Short inbox today…
Jim R. wrote: You mentioned a ways back the Indians were close to signing a free agent Japanese pitcher, but you haven’t mentioned anything since. What gives?
Me: Yes, the Indians signed Japanese free agent right-handed pitcher Takafumi Nakamura. He was signed to a minor league contract back in late November, though the exact terms of the deal in regard to how much he signed for is unknown at this time. He was signed out of Chuo University, which is located in Tokyo, Japan. He is not considered a high profile pickup, though he is an interesting arm in that he has a big, physical frame at 6’5” 195 pounds which for a Japanese pitcher is very big. He throws from a three quarter arm slot with a five pitch mix led by a fastball that sits in the high 80s but reportedly has topped out at 92 MPH. His secondary offerings are a slider, curve, forkball, and shuuto (the shuuto is a type of screwball), with the slider being his best secondary pitch. He has shown a penchant for getting strikeouts, but walks have been an issue for him.
Rick V. wrote: Just another glorious Shapiro trade [sending Shoppach to the Rays]. They should start clearing a spot for Mark in Cooperstown. What were they thinking here? It makes no sense at all. We have enough AAAA pitchers to fill out the 40 man roster already.
Me: While I get the sarcasm, this really was a low level trade with little chance for a meaningful return. The Indians had only a few nibbles from other teams because Shoppach's value is at an all-time low and everyone knew the Indians were going to non-tender him and make him a free agent anyway. So, there wasn't much the Indians could get for Shoppach straight up. As I said back when the announcement was made that right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot was the player to be named, it was simply a gunk for gunk trade. Nothing more, nothing less….though I think Talbot may surprise this season.
Rich S. wrote: It might make an interesting story to compare the prospects the Phillies got for Lee to the prospects the Indians got for Lee. The Indians contended that they wouldn't get as much for Lee if they traded him in the off-season. Looks like that might be true.
Me: Al did a nice job of breaking down the three deals here on the site on Thursday, showing what the Indians got for Cliff Lee from the Phillies, what the Phillies gave up to the Blue Jays for Roy Halladay, and what the Phillies got from the Mariners for Cliff Lee. Clearly, the Blue Jays got a better package of prospects, but the Phillies also got the better pitcher with a longer history of consistent success as an ace. Plus, the key part is the Phillies were able to extend Halladay and lock him for four years, which in itself probably was worth the extra talent they gave up. The Lee trades to the Phillies and Mariners show that while he has value, it is not nearly as high as some would think. For whatever reason, whether it is his attitude or teams still being unable to get over his terrible 2007 season, he just doesn’t get the respect as far as value goes for a pitcher who has pitched like he has the last two years probably should. This is something GM’s Mark Shapiro and Ruben Amaro found out. Still, when looking at the Phillies-Mariners deal and the Indians-Phillies deal as far as the haul of prospects are concerned, the Indians clearly got more value for Lee. Whether it was enough will be debated likely until the end of time, but luckily we will see three of the four players acquired in that deal up with the big league team for most of the upcoming season. So at least we got some immediate return on the trade and all the armchair GMs will have an early chance of evaluating these guys.
Greg A. wrote: So they trade Shoppach, but sign Redmond? What gives?
Me: Yeah, you got me on this one. This is a signing I otherwise might not have bothered with as I would instead have rather just gone with Lou Marson and Carlos Santana splitting the year as the starting catcher and also use Wyatt Toregas in there as the fill in backup catcher. Apparently, the Indians wanted a more experienced backup who would be happy in a very reduced role, be willing to be the caddy to the two big catching prospects in Santana and Marson, and also cost very little. The Indians got all those things, and those are things that Shoppach could not provide. Shoppach would have cost three to four times as much in salary, and considering he is two seasons from being a free agent there is no way he would have been happy with a big reduction in playing time and give way to two kids. Redmond brings with him a lot of knowledge of the hitters in the AL Central, which could help the young Indians pitching staff be better prepared this year. He also could be an on field coach in a lot of ways, something Sandy Alomar Jr. would not be able to do from the dugout. Bottom line, I personally would not have made the signing, but for one year at $850,000 it is hard to get too bent out of shape about it.
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