Tribe Happenings: Indians could be busy at Winter Meetings

Will Chris Antonetti be able to make a deal

for a bat this week in Dallas? (Photo: AP)

Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Indians notebook…

The eve of the Winter Meetings

We are a day away from one of the craziest times of the year. No, not Black Friday and the holiday gift buying rush, but the yearly MLB Winter Meetings. Executives for every Major League Baseball team are already en route to Dallas for the meetings that will span over four days from December 5-8.

There will be lots of wheeling and dealing as teams look to add players to improve their rosters either via trade or free agency. This means not only lots of discussions between teams on potential trades, but also a lot of face to face discussions with agents as well. With all of these discussions it is a time when rumors will fly about in Dallas like snow in a blizzard.

The Winter Meetings are typically the height of the offseason activity where most of the big name free agents who have not landed a deal will have a new home by the time the meetings wrap up. Agents will sell their clients to every team interested and often use the media to inflate their clients’ value. Lots of trade discussions that took place throughout the year are revisited and can result in a deal finally taking place.

In recent years the Indians have not really been a big player in all the hoopla that is the Winter Meetings. Since they have not often been in the market for some of the upper tier fee agents or some of the more notable players available in a trade they have often watched from the sidelines.

The one exception was three years ago when the Indians were quite busy at the Winter Meetings. During the meetings they made a free agent splash signing closer Kerry Wood to a two year $20.5 million deal and then a day later were involved in a big three-team 12 player deal with the Mariners and Mets that netted them Joe Smith and Luis Valbuena (they lost outfielder Franklin Gutierrez).

The same thing could happen this year.

The Indians have been doing their due diligence this offseason considering lots of free agent and trade options and once General Manager Chris Antonetti is able to sit down and talk more formally to a lot of agents and teams they could strike and make an acquisition or two during the meetings. It is a giant jigsaw puzzle which has yet to be solved, one where he and his staff may not have a good idea who they can even acquire. They are also likely to be blindsided with other free agent and trade possibilities that they have not yet considered which could shift the direction they go.

The Indians may or may not make a deal during the meetings, but they really want to add a bat – preferably at first base – and there are some options available in the free agent and trade market which they have varying levels of interest in. Because of this they are certain to be tied to a lot of trade and free agent rumors this week. They would like to pick up that coveted bat by the time the meetings end, but if not then the groundwork will be laid on several potential deals which could be completed later this month.

Lee, Kipnis honored

The Indians unveiled their top two minor league awards this week when they announced that right-handed pitcher Chen-Chang Lee was the recipient of the Bob Feller Award and second baseman Jason Kipnis was the recipient of the Lou Boudreau Award. The awards are given to the organization’s top pitcher and position player from each season.

Lee, 25, is arguably the Indians’ top minor league relief pitching prospect. Last year in 44 combined games between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus he went 6-1 with a 2.40 ERA with a Nintendo-line 12.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 71.1 innings. He consistently gets the ball into the mid-90s and has touched 97 MPH. He also has a nice breaking ball and throws from a sidearm slot, so he can be very tough on right-handed hitters. Dubbed as C.C. Lee for short, if he remains healthy he will get a shot in Cleveland at some point in 2012 and could be an impact reliever for next season and beyond.

Kipnis, 24, is probably the Indians’ top position player prospect under 25 years of age. Last year in 92 games at Triple-A Columbus he hit .280 with 12 homers, 55 RBI and .846 OPS, and in his big league debut in Cleveland hit .272 with 7 homers, 19 RBI and .841 OPS in 36 games. He is an impact bat at a middle infield position that can drive the ball all over the ballpark and is a tough, hardnosed player. He is expected to be the opening day second baseman for the Indians next year and beyond.

Indians add catching depth

The Indians continue to stockpile depth at the catching position with the signing of free agent catcher Matt Pagnozzi on Friday to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League spring training.

Don’t print your World Series tickets yet. Pagnozzi is simply a 29-year old journeyman catcher with nine years of pro experience, most of that in the minors. In 625 games in the minors he has a .220 batting average with 19 homers, 193 RBI, and .602 OPS, and has played in 33 games in the big leagues hitting .310 (22-for-71) with 1 homer, 13 RBI and .744 OPS.

With the signing of Pagnozzi, the Indians have now signed three veteran catchers to minor league deals this offseason. Earlier this offseason they resigned Luke Carlin and Michael Hernandez.

As to why the Indians have signed so many catchers to minor league contracts? After Chun Chen and Roberto Perez they lack any catching depth in the upper levels of the farm system. They also need extra catchers to assist with catching bullpens for all the pitchers that are in Major League spring training.

There is also a possibility that backup catcher Lou Marson is on the trading block and the Indians are adding depth to help fill a potential loss. This however appears remote at this time as neither one of Pagnozzi, Carlin, or Hernandez would be ideal backup options in Cleveland. They are better as depth in the minor leagues and as third or fourth options big league catching options. So if the Indians do trade Marson they would almost certainly have to pick up another Major League caliber catcher.

Minor league coaching roles finalized

On Friday the Indians announced their coaching assignments for the 2012 minor league season. Most of the coaching and coordinator roles remained unchanged, but there were a few changes up and down the system and some new faces added to replace coaches who has since departed or been promoted to the big league staff.

Two notable additions are first time coaches and former big league pitchers Scott Erickson and Steve Karsay. Erickson brings 15 years of big league pitching experience with him and will be the pitching coach at High-A Carolina. Karsay brings 11 years of big league pitching experience with him and will be the pitching coach at rookie level Arizona.

The Indians also announced the hiring of Rob Leary as their Minor League Field Coordinator, the highest role in the Player Development system below the Farm Director. He spent the last two seasons as a Major League staff assistant for the Boston Red Sox, and the seven years prior to that was the Red Sox’ Minor League Field Coordinator. This is a great addition to the minor league staff as the Red Sox have long been considered one of the top teams at developing talent, so the Indians can maybe tap into that with Leary on board.

Other notable changes have Dave Wallace moving up from short season Single-A Mahoning Valley to be the manager at Low-A Lake County and Ted Kubiak moving down from Lake County to manage Mahoning Valley. Phil Clark has also moved up from his High-A Kinston hitting coach role and is the new hitting coach at Triple-A Columbus. Former High-A Kinston pitching coach Mickey Callaway has been promoted to the top pitching coach role as the organization’s Minor League Pitching Coordinator.

Former Indians find new homes

It was a busy week for a lot of former Cleveland Indians as three players signed with new teams for the 2012 season.

Outfielder Jerad Head signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers and right-handed pitcher Jensen Lewis signed a minor league deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Head was designated him for assignment on October 18th and as a second time outright he declared free agency and was free to sign with any team. Lewis was designated for assignment in March, cleared waivers, and was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus before being released on June 23rd.

Right-handed pitcher Mitch Talbot has also landed with a new team in 2012, but will pitch overseas after agreeing to a $300,000 deal with the Samsung Lions of the Korean Baseball League. The Indians designated him for assignment at the end of the season and as a second time outright he chose free agency.

The pride of Ashtabula returns home

While not necessarily Cleveland Indians related, the hiring of Urban Meyer as the new Ohio State Football coach this week does bring with it some northeast Ohio and baseball significance.

As most by now know, Meyer is returning to his home state of Ohio, a place where he was born in Toledo and lived most of his child and teenage years in Ashtabula. What many do not know is that in addition to being a star football player at Ashtabula St. John’s High School he was also a star baseball player.

It was baseball - not football - that took Meyer down his first career path in sports. Upon graduating in 1982 he was drafted that summer by the Atlanta Braves in the 13th round of the Major League Baseball Draft. He was actually playing pro baseball and attending college at the University of Cincinnati at the same time where he was also a defensive back for the football team.

Meyer played two years of pro baseball as a middle infielder in the lower levels of the minors before leaving the game to concentrate on football. I think he made the right decision there.

Parting shots

According to CNNSI.com baseball writer Jon Heyman the Indians have inquired into the health of free agent infielder Mark DeRosa. … Outfielder Grady Sizemore had a routine checkup with Indians’ doctors on Tuesday and he is reportedly progressing well. The Indians expect him to be 100% healthy and ready to go with little to no restrictions when spring training starts in mid-February. … The Rule 5 Draft is this Thursday in Dallas. The Indians are not expected to select anyone in the draft, but there are several players from within the organization eligible for the draft that could be selected. I will be profiling who some of those players are this week on my site at IndiansProspectInsider.com.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

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Tribe Happenings: Cabrera looks All Star bound



Cabrera is all but certain to attend his first

All star game next month (Photo: AP)

 Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Indians notebook…

All Star worthy?

