Cleveland Sports Forum

I can see that. I can also see Santana playing 50+ games at third if he can prove he can handle it in winter ball.

At today's prices he is worth 15 million a year.

As I said weeks ago and now sea is posting, Santana is the Indians best trade option and he is certainly on the block along with ACab, Bourne, Masterson and Stubbs.....

This will be the defining offseason for the Francona era. Tribe can really move into the upper echelon with an outstanding offseason. They can also sink back into the Abyss with a bad one....

We don't want ACab after this season. Bourne isn't worth $14M, Materson is NO WAY signing an extension and is leaving Cleveland after next year and Stubbs is a great athlete who can't hit. Someone will want his tools though

Come on Antonetti make it happen!!!

They must have different scouts checking out other teams for trades.

The guys that scout FAs are awful. Swisher, Bourn, Reynolds and Meyers all underperformed for the money they were paid. Raburn was a Francona pickup.

More trades like Gomes and Aviles are needed'

Santana has value.

Pitchers have value but I doubt they're ready to move anybody on the 40 except for a 3b bat.

Cabrera had more value last year but they couldn't dump him.

The ball bounced the Indians way last season. I stilldon't think they were as good as their record.

They can't stand still.

Takes some chances.

Do your homework.

Move some players.

The guys that scout FAs are awful.

You of all people know that there is more to building a winning team then just stats.

No surprise that the Indians only make the playoffs when guys like Swisher and Nixon are involved.

Only middle of the order offensive player on the team who impresses me is Santana. I don't want to lose him.

I'm with Civ on this topic. The "only" player on this team that I want to see at the plate with the game on the line is Santana. In my opinion, Santana is the most dangerous hitter on the team.

JOE: I would have thought you'd say it was Giambi

I think rusty is onto something when he states 50 games at 3B for Santana would be great. He could split the rest at catcher, 1B and DH.

Would hugely improve his value.

But Miguel Cabrera played 3B IN THE BIGS before Fielder came to Detroit. A lot less of a leap to put him at 3B than to put Santana there. I'll be shocked if he's anything but horrible there.

Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish reports that the Orioles, Indians, Cubs and Phillies are interested in free agent reliever Edward Mujica.
Cotillo notes that Mujica is expected to receive a contract similar to the three-year, $15.75 million deal that Joe Smith inked with the Angels. The 29-year-old right-hander notched 37 saves for the Cardinals this season, while posting a 2.78 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and impeccable 46/5 K/BB ratio in 64 2/3 innings. His fantasy value will be entirely dependent on how close he is to save chances in the respective bullpen he winds up in.


Related: Orioles, Cubs, Indians, Phillies
Source: MLB Daily Dish Nov 29 - 6:21 PM

Mujica????

What's next! Colon??

You can't go home again.

Once you run them out of town, they can't come back.

Departed Joe Smith says Cleveland Indians relievers need to "step up"
By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group


CLEVELAND, Ohio – The second of four potential holes in the Indians’ bullpen became official Wednesday when the Angels confirmed that they’d signed Joe Smith to a three-year $15.75 million contract.

The first hole was created when closer Chris Perez was released on Oct. 31. The Indians cannot re-sign Perez until May 15.

Free agents Matt Albers and Rich Hill represent the other potential openings. Manager Terry Francona likes as many relievers as he can cram into a 25-man roster. There were times last season when he operated with a nine-man bullpen, so to possibly lose four relievers even though there are still Thanksgiving leftovers in the refrigerator, is something to think about.

“That’s a lot,” said Smith, late last week. “They need some of their young guys to step up. They’ve been waiting on a guy like Nick Hagadone for the last couple of years. A guy like CC Lee has explosive stuff.

“Bryan Shaw pitched really well, especially late in the season. Cody Allen has lights-out stuff and I really think they have a dark horse in Vinnie Pestano. Last year he hit a bump in the road. It happens, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he were back throwing like the old Vinnie next year. You know he’s going to be working hard this winter.

“It’s time for the guys that they’ve drafted and traded for, who have the stuff and potential, to step up and pitch well.”

