Indians Tidbits (2008 season)

[osugrad21]

Canton

Will it take Santana money to keep Sabathia with Tribe?
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
BY Andy Call
REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER

CLEVELAND Mark Shapiro doesn't doubt C.C. Sabathia's sincerity when the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner says he would like to stay in Cleveland.

"There is no issue whether C.C. wants to remain here, and there is no question whether we want to keep him here," the Indians general manager said Monday during a meeting with reporters. "The only question that remains is, can we find a business deal that is deemed to be equitable and fair by both parties?

"Any deal ... could cause both parties to reach and stretch past their point of comfort. Can we reach and stretch and arrive at a point we both feel good about? That remains to be seen."

Sabathia can file for free agency after this season. Assistant General Manager Chris Antonetti and agent Scott Parker of Legacy Sports have been discussing a potential contract extension for the big left-hander.

The Mets threw a monkey wrench into those negotiations last week when they traded for two-time Cy Young winner Johan Santana and signed the veteran left-hander to a six-year, $137.5-million contract with $5 million deferred.

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[LitlBuck]

Shapiro thinks that C. C. is going to give the Indians some type of break is a joke. I think he doesn't have the guts to pull a trigger on a trade where maybe he can get a 10-15 win starter and a decent outfielder for CC. I would be happy with that rather than just losing him for nothing after the 2008 season. I think I could go through 2008 without winning the Division as long as it set us up for a couple seasons after that. If Shapiro thinks that CC will stay, he better or Shapiro will look like a ass if he isn't already.
I don't want minor league championships are one-on-one in the Majors.

 

[Piney]

I think he doesn't have the guts to pull a trigger on a trade where maybe he can get a 10-15 win starter and a decent outfielder for CC. I would be happy with that rather than just losing him for nothing after the 2008 season. I think I could go through 2008 without winning the Division as long as it set us up for a couple seasons after that.

A 10-15 win starter and a "decent" outfielder? That doesn't help us for the future at all. If that is all we would get I would much prefer the 2 1st round draft picks we get if CC signs elsewhere and the chance to win it all this year.

 

[osugrad21]

CPD

DMAN'S WORLD: With Jensen Lewis
Looking to change up approach


Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Reliever Jensen Lewis last season authored one of the more remarkable rises for an Indians player in recent memory.
He went from Class AA Akron (24 appearances, 2-0, 1.85 ERA) to Class AAA Buffalo (10 appearances, 1-0, 1.38) to Cleveland (26 appearances, 1-1, 2.15).
He pitched in the postseason for the Indians, who beat New York in a division series and took Boston to seven games in the American League Championship Series.




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[LitlBuck]

A 10-15 win starter and a "decent" outfielder? That doesn't help us for the future at all. If that is all we would get I would much prefer the 2 1st round draft picks we get if CC signs elsewhere and the chance to win it all this year.

I would rather have some of the deals that were offered for Santana rather than 2#1 picks. I don't want to wait until 2011 to contend again. You never know what you're going to get with draft choices. When I said "decent", I was talking about some guy who would hit about .285, 20+ HRs, 80+ RBIs. Get a pitcher who can win 12 games with a decent ERA and I would be okay with that. Maybe I am wacky:crazy: but it is better than nothing.

 

[osugrad21]

ABJ

Tribe signs reliever to minor-league deal Mitchell Report points finger at injured Donnelly
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter

Published on Thursday, Feb 07, 2008
Not long ago, Brendan Donnelly was one of the more feared relief pitchers in the American League West Division. On Wednesday, he was signed by the Indians to a minor-league contract and is not expected to pitch until after the All-Star Game.
Donnelly, 36, will report to spring training in March and continue a rehabilitation program that began after he underwent Tommy John surgery to repair his pitching elbow in August.
The soreness in his elbow cut his season short in June, when he was placed on the disabled list by the Boston Red Sox, for whom he posted a 2-1 record and 3.05 ERA in 27 appearances.


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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Creativity will be key in Sabathia deal
Tribe leaves 'room to negotiate' in light of Santana contract
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

CLEVELAND -- The Indians are not of the financial or intestinal fortitude to stomach the type of monetary and time commitments that have been thrown the way of Johan Santana and Barry Zito.

But when it comes to the Tribe's dealings with reigning American League Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia, the club is at least willing to knock down a few antacids and get creative. "Recognizing the market we're operating in, we have to be aware of risk and we have to be careful," general manager Mark Shapiro said during a lunch with reporters Monday. "There are people like C.C. who will push the boundaries of our risk tolerance. C.C., because of who he is as a person, as a teammate, as a man and what he can do on the mound, will push the boundaries of our risk tolerance. Frankly, he already has."

