue a pro career.

The Fighters made the hard-throwing right-hander their first pick in Nippon Professional Baseball's amateur draft on Oct. 25, four days after he announced his decision to seek a pro contract with a major league club.

"He has not reached a conclusion. The way things are, he is still unable to take the first step," said Otani's father Toru, who also gave his impression of his son's likelihood of signing with the Fighters.

"Some things were troubling him, but he appears to be seeing those things in a positive light."

Monday's meeting in Iwate Prefecture was the third between Fighters representatives and the Hanamaki Higashi High School star, and the second to include Kuriyama.

Monday's meeting was requested by Otani following a session on Nov. 26 that was expected to conclude their talks. The pitcher has already met with representatives of three major league clubs, including the Texas Rangers.

Although the youngster did not speak with the media, a statement from him said, "I appreciate the people from the team clearing up some doubts for me."

What do Jon Perlman, Dan Firova and Brad Havens have in common?


According to the stats they all pitched for the 1988 Indians. I don't remember any of them working for the Tribe. And none is now a major league manager either.

CLEVELAND -- The Indians have made their pitch and tabled offers for free agents Kevin Youkilis and Nick Swisher. All Cleveland can do now is wait.

During the Winter Meetings this week, the Indians made it clear that they had some financial flexibility by extending a four-year, $44 million offer to outfielder Shane Victorino. He opted to sign a three-year deal with the Red Sox, so the Tribe has turned its attention to both Youkilis and Swisher.

Youkilis is weighing a one-year offer worth $12 million to put on the Yankees' pinstripes, but he also has a two-year offer from Cleveland to take over as the full-time first baseman. The Tribe's potential pact is worth $18 million, according to ESPN's Buster Olney.

"I can't comment on any of that stuff right now," Youkilis said at a charity event on Thursday in Boston. "We're very fortunate that a lot of teams want me right now. We have a handful of good choices. We have to sit down with my family and agent and all that stuff. In due time, we'll find out."

Youkilis has ties to Ohio -- he was born in Cincinnati and attended the University of Cincinnati -- but perhaps more importantly, he has a long history with new Indians manager Terry Francona. Youkilis played under Francona in Boston from 2004-11, winning a pair of World Series rings (2004 and '07) along the way.

Playing again for Francona, who has spoken with Youkilis about the opportunity in Cleveland, might be an enticing part of the equation.

"I don't know anything other than playing for Tito," Youkilis said. "He's great, he's doing good. Talked to him. He's doing great. He seems happy. I know he wasn't happy a year ago at this point. So that's good. He's back, seems happy, seems excited taking over in Cleveland."

Last season, the 33-year-old Youkilis hit .235 with 19 home runs, 15 doubles and 60 RBIs in 122 games between tours with the Red Sox and White Sox. Before he was traded to Chicago by Boston on June 24, the Indians were trying to acquire him from the Red Sox. Youkilis' 19 homers would have led a power-starved Cleveland club a year ago.

Over the past three years, Youkilis has hit .264 with a .372 on-base percentage and a .472 slugging percentage, averaging 18 homers, 24 doubles and 67 RBIs each season.

The 32-year-old Swisher -- a product of Ohio State University -- is another realistic possibility for the Indians, who reportedly have competition in the Mariners. The Phillies, Red Sox, Giants and Orioles have also been reported to have varying levels of interest in Swisher, according to multiple reports.

Last year, the switch-hitting Swisher hit .272 with 24 homers, 36 doubles and 93 RBIs in 148 games for the Yankees. He also posted a .364 on-base percentage and a .473 slugging percentage. Swisher has launched at least 23 home runs in five straight seasons, and he has collected at least 80 RBIs four years in a row.

Swisher has played mostly right field -- currently home to Cleveland's Shin-Soo Choo -- but he has experience in left field and first base. It is no secret that the Indians are entertaining trade offers for Choo, and Cleveland also has holes to fill in left field and at designated hitter.

If that's a recent pic of Acab, odds are he shows up for ST, Indians or a new team, just as fat as he was last year.

That picture was taken yesterday Seagull.