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Indians Trade Lawton for Arthur Rhodes

BuckNutty said:
Clement sign with the Red Sox

I must admit that I'm not disappointed.
I am not either. I hope they put Jason Davis in 5th rotation spot and let him learn. He has great stuff his problem is he gets stubborn and doesn't change his pitch sequence up very well yet.

I just hope they sign Belliard or Palonco for 2b and put Blake in RF. That would be a good linuep that is pretty solid defensively.

p.s. The Reds may non tender Jimenez. That would be a good pick up if Belliard falls through.
 
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I'm somewhat satisfied with the current offense. I think Vic Martinez is a great #4 hitter. He isn't going to hit 40 homeruns but he has good pop in his bat, he makes great contact to all fields and has shown as a second player that he can produce runs (however that may be, sac fly, groundball to the opposite side of the field or long ball).

True- but he's still a catcher... and as much as you can DH him in the AL... his off days ought to be his off days not... - and if they Dh him.. you get to sit Pronk down.... Take Victor out of the line-up and there's no one who really scares you... (I'm not saying that there aren't guys that can't hurt you... just not guys you have to account for even if they're the 5th or 6th hitter in the inning...) They still need one more bat... if that's Sizmeore...or someone else they already have... fine with me.. but its almost going to have to be a corner OF or 1B.

I'm not too worried about Clement... buh bye.
 
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AKAK: "Take Victor out of the line-up and there's no one who really scares you"

I'd hold off on this statement until next year, if I were you. The kids they played last year were all a year or two ahead of schedule. Give them a chance to develop. They all look like great talents.
 
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I think that's what this means.... and it also kind of ties into why I don't think we should sign said "bat" as a free agent this year.

They still need one more bat... if that's Sizmeore...or someone else they already have... fine with me
 
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jody gerut may play a part in the entire equation. he had a very good rookie year, followed by a bad season. word was he was stubborn and he didnt want to listen to eddie murray, but as the season wore on, he became more amenable to what eddie was telling him, and his production picked up later on until he hurt his knee.

he is probably the best defensive OF they have.

this team was built to make a run this year, but they arent there yet IMO. offensively they may have enough juice, but the pitching isnt there yet. cliff lee needs to put it together for a full season, and CC is up and down at times. I have to reserve judgement on Westbrook for now.
 
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jody gerut may play a part in the entire equation. he had a very good rookie year, followed by a bad season. word was he was stubborn and he didnt want to listen to eddie murray, but as the season wore on, he became more amenable to what eddie was telling him, and his production picked up later on until he hurt his knee.

Yeah-- Dumbass Stanford kid spent all last winter messing with his swing (I'm guessing he was trying to add power)... If you have any tape its clear as day.... anyway... maybe he changes it back... (Did he also hurt his shoulder?)
 
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AKABUCKS said:
and if they Dh him.. you get to sit Pronk down.... Take Victor out of the line-up and there's no one who really scares you...
Hafner may not be as much of a factor as many are hoping anyway. I believe he had offseason surgery (again) on his wrist and the FO is talking about not signing him long term because of injury concerns. I think Big Ben is going to be a solid player. Hafners days as an Indian are limited.

They still need one more bat... if that's Sizmeore...or someone else they already have... fine with me.. but its almost going to have to be a corner OF or 1B.
We need to figure out what kind of hitter Sizemores going to be. Is he going to a leadoff or two hole hitter that steals bases and has a high OBP. Or is he going to be a run producer with a .900 plus OPS.

tsteele said:
jody gerut may play a part in the entire equation. he had a very good rookie year, followed by a bad season. word was he was stubborn and he didnt want to listen to eddie murray, but as the season wore on, he became more amenable to what eddie was telling him, and his production picked up later on until he hurt his knee.

he is probably the best defensive OF they have.
I don't think so. Jody Gerut is a player with average tools who has a fantastic work ethic. He had a good rookie season. His offensive problems weren't because he wasn't listening to Murry. He struggled because he was unable to adjust his hitting to the way he was being pitched. Plus Gerut won't be available for the first two months of the season.

