The Re-Tooling Starts

Most of the reaction to the deal which sent C.C. Sabathia to the Milwaukee Brewers was not positive nor negative, but it was inevitable. The Indians’ market size and the contract demands of the big lefty meant GM Mark Shapiro didn’t have an alternative if he wanted more than the two first round amateur picks in the 2009 draft for his ace. So, it’s now official. The Cleveland Indians are looking ahead to the ’09 season.

In return, the main player the Tribe received in return is slugging 1B/OF Matt LaPorta, who will report to Akron to start. My guess is the front office want a very close look at him before sending him to Buffalo. After hitting AAA, the right-handed hitter is just a couple of good weeks away from joining the big club. LHP Zach Jackson is a throw in, but the young righty the Indians picked up, Rob Bryson is someone to keep an eye on. Bryson was just promoted to the high Class A level, and although his ERA was over 4.00, he has fanned 72 batters in less thant 60 innings.

The Indians have one more player coming, considered to be the second best prospect in the trade. Many reports have that player being Taylor Green, a third baseman currently playing at the high A level. Shapiro made the comment that the deal would not have been made without the inclusion of this player, and the Tribe has until the end of the year to decide who will be coming to Cleveland. The decision will probably be made at the end of the month, so the front office can get a good look at him in the Tribe organization before the minor league season ends.

There are most definitely other moves to be made. It is more than likely that Casey Blake is on the block, and he would most definitely be attractive to a contender because of his versatility. It’s also time to remove the dead weight from the big league roster, which means a severe cut in playing time for David Dellucci. It’s time to start looking at the Jordan Browns, Michael Aubreys, and Trevor Crowes of the organization so the management can get an idea of who can help next season. As soon as Josh Barfield is ready to go, he should get a long look as well.

It has been reported that veteran Jeff Weaver will get the start tomorrow night in Detroit, although Jeremy Sowers is also a possibility. Weaver and Manager Eric Wedge seem to be an odd mix, since Weaver is a bit of a hot head, definitely not the attitude Wedge likes in a player. I can’t wait to see the skipper go to the mound at a time that Weaver doesn’t think he should be removed. By the way, the revamped bullpen hasn’t done the job so far, but on the other hand, at least there are new faces blowing the leads.

There are several Indians who are playing for their future in Cleveland the rest of the season. Guys like Ryan Garko, Franklin Gutierrez, Andy Marte, and Jhonny Peralta have to be productive or they likely will lose their spots on the 2009 roster. Mark Shapiro made a huge decision today, but he has several more to make between now and Opening Day 2009.

It Was Time for a Meeting

I would have given anything to be a fly on the wall during today’s conference call involving the coaching staff and the front office of the Cleveland Indians. The first news to come out of the meeting was the demotion of Joe Borowski from the closer’s role, and apparently the rest of the bullpen’s problems are the fault of Rick Bauer, who will be designated for assignment after pitching three times since being promoted, each time with at least a week’s rest.

There is no truth to the rumor that David Dellucci was spotted near the meeting room with an ear to a glass on the wall, trying to listen in.

The guess here is GM Mark Shapiro is seeing if there is any interest in the struggling Borowski so he doesn’t have to designate him for assignment. Shapiro likes to handle these types of things in the most humane way, so as not to embarass a veteran who has shown nothing but class in his time in an Indians uniform. The GM is probably willing to deal him somewhere for a player to be named later. If Borowski isn’t capable of closing, it’s hard to see where he fits in the Cleveland bullpen.

Bauer removal from the roster (I’m sure he thanks his skipper for the opportunity) should result in the recall of either Jeff Stevens, Jensen Lewis or Brian Slocum from Buffalo. Hopefully, either pitcher will be used better and more frequently than Bauer. If it’s Lewis, he will because Wedge likes him. Stevens or Slocum will have to earn Wedge’s trust, which is difficult to do if you don’t pitch for seven days.

Here’s hoping that someone asked the staff about some of the horrible at-bats seen in the Chicago series. Last night, Ben Francisco came up with a man on third and no one out, had a 3-0 count, swung at the 3-0 pitch and grounded to third, therefore not advancing the runner. You cannot swing at a 3-0 pitch unless you are going to drive it. Tuesday night, Franklin Gutierrez struck out swinging without coming near the ball.

