Cleveland Sports Forum

12:41pm: Cleveland will receive left-hander Josh Outman from the Rockies in the trade, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).

Outman, 29, pitched to a 4.33 ERA with 8.8 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 51.3 percent ground-ball rate in 54 innings for the Rockies this past season. Formerly a starting pitcher, Outman converted to the bullpen on a full-time basis for the first time in 2013. Outman averaged 92.4 mph on his heater and held lefties to a minuscule .198/.278/.261 batting line.

MLBTR's Matt Swartz projects Outman to earn $1.4MM in 2013. He will give new manager Terry Francona a second left-handed option in the bullpen along with Marc Rzepczynski.

12:14pm: The Rockies are acquiring Drew Stubbs from the Indians, sources tell Ken Rosenthal (Twitter link) and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Tribe can afford to part with Stubbs thanks to their outfield surplus, which includes Michael Bourn, Michael Brantley, David Murphy, and Ryan Raburn.

We heard back in November that multiple teams approached Cleveland with interest in Stubbs. The 29-year-old hit just .233/.305/.360 in 2013 but is projected to earn $3.8MM in arbitration this offseason by MLBTR's Matt Swartz. Still, Stubbs offers quality defense, power and speed, and he's capable of handling all three outfield positions.

Indians acquire LHP Josh Outman for Drew Stubbs

By TOM WITHERS (AP Sports Writer) 5 hours ago AP - Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) -- The Indians made another move to remodel their bullpen, adding a pitcher with a name seemingly suited for his role.


Cleveland acquired Josh Outman on Wednesday from the Colorado Rockies in a trade for outfielder Drew Stubbs. The left-handed Outman is the newest member to Cleveland's revamped bullpen, which has seen All-Star closer Chris Perez released and free agent right-handers Joe Smith and Matt Albers sign elsewhere this offseason.

Outman joined the Indians just as the club was trying to finalize a deal with new closer John Axford. He agreed to terms with the Indians on a one-year, $4.5 million contract earlier this week but had to pass a physical. The Indians could announce Axford's signing as early as Thursday.

The 29-year-old Outman spent most of last season with the Rockies, going 3-0 with a 4.33 ERA in 61 relief appearances. Outman limited left-handed hitters to a .198 average and had a 3.41 ERA in hitter-friendly Coors Field.

The Indians had issues getting out left-handers last season, a reason they acquired Marc Rzepczynski from St. Louis before the trade deadline. Outman will apparently replace lefty Rich Hill, who is a free agent and unlikely to re-sign with Cleveland.

General manager Chris Antonetti said filling holes in the bullpen is an almost annual reality.

''You're going to have some turnover from year to year,'' he said. ''Our job is to piece together the best bullpen we can, and we feel like we've made progress doing that . We're better than we were at the start of the offseason.''

Outman has a 12-11 career record with a 4.61 ERA 146 games for Oakland and Colorado.

Stubbs, who came to Cleveland in last December's trade with Cincinnati for Shin-Soo Choo, batted .233 with 10 homers and 17 steals in 146 games for the Indians. The Indians valued Stubbs - especially for his versatility and speed - but Cleveland's signing of free agent David Murphy to a two-year, $12 million contract made him expendable. Murphy is projected to get most of the playing time in right field next season.

Stubbs fell into a major slump late in the season, batting just .188 after Aug. 12.

Stubbs is not the kind of player I usually like, the gritty, aggressive player with terrible OBP and OPS, but I made an exception for him. Good defender, I liked the way he went first to third on any hit.

Of course not getting on base often did restrict the value of his baserunning skills. OF with 3 CFs last year was pretty impressive, but Brantley can now move up as the backup to Bourne.

Of course not getting on base often did restrict the value of his baserunning skills.

This was sooooooo true. Really too bad because he does everything well, except get on base! Ouch

http://www.stationcaster.com/player_ski ... &f=2237293

Interview on ESPN 850 with Francona (today) about offseason.

