Get the revolving door ready for the Cleveland Indians as this Friday’s trade deadline approaches. The latest move involved 1B Ryan Garko going to the San Francisco Giants for Class A left handed pitcher, Scott Barnes, ranked prior to the season as the 9th best prospect in the Giant farm system.
It was probably as good a deal as the Indians could get for a corner position player without a lot of pop.
This move allows the ballclub to recall Andy Marte from Columbus. Marte, who was having his best season at the AAA level, hitting .329 with 18 HR and 66 RBI, will be used at…1B, of course, even though he has been a third baseman during his career. He actually is a pretty good defensive player at the hot corner.
There is no question Marte deserves another look, particularly because he’s still just 25 years old.
Meanwhile, Matt LaPorta still toils at AAA, even though he is putting up outstanding numbers. He deserves to be promoted also.
The Indians seemed to go out of their way this weekend to tell everybody how wrong all of the Jhonny Peralta critics are. They pointed out that this season is an aberration, that the Peralta we saw in 2008 is his true talent. That would be good news if it were true. This year’s version of Peralta appears to be the same guy we saw just three short years ago, in 2006.
He burst onto the scene in 2005 with a very good season, batting .292 (885 OPS) with 24 HR’s and 78 RBI at age 23. That still is by far Peralta’s best year in the big leagues.
He followed that season up by hitting .257 (708 OPS) with 13 HR and 68 RBI at age 24. The following year, 2007, the Tribe advanced to the ALCS, and Peralta had a solid, not spectacular year, batting .270 (771 OPS) with 21 dingers and 72 RBI.
Last year, Peralta had his best season since ’05, hitting 23 homers with 89 RBI and a .276 batting average (804 OPS). This year seems like a repeat of his 2006 campaign, although a recent hot streak has him up to .271, 8 HR, and 50 RBI. Does this seem like someone who should be part of the future?
How can management evaluate the team when they have no idea what kind of year they are going to get out of Peralta. Criticize Casey Blake all you want, but you pretty much knew what you were going to get out of him, production wise. Peralta is a player who has had success in the second halves of seasons to put together decent numbers, but the season generally starts in April, not July.
Dealing Peralta is not a bad option for the Indians, for a team concerned about payroll, it’s hard to justify paying almost $5 million next year and not be sure what you are getting.
Now, on to the rumors regarding possible trades involving Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez. I can’t believe this will happen unless it is mandated by ownership, which is a different problem altogether.
Lest you forget, the Indians are in the AL Central Division. Last year, the Detroit Tigers finished last in the division, 14-1/2 games behind the champion White Sox. This year, they lead the division by two games.
They made a couple of key additions, picking up starter Edwin Jackson in a deal with Tampa Bay, signing SS Adam Everett and C Gerald Laird to shore up the defense, and getting some better years out of guys like Justin Verlander, Curtis Granderson, and Brandon Inge. Viola, they are in first place.
My point is the same things can happen with the Cleveland Indians. Even though the Tribe is currently 16 games below the .500 mark, they are only 12 games out of first. They aren’t going to win this season, but the deficit is not insurmountable. With the proper moves this off-season, they would have a chance to win the division in 2010.
Not without Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez, however. Lee has proved this year that his Cy Young Award was no fluke, and that he is a legitimate ace. Martinez is a professional hitter who is a three time all star. If they are in the mix for next season, and the front office makes the right moves in the off-season, the Tribe could return to the contention.
Remember that since the end of the Indians dominance of the Central Division in 2001, only Kansas City has not made a playoff appearance. The Indians and Tigers have made one each; the White Sox have been there twice, while the Twins have been in the playoffs four times.
Giving up these two mainstays would send a message that the Indians are not planning to be competitive in 2010. And that’s not a way to sell tickets.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 