The Indians’ bullpen went 33-16 with 38 saves and a 3.62 ERA last season.

Smith, who spent the last five seasons with the Indians, said he and his agent, Barry Meister, talked to about 15 teams before signing with the Angels.

“There were two places I wanted to go -- to the Angels or back to Cleveland,” said Smith, who just returned from a vacation in Hawaii. “When it became clear that if I wanted to go to Anaheim we had to jump right then, we went back to a couple of teams, including Cleveland, but nothing happened.”

Smith had another reason to sign with the Angels. His fiancée, Allie LaForce, works for CBS Sports as a co-host for the late night show “Lead Off” “ which originates from CBS studios in Orange County, Calif. The Angels play in Anaheim, Calif., which is in Orange County.

LaForce is from Vermilion and worked as a sports anchor for FOX Ch. 8 in Cleveland.

“The Angels have a really good team and with Allie working there is just made sense,” said Smith. “It worked out on two fronts.”

Smith said he and LaForce are planning to get married after the 2014 season.

“This will be the first time in two years I’ll get to work in the same city as my fiancée is in,” said Smith.

Smith said the Indians made it clear that they wouldn’t offer him a three-year deal.

“A couple of teams told us that,” he said. “They said they wouldn’t give a reliever more than two years. If that’s their policy, there’s not much you can do about that.”

The Indians acquired Smith at the 2008 winter meetings in Las Vegas as part of a three-team trade with the Mets and Mariners. In 303 appearances with the Indians, he went 18-11 with 2.76 ERA three saves and 89 holds. In the last two seasons, the sidearming Smith went 13-6 with three saves and 46 holds.

“I had fun in Cleveland even though we stunk a little bit, especially in 2010,” said Smith. “We had a young group of guys who learned how to play together in the big leagues.

“Even when they brought in a bunch of new guys last year, that group of young guys was still there. That’s what made last season so much fun.”

The Indians won 92 games last season, winning the first wild card spot, to make the postseason for the first time since 2007.

“They have a great group of players, coaches and clubhouse staff,” said Smith. “From the front office on down, it’s a good organization. I know they haven’t done much this winter, but I feel they’re headed in the right direction.”

The Indians have seven players still on the free agent market: Perez, Ubaldo Jimenez, Scott Kazmir, Albers, Hill, Jason Kubel and Kelly Shoppach.

Perez reportedly has drawn some interest, but with so many closers available, he’s probably going to have to wait until a few of them sign. Joe Nathan, Joaquin Benoit, Fernando Rodney, Brian Wilson and Edward Mujica are among the available closers.

The Indians were not confident that they’d be able to retain starters Jimenez and Kazmir before they hit the free agent market. That feeling has not changed, especially with the contracts middle-of-the-road starters Jason Vargas and Ricky Nolasco reached with AL Central rivals Kansas City and Minnesota.

Vargas, 9-8 with the Angels last year, signed a four-year $32 million deal with the Royals. The Twins, whose starters finished with the worst ERA in the big leagues last season, signed Nolasco to a four-year $49 million deal. Nolasco went 13-11 with a 3.70 ERA for Miami and the Dodgers.

“Each player has his own unique market,” said GM Chris Antonetti. “We will continue to talk to the representatives for Ubaldo and Kazmir to see if there is a value we can agree on. If not they’ll be pitching for somebody else.”

Albers and Hill have reportedly drawn interest on the open market. Some of that comes from the Indians, but at a much smaller dollar amount than Jimenez or Kazmir. Kubel and Shoppach were stretch-drive acquisitions who saw little if any playing time so it’s hard to see them returning to Cleveland. The signing of David Murphy closed the door on Kubel’s return.

Hello, goodbye: Tuesday is the deadline for teams offering contracts to players on their 40-man roster for 2014. If a player isn’t offered a contract, he can become a free agent.

The Indians have nine players eligible for arbitration, but only one of them, catcher Lou Marson, is in danger of not being offered a contract. Justin Masterson, Drew Stubbs, Marc Rzepczynski, Vinnie Pestano, Josh Tomlin, Frank Herrmann and Blake Wood will be offered contracts.