The participants for the 2011 MLB All Star game on Tuesday, June 12th will soon be announced, and the Indians have a few players who are worthy of consideration.

I think it goes without saying that at this point that shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is a shoe in to be named to the team. He has an outside shot to be named the starter at shortstop for the American League club, though it appears that Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter will maintain his 400,000 vote lead when voting ends on June 30th. Even so, when the reserves are announced next weekend he will most definitely be included on the team.

To date Cabrera, 25, is hitting .294 with 12 homers, 43 RBI, and a .842 OPS. He currently ranks 2nd in the AL shortstops in batting average, 1st in runs scored (50), 1st in hits (89), 1st in doubles (19), 2nd in triples (3), 1st in home runs, 1st in RBI, 3rd in stolen bases (12), and 2nd in OPS. In addition to his performance at the plate, he has been dazzling in the field and been a regular on ESPN’s Sportscenter “Plays of the Night”.

After Cabrera it gets a little dicey in figuring out who may also represent the Tribe in the Midsummer Classic. The only other possibilities are right-handed pitchers Josh Tomlin (9-4, 3.95 ERA), Justin Masterson (5-5, 3.18 ERA), Carlos Carrasco (7-4, 3.62 ERA), and closer Chris Perez (2-3, 2.54 ERA, 18 saves).

Tomlin, 26, is tied for the league lead in wins, but doesn’t appear to have the eye-popping numbers or sexiness to get added to the roster over a host of other popular names from other teams, though if he were to go out his next start and win his 10th game it could make it interesting. He is a machine who goes out there every night and competes, and while he is never really dominating, he always keeps his team in games. He has gone at least six innings in all but one of his 15 starts this year and has 11 quality starts.

Masterson, 26, has the sexiness that is a draw to the All Star game and is a player that opposing managers remember because of his very good stuff. His win-loss record may not be all that great, but that is beyond his control as he gets very poor run support. Even so, he appears a long shot to make the team.

Carrasco, 24, is having an awesome June where in five starts he is 3-2 with a 1.77 ERA. He has gone at least six innings in 11 of his 14 starts, and the three he did not go at least six innings were the start where he left the game on because of injury on April 24th and then the first two starts after coming off the disabled list in mid-May. His late surge will most likely not be enough, but he is laying the groundwork to a breakout season and some attention for next year.

Perez, 25, may have the best shot of anyone to join Cabrera. He has earned a reputation as one of the better young closers in the game, and his 18 saves ranks 3rd in the AL. He is 18-for-19 in saves, the 2nd best save percentage in the AL only to Jose Valverde of the Tigers who is a perfect 17-for-17. Usually the top four to five relievers make the All Star team, and there is no question that Perez has been one of the top relievers in the AL this year.

As for a prediction? Cabrera will be on the team, Perez probably will be, and Tomlin might be.

Painful loss

The Indians continue to get bit by the injury bug. The latest to be bitten is outfielder Shin-Soo Choo who was placed on the disabled list on Saturday with a broken left thumb and will probably be out for at least four to six weeks. The Indians recalled outfielder Travis Buck to fill his spot on the roster.

This is a big blow to the Indians. Choo may only be hitting .245 with five homers, 28 RBI, and a .687 OPS in 72 games, but he is still one of the key contributors to the team both offensively and defensively. He has hit at least .300 with over 20 homers and 85 RBI the last two seasons, so the belief has been that he would eventually turn things around this year (he still may). Also, while he has been an adventure of sorts fielding the ball in the outfield this year, there is no denying the impact his throwing arm can have on a game.

The Indians training staff has been busy this season and Choo is the latest player to miss considerable time. Already this season outfielder Grady Sizemore has been on the disabled list two different times, designated hitter Travis Hafner missed a month with an oblique issue, first baseman Matt Laporta is out with a sprained ankle, right-handers pitchers Mitch Talbot and Carlos Carrasco missed a few weeks, and right-handed pitcher Alex White has missed the last month with a sprained right middle finger and could potentially miss the rest of the season.

For the Indians to be where they are at this point of the season is amazing when you consider that they have not been 100% all year as several key pieces have missed considerable time. In addition to that several key contributors on offense have performed below expectations. The team keeps plugging away and finds a way to win, but eventually it is going to catch up with them. They need to get healthy and their key players need to start performing better if they want to stay in the AL Central race for the remainder of the season.

Nunnally fired

The Indians made a surprise announcement last Sunday when they fired hitting coach Jon Nunnally. Minor League Hitting Coordinator Bruce Fields has been named the interim big league hitting coach until the Indians fill the job on a more permanent basis this offseason.

The reason the Indians gave for making the move was that they "needed a new voice", but there is no question that Nunnally fell on the sword for an offense which has underperformed for the last month and a half. A lot of this is not the fault of Nunnally as the offense went into a tailspin after Travis Hafner got hurt plus Grady Sizemore has been in and out of the lineup after two different stints on the disabled list. The two big disappointments though have been Shin-Soo Choo and catcher Carlos Santana, and are big reasons why Nunnally is unemployed by the Indians today.

The move does seem a bit reactionary though as for as bad as the offense has been of late it was the best in the American League the first five weeks of the season. Nunnally has to get some credit for that. Also, Asdrubal Cabrera is having a breakout year and Hafner is enjoying a resurgence at the plate. Again, if you are going to blame Nunnally for Choo and Santana's struggles you have to give him some credit for Cabrera's and Hafner's success too.

Also Michael Brantley has come into his own as a solid hitter. And really, how can you fault the hitting coach when the lineup often includes the likes of Jack Hannahan, Orlando Cabrera, Austin Kearns, and Lou Marson? The move appears to be something more the result of some things going on behind closed doors, either a rift between Nunnally and Acta or something personal with Nunnally that he needed to step away from the game.

In any case, the Indians have moved into a new direction and it appears they are hoping the midseason change at hitting coach can help spark the offense similar to what they did in June of 2005 when they fired Eddie Murray as hitting coach and replaced him with then Minor League Hitting Coordinator Derek Shelton. Whether by coincidence or not, the offense and team caught fire after that move was made.

Enough already

With Choo going on the disabled list with a broken thumb on Saturday, it means a couple of outfielders on the team will continue to get opportunities although they have done nothing to date to warrant it. Travis Buck was recalled for what feels like the hundredth time on Saturday and now will probably form some sort of right field platoon with Austin Kearns.

Buck, 27, was the story of spring training with a very good performance that earned himself a spot on the Indians opening day roster. With his prospect pedigree of the past it was felt that maybe the Indians caught a break and may have found a late-blooming gem. Unfortunately, that has not been the case as he has not played well this year hitting just .228 with two homers, nine RBI and a .625 OPS in 32 games. At this point he has proven to be nothing more than Major League depth and a classic “4A” player too good for Triple-A but not good enough for the big leagues.

Kearns, 31, has been an absolute disaster this year at the plate hitting just .198 with no homers, two RBI, and a .583 OPS in 30 games. There is absolutely no question you won’t find many higher character guys in the game or that the situation he is going through with his son tears at the heart, but tough decisions sometimes need to be made and made strictly on performance. He simply is not cutting it, and we are likely seeing his career ending right before our eyes.

The question remains how much longer will the Indians keep Kearns - and to a lesser extent Buck - around? With Choo’s injury it means Kearns probably gets to stick around awhile longer, and defensively he makes sense with his arm and solid defense. But right now there are lots of options internally that the Indians could turn to which at this point could produce no worse and likely would play better. It is well beyond time to make a change.

Minor shakeup

The Indians did some reshuffling of their minor league rosters up and down their system on Friday. One of the most noteworthy moves was the release of Triple-A Columbus right-handed reliever Jensen Lewis. From a performance perspective it is hard to argue with the decision as he really struggled with Columbus where in 22 games he went 3-2 with a 5.22 ERA, and really struggled keeping runners off base allowing 40 hits and 15 walks in just 28.0 innings (almost two baserunners an inning).

Lewis, 27, has had a rough year as going into the season he looked to be a lock to make the Indians opening day bullpen, especially after he signed for $650,000 in the offseason to avoid arbitration. But he pitched poorly in the spring and his velocity was down considerably, and the Indians eventually made the tough decision late in camp to remove him from the 40-man roster and after he cleared waivers he was outrighted to Columbus. Now that he has been released he is now free to sign with any team as a free agent.