Baseball Reference Each Team's Wish List:

Cleveland

John Axford Reverts to His Old Form

Pictured above is Axford from the best year of his career, when he was a two-win closer with a 1.95 ERA who kept balls in the ballpark. He had outstanding facial hair, too.

Although the right-hander is now approaching his 31st birthday, his velocity, pitch selection and workload have been remarkably consistent from season to season. The 2011 version of Axford is still contained somewhere within him.

Agree to Contract Extension with Justin Masterson

It's not surprising that the Cleveland Indians let Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir explore free agency this offseason. They've been painfully unpredictable throughout the past several years, and they were both undeserving of a long-term commitment from a small-market team.

But Justin Masterson is different, having just completed his fourth straight summer of 180.0 IP and less then 4.00 BB/9. The Tribe can't bear to watch him sneak away.

Got to believe if Masterson isn't signed to an extension before the end of ST, he'll be traded.

They are not going to sign him so just forget that right now.

Some players just can't stand the bright lights.

Choo signed with Texas for 7 years $130 M after turning down the Yankees for 7 years $140M.

Two words.

Yu Darvish !

I hope Yankees fans see that as a snub.

Free agent Choo lands seven-year deal with Texas
Highly sought-after outfielder, table-setter will get $130 million from Rangers

By Greg Johns / MLB.com | 12/21/2013 2:50 P.M. ET


After missing the playoffs and seeing their offensive numbers slip in 2013, the Rangers made another significant splash on Saturday, agreeing to a seven-year, $130 million contract with free-agent outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.

The deal, which has been confirmed to MLB.com by a baseball source, gives manager Ron Washington a productive table-setter for a lineup that previously added power-hitting first baseman Prince Fielder in a trade for Ian Kinsler.

The Rangers have not confirmed the deal, which was first reported by CBS Sports writer and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. Choo will need to pass a physical exam before the contract is finalized.

By landing the biggest free-agent position player still on the board, Texas is now likely out of any running to land Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, should he be posted. But the Rangers are putting their resources into adding production to an offense that slipped to seventh in the American League in runs and on-base percentage last season.

Choo, 31, had the fourth-highest on-base percentage in the Majors in 2013 for the Reds at .423, trailing only Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto and Mike Trout.

Choo hit .285 with 21 home runs, 54 RBIs, 107 runs scored and 20 stolen bases in his season with the Reds after playing the previous seven years for the Indians. He originally was signed by the Mariners in 2000 as an international free agent out of South Korea.

Choo was traded by Seattle to Cleveland in 2006 just as he was beginning his Major League career, then was sent to the Reds prior to last season.

The left-handed-hitting Choo has a career line of .288/.389/.465 with an .854 OPS, and he has averaged 19 stolen bases per year over the past five seasons.

Choo's addition means the Rangers have now moved on from free-agent outfielder Nelson Cruz and will likely go with the trio of Choo in left, Leonys Martin in center and Alex Rios in right.

The infield also will have a new look, with Fielder at first and young Jurickson Profar taking over for Kinsler at second, alongside returnees Elvis Andrus at shortstop and Adrian Beltre at third.

The Rangers went 91-71 last year, but missed the playoffs for the first time since 2009. They were in the top four in on-base percentage in the American League from 2010-12, but fell to seventh last year at .323. Choo's .423 on-base percentage was the fifth highest by a left-handed-hitting outfielder in the Majors over the past 10 years.

Choo's career-high OBP was boosted by a Major League-leading 26 hit-by-pitches and 112 walks, which eclipsed his own previous high of 83 in 2010.

This is the first shot at free agency for Choo, who is represented by Scott Boras. Choo earned $7.35 million last season in his final season of arbitration eligibility.

Three words !

No state tax !

Four words !

Spring training in Arizona ! (Where he lives !)

Too much money. No wonder I only go to games that I get tickets for free or buy one get one.