Playoff shares: The Indians stay in the 2013 postseason was brief, but lucrative.

For making the wild card game, the Indians received $940,259.50 from the players’ pool of the postseason gate receipts. Indians players awarded 47 full shares at $15,107.00 each and just over 15 partial shares.

Here’s how the rest of the playoff shares broke down:

World Series: The Red Sox received $22, 566,228.05 with a full share valued at $307,322.68. The Red Sox awarded 58 full shares, almost 15 partial shares and 21 cash awards. The Cardinals received $15,044,152.03 with a full share valued at $228,3000.17. The Cardinals awarded 56 full shares, almost 10 partial shares and two cash awards.

LCS: The Tigers received $7,522,076.02 with a full share valued at $129,278.22. The Tigers awarded 48 full shares, just over 10 partial shares and five cash awards. The Dodgers received $7,522,076.02 with a full share valued at $108,037.06. They awarded 58 full shares, just over 11 partial share and eight cash awards.

Division series: The A’s received $2,037,22.92 with a full share valued at $37,316.25. The A’s awarded 48 full shares, just over six partial shares and 20 cash awards. The Braves received $2,037,228.92 with a full share valued at $34,012.30. The Braves award 52 full shares, just over seven partial shares and nine cash awards.

Pluto:

About Carlos Santana ...


In the post-season meetings with Carlos Santana, the former starting catcher mentioned that he "missed playing in the field."

He acknowledged that Yan Gomes (.294, .826 OPS, 11 HR, 38 RBI in 88 games) had a terrific season at catcher. Gomes also led the American League by throwing out 38 percent of all stealing base runners.

Santana said he preferred to play first base rather than be the DH. He held that spot in the lineup for 54 games.

But the Tribe plans for Nick Swisher to handle most of the first base duties.

That's why Santana brought up the idea of playing some third base.

The Indians were aware that Santana played a little third early in his minor league career. But they didn't know if the 5-foot-11, 210-pounder could handle the position.

The fact that Santana wants to try it has the Tribe far more excited than the front office wants to say publicly.

This winter, the Indians planned to look for a right-handed hitter who could handle some third base.

Yes, utility man Mike Aviles played 56 games there (made only three errors), but they'd like another option.

Early in his big-league career, Ryan Raburn played some third. But he had eight errors in 33 games. The Indians believe Raburn is best suited for the outfield, and like the idea of a David Murphy/Raburn platoon in right field.

So what about Santana at third?

Let's break it down:

1. Santana's first pro season was 2005. He was signed by the Dodgers and was 19. They played him at third and in the outfield in his first two pro seasons.

2. Santana was a third baseman for 58 games in the minors, making 17 errors. He last played there in 2006.

3. Santana also played 40 games in right field, 26 in left field before becoming a full-time catcher in 2007.

4. Just looking at the stats, you can understand why the Dodgers tried to use him behind the plate. He has above-average arm strength, and those 17 errors in 58 games was not a promising start at third.

5. But it's been six years since Santana played third. Who knows, it may work.

6. The Tribe views this idea as a major positive. Rather than pouting about Gomes taking his job, Santana is looking for a place to play. He is at the Tribe's Dominican Baseball Academy, working out at third base. The Tribe plans to have Travis Fryman and Mike Sarbaugh work with him this winter and in spring training.

About the Tribe


The Indians have been waiting for three years for Lonnie Chisenhall to take over at third base.
Chuck Crow / The Plain Dealer

1. The Tribe handed third base to Chisenhall in the spring. He didn't hit and his defense was inconsistent. He spent 27 games in Class AAA (batting .390), so it's a matter of him adjusting to the big leagues.

2. The discouraging part for Chisenhall is that his .225 average was worse than the .268 and .255 that he hit in parts of the previous two seasons with the Tribe. His OPS of .688 was his lowest in three years.