The move created a spot on the Columbus pitching staff to add a high upside bullpen arm in right-handed Chen-Chang Lee, or more commonly known as C.C. Lee. He was having a very good season at Double-A Akron where in 23 appearances he went 2-1 with a 2.50 ERA (39.2 IP, 27 H, 11 BB, 56 K). He is one of the Indians best relief prospects, and by some considered the best, so his promotion was more than deserving. High-A right-handed reliever Tyler Sturdevant (4-2, 1.98 ERA, 21 G) was also promoted to fill Lee’s vacated bullpen spot in Akron.

The Future

Earlier in the week Major League Baseball announced the rosters for the 2011 All Star Futures Game to be played on Sunday, July 10 at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona as part of Major League Baseball’s All Star festivities. The game pits the top talent in minor league baseball against one another in a matchup of the United Stats versus the World.

Two Indians minor leaguers were named to the United States team, Triple-A Columbus second baseman Jason Kipnis and High-A Kinston left-handed pitcher Drew Pomeranz. Pomeranz is one of ten pitchers on the United States roster, and so far this season in 12 starts is 2-2 with a 1.93 ERA (60.2 IP, 44 H, 23 BB, 77 K). Kipnis is one of fifteen position players on the team, and to date is hitting .291 with 8 HR, 43 RBI, and a .873 OPS in 71 games. He also has 13 doubles, nine triples and ten stolen bases.

Rosters for both teams were decided on by all 30 big league clubs, Major League Baseball, the MLB Scouting Bureau, MLB.com, Baseball America and USA Baseball. Players from all full season clubs are eligible for a selection. The game can be seen live on MLB.TV and ESPN2 starting at 6:00 p.m. ET. XM Radio will also broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on XM 175.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

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Tribe Happenings: Indians make roster decisions

Tomlin won a rotation spot with a strong

showing this spring. (Photo: Tony Lastoria)

Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Tribe notebook…

Tomlin wins rotation spot

The Indians made several opening day roster decisions on Friday, and the big one was naming right-handed pitcher Josh Tomlin as the winner in the competition for the final spot in the rotation.  The other pitchers in the mix for the final spot were left-hander David Huff, right-hander Jeanmar Gomez, and right-hander Anthony Reyes.  All three of them were sent to minor league camp and should open the season in the Triple-A Columbus rotation.

Tomlin, 26, will actually be slotted fourth in the rotation ahead of right-hander Mitch Talbot who will begin the season as the fifth starter.  Tomlin pitched very well this spring, and if you base the winner of the competition strictly off numbers he no doubt won the job where he compiled a 1.13 ERA in 8.0 innings of work allowing nine hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.  Due to the presence of so many arms in camp needing innings he has been forced to pitch in three minor league game (or B-games) and has not allowed an earned run in 13 innings.

Huff, 26, pitched in six big league spring training games and went 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA (17 IP, 21 H, 3 BB, 8 K).  He only started two of his six appearances, and in both starts combined to throw eight shutout innings.  Five those shutout innings came in his best outing of the spring on Thursday night when he went five scoreless innings against the Giants.

Gomez, 23, pitched in six big league spring training games and went 0-1 with a 5.50 ERA (18 IP, 17 H, 7 BB, 14 K).  While he was in the mix for the final spot, from the start of spring training he was almost certain to open the season in Columbus because of his youth and some development opportunities still considered left in him.

Other roster decisions

In addition to naming the final starter in their five man rotation the Indians also announced that Jack Hannahan would be the opening day third baseman and that Shelley Duncan and Travis Buck would make the team.

Hannahan, 31, won the third base job because of a strong spring hitting .386 (17-for-44) and also because infielder Jason Donald has been slow to recover from a hand injury which will force him to open the season on the 15-day disabled list.  Even had Donald not been injured, Hannahan is a pretty good defender and has some versatility so probably would have still made the team as a bench option.

Buck, 27, will be the club’s fourth outfielder in the early going though should get a lot of time in left field in a platoon with Austin Kearns.  He has been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball this spring where in 17 games he is hitting .420 (21-for-50) with four homers, 12 RBI and a 1.213 OPS.  He is a former high profile prospect with the Oakland A’s (ranked #1 in 2007) who has struggled with injuries the past several years, so if he can stay healthy the Indians may have found a bargain with a lot of upside.

Duncan, 31, will be the primary right-handed bat off the bench and play first base, left field and designated hitter.  In 16 games this spring he is hitting .275 with one homer, eight RBI and a .735 OPS.  He adds some veteran leadership to an otherwise very young lineup and bench.  The Indians also like his ability to hit left-handed pitching which is where he will get most of his playing time.

More decisions coming

The Indians still have to make decisions on who fills the final three spots of the bullpen, the backup catcher, and the utility infielder.

At the moment only four spots in the Indians seven man bullpen are locked up with right-hander Chad Durbin, left-hander Tony Sipp, left-hander Rafael Perez, and right-hander Chris Perez.  The main candidates for the final three spots are right-handers Frank Herrmann, Vinnie Pestano, Jess Todd, and Justin Germano.  Herrmann and Pestano look to have a great shot at landing two of the three spots, and the final spot probably will come down to Todd or Germano.

The backup catcher role is between Lou Marson, Paul Phillips and Luke Carlin.  Marson is the most valuable of the three and considered a long term part of the organization, but he is also just 24 years old and needs to play everyday in order to finish off his development as a hitter.  With that in mind, the Indians are still strongly considering having him open the season as the everyday catcher in Columbus and having one of Phillips or Carlin as Carlos Santana’s caddy in Cleveland.  It is also possible that they pick up a veteran catcher in a waiver claim or minor trade just before the roster deadline on Thursday.

The utility role is between Jayson Nix, Luis Valbuena, and Adam Everett. Of the three Valbuena may be the one with the most upside and versatility, but he hits left-handed which may be a poor fit for the bench since Hannahan also hits left-handed.  The right-handed hitting Nix may have a leg up on Valbuena for the utility role since he can complement Hannahan’s left-handed bat better, and he can also be an option for second base and left field.  Everett is a non-rostered player and appears to have little to no chance to make the club.

Roster management

With so many non-rostered players making the team, the Indians have to make some tough decisions with regard to the 40-man roster this week.

Already non-rostered players Hannahan and Buck have made the team, and both will need to be added to the 40-man roster by Thursday.  In addition to them, the Indians may also need to add non-rostered players in the bullpen (Germano), catcher, and possibly even utility infielder (Everett).  That’s as many as three to five spots on the 40-man they will need to clear to add these players.

The Indians roster was at the maximum of 40 players, but on Tuesday they designated right-handed pitcher Jensen Lewis for assignment to clear one spot.  He cleared waivers and has been reassigned to Triple-A Columbus.

They still need to create two to four more spots on the 40-man roster.  One solution may be to put outfielder Trevor Crowe on the 60-day disabled list as he has been slow to return from right shoulder soreness (rotator cuff).  With the Indians desperate for 40-man spots they may opt to shut him down for awhile and use his roster spot to add a player that is needed in the short term.

The cold hard reality though is the Indians may have to designate another player or two for assignment to clear room for the remaining players they want to add. The loser in the competition for the utility role (Nix/Valbuena) will probably be removed from the roster, and assuming Pestano and Herrmann make the team there is a chance Todd could be removed to add Germano.

Do not rule out a minor trade or two as the Indians have done this in the past at the end of camp.  They may trade some of their depth to clear roster space, or may also look to pick up a player in a trade or on waivers to fill any of those needs at catcher, the bullpen, or utility.

Indians getting social

The Indians announced this week that they are diving headfirst into the realm of social media.  They are the first organization in Major League Baseball to have front office members join Twitter with President Mark Shapiro (@MarkShapiro) and General Manager Chris Antonetti (@IndiansGM) making their debuts earlier this week.  Their new social strategy is an attempt to better connect with their fans.

“Social media affords us the ability to create deeper connections with our fans and span generations,” said Indians President Mark Shapiro in a statement released by the club.  “Its popularity – 600 million Facebook users overall worldwide and 300,000 new Twitter users per day – represents a fundamental shift in the way people interact and acquire information. We are incredibly cognizant of social media’s growth and have developed a comprehensive social media strategy to address it.”

In addition to the Facebook and Twitter initiative, the club also announced a new Indians Social Suite which as an entire suite at Progressive Field catering to social media users.  The new Indians Social Suite replaces the Tribe Social Deck from last year, and invitations to the new suite are distributed on a game-by-game basis.  Fans may apply online at www.indians.com/connect.

