It was a little troubling to see the comments from Indians’ GM Mark Shapiro defending the Pirates trade of outfielder Nate McLouth to the Atlanta Braves. He defended Pittsburgh GM Neal Huntington, who coincidentally used to work for Shapiro with the Indians.
The Tribe GM was quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, saying, “As another general manager in a very similar market with similar challenges, I can say that the move was not only understandable but also wise. The greatest challenge in building a sustainable winner in these markets is ensuring that the pitching and position-player talent line up. Sometimes, that involves painful and tough decisions that are not easily understood by fans or players."
Does this mean that Shapiro is going to flush the toilet on another Indians season?
Last year, the Tribe waited until the beginning of July before trading free agent to be, C.C. Sabathia for prospects. At the time, the Indians were clearly out of the pennant race, sitting at 37-51, trailing the first place White Sox by 13-1/2 games.
There is no question that the Cleveland Indians are suffering through a terrible start to the season, but they are still just seven games out of first place, even with a record of 26-34 thus far. Mark Shapiro doesn’t need to trade for prospects; he needs to improve his ball club.
If the deficit were more than 10 games, or if the Tigers showed signs of pulling away in the AL Central, I would feel differently. However, they aren’t. They need to stop making excuses and go out and get some talent that can help this team win right now.
I say this knowing that I have praised Shapiro in the past for making good use of his assets when it is clear the Indians aren’t going to win. Last year, he acquired two prime prospects in Matt LaPorta and Carlos Santana by dealing players (Sabathia and Casey Blake) who would have left for free agency after the season. There are many teams who would have played out the season with these guys for the sake of the fans.
To continue to do this on a yearly basis gets old for the fans. Some of us understand the realities of rebuilding a baseball team, but when it’s the middle of June, and the Tribe is less than 10 games out of first, dealing for prospects is a tough pill to swallow.
Instead, Shapiro should make moves to strengthen the current roster. If he wants to deal Mark DeRosa because he’s a free agent at the end of the year, so be it. Just move him for a starting pitcher who can help right now.
Why not look at the leadership of the ballclub? Is Eric Wedge the correct man for the job? Can we afford to deal a Ryan Garko because Victor Martinez may just wind up being the first baseman on this team in 2010? Will Jhonny Peralta ever become the player we all thought he would be after his brakeout 2005 campaign?
The easy way out is to deal veterans for more prospects. The tough thing is to make value judgments on your talent and decide who can contribute to a championship team, and who can’t.
That’s something this organization has trouble with. With all of the 1B/DH types in the organization, doesn’t it make Garko, LaPorta, or Beau Mills expendable? With Carlos Santana on the horizon, why wasn’t Kelly Shoppach made available in the off-season?
There is plenty of time to be patient. The trading deadline doesn’t occur for another seven weeks. If the Indians fall to 12 games out of first at that point, then trade to strengthen your farm system. Otherwise, Shapiro needs to make his club better, and he should be looking at all options. That would be all options, not just the safe choices.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 