3. Chisenhall showed some life in September, batting .270 with three homers in 37 at bats. But he has yet to do anything to take over at third base.

4. A lefty hitter, Chisenhall has a miserable track record vs. lefty pitching. He was 4-of-36 (.111) last season. For his big-league career, Chisenhall is 24-of-124 (.196) vs. lefties compared to .256 vs. righties.

5. A switch hitter, Santana batted .296 vs. lefties last season. At the very least, Santana playing some third base sets up a decent platoon with Chisenhall. And if Santana can play well enough to win the position, so be it.

6. In the last three seasons, Santana is a .253 hitter (.808 OPS) averaging 22 homers and 76 RBI. The Tribe would love to get that kind of production from third base.

7. In connection with Terry Francona being the A.L. Manager of the Year, the Indians want nominations for people who are leaders in Northeast Ohio. They can be teachers, coaches, volunteers, CEOs, community activists, etc. Fans should visit Indians.com/Mentors and fill out the form with information about their nominees. The winner and the person who nominated him or her will have the opportunity to Francona, during Tribe Fest weekend, Jan. 24-26 at Progressive Field.

8. The Wahoo Club will meet on December 8 at 10 a.m. at the Solon Community Center. Special guests include Len Barker, Campy Russell, Don Cockroft, Matt Wilhelm and Brad Sellers. Call Bob Rosen (440-724-8350) for more information.

About Jhonny Peralta ...


Jhonny Peralta should high-five his agents after receiving a $53 million deal from St. Louis.
Associated Press

Lessons from the Cardinals signing former Indian Jhonny Peralta to a four-year, $53 million deal.

1. The Cardinals would rather spend $53 million on Peralta than trade for Asdrubal Cabrera. No matter what the Tribe says, they are open to a deal for Cabrera. The Cardinals have talked about Cabrera a few times over the past year, but didn't want to part with the pitching prospects that the Indians wanted.

2. Peralta is coming off a 50-game suspension for PED infractions. So a guy who clearly cheated and made $6 million last season with the Tigers is rewarded with a $53 million deal over four years. The message is clear: Cheating can really pay off.

3. The two previous free agents who were suspended for PED infractions were Melky Cabrera and Marlon Byrd. Both received two-year, $16 million deals. That seemed excessive. Now, it's bargain rate.

4. In the last four years, Peralta's batting averages were .249, .299, .239 and .303 this season. He hit anywhere from 11-to-21 homers with 55-to-86 RBI in that span. He has made only 11 errors at short in the last two seasons. The point is Peralta rotates from average seasons to good years. But this guy is not a consistent All-Star. He will be 32 next season. Yet, he is being paid like one of the top shortstops. And yes, you have to wonder if some of those good seasons were products of PEDs.

5. I wonder who the Cardinals were bidding against that the price for Peralta went that high. I also wonder if the Tribe will find a market for Cabrera, who is in the final year of his contract ($10 million).

About baseball's drug policy ...

Peralta's signing has exposed it as a joke. Fifty games for a first violation won't deter anyone from cheating -- not after these type of contracts. Baseball needs to revise its policy. Consider the following:

1. A first violation should cost a player a full 162-game season.

2. It should make any remaining seasons on his contract non-guaranteed. Ryan Braun lied about his PED use, was suspended -- but still has $125 million of guaranteed money left on his Milwaukee contract. That money should no longer be guaranteed, the remaining seasons being club options.

3. Any contract signed immediately after a season where a player is suspended for PEDs can only be for one year.

Jim Bowden of ESPN and SiriusXM reports that Scott Kazmir's two-year deal with the A's is for $22 million.
That's a big sum of money for a cash-strapped team like Oakland, but it's actually pretty good value in this current free agent market. Kazmir, 29, registered a 4.04 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 162/47 K/BB ratio in 158 innings this past season for the Indians. He should do well in the cavernous confines of the Athletics' O.co Coliseum.