Some ticket discounts will also be exclusive to Twitter and Facebook users.

Honoring Feller

The Indians will hold a special Bob Feller Tribute during the pregame ceremony on opening day April 1^st.  The tribute will include a special video and banner presentation, Anne Feller will present the “Silent” Ceremonial First Pitch, players will all wear #19 jerseys during pregame introductions, and the #19 will be on the back of the pitcher’s mound.

The Indians will continue to honor Feller throughout the 2011 season with a special uniform patch commemorating his famous leg kick windup and #19 on all game uniforms, a #19 patch on batting practice jerseys, a July 4th celebration including a replica bronze Feller statue giveaway, as well as special signage at Gate C near the Bob Feller statue and throughout the ballpark.

Roster cuts

On Friday the Indians made some roster cuts as they optioned Huff, Gomez, and outfielder Ezequiel Carrera to Triple-A Columbus and re-assigned Reyes, right-handed pitcher Doug Mathis, and infielder Cord Phelps to minor league camp.

The spring roster now stands at 37 players, and must be trimmed down to the 25-man limit by Thursday March 31^st.

Parting Shots

Right-handed reliever Joe Smith has been slow to recover from a strained abdominal muscle and is expected to open the season on the 15-day disabled list. … Right-handed pitcher Jose Flores was returned to the Indians by the Seattle Mariners on Thursday.  The Mariners had selected Flores in the Rule 5 Draft this past December, but because he did not make their opening day roster he had to be offered back to the Indians. … On Thursday the Indians signed left-handed pitcher Jesse English to a minor league contract.  He made seven appearances with the Washington Nationals last year (7.0 IP, 10 H, 3 R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K), and also made 16 appearances at Triple-A Syracuse going 2-1 with a 5.03 ERA (19.2 IP, 18 H, 11 R/ER, 10 BB, 14 K). … The Indians announced this week that the home opener at Progressive Field against the White Sox on Friday April 1^st is sold out.  It is the 18^th straight home opener sellout since the ballpark opened in 1994.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

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Tribe Happenings: Long term deals not likely (yet) for signees

Cabrera may be the first player to sign a

long term deal (Photo: AP)

Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Tribe notebook….

Signed, sealed, and delivered

The Indians completed negotiations this week with the final four arbitration eligible players on their roster.

Back in December they inked right-handed relievers Jensen Lewis and Joe Smith to one year deals just hours before the filing deadline date, and then this week they agreed to one year deals with shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, right-handed closer Chris Perez, left-handed reliever Rafael Perez, and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo.

For the 2011 season Cabrera will be paid $2.025 million, Chris Perez $2.25 million, Rafael Perez $1.33 million, and Choo gets $3.975 million. For the two deals reached back in December, Lewis will earn $650,000 and Smith $870,000 this season.

The signings this past week came just hours before the arbitration deadline where if a deal was not reached, the club and player would go arbitration. With the signings of all of the Indians’ arbitration eligible players they avoid going to arbitration for the 20th straight year. The last time they went to arbitration was in 1991 for Greg Swindell and Jerry Browne. With the players under contract, the Indians payroll now sits at around $46.5 million.

Why one year deals?

The signing of all the players to one year deals does not mean long term contract extensions are out of play.

Also, the fact they signed one year deals does not mean that all of these players are free agents at the end of the season as they are all under the Indians control for several more years. The Indians control the rights of Cabrera, Choo, Rafael Perez, and Smith through the 2013 season, and control the rights of Chris Perez and Lewis through the 2014 season.

Going year to year with arbitration eligible players can be beneficial for the team and the players. Teams are able to control long term payroll and not worry about being tied down to a bad long term deal given to a player who struggles after agreeing to the deal. The one year deals also allow the player to hit free agency sooner.

All of that comes at a risk as a player is banking on health and production the next three years instead of taking the financial security of a long term deal, and the team is risking a player continuing to be very productive and becoming very expensive in arbitration and losing him earlier to free agency than they may have had they signed him to a long term deal.

Long term discussions

As the Indians have done in the past with signing the likes of Albert Belle, Charles Nagy, Kenny Lofton and others in the 90s, and then recently Victor Martinez, C.C. Sabathia, Travis Hafner and others, there are some players they will look to sign to long term deals to carry them through their arbitration years and the first one or two years of free agency.

This typically requires give and take by the club and the player, as the player gives up potential future earnings for the security of a guaranteed long term contract while the team gets to buy the first year or two of free agency by taking the risk of a long term guaranteed deal and potentially paying them more through their arbitration years.

At the moment the Indians are not close to a long term deal with any of the players that were arbitration eligible this year. They will continue to go year to year with Lewis, Smith and Rafael Perez due to the volatility of performance that comes from big league relievers.

Due to the presence of mega agent Scott Boras and his high demands along with an inflated outfield market the Indians almost definitely will continue to go year to year with Choo. Do not expect any long term deal to be announced this spring, though things on that front could possibly change later in the season.

The way things stand currently, Cabrera and Chris Perez look to be the most likely fits for a long term deal. Perez will be hard since as a closer his asking price will be high, and as a reliever the Indians may wait at least a half season before becoming more serious in negotiations.

If anyone is signed to a long term deal this spring, Cabrera looks to be the best shot, and that is decent at best. He and the Indians have mutual interest in getting a long term deal done, so there is some momentum there for a potential deal sometime this year, maybe as early as spring training.

Arbitration 101

For those unfamiliar with the arbitration process, you may be wondering what all of this is about and why these players only receive one year deals. The arbitration process for free agents (players with six or more service time) is a little different, but I will explain the process below for players that are arbitration eligible and have less than six years of service time.

Service time is accrued by each day a player is on an active 25-man Major League roster or Major League disabled list (both 15-day and 60-day). Once a player accrues 172 days of service it is considered one year of service time, and then the next count to 172 begins to achieve another year of service time. As these days and years add up a club has control of what they pay them if they are under three years of service time, which usually is at the Major League minimum of $400,000 or slightly above that. For example, as a player with less than three years of service time Choo made $461,000 in 2010.

Once a player has earned at least three full years of service time they become arbitration eligible. What this means is they now have the opportunity to be paid a fair contract and have some leverage to earn a lot more money depending on their performance and the market. Players have three arbitration years until they become eligible for free agency once they accrue six full seasons of service time (unless they are bound by a long term contract).

The arbitration process calls for the Major League team to offer the player arbitration by the December 12th filing date. If the club does not sign the player or offer them arbitration before the filing date, they become a free agent.

For those players that a club offers arbitration to, the club and the player’s representation continue to negotiate a contract. In January the player and the club each submit a salary figure to the league for arbitration, and if neither party can agree to a contract for the upcoming season by January 18th, the case goes before a three-person panel of professional arbitrators in February.

At the hearing, all parties are required to attend and each has one hour to argue its case and 30 minutes for rebuttal. The panel considers the player’s performance and leadership, the team’s record and attendance, and also the comparable salaries of other players with similar service time. The arbitrators then determine what the player will be paid for the upcoming season.

Grover back in the fold

Earlier in the week Mike Hargrove agreed to join the Indians organization this year in a special advisor role. His role will be a versatile one that exposes him to all parts of the organization where he will assist manager Manny Acta’s coaching staff in spring training, join SportsTime Ohio in the booth for several TV broadcasts, and serve as a resource for the many business, community and charitable endeavors of the Indians.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to once again be a Cleveland Indian and am very much looking forward to helping any way that I can,” Hargrove said in a statement this week. “Even when I was away and managing other teams I always had an interest in what was happening with the Indians. All I can really say is that it is good to be home.”

Known as the “Human Rain Delay”, Hargrove has spent 22 years in the Indians organization as a player, coach and manager. He hit .292 in 888 games over seven years with the Indians from 1979-1985, and in 12 big league seasons had an incredible 965 walks to just 550 strikeouts in 6693 plate appearances.

As manager of the Indians from 1991-1999, Hargrove went 721-591 including two American League titles and five American League Central Division crowns. He ranks second all-time in club history in managerial wins behind Lou Boudreau (728), third in managerial winning percentage (.550) and is the only Indians manager to guide the Indians to two American League pennants. He was inducted into the Cleveland Indians Hall of Fame in 2008.

With the passing of the legendary Bob Feller a few weeks back, one can say the title of Mr. Indian has been passed onto Hargrove as he has always been a fan favorite and actively been a part of the organization in some way for over 30 years.