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Sizemore No. 1 in Tribe's fantasy ranks
Stud outfielder should rebound from setbacks in 2007

Many fantasy fans prefer to stock their rosters full of players from their favorite team, as opposed to players who make a living playing for a feared rival. Wouldn't you rather go through the season checking Grady Sizemore's stats every night, instead of a player from another American League Central team?
If competing for a title feels empty without having a bunch of Indians on your team, here are 10 guys to focus on come draft day:

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Indians Spring Training quick hits

By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com


The new guys
RHP Masahide Kobayashi: With nine seasons and 227 saves under his belt in the Japanese Pacific League, the 33-year-old Kobayashi is ready to test the Major League waters. He'll break in as a middle reliever for the Tribe, with the possibility of taking on a more prominent role as the season progresses.
IF Jamey Carroll: Carroll, acquired for a player to be named in a trade with the Rockies, will take over the Indians' infield utility role, filling in primarily for Cabrera at second base, when necessary, and also serving as a late-inning defensive specialist and pinch-runner.
RHP Jorge Julio: The most high-profile of the Indians' non-roster invitees deserves mention here, only because he was such a stabilizer in the Rockies' bullpen in 2007. Signed to a Minor League deal, Julio has a shot at landing the final spot in the Tribe's bullpen.
Prospects to watch
RHP Adam Miller: Is this the year Miller, the Tribe's top prospect, makes his first impression on the big leagues? If he's healthy, the answer is yes. A bruised finger and a strained elbow kept him from breaking in last season. But when he's healthy, Miller is a dominant arm who could play a role in the rotation or, perhaps, the bullpen.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

Indians must be mentally strong in 2008
Talk of last year, lofty expectations will consistently follow Tribe
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com

CLEVELAND -- Baseball is a maddening game. Get too complacent with your past successes, and it will eat you alive. Get too hungry to overcome past frustrations, and you'll tire yourself out by the All-Star break.

The Indians, then, enter 2008 with the distinct knowledge that they must learn to walk a fine line. And that walk begins as soon as they report to Spring Training camp in Winter Haven, Fla., next week. Once they arrive, the Indians will find reporters and fans simultaneously patting them on the back for their 96 wins and American League Division Series win over the Yankees and asking them what went wrong when they blew a 3-1 lead in the AL Championship Series against the Red Sox.

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[osugrad21]

CPD

Mike Hargrove, Joe Gordon will be inducted into Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame



Friday, February 08, 2008 Paul Hoynes

Plain Dealer Reporter
Mike Hargrove and Joe Gordon, men who sampled two of the winningest periods in Cleveland baseball history, will be inducted into the Indians' Hall of Fame in August at Progressive Field.
Hargrove played first base for the Indians from 1979 through 1985. He found his real success as the Tribe's manager, going 721-591, winning five division titles and reaching the 1995 and 1997 World Series as the American League champion.
"I've had a lot of neat things happen to me in my career," said Hargrove, 58, "but I don't know if I've ever had anything on an individual level that's as special as this. I don't know if there was a better ballplayer to play in Cleveland than Joe Gordon. To go in with him is an honor."




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[osugrad21]

Canton

Newly signed Indians reliever in Mitchell Report
Friday, February 8, 2008
BY TOM WITHERS
AP SPORTS WRITER

CLEVELAND Reliever Brendan Donnelly, alleged in the Mitchell Report to have purchased steroids, agreed to a minor league contract with the Cleveland Indians and was invited to spring training.

Donnelly, signed Tuesday, spent last season with Boston, going 2-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 27 appearances for the World Series champions.

He went on the 15-day disabled list in June with a forearm injury and underwent Tommy John elbow surgery in August. Although he can't help them immediately, the Indians are hoping the right-hander may be able to bolster the back end of their bullpen at some point. He is expected to report to camp in late March and will miss the first few months of the season as he rehabs from the operation.

The 36-year-old, who was an All-Star with the Los Angeles Angels in 2003, was one of 80-plus players named in December's Mitchell Report on doping in baseball. Hours before he was named in the report, the Red Sox did not tender a contract for Donnelly.

The Mitchell report said Kirk Radomski, a former clubhouse attendant for the New York Mets, got a phone call from Donnelly in 2004 seeking Anavar, an anabolic steroid. According to the report, Radomski made one sale of Deca-Durabolin for which Donnelly paid $250 to $300.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Link

02/06/2008 10:00 AM ET
Around the Horn: Bullpen
Indians looking for repeat performance from relief corps
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com


CLEVELAND -- When it comes to their bullpen's performance over the last four years, the Indians have experienced each extreme. The 93-win Tribe of '05 was augmented by a bullpen that had the best relief ERA (2.80) in the American League. Last year's 'pen was similarly successful, boasting a 3.75 ERA that ranked fourth in the league, two of the best setup men in baseball in Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez and the AL saves leader in Joe Borowski. Relief was also a separator in the ALDS win over the Yankees.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Cleveland Indians sign righthander Elarton to minor-league deal

Posted by [URL="http://blog.cleveland.com/sports/about.html"]Paul Hoynes[/URL] February 08, 2008 17:00PM

Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

The Indians have signed right-hander Scott Elarton to a minor league contract and invited him to spring training. Pitchers and catchers report to Winter Haven, Fla., Thursday at Chain of Lakes Park.

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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

Length of contract, not money is issue with Sabathia

by Paul Hoynes, Plain Dealer Reporter Sunday February 10, 2008, 7:29 AM

Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer

Pluto: Could Tribe be looking at tired arms for Sabathia, Carmona?


Now that the revised terms of Johan Santana's contract with the New York Mets have come out, the numbers aren't as bad as previously thought in terms of keeping C.C. Sabathia in Cleveland. Still, they represent a challenge for the Indians.
The present-day value of Santana's six-year contract, as first reported by FoxSports.com, is $123.1 million as opposed to $137.5 million. The change is because of deferred money.
In those terms, the average annual value of Santana's deal drops from nearly $23 million to $20.5 million. It reduces the gap between Santana and Sabathia, regarding the five-year offer, including a four-year extension, the Indians made to Sabathia at the end of December.

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