At baseball’s winter meeting in Dallas, Indians’ GM Chris Antonetti hinted that his team was talking about a trade involving a player that no one could guess if they had 50 chances.

Apparently, that deal fell through.

So, the Indians’ off-season has been limited to getting Derek Lowe from the Braves, re-signing Grady Sizemore, and inking catcher Matt Pagnozzi and OF Felix Pie to minor league deals.

No quality right-handed bats in that group.

The two people in the free agent market who fit that profile are Michael Cuddyer, who can play 1B, 3B, LF, or RF, and Josh Willingham, who would fit at first or left field.

If the Tribe doesn’t sign one of those two players, it more than likely will be about money.  Again, we understand that the Dolan family doesn’t have the resources that teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and you have to include the Angels in that group now.

So, they have to spend wisely.

Which brings us to our central point, if Antonetti doesn’t have sufficient cash to sign one of these right-handed sticks, and we prefer Cuddyer, it’s because they gave $5 million to a player who hasn’t produced at a quality level since 2008.

And that would be Grady Sizemore.

Now, if that is the case, and there is no saying the Indians could agree to terms on either player if they had the extra $5 million, you have to ask the question:  Would Cleveland be better off with the right-handed bat in the middle of the order and no Sizemore, or no power bat from the right side and Sizemore?

And the Grady Sizemore, if healthy, you will likely get will be better than the 2009-11 version, but not as good as the 2005-08 edition.

If they were able to sign Cuddyer, the type of professional hitter the Indians need, that would lead to a lineup that looked something like this:

Choo RF, Kipnis 2B, Cabrera SS, Cuddyer LF, Santana C, Hafner DH, Chisenhall 3B, LaPorta 1B, Brantley CF.

That’s a lineup in which the top six hitters are solid, and the possibility of a solid hitter in the #7 slot in Chisenhall. 

With Sizemore in the lineup and no Cuddyer, here is what you have:

Brantley LF, Kipnis 2B, Cabrera SS, Santana C, Choo RF, Hafner DH, Sizemore CF, LaPorta 1B, Chisenhall 3B.

That’s a very left-handed dominant batting order, and you have questions at the top of the order and in the bottom third of the order.

Getting Cuddyer (or Willingham for that matter) would give the batting order some balance, and in Cuddyer’s case, he makes pretty good contact, which would be something different for a Cleveland hitter.

The point is this:  Since the Indians have a limited payroll, for whatever reason, they have to make sure they are getting bang for the buck.

One of the problems the Tribe has had the past few years is that they are getting very little production out of their two highest paid players in Hafner and Sizemore. 

That’s what made inking Sizemore to a contract for 2012 strange.  He’s still one of the team’s higher paid players and no one can be sure what he will do next season.

Plus, it appears to be restricting Antonetti from getting what Manny Acta really needs, a reliable right-handed hitter. 

Perhaps we’re wrong and Cleveland can still get Willingham or Cuddyer on the free agent market, but after an aggressive start to the off-season, the Indians are kind of quiet.

If they want to contend in 2012, and they’ve said they do, they need to get a right-handed hitter.  Whether or not they have the resources is up for debate.

KM

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert can’t stay out of the national spotlight. 

While the pro basketball world was awaiting the word of a blockbuster trade involving guard Chris Paul going to the Los Angeles Lakers, Gilbert was sending an email to commissioner David Stern saying the trade was ridiculous. 

Several members of the media, mostly those working for ESPN, blasted the Cavs owner for his sentiments, saying that he was showing his bitterness from losing LeBron James to the Miami Heat.  A move that the four letter network quickly jumped on, creating all kinds of new ways to cover the superstar trio on South Beach.

Kind of makes you wonder if they were somehow involved in swaying James to play for the Heat, doesn’t it?

However, these critics didn’t listen to the message, just who was delivering it.  By the way, Mavericks’ owner Mark Cuban was also against the deal, but that didn’t get half the publicity that Gilbert’s remarks did.

The Cavs’ owner may believe that sending another all-star player from a smaller market to a big market is bad for the sport, which it probably is, and he did use a great analogy in suggesting that the 25 teams not located in New York, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Miami be called the Washington Generals, but that’s not what his email said.

His objection to the proposed deal with would have sent Paul to the Lakers in a three team deal which would have netted the Houston Rockets Pau Gasol, and Paul’s former team, the New Orleans Hornets Luis Scola, Lamar Odom, and Kevin Martin, was that the Lakers would have received the best player in the deal, plus gained salary cap relief, presumably so they can sign other players.