Shuey named to Kinston hall

Former Indians reliever Paul Shuey (1994-2002) was inducted into the Kinston Professional Baseball Hall of Fame this week. He will be formally inducted at Kinston’s annual Hot Stove Banquet on March 10th. Kinston is the advanced Single-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

Shuey went to school at Raleigh Millbrook High School (NC), is a former All-American at the University of North Carolina, and after being drafted and signed by the Indians in the first round of the 1992 Draft he played at Kinston in 1993 and 1994. He made 15 appearances for Kinston in 1993 going 1-0 with a 4.84 ERA, and made 13 appearances in 1994 at Kinston going 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA with a team high eight saves before making his Major League debut with the Indians that same year.

Parting Shots

Former Indians catcher Wyatt Toregas has signed a minor league contract with an invite to big league spring training with the Pittsburgh Pirates. In seven seasons in the Indians’ minor league system he hit .262 with 52 homers, 284 RBI, and .736 OPS in 536 games. He made his Major League debut at the end of the 2009 season with the Indians where in 19 games he went 9-for-51 (.176) at the plate. … The Low-A Lake County Captains unveiled their 2010 Midwest League championship rings this week. To see them, go to CaptainsBaseball.com. … Finally, the new 2011 Indians prospect guide I am completing is still targeted to go to press at the end of this month or beginning of February. I will continue to post details on its availability here.

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Tribe Happenings: Indians’ Winter Ball Season Winds Down

Nix is playing third base in
Puerto Rico (Photo: AP).

Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Tribe notebook…

Home Sweet Home

There are only about three weeks left in the winter ball season and most of the Indians have already gone home. Recently infielder Jared Goedert returned home from Venezuela and right-handed pitcher Josh Judy returned home from the Dominican Republic, and two more Indians have since returned home as first baseman/outfielder Matt McBride and outfielder Nick Weglarz both left their respective winter league clubs last week.

McBride, 25, put on an impressive showing in the Dominican Winter League hitting .282 with 8 homers, 26 RBI and a .899 OPS in 28 games. He split time between first base, left field and right field, and when he left he was in the top two in the league in both home runs and RBI. The performance piggybacked a solid 2010 season where in 127 combined games between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus he hit .279 with 21 homers, 75 RBI and a .814 OPS. He is eligible to be picked up in the Rule 5 Draft this Thursday, and his versatility at first base, corner outfield and even catcher to go along with his power may create some interest in him.

Weglarz, 22, had recently gone out to Venezuela to make up some time after he missed the last month and a half of the season at Triple-A Columbus because of a thumb injury. He played in four games in Venezuela and went 3-for-12 at the plate with four walks, but injured his back when he collided with the shortstop chasing down a short fly ball in left field. While it was just a minor injury, he and the Indians felt it best to not risk anything so he was shut down and he returned home. He is already working out with a personal trainer in Canada and began a running and lifting program on Monday. He is expected to head out to the Goodyear complex in Arizona in early January to get ready for the season.

Just Getting Started

While several players have already gone home there are some players just getting going in winter ball.

Infielder Jayson Nix made his winter debut out in Puerto Rico on Wednesday where he will be playing third base on a daily basis. In three games he is 1-for-13 at the plate and has committed one error in the field. He is the favorite to be the starting third baseman on opening day and the Indians want to give him some extra experience there this offseason as well as get a few more looks at him there to see to see how he handles the position.

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera started playing for his team in Venezuela last weekend and in seven games is 5-for-25 at the plate with four RBI. He is playing winter ball to help make up for the two months he lost during the season because of a broken forearm.

The Dream Rotation

Oh, what could have been.

Earlier this week I provided some detailed information in an article on the dealings between Tim Lincecum and the Indians and how he almost became an Indian. Had the Indians signed him after taking him in the 42nd round of the 2005 Draft out of the University of Washington, he could have teamed up with C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee to form a very formidable rotation for years.

Now, to be fair here, the reason why Lincecum slid to the 42nd round is because he was deemed unsignable with a $2 million price tag and was still in a lot of ways an unknown commodity in the scouting industry. He ended up slashing that asking price in half after the draft, but in the end the Indians and Lincecum were never able to reach an agreement and he went back to school for his junior season and then was a 1st round pick of the Giants in 2006.

But had Lincecum signed, his midseason arrival in 2007 would have made for one of the greatest starting pitching rotations of all time in Cleveland, rivaling those great late 40s and early 50s rotations that had Bob Feller, Early Wynn, Bob Lemon, and Mike Garcia. A young Lincecum being added to the rotation in 2007 may have been the difference needed to vault past the Red Sox in the ALCS and win a World Series that year.

With all three of Lincecum, Sabathia, and Lee pitching at Cy Young levels in 2008 and beyond, it makes you wonder “what if”.

Obviously keeping all three in this day and age would have been nearly impossible, as if the same market conditions today were present back in the 40s and 50s, guys like Feller would have left the Indians in their prime for greener pastures. We all know Sabathia signed with the New York Yankees for seven years at $161 million ($23 million per year) and that Cliff Lee is likely to get close to the same deal somewhere this offseason. Lincecum is still three years away from free agency, but will make at least $13 million next season.

All totaled up, the three would cost about $70 million alone in payroll in 2012, which is obviously too rich for mid and smaller market teams like the Indians with limited revenues, especially when you have 22 other spots on the 25-man roster to fill. Of course, one could argue that with that kind of staff you would need very little offense (look at the San Francisco Giants this year for example), and with a strong farm system and making well timed acquisitions via free agency that the rest of the 25-man roster could be put together rather cheaply.

Yes, what could have been, to have three of the four or five best pitchers in the game, here, in Cleveland, and in their prime.

Of course what else did you expect, this is the kind of stuff that only happens in Cleveland.

Smith, Lewis Back In Fold

Just before the midnight filing deadline on Thursday night the Indians came to terms on one year deals for right-handed relievers Joe Smith and Jensen Lewis. For the 2011 season Smith will earn $870,000 and Lewis will make $650,000.

Smith, 26, went 2-2 with a 3.83 ERA in 53 relief appearances for the Indians last season. Lewis, also 26, went 4-2 with a 2.97 ERA in 37 relief appearances for the Indians last season as well. Had either player not been signed by the filing deadline, they would have likely been non-tendered and would have become a free agent. Both are expected to be in the Indians’ opening day bullpen next season.

The Indians also offered arbitration to their four other arbitration eligible players Shin-Soo Choo, Asdrubal Cabrera, Chris Perez and Rafael Perez. The Indians have not gone to arbitration since 1991 when they did so with Greg Swindell. They will try to keep that streak alive this offseason, though Choo could be the biggest obstacle considering Scott Boras is his agent.

40-man Blues

With all of the excitement that goes into the player selection process for those young minor league players who get added to a Major League 40-man roster in November, there is a sinking feeling and a lot of disappointment for those who are removed.

Fans often do not lose any sleep over players removed from the 40-man roster because the player was likely not very good, had maxed out his potential as a big leaguer, or was a complete unknown. But to the player, it means everything as that chance to make it and stay relevant in the big leagues takes a serious blow and their future in the game is put in considerable doubt.

"I have nobody to blame but myself as I did it to myself,” said Chris Gimenez in an interview earlier in the year for IndiansProspectInsider.com when asked about being removed from the 40-man roster last offseason. “Now the hard work starts as I did all this stuff to get there, now I have to put it all in play and just bust my [butt]. But it’s a sucky situation. I know it is a tough decision too and a lot comes into play, so I am okay with it and understand it as the Indians are trying to make the organization better."

Being on the 40-man roster means a player has a chance, which is all any minor leaguer wants. Yes, players will get added to the 40-man roster all the time during the season, but for a lot of the players who are on the roster in the offseason they know they have better job security and are considered an option for the big league team going into the season.

"I find myself thinking back on it and you start to say to yourself 'what if I never get back to the big leagues again’," pondered Gimenez. “That little taste is just enough, and that's all I want to do is go back."

Minor Pickups

The Indians announced some minor signings this week as they re-signed catcher Luke Carlin to a minor league deal with an invite to spring training. Late Friday they also came to terms on a minor league deal for infielder Jack Hannahan.

Hannahan, 30, played for the Seattle Mariners last year and in 290 career games in the big leagues is a .224 hitter with 16 homers, 90 RBI and a .658 OPS. Obviously he is not much of a hitter, but he is considered a good, versatile defender who can play third base, second base, and some first base. He will be in the mix for the starting third base job for the Indians this spring, but if he makes the team it will likely be as a bench player.