Geruts game is defense. He will be a 4th OF at best for the rest of his career.

At the moment your starting OF is Crisp LF, Sizemore CF, Blake/FA signing? RF.

Blake may be forced to move to second if we can't sign a 2B. I like Blake in RF. He has good speed and a great arm. He has the bat to play RF.

Hear is my projected lineup for the start of 05.

1B: Brousard/Hafner
2B: Belliard (I would like to see Palanco)
3B: Boone
SS: Peralta
C: Martinez/Bard
LF: Crisp
CF: Sizemore
RF: Blake
DH: Hafner/Brousard/Martinez
Bench: Hernandez, Bard, Phillips, Gerut.

SP:
1. Sabathia
2. Westbrook
3. Lee
4. Elerton
5. Davis

Bullpen:
Tadano
Riske
Saureback
Bartosh
Betancourt
Rhodes
Wickman

*Kyle Denny may beat out Tadano for the long man spot.
 
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Where's Howry and Matt Miller on your list? I think they make it over Bartosh and...
I have no frigging idea who. They'll have to use a kid in the long spot.

It'll be nice to actually have viable options in Buffalo in case the pen collapses again. Tallet, Guthrie, Cabrera, Cruceta. Hopefully Shapiro won't wait so long to make changes, though he doesn't have Hargrove around to recommend sticking with Stewart and Jimenez like last year.
 
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TheStoicPaisano said:
Where's Howry and Matt Miller on your list? I think they make it over Bartosh and...
I have no frigging idea who. They'll have to use a kid in the long spot.

It'll be nice to actually have viable options in Buffalo in case the pen collapses again. Tallet, Guthrie, Cabrera, Cruceta. Hopefully Shapiro won't wait so long to make changes, though he doesn't have Hargrove around to recommend sticking with Stewart and Jimenez like last year.
I forgot about Howry, he should be in there. I don't know if Miller will make it.

Tallet will be nice to have back incase a need for a 5th starter arises or a long man. You are correct, it will be nice to have the bullpen options.
 
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We need to figure out what kind of hitter Sizemores going to be. Is he going to a leadoff or two hole hitter that steals bases and has a high OBP. Or is he going to be a run producer with a .900 plus OPS.

I think the question is more whether he's a 3 hitter with speed or a 7 hitter with speed... I don't see him really as a 40 dinger type hitter, but he's got more power than leadoff... question is whether he's got holes in his swing or not... if he can make consistent contact then I think he can be a 3 or 5 guy... but he's got too much pop to put in the leadoff spot and keep the bat on his shoulder trying to work walks, etc.

I tend to agree on Gerut being a 4th outfielder... at least for now... I think his 'top' upside is maybe a Trot Nixon type Outfielder...

Hafner had bone chips removed from his elbow... not a big deal... while I think injuries are part of what is keeping the Tribe from giving him a deal... I also think it has to do with his flexibility as a player... the guy is a straight up DH... and I think they want a year to see if he's just that good of a hitter that they can risk having a roster spot for that type of player.

Blake may be forced to move to second if we can't sign a 2B. I like Blake in RF. He has good speed and a great arm. He has the bat to play RF.

The problem with Blake in right and Broussard at First is that those are premier Run Producer postions.... if you had a bonafide offensive threat at either one... you could afford to have a those guys at the other... but I just don't see it long term unless they become more consistent hitters.
 
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AmeriBuck007,
We have an overload in the bullpen right now. I would take Miller over Betancourt. I would assume a trade is on the way to clear some room.

AKABUCK,
I believe that Sizemore is going to be a 3 hole hitter. But as you stated, we don't know if he has holes in his swing, etc. This should be the learning year for him. Hopefully he can hit at the bottom of the order and get comfortable this season. His potential is huge.
 
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