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The Indians have had discussions with Tigers free agent pitcher Jeremy Bonderman (Photo: AP) |
Indians still searching for veteran pitcher
While pitchers and catchers report in just eight days, the Indians are still doing some last minute bargain hunting in free agency to fill an offseason need to add a veteran starting pitcher.
Rumors swirled earlier in the week that they were close to signing right-hander Jeremy Bonderman after his contract talks with the Detroit Tigers stalled. Reports have also come out that they are interested in signing right-hander Kevin Millwood. A deal with Bonderman or Millwood does not appear imminent.
The hang up in the deal with Bonderman is the Indians are only offering him a minor league contract with an invite to major league camp this spring. Had the Indians or another team offered a major league deal (guaranteed) to Bonderman he likely would have signed already. Since it would be a non-guaranteed deal he is exploring his options with other teams. Even if he is only able to get a minor league contract he still needs to negotiate his contract terms to define his out clause, major league pay if he makes the big league roster, and incentives he would get. The Indians may still end up signing Bonderman to a major league contract, but my understanding is it is very unlikely as they prefer it be a minor league contract.
Millwood is a different case as he is seeking a pretty lucrative multi-million salary for one year, and it appears the Indians would have no choice but to sign him to a major league contract. He has also been talking to the Yankees. It would be a surprise if he does not end up with the Yankees, and he and his agent may just be using the Indians as leverage to get a deal done with them.
The Indians have also had interest this offseason in signing Dave Bush, Bartolo Colon, Justin Duscherer, Rodrigo Lopez, and Jeff Francis, but all have recently signed minor league deals with other teams. Another name still out there is right-hander Ben Sheets, but I have heard they do not have any interest in signing him, even to a minor league deal.
The reason the Indians have had interest in so many veteran arms this offseason is they want to bring in some insurance for what will be a very young and inexperienced rotation this year. To help protect some of the volatility that comes with youth and not over-expose them, the Indians have been searching for a veteran free agent pitcher that they can bring in to eat innings this year.
The Indians prefer not to offer any veteran pitcher a guaranteed major league deal because they want the flexibility this spring to go with a young pitcher if they choose to go that route. If Josh Tomlin, David Huff or someone else pitches well this spring and show they are ready, they would likely get the nod for the fifth starter's spot even over a minor league veteran such as Bonderman. But if their young pitchers struggle this spring or they choose to be very conservative with them to send them to Triple-A Columbus for more seasoning, then that is where the veteran signing would come into play.
The Indians expect to make several moves pertaining to the 40-man roster at the end of spring training as they may still need to add a backup catcher, utility infielder, and starting third baseman via trade or waivers. They may also look to add one of the veteran starting pitchers they lost out on this winter who end up being cut at the end of spring. With that in mind, they do not want to remove anyone from the 40-man roster right now and would prefer to wait until the moves are required at the end of spring training.
Santana to play some first base
Indians catcher Carlos Santana is mending well from his knee injury last July which prematurely ended his season. The Indians are expected to be very conservative with his playing time during spring training, but he is expected to get enough action where as long as he has no setbacks he should be good to go when they open the new season at home on April 1st against the Chicago White Sox.
One way the Indians plan to keep Santana healthy and fresh is to have him play some first base this season. He will be working out a lot this spring at first base to get more comfortable there, a transition in the field that should not be too hard since he originally was a third baseman when he came into the Dodgers organization years ago. The hardest part will be picking up all the nuances of the position like knowing where to be for cutoffs, positioning with pickoffs, throwing to second on the double play, his footwork around the bag, etc.
What you will likely see is Santana and Matt LaPorta get the lion’s share of the first base and designated hitter duties when the Indians face left-handed pitching. This will allow them to sit designated hitter Travis Hafner and give him the rest he needs to ensure his health and maintain the strength of his shoulder. Others will certainly enter into the mix and Hafner will play against some left-handers, but this should be the regular setup.
This is a role change similar to what the Indians did with Victor Martinez his last few years with the club to keep him in the lineup everyday and also get him out from behind the plate to avoid overusing him and wearing him out. Since Santana is such an integral part of the lineup, the Indians want him in there almost everyday. By mixing him in at first base or designated hitter one or two games a week it will allow him to get some rest from behind the plate and not lose such a vital bat in the lineup.