Carlin, 29, has played in just 52 big league games where he has a .175 average with 3 homers, 10 RBI and a .553 OPS. He has spent most of his career in the minor leagues where in his nine year minor league career he is a .252 hitter with 22 homers, 199 RBI and a .709 OPS. He will participate in big league spring training, but assuming Carlos Santana and Lou Marson are both in Cleveland to start the year, he will open the 2011 season as the starter or backup catcher at Triple-A Columbus.

Parting Shots

The Indians had some interest in infielder Dan Uggla who was recently traded from the Florida Marlins to the Atlanta Braves on November 16th, but the cost was too steep for them to seriously consider more actively trying to acquire him. … The Andy Marte Era has officially ended in Cleveland as he signed a minor league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier this week. The signing puts to an end a very disappointing five year career in Cleveland from 2006-2010 where in 277 games he hit .224 with 20 homers, 90 RBI and a .650 OPS. … The Rule 5 Draft is this coming Thursday December 9th. I will have lots of updates leading up to it on my site so be sure to check back often throughout the 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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Lewis Recalled, Laffey To Columbus

The Cleveland Indians announced today they have recalled right-handed reliever Jensen Lewis from Triple-A Columbus. To allow room on the 25-man roster the Indians have optioned left-handed reliever Aaron Laffey to Columbus.

This will mark Lewis’ second stint with the Indians this year after making the opening day roster. He was optioned to Columbus on May 7th and made seven appearances with one save while posting a 1.89 ERA (10.2 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 10 SO) with the Clippers. In those seven games for the Clippers, six of them were scoreless. Earlier this year with Cleveland he went 2-1 with a 2.61 ERA (10.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 9 BB, 9 K) in 10 games. Lewis wears #50.

Laffey, 25, made 20 relief appearances for the Indians going 0-1 with a 5.61 ERA (25.2 IP, 30 H, 16 R/ER, 13 BB, 11 K). His 25.2 IP are 8th among AL relievers.

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Wood Activated, Lewis Sent To Columbus

The Cleveland Indians today announced the club has activated RHP KERRY WOOD from the 15-day disabled list and optioned RHP JENSEN LEWIS to AAA Columbus.

Wood has been on the disabled list since April 3 with a strained right lat muscle and he recently made 2 appearances in AA Akron on a rehab assignment that began on May 3. He tossed a scoreless inning in his most recent appearance of May 5 vs. Trenton (1.0IP, 0H, 0R, 1BB, 2K). The injury limited Kerry to a pair of scoreless exhibition outings (2.0IP) this spring in Goodyear, AZ.

Lewis opened the season (10.1IP, 8H, 3R/ER, 9BB, 9K) in the Indians bullpen and has spent the entire season to date in Cleveland.

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Roster D-Day

The Indians have made some roster decisions today, as they have named outfielder Michael Brantley as the starter in left field. Brantley was expected to be the everyday left fielder for most of the offseason, but the Indians always wanted to find a veteran option at first base or left field if possible in order to send him to Triple-A Columbus to start the season for more seasoning and to manage his service clock. The signing of first baseman Russell Branyan allowed this to happen, but with Branyan out all spring with a lingering back issue, it opened the door for Brantley to once again be the starter in left field.

With Brantley on the team and the starter in left field, the Indians only needed to make a decision on the fourth outfielder.  As expected, they decided on Austin Kearns, and have optioned Trevor Crowe to Columbus.

While Jamey Wright has yet to be officially announced as a member of the opening day bullpen, it is all but a certainty. With him in the pen it left one spot between Jensen Lewis, Saul Rivera and Hector Ambriz. As expected, Lewis won the spot and Rivera will open the season in Columbus. He has an opt out in his contract where if he is not on a big league roster by May 15th he can leave the Indians. Ambriz will open the season on the disabled list with right elbow tendonitis.

In addition to Wright and Kearns, Mark Grudzielanek is expected to make the 25-man roster.  We will probably not get an "official" addition to the roster of Wright, Grudz, and Kearns until this weekend, which we will find out then which two additional players were cleared from the 40-man (likely Henderson and Toregas....Ambriz was DLed, so seems he is out of the woods).  You don't roster NRI guys like Wright, Grudzielanek, and Kearns until the last day of camp. That way if they somehow get hurt these final few days they haven't DFAed someone who otherwise may have been an option.

Speaking of creating roster room, the Indians designated left-hander Jeremy Sowers for assignment a few days ago. His removal from the 40-man roster will allow them to add one of as many as three non-roster invitees they plan to add to the 40-man (Grudzielanek, Wright, Kearns). Sowers has already cleared waivers and will be sent to Columbus where he likely opens the season on the disabled list there.

Lou Marson is officially the starting catcher as Wyatt Toregas was optioned out to Columbus.  Toregas could also soon be a 40-man casualty in order to add one of the non-roster players.

Andy Marte has made the team as the backup at third base and first base.

Last, there were no releases in minor league camp today, though another round (possibly final) of cuts are expected on Thursday or Friday.

I'll update this posting later today once the last rotation spot between David Huff and Carlos Carrasco is announced.

Follow Tony Lastoria on Twitter @tlastoria

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IPI Inbox: Salcedo Saga Nearing End

It is time for another edition of the IPI Inbox, one which will be broken up into two pieces with part one today and part two tomorrow or Saturday. Today's piece will concentrate more on questions pertaining to the big league team, while the second edition will answer some questions about the farm system.

One quick note and correction to my Russell Branyan piece from over the weekend, and that is to note that in the comments section I made mention that I did not believe Andy Marte would be the one designated for assignment once the Branyan signing is made official. As announced yesterday, the Indians chose to designate infielder Chris Gimenez. I just wanted to clarify that I misspoke and that the Indians very much value Marte because he is their best defender at both first base and third base, and being right-handed it would allow the Indians to play him and Matt LaPorta almost exclusively against left-handers with Branyan and Travis Hafner sitting.

Anyway, to the inbox we go...

Devin R: In the past couple of days, and seemingly out of nowhere, the Braves have been tied to Edward Salcedo -- most recently, mlbtraderumors.com has them finalizing a deal as soon as he passes a physical. They mention his birthday has "recently" been established as July 30, 1991. Where were the Indians when this happened? We had this guy playing in our DR facilities for at least a year (longer, if I remember correctly). He disappears for a couple years because of concerns about his age, and we completely lose touch?

Me: First off, I see you asked Indians.com beat reporter Anthony Castrovince this same question and he provided a spot on response in his mailbag earlier in the week. To recap what Castrovince said, Salcedo has been trying to sign with a major league team for the past three years but has been unsuccessful in those attempts because of an investigation into his identity. While the Braves appear close to signing him, it doesn't mean the investigations into his identity being conducted by both Major League Baseball and the United States Consulate are in the clear.

Now, as to why the Indians have "lost touch" with Salcedo? It is just one of those things where to my knowledge the Indians interest and contact with him completely flat-lined once the identity issues cropped up three years ago. Whether or not he is cleared and his identity is verified no longer matters as they have apparently moved on. Also, Salcedo was never at the Indians' Dominican Republic facilities for a year as any report on that is inaccurate because by rule teams cannot have a player at their academy for more than 30 days. The Indians did have him in for a few short visits and even saw him play in the USA when he participated in a Perfect Game event, but that's it.

Aaron wrote: When reading your comments you said "this [Branyan] signing in no way is blocking anyone of importance." You don't think this will cut into LaPorta's time? Matt is a "true prospect" that is ready (if no setbacks health wise.) How many starts, when healthy, will LaPorta get? I am not for platooning.

Me: I am not for a platoon either in this case. In the right situation where two role players are used to maximize their strengths and limit their weaknesses, I am fine with it, sort of like the "Benuardo" platoon in 2006 with Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez. But in the case of LaPorta, he is considered an everyday player so will get everyday at bats. What is likely to happen here is while there is no strict platoon, the Indians are going to be cautious with how they use him this year and not just throw him out to the wolves and play every night come hell or high water. The plan is for him to get around 500 plate appearances, but his performance over the course of the season will dictate whether he gets less or more plate appearances.