As one of the owners of the Hornets, the league owns the team currently, Gilbert has a stake in the negotiations.  And as someone who wants competitive balance for the smaller markets, he certainly was not in favor of the Lakers getting the best of both worlds. 

The Lakers want to get Paul, so they can make a run at another title before Kobe Bryant’s age becomes a factor?  Great, but they should have to pay for that privilege with a luxury tax bill.  Also, being over the cap would restrict them from getting another great player, like Orlando’s Dwight Howard, the best big man in the game, and a supposed target of the purple and gold.

In reading Gilbert’s email, which by the way, was sent to Stern and deputy commissioner Adam Silver, so it was leaked to the media by someone, he doesn’t say the trade shouldn’t happen, simply that the Lakers should have to either A). give up more or B). take a bad contract back. 

San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said the same thing a few years ago when LA sent a load of garbage (although Marc Gasol turned out to be a good player, he wasn’t on the Lakers roster) to Memphis for Pau Gasol.  Popovich said something to the effect that his team would like to make one of those trades where he gives up nothing and gets a real good player.

For all the criticism taken by Gilbert nationally, his comments were well received in Cleveland.  He is regarded as an owner that has the fans’ back, and will rail against things that aren’t fair. 

Some will say he has a massive ego, and likes to hear himself talk.  Others will make the crazy comment that no free agent will want to play here because of him.

First, the Cavs had  arguably the best player in the sport, and no one came here, and second, the ownership in Milwaukee and Indiana aren’t as high-profile as Gilbert, and no one is signing there either.

It’s just another case of ESPN and the national media kicking Cleveland like the soccer ball they are forcing down everyone’s throats.  They want people to feel sorry for us, and apparently having Dan Gilbert as an owner is just another reason to do that. 

Guess what.  For the most part, Dan Gilbert has shown he is one of us.  He thinks the NBA is turning into a league in which most of the teams can’t compete for a title.  If it doesn’t watch out, in 20 years, the association will have six teams, and it will be regarded as a regional sport.

JK

At some point, the Cleveland Browns have to start winning in their division.  You can’t make the playoffs unless you can be competitive in the AFC North, which features two of the NFL’s best teams over the past decade or so, the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

With another loss to the latter tonight, Pat Shurmur’s crew is now 0-4 against the division this season, and haven’t defeated either Baltimore or Pittsburgh since 2009. 

They do still have two chance left this season.

What was particularly frustrating tonight was the Browns actually had a few things go their way, and they still scored just three points.

Cleveland came out hot, with QB Colt McCoy throwing the ball downfield, with big completions to TE Evan Moore and Josh Cribbs to give the brown and orange a first down on the Steelers’ 5 yard line. 

On second down, it appeared McCoy scored on a scramble, but was ruled inches short.  Being that close to the end zone, the next play screamed for a quarterback sneak.  Instead, a handoff to Peyton Hillis resulted in a two yard loss, and the 4-8 Browns decided to kick a field goal. 

Why not go for it in that situation?  Shurmur had everything to gain and nothing to lose by going for it.

After Phil Dawson made the field goal, the Steelers went through the Cleveland defense easily and took a 7-3 lead.

On the next possession, McCoy threw downfield again, this time hitting Mohammed Massaquoi for 25 yards.  However, after McCoy threw an interception on Cleveland’s third possession, the downfield throws sort of disappeared and the short passing game returned.

The Browns didn’t get near the end zone again until late in the fourth quarter, and that possession ended in another pick for McCoy.

The Steelers turned the ball over three times compared to Cleveland’s two, but the Browns couldn’t take advantage of any of the Pittsburgh miscues, following one up with McCoy’s first interception, and the other with a drive that stalled after the passer was sacked.

During the latter drive, Cleveland picked up a first down on a 3rd and 20 situation with a beautiful inside handoff to RB Chris Ogbonnaya, who ran for 28 yards.  He carried just once more all night.

That’s puzzling, because even though he was picked up during the season as a free agent, the former Texas Longhorn has had two of the three best running days of the year for the Browns.  His last start, he gained 115 yards, and has carried the ball just six times since that game. 

The Browns even forced Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger out of the game with an ankle injury, and even though he returned after halftime, he couldn’t move.  He still managed to hit 16 of 21 for 281 yards on the night. 

Dick Jauron’s defense was once again hurt by the ground game, giving up 147 yards on an average of 5.2 per carry.  But the usually reliable pass defense struggled, allowing 269 yards, including 79 on the game clinching TD pass to Antonio Brown on a play that CB Joe Haden was burned.

Too often, CB Sheldon Brown was matched up against the fleet Mike Wallace, who caught 4 balls for 57 yards.  Even non-football fans would think that’s a bad match up.