Source: Jim Bowden on Twitter Dec 2 - 2:36 PM

Cleveland Indians suffer 2nd free-agent sting as Scott Kazmir signs with A's



CLEVELAND, Ohio – For the second time in 10 days the Indians have lost an important part of their pitching staff to free agency as Scott Kazmir came to terms on a two-year, $22 million deal with Oakland.

Kazmir’s flight to the West Coast follows that of reliever Joe Smith, who reached a three-year, $15.75 million with the Angels on Nov. 23.

The Indians brought Kazmir back from oblivion. He pitched independent ball in 2012 and appeared in one big-league game in 2011 before the Indians signed him to a minor league deal worth $1 million and invited him to spring training for the 2013 season. Kazmir not only made the club, but revitalized his career, going 10-9 with a 4.04 ERA in 29 starts.

"Scott positioned himself to be a very attractive alternative on the free agent market," said GM Chris Antonetti."He deserves a lot of credit for getting back to this level of competition and for putting himself in line for a contract like this."

Last season was the first time Kazmir took a regular turn in a big-league rotation since he made 28 starts with the Angels in 2010. His velocity returned last season, allowing him to strike out 162 batters in 158 innings. He walked 47 and allowed 162 hits.

The opposition hit .262 against Kazmir with a .418 slugging percentage and .316 on-base percentage.

Ubaldo Jimenez and Kazmir combined to win 23 games and pitch 340 2/3 innings. Jimenez is a free agent and, like Kazmir, is not expected to return to the Indians.

So if you’re scoring at home, Kazmir went from a $1 million make-good deal to a two-year, $22 million contract in 28 starts. Now that’s a raise.

The Indians never made more than a one-year offer to Kazmir. There was concern about his ability to stay healthy over the length of a multiyear deal.

Right now the Indians rotation looks like this: Justin Masterson, Danny Salazar, Corey Kluber and Zach McAllister. Josh Tomlin, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer will compete for the fifth spot.

If the Indians can find the right veteran starter, at the right price be it trade or free agency, they'd like to sign him. Right now, however, they feel they are in a better position from a rotation standpoint than they were at this time last year.

In or out: The Indians did not tender a contract to catcher Lou Marson after being unable to trade him by Monday's midnight deadline. Outfielder Matt Carson and right-hander Tyler Cloyd, recently designated for assignment, were also non-tendered, although they were not eligible for arbitration as Marson was.

Marson made $1 million last season and spent all but three games on the disabled list.

Masterson, Michael Brantley, Drew Stubbs, Vinnie Pestano, Frank Herrmann, Marc Rzepczynski, Tomlin and Blake Wood were eligible for arbitration and were tendered contracts. Wood and Herrmann avoided arbitration by signing one-year deals for $560,000 each.

Wood missed a chunk of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Herrmann missed all last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in spring training.

Marson was sidelined much of the year with neck and right shoulder problems. On April 6, Marson was run over at the plate by Tampa Bay’s Desmond Jennings and suffered a cervical neck strain.

He was placed on the disabled list on April 8 and wasn’t activated until April 24. After started against the White Sox, he was placed on the disabled list on April 25 with right shoulder soreness and stayed there the rest of the year.

Marson played nine rehab games, eight with Class AAA Columbus and one with Class AA Akron.

The Indians acquired Marson from the Phillies as part of the Cliff Lee-Ben Francisco deal on July 29, 2009. They also received Carrasco, Jason Donald and Jason Knapp. Carrasco is the only player still on the Indians from the deal.

In parts of five seasons with the Indians, Marson hit .217 (162-for-747) with 38 doubles, four triples, four homers and 58 RBI in 253 games. His slash line with the Tribe was .217/.295/.308 – batting average, slugging percentage and on base percentage.

"We still feel Lou can be a good a major league catcher," said Antonetti. "With our catching situation with Yan Gomes and Carlos Santana, he probably has a better chance with another team."

The Indians are expected to try and sign Carson to a minor league deal.

Monday's tender deadline was for all unsigned players on the 40-man roster. The Tribe's 40-man roster is at 38.

Another feather in the cap of the Minor League Cleveland Indians. Give brokendown players a job, fix'em up and send them to the Majors.