From the sounds of it, LaPorta will split time in left field with Michael Brantley and also play first base or designated hitter against lefties so the Indians can sit Branyan and/or Travis Hafner. So, while Branyan is expected to be the “regular” first baseman, he shouldn’t really block anyone other than Andy Marte and Chris Gimenez (who are no longer prospects). Branyan is more an insurance option for the Indians so they can be a little more careful in the use of LaPorta and even Michael Brantley who will both be in their first full big league seasons. Whether or not Branyan is the right fit is certainly debatable, and I subscribe to the belief that he is a wasteful signing, but even without signing Branyan his role is one that would have been filled by "someone" this year to help lessen LaPorta's burden, so make of that what you will.

Brian wrote: How in the world are we going to give any of the trio of Ambriz, Sowers, and Talbot a chance if we only have a 6-man bullpen?

Me: This question is in response to my note last week that the Indians may go with a 14-position player and 11-man pitching staff alignment for the 25-man opening day roster. I’ve since changed my stance on that as it appears the Indians may instead go without a true 4th outfielder, so they could still have a 13-position player and 12-man pitching staff alignment.

But, to answer the question, whether they go with a six or seven man bullpen I think the either scenario makes sense and still allows Talbot, Sowers and Ambriz to battle it out for the final spot. The only locks in the bullpen are Kerry Wood, Tony Sipp, Raffy Perez, Chris Perez and Joe Smith. That's five guys. Jensen Lewis is by no means a lock for a spot and has an option left, so he could open the season at Triple-A Columbus. The same goes for Jess Todd, who is all but certain to open the year in Columbus unless several injuries crop up this spring.

With a six man bullpen and Lewis/Todd in Columbus, the last bullpen spot would come down to one of Hector Ambriz, Mitch Talbot, Jeremy Sowers, and Aaron Laffey, with one of Laffey, Talbot, and Sowers being the fifth starter. Ambriz to me is a non-factor as I don't see any way he cracks the bullpen in a long man role over the other three, so to me Ambriz either is sent back to the Diamondbacks or if he impresses the Indians will work out a trade to acquire his full rights and send him to Columbus.

Talbot is the odds on favorite to me to be the 5th starter seeing how the Indians just completed a trade for him this offseason when they sent catcher Kelly Shoppach to the Rays. I actually think Laffey in the short term best fits in the long man role because of his versatility, and we sure are going to need someone reliable in the role to help in the first two months of the season while the rotation hashes itself out. I think Laffey could be in for a role similar to Jake Westbrook's in 2004 where he went in as the long man in the pen, but provided nice insurance for when a starter couldn't go long and eventually he found his way into the rotation full time that year by mid-May. Sowers looks to be the odd man out, though there is a chance he could open the year on the disabled list as the seeds have already been plated for that to occur based on reports he has had some arm discomfort this spring.

If they go with a seven man bullpen, which is likely, then the other spot should be a battle between Lewis, Todd and Ambriz. In this scenario if the Indians really like Ambriz and they can’t complete a fair trade with the Diamondbacks for his full rights, you could see him open in the big league bullpen with both Todd and Lewis in Columbus.

Ken Y. wrote: Will the Indians convert Rafael Perez into a starter?

Me: The Indians have hinted during the offseason that Perez could be moved back into a starter's role at some point this season. While I happen to think it is very unlikely to occur, in the chance it does it would not happen until at least the second half of the season as he needs to be built back up to handle a starter's role, something he has not done since the early part of 2006 in the minor leagues.

Quite frankly, I don't think Perez has the pitches to be a successful starter, so I don't know what the Indians are thinking here other than that they are just keeping their options open. With Perez being out of options they may look at every alternative to keep him on the roster if his bullpen struggles continue well into the coming season. His best pitch is his slider, a pitch which plays up in short stints out of the bullpen, but his fastball is barely average and he lacks any real quality third pitch. So, it doesn't appear starting him makes any sense other than pure desperation in a last ditch attempt to salvage his career with the Indians if he continues to struggle in the bullpen to where maybe stretching him out in the rotation for awhile can fix some of his consistency and command issues.

Eric T. wrote: Tony how far away are [Josh Judy and Zach Putnam] from contributing to the big league team? Could we see them at some point this year?

Me: With both in big league camp, they are most definitely considered big league options at some point this year. Both have vaulted to the top of the Indians depth chart among relief prospects yet to make their major league debut, and both could get that chance this year if things go right.

That said, unless the Indians find themselves in contention which would pressure them to promote them quicker, both will likely not be in Cleveland this year. The Indians just have too many other bullpen options to sort through this season as they look to build some semblance of a bullpen for 2011 and beyond. Anything can happen, but there are roster implications to consider too since Putnam does not need to be "rostered" until after the 2011 season, while Judy will need to be rostered after this season to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft.

With that in mind, and considering there are only 40 major league roster spots, it seems very unlikely Putnam is added to the 40-man until sometime in 2011 unless he is just lights out and the Indians have an urgent need for bullpen help this season. Since Judy needs to be added to the roster anyway this coming offseason, he really could be added at anytime this year. I think in order to avoid possibly wasting an option on either player this year they would not be added to the big league roster until near the end of August or early September, much like what the Indians did with outfielder Michael Brantley last year.

Bruce C.: Does [the Indians GM change] mean anything except new titles?

Me: Shapiro is a good GM. This team was very good from a talent standpoint from 2005-2008, but two of those years they bombed because of a hellacious bullpen. He has surely made his mistakes, but I don't see very many other current GMs doing a better job with the limited resources he has to work with. And anyone that thinks Antonetti will simply be Shapiro clone may want to rethink their position a little bit. Yes, they seem alike in a lot of ways, but so is the case when the understudy is working for his "boss" and really can't open up and do as he chooses until he has control. I mean, Shapiro was viewed as a "Hart Clone" back when he was handpicked to succeed John Hart when Hart stepped down in 2001. Look how different Shapiro turned out to be. So, while it may seem like more of the same, I think we need to see Antonetti in the GM chair first before we can accurately assess whether it will just be business as usual like under Shapiro, or if he may bring something different to the table.

Salcedo photo courtesy of Perfect Game USA

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Prospects That Can Help in 2008

As the Indians embark on their 60th attempt to win a World Series since their last title in 1948, they enter the 2008 season as strong as ever to make a run at a that elusive championship. While the Indians are involved in another pennant chase this year there will be times when the Indians will need to turn to their farm system. Just about every major league team's depth is tested over the course of a grueling 162-game schedule, and the praised depth the Indians supposedly have will certainly come into play during the season.

Last year, the Indians had some bouts with the injury bug. Pitchers like Cliff Lee, Jake Westbrook, and Aaron Fultz all missed considerable time early in the year due to injury. Position players Trot Nixon and David Dellucci missed a lot of time due to injury as well. On top of all that, others like Roberto Hernandez, Josh Barfield, Andy Marte and Jason Davis did not perform up to expectations.

The Indians filled the holes that these injuries and performance issues created by calling from their rich talent pool in the farm system with the likes of Fausto Carmona, Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco, and Aaron Laffey. All of those players made a considerable impact on the Indians' season last year, and it is safe to say without their contributions the Indians would not have made the playoffs last year and had another disappointing season much like 2006.

The likelihood of the Indians getting such a lift from the farm system for a second year in a row is an arduous task and a tough act to follow for the prospects in the Indians system. The system has been thinned out some with the graduation of so many prospects the last few years, and most of the prospects that will help this year will be ones who helped last year. That said, there still are some new players in the system who could help make an impact in 2008 like those in 2007 did. A few of the players we saw last year, while others may be seen for the first time.

The hope is that the Indians will not need to turn to their farm system for help, but injuries and performance issues always crop up during a season for every team. Knowing that, the Indians need depth alternatives to turn to in Buffalo and Akron for short-term help when a regular is nicked up, or for long-term help in the unfortunate case where a regular is lost for a majority of the season.

This is not a list of the Top 10 Prospects in the system, as we covered that with the recent Top 50 Prospects+ series a month back. This list is more focused on the prospects that are likely to see action in Cleveland sometime this year AND make some type of impact. Seeing that the Indians two biggest holes are in left field and the bullpen, most of the opportunities afforded to young players will likely be in these two areas. Here they are from most likely (#1) to least likely (#10):

(For a more in depth scouting report on each player, click on their linked name)

1. Jensen Lewis, RHP - Lewis is an aggressive reliever who consistently gets his fastball up there around 93-94 MPH, and he compliments it with a devastating changeup. He is an intelligent pitcher, has excellent command, and great composure on the mound. This is really a no-brainer having Lewis at #1. While he spent two months plus the entire postseason with the Indians last year, he still qualifies as a rookie and as a prospect because he has not passed the 50 innings pitched threshold. He was dominant in his short stint with the Indians last year, posting a 2.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 3.40 BB/9 and 10.35 K/9 in 29.1 regular season innings. He was the final piece of the puzzle needed to round out the backend of the bullpen, and if he can avoid a sophomore slump like Fernando Cabrera had after a breakthrough late-season performance in 2005, having Lewis around in the bullpen for all of 2008 will mean big things for the Indians this year. Lewis is the one sure prospect - barring injury - that will open with the Indians this year.