Tom Hamilton pointed out on Sunday that pitchers who throw curve balls and change ups give the Indians a lot of trouble. Why isn’t Derek Shelton addressing this with the hitters. I understand he is working with young hitters, but there doesn’t seem to be any progress made with these guys. As for the Francisco situation mentioned earlier, why isn’t there a take sign given. You can trust guys like Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez in that spot, but not a guy who has around 300 big league at-bats.

Another situation that should be addressed is moving the AL home run leader out of the leadoff spot. Sure, Grady Sizemore is comfortable leading off, but don’t you want someone with a slugging percentage over .500 batting with men on base? And for those who say the Indians don’t get guys on, need I remind you that last night Dellucci made two outs with the bases loaded, and Saturday night, Ryan Garko left a small village on base. Against right-handers, put Shin Soo Choo in the #1 slot, and against southpaws, Jamey Carroll could hit there. The time to bat Sizemore in the #3 spot is now.

More details of the meeting will be revealed soon, but this meeting should have held a couple of weeks ago. This team has needed a breath of fresh air since the Kansas City series in early June.

Let's Look at Some Alternatives

As the season sails away further and further with another blown save by Joe Borowski, the time to start the tryout camp for 2009 draws near. The first bit of business for GM Mark Shapiro is C.C. Sabathia. If the reigning Cy Young Award winner is interested in re-opening negotiations before the trading deadline, which is doubtful, Shapiro and the Dolan family have to make a determination they can sign him to a long-term deal. If the big lefty doesn’t want to talk during the season, the Indians have no choice but to make a mega-deal.

I am a firm believer in the “can’t do any worse” theory, particularly in sports. For example, since I have mentioned Joe Borowski, why doesn’t Eric Wedge try Masa Kobayashi as the closer, since he “can’t do any worse” than JoeBo’s four blown saves in 10 opportunities. He certainly could do the same as the man who led the AL in saves last season, but it is virtually impossible to do any worse. The added bonus is you might find out that Kobayashi can do the job better.

With that in mind, there are several moves the front office can make prior to a possible huge trade involving Sabathia. The first involves the DH spot, where David Dellucci has proved to be a bust. Giving the 34-year-old extended at-bats doesn’t do anything for the Tribe’s future. The veteran received the benefit of the doubt last season because of injuries, but his numbers this year should not earn him any more playing time. Why not bring up Michael Aubrey to take these opportunities, or maybe even Jordan Brown who has been hot at Buffalo? A left-handed hitter, Brown is up to .290 at Class AAA. He has just three home runs, but has banged out 20 doubles. As an added bonus, he doesn’t strike out a lot, whiffing just 37 times in 238 at-bats.

Besides making Kobayashi the closer, there are some moves to make with the bullpen as well. Why not take a look at Jeff Stevens, the pitcher acquired from the Reds in the Brandon Phillips transaction? The right-hander had his first bad outing at Buffalo the other day, which raised his ERA to 5.40 at the AAA level. However, he has struck out 22 batters in 13-1/3 innings, and opposing batters are hitting just .204 against him. Why not give him a shot at closing? Heck, last night, the Rays used Twins reject Grant Balfour to close out a win against the Red Sox.

Besides C.C., another Indian that should be popular on the trade market is 3B Casey Blake, who is having a solid year and can play four positions. That would leave an opening at the hot corner, and apparently the management has no intention of filling the spot with Andy Marte. One possibility that should be looked at is moving Jhonny Peralta to 3B, and replacing him with Asdrubal Cabrera, who has a better glove. Peralta drives people crazy, but will provide the team with 20 HR, and his lack of range shouldn’t be an issue at third. Wes Hodges, who is hitting over .300 at Class AA Akron, is another option.

The Cleveland Indians are sitting at 10 games below the .500 mark, and 11-1/2 games out of first place. They are in last place in the AL Central Division. The management of this team needs to stop wasting time wishing that it is still 2007, and start looking at some alternatives. The fans would also enjoy seeing new people try to succeed rather than watching another summer rerun.