The highlight for the defense was a goal line stand in the 4th quarter in which LB Chris Gocong made it his business to keep Rashard Mendenhall out of the end zone on four tries. 

Another curious decision late in the game from Shurmur was on his use of McCoy.  The signal caller left the game for a couple of plays after a helmet to helmet shot by renown head hitter LB James Harrison.  Seneca Wallace came in and hit Moore for a first down on the Pittsburgh 5. 

However, Shurmur put McCoy back in the game after that play.  The interception which decided the game came three plays later.  Should Wallace have stayed in after the completion?  There would have been no second guessing if he had.

This much is certain, you won’t win many games scoring three points. 

With the Browns struggling to score, maybe players like Ogbonnaya, Moore, and Jordan Norwood should be playing more.  And staying with the downfield throws wouldn’t be a bad thing either.

JD

 

When Mike Holmgren was named the president of the Cleveland Browns two years ago, the move was applauded by football fans in northeast Ohio. 

Finally, a football man was in charge of the organization.  Not a public relations guy like Carmen Policy, or a marketing guru like John Collins.  Holmgen had a pedigree.  He was an assistant coach under Bill Walsh with the San Francisco 49ers.  He was the head coach of a Super Bowl champion, the Brett Favre led Green Bay Packers.

He took another team with a forlorn past, the Seattle Seahawks to their one and only Super Bowl appearance.  He was a football lifer.  Finally, Cleveland had someone in charge who got it.

Holmgren may succeed here in time, but right now, Browns’ fans are angry.  They are hungry for a winner, and don’t seem any closer to having one than the day The Big Show began his tenure here.

Browns’ supporters are impatient.  They have seen just two winning seasons since returning to the NFL in 1999, and prior to that, had just one playoff appearance since the halcyon days of Bernie Kosar, Kevin Mack, Clay Matthews, Hanford Dixon, and Frank Minnifield.

In other words, in the last 21 years, the Cleveland Browns, once the NFL’s headlining franchise, has made two playoff appearances.

The fans want to have hope, they want to see progress.  That’s what the folks in Berea aren’t getting.  Right now, this franchise, or better, this administration isn’t giving the fans hope.

Yes, there has been a talent infusion from the Eric Mangini days, when the roster was filled with aging veterans and good special team players.  GM Tom Heckert was brought in guys like CB Joe Haden, DT Phil Taylor, and DE Jabaal Sheard with his last two drafts, and there are other players who make contributions from time to time as well, but the closest thing to an impact player is Haden.

Colt McCoy was drafted in the third round in 2010, but right now, the best thing anyone can say about him is that he hasn’t shown he can’t be “the guy”.  Too much around him has failed to make any further judgment. 

At this point though, the people of Cleveland thought they would see progress, and that is measured in professional sports by wins and losses.  Most think it will be difficult for the Browns to win more than the one game it would take this season to better the last two season’s 5-11 mark. 

Browns die hards aren’t particularly demanding, heck, a 6-10 or 7-9 record would have been cause for tremendous optimism going into the 2012. 

That doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.

Instead, people have been treated to dismal performances like this past Sunday, when the Baltimore Ravens, yes, the team that Art Modell stole from the fans, came in the punched the Browns in the face.  Repeatedly.

Two days from now, Cleveland travels to Pittsburgh to play the hated Steelers, whose fans have infiltrated our city, and will likely endure the same fate. 

It’s getting too much to take. 

Browns fans just want to be proud of their football team, and right now, that’ s a very difficult thing to do.  Touchdowns come seemingly with the frequency of Halley’s Comet.  Excitement for the game usually ends in the middle of the first quarter when the first pass is dropped, or the initial dumb penalty is called against the team.

Mike Holmgren and Tom Heckert are probably doing the correct things to build a football organization that will be more than a one year flash in the pan, like the 10-6 Browns of 2007. 

Still, it would go a long way for the city and the fans to see some sort of progress before this season is over.

MW

Sitting down to write down thoughts on today’s 24-10 Browns’ loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, I wanted to talk about the positives.

Rookie DE Jabaal Sheard had six tackles, including a sack which caused a fumble by Ravens’ QB Joe Flacco that was recovered by Cleveland. 

And there were no bad snaps from new long snapper Christian Yount. 

That’s about it.

The Browns were completely dominated by the Baltimore ground game, which outgained the Cleveland offense by itself, 290 to 233.  The biggest question for Ravens’ coach John Harbaugh was why his team even tried to pass.  Putting the ball in the air was doing the Browns a favor.