2. Aaron Laffey, LHP - Laffey is one of the most confident pitchers in the system, as he trusts his stuff and goes right after hitters. His 87-88 MPH fastball is not overpowering, but it he has excellent command of it and it has excellent movement with good sink, and he throws a good slurvy breaking ball and changeup. Laffey is another no-brainer, as he looks to be in line for considerable time this season in the starting rotation. Like Lewis, Laffey is still considered a rookie and prospect because he has not pitched 50 innings (just missed the cut at 49.1 IP). Laffey is in the mix to be the Indians fifth starter when the season starts, and even if he does not break camp as the fifth starter he figures to get plenty of action throughout the season. Laffey pitched well in his Indians debut last year going 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA in nine starts, and was very impressive in his one appearance in the postseason (4.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K) when he shut down a Boston Red Sox offense that no one else on the pitching staff seemed capable of shutting down.

3. Ben Francisco, OF - Francisco will be in a holding pattern in Buffalo, going there for the fourth straight season, and will await an opportunity with the major league club. He hits for average (two minor league batting titles) and he has very good extra base hit ability. He is a versatile defender who can play all three outfield positions, and he has good speed that is helped by his very good instincts in the field and on the basepaths. Like Lewis and Laffey, Francisco is another big contributor in 2007 that the Indians will turn to again in the minors when a need arises this year. Francisco will likely be the first outfielder called upon in the event an injury befalls any of the four outfielders in Cleveland, and he has proven he can more than hold his own when called upon (.274 AVG, 3 HR, 12 RBI, .803 OPS in 62 AB in Cleveland last year). A good case could be made that he should be on the team already as the fourth outfielder, but the presence of Jason Michaels denies him of this role at least to start the season.

4. Adam Miller, RHP - Miller has been the Indians top prospect in what seems like forever. He is extremely confident, attacks hitters, and throws a blazing four-seam fastball that consistently clocks around 97 MPH and tops out at 100 MPH. He compliments his four-seamer with a good two-seam fastball, a nasty wipeout slider, and a changeup which has come a long way. Miller is the first-timer who is likely to debut and impact this team the most this season. While Miller will not break camp with the Indians in the bullpen or as a starter, if he maintains his health he could be in line for a callup by June. If the Indians continue to have issues with the fifth starter spot he could be called to fill that role, but it is more likely he will break in as a reliever sometime this season. The Indians are open to the idea of using him in the short-team out of the bullpen as a meaningful reliever (i.e. not collecting dust as the long man) this season to get him to the big leagues, and his blazing fastball, command and toughness could dominate in such a role.

5. Jeff Stevens, RHP - Stevens had a breakthrough year last season in the minors, and in 61 combined games between High-A Kinston, Double-A Akron, the Arizona Fall League and Team USA, Stevens went 6-3 with 5 saves and a 2.45 ERA, and in 95.1 innings allowed only 63 hits and walked 26 while striking out 113. Formerly known as "the nobody that the Indians got for Brandon Phillips", Stevens moved to the bullpen last year and has carved his way through the Indians system where he is now on the verge of a major league opportunity sometime this season. He throws four quality pitches and commands them well, fronted by a Rafael Betancourt-like fastball that sits around 93 MPH and tops out at 95, and shows life and gets in on batters. Stevens is the pure reliever in the minors who looks to have the best shot at making the club at some point this year, and could be another Jensen Lewis who moves through the system quickly after moving to the bullpen.

6. Trevor Crowe, OF - Crowe has the ability to hit for average with some occasional pop, and he can play any outfield position and runs well. His biggest strength is his excellent plate discipline and pitch recognition skills. Even after a disappointing season last year where he hit .259 with 5 HR, 50 RBI, 28 SB and a .694 OPS in 133 at Double-A Akron, he still is in line for a potential spot in the Indians outfield sometime this year. His outstanding second half of the season last year (.310 AVG, .838 OPS) along with a very good showing in the Arizona Fall League (.286 AVG, .864 OPS) have many believing he is over the problems that plagued him mentally the first half of last season when he hit .212 up until July 1^st. He is still earmarked for the left field job in 2009, and it is likely that the Indians will want to get an extended look at him in Cleveland sometime late this year, especially if his second half showing last year carries over into the start of this season. Crowe would bring some much needed speed and athleticism to the Indians lineup, and he also handles the bat well which is the perfect medicine for a strikeout prone lineup.

7. Jordan Brown, 1B/OF - Brown might be the most consistent offensive performer in the Indians system. He will not wow you with eye-popping numbers from game to game, but he fills a stat sheet and is very productive at the plate. He is arguably the best player in the system as far as bat-to-ball ability goes and he makes consistent, hard contact. He doesn't strikeout (56 K in 483 AB last year), and he has good power, especially to the gaps where he piles up doubles. Like Crowe, Brown is a prospect who is currently not on the 40-man roster but because of his hitting ability is someone who can be an impact player for the Indians this season. Brown is a professional hitter who can play left field or first base, and can help balance the Indians lineup which is full of hackers. He won't hit a ton of home runs, but he could be a valuable addition to the team if Ryan Garko or Travis Hafner are hurt for an extended period of time, or if the Indians platoon in left field of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels fails again. Brown is arguably ready to hit at the major league level right now, he just needs an opportunity.

8. Reid Santos, LHP - Santos is a good left-handed relief prospect who does not overpower anyone with his low 90s fastball, but he commands it well and compliments it with a good assortment of secondary pitches with a slider, curveball and changeup. He is extremely durable, and is a strike-thrower who displays very good mound presence. Out of all the prospects on this list looking to make their major league debut this season, Santos probably has the chance to debut first because of his experience pitching as a long man and his durability. He is also not a big time prospect the Indians will handle with kid gloves, which means if the Indians have a need for a long reliever at some point this season, Santos may get the first call since (barring injury) the other six spots in the bullpen are virtually locked up. Santos is an excellent swing option as he can start or pitch in relief at a moments notice, and he can handle almost any role in the bullpen. The bonus is he is left-handed, and he looks to be an option to replace Aaron Fultz's role as the second left-hander in the bullpen by the start of 2009.

9. Wyatt Toregas, C - Toregas can be an adequate hitter in the major leagues, and has shown potential to have some good occasional pop in his bat. But, what really makes him exciting is his abilities behind the plate. He is a prototype backup catcher in that he is excellent defensively, is a leader, gives maximum effort, and holds his own offensively. He shuts down a running game, moves well behind the plate, handles a pitching staff well, and calls a good game. With Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach firmly planted as the catching duo in Cleveland, the only way Toregas will make his debut this year is if an injury to Martinez or Shoppach crops up, or when he is called up in September when rosters expand. Either way, he will be in Cleveland at some point this season. There have been rumors this offseason that Shoppach could be dealt, so if Shoppach is dealt at some point this season it would possibly open the door for Toregas to be the backup to Martinez.

10. Randy Newsom, RHP - Newsom is a side-arm/submarine-style pitcher who is a command-control guy. Newsom does not throw very hard as his fastball sits in the 81-83 MPH range, but this is required so he gets more sink on his pitches. He is a groundball pitcher (3.05 G/F in 2007), very intelligent, a hard-worker, and has a lot of confidence in his secondary pitches (slider and changeup). Add Newsom to the list of potential relievers to make an impact with the Indians this year, and if he continues to pitch like he has since joining the Indians in 2006, he has a good shot to make the club at some point this season. It remains to be seen if Newsom's involvement with his Real Sports Investments (RSI) project becomes a distraction or not this year. For a pitcher who can ill afford to lose any focus, it will be interesting to see how he handles it. Still, his unique arm slot where he throws submarine could give the Indians bullpen a much different look compared to the power arms of the other relievers in the backend of the pen.

Honorable mention: Scott Lewis (LHP), Brian Slocum (RHP), Eddie Mujica (RHP), Sean Smith (RHP)

Photos courtesy of Carl Kline

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