Marson to Columbus?
Do not be surprised if catcher Lou Marson opens the 2011 season at Triple-A Columbus.
Even though Santana will be playing some first base this year which should allow some playing time for Marson, it would still only be one to two games a week. For a still developing 24-year old catcher like Marson, that is just not enough playing time, especially when his offense is what needs most of the attention.
Marson had a poor season last year in Cleveland where in 87 games he hit just .195 with three homers, 22 RBI, and a .560 OPS. While he made significant strides with his defense over the course of the season and is pretty much major league ready there, he needs a lot of work with his offense. He needs to regain his confidence at the plate, and the only way to do that is to play often. The only way his is going to get everyday at bats is to go to Columbus.
Injuries could factor into the equation, but if Santana comes back healthy and remains healthy and productive this year, expect Marson to play a majority of the season in Columbus. The Indians may fill the backup catching void with recent minor league signees Paul Phillips or Luke Carlin. The more likely course of action may be the pickup of a veteran catcher on the waiver wire or in a minor trade at the end of spring training, similar to what they did with Eddie Perez back in 2002.
Farm rankings
Various media outlets which cover the minor leagues have recently started to unveil their organizational farm system rankings. Baseball America has the Indians ranked 7th in all of baseball, while other gurus like John Sickels and Kevin Goldstein also consider them a top ten farm system. The one outlier to date has been ESPN’s Keith Law who ranked them 17th.
Law created quite a stir recently with his low ranking, especially on the heels of ranking them 4th overall last season. Going from 4th to 17th is a pretty precipitous drop from one season to the next, and he has taken some criticism for it; however, his reasoning from his perspective may not be too far out of line.
Law’s #1 rated Indians prospect last year was catcher Carlos Santana who was lost to prospect graduation and is obviously a huge loss considering he was widely considered a top 10-15 prospect in all of baseball going into last season.
Also, Law’s #3 prospect last year right-hander Hector Rondon got hurt and had Tommy John surgery, his #4 prospect outfielder Michael Brantley graduated, and his #5 prospect left-hander Nick Hagadone and #6 prospect outfielder Abner Abreu both struggled last year.
So, essentially five of his Indians top six prospects from last year were lost in Law’s perspective. This doesn't even include the likes of right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco, catcher Lou Marson, and infielder Jason Donald who were not in his top ten but were also lost to prospect graduation. He was also not very high on the Indians 2010 draft, so his logic is sound based on his perspective.
But that’s all it is, one perspective.
The rankings by Baseball America, Kevin Goldstein and John Sickels are probably a more accurate representation of the state of the Indians farm system, which is a system that lacks much star appeal at the moment but is very strong and as deep as ever. Plus, with a strong 2010 Draft – which Baseball America ranked #1 last year – their ranking has the potential to surge next year.
Remember, Carlos Santana was ranked in the 20s as a prospect going into the 2008 season and by season’s end he was #1 and a top 25-50 prospect in baseball. These lists and rankings are fluid and merely just a guideline to serve as a snapshot to point out the strengths and weaknesses of the organization going into the season.
Book update
As our good friend Casey Coleman used to say, "I'm rounding third and heading home" with my new 2011 Cleveland Indians book. I have just a few more scouting reports to finish, but plan to begin work on the layout of the book this week. Also, late in the week the plan is to start taking pre-orders for the book, so be on the lookout for that at IndiansProspectInsider.com. My hope is next week in this space I am putting the finishing touches on the book and have firm details of its availability.
Parting Shots
Back around Christmas the rumors were hot and heavy that the Indians were interested in signing right-handed pitcher Bartolo Colon. He ended up signing a minor league contract with the New York Yankees last week. …. There was also a report earlier this offseason that the Indians had some interest in free agent first baseman Casey Kotchman, but he signed with the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this week. … Former Indians left-hander Rich Rundles and infielder Ramon Vazquez signed minor league deals with the St. Louis Cardinals this past week.
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. His latest book the 2010 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is also available for purchase on his site for a special year end closeout sale of $10.00 (including shipping and handling stateside).
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2 comments:
Anything on the Calderon kid the Tribe signed out of the Dominican Summer League. All i know is he's a catcher. Upside?
Not much on Calderon other than he is a low level under the radar signing. Supposed to be a good defensive catcher....should know more in my Sunday update.
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