Back in the 1960’s Plain Dealer sports editor Hal Lebovitz used to talk about “zero defects” when Cleveland went into a playoff game.  Eliminate errors and you have a chance to win.

These Browns shoot themselves in the foot more times than Yosemite Sam.  It’s constant and after 12 games, it doesn’t appear to be getting any better.

On the team’s first offensive play, QB Colt McCoy threw a pass for WR Greg Little, who promptly dropped it.

Later in the first quarter, one of the few receivers who have been catching the ball, Jordan Norwood, caught a pass for a first down, and then flipped the ball (probably unintentionally) at Ravens’ DB Bernard Pollard, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, costing the team 15 yards.

The defense was giving up yardage in large chunks to RB Ray Rice, who gained 204 yards in 29 carries, including a 30-yard jolt on the first play from scrimmage for the Ravens.

Dick Jauron’s unit has generally played well this season, keeping the Browns in games, but you have to wonder why halftime is needed to make an adjustment to stop the run.  Opponents are running the ball at ease right out the gate. 

It was if the Ravens said to themselves, Cleveland can’t stop the run and can’t handle good tight ends, so that’s what we will do.  And they did that over and over again.

Offensively, Pat Shurmur came out mixing the run and the pass, and on their first drive, Peyton Hillis ran the ball effectively.  In the first half, Hillis had 10 carries.  He had two more the rest of the game.

That would be understandable if the Ravens were winning at the half 24-0, but it was only 10-0.  At halftime, it was noted that the Browns had to continue to run the football.  They had just four planned runs the balance of the game.

That’s horrific play calling by Shurmur, who can’t seem to stop himself from throwing the football.  The one-dimensional attack doesn’t work for the Browns, and it doesn’t work for McCoy, who averaged less than five yards per attempt once again.

The Browns best chance to win was to pound the ball and control the clock, and their coach chose to stop running for no good reason.

Once again, whether or not McCoy in the Browns’ QB of the future is up for debate, but there is no question the dropped passes are killing the attack.  Usually reliable Benjamin Watson dropped a couple, and Evan Moore, who later caught a TD pass, dropped one that could have put the Browns within three at 10-7 following the fumble caused by Sheard.

In fact, the Browns bad hands aren’t limited to receivers.  In the first half, CB Sheldon Brown dropped an interception, a possible pick six after a Flacco pass was deflected may a lineman.

And of course, no Cleveland game would be complete without a special teams gaffe.  This week, it was a 68-yard punt return by Lardarius Webb, making it 24-3 Baltimore.

Problems with this unit continue to pop up every week, and it makes fans just shake their collective heads.

There simply isn’t any part of this team that it doing well right now.  And after three-quarters of the season, people have every right to expect improvement from this football team.

No one was expecting a playoff appearance, and the most realistic fans didn’t think a .500 season was possible. 

However, seeing the same things, the same mistakes that is, out of the Browns week after week is getting old. 

Mike Holmgren can’t fault anyone for being sick of it.

JD

The NBA lockout ended last weekend and fans of the sport should be rejoicing, and many are, anxious to get their pro hoops itch scratched.

However, there are others who aren’t so thrilled, present company included.

Why?  You may ask.

Because the ink on the deal isn’t even dried yet, and already we have been greeted with rumors of deals sending more top flite players to big market teams.

Dwight Howard to New Jersey?  Chris Paul to Boston or New York?

Meet the new NBA, same as the old NBA.

In time, the new CBA may take care of these situations, since some of luxury tax rules don’t take effect for two years, but why should fans in smaller markets be excited that the season will resume on Christmas Day?

The people who are thrilled are mostly the star chasers, the people who can’t be without their fix of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Howard, etc.

That’s one of the reasons that people said the league was healthy, the TV ratings are good.  That’s because the games broadcast on the national networks feature teams that have the superstar players. 

The casual fans turn in to watch the spectacular plays.

So, things may even out some time, but until that happens we may find two more “superteams” forming which isn’t good for competitive balance.

That being said, Cleveland basketball fans will soon get their first look at rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson very soon.

These two players will be the cornerstone of the rebuilding process the franchise is undertaking since the teams that had the best regular record in the league two straight years was destroyed.

These Cavs will be young, for the most part, although they will likely still have Baron Davis around to provide veteran leadership, at least at the start of the season. 

If Davis plays well, he could be a nice trade chip come deadline time.

What is surprising is the word that the wine and gold have interest in bringing back veteran swingman Anthony Parker. 

Yes, Parker has been around for a while, but his game did drop off, particularly defensively, from his first year with the team, and he is 36 years old. 

It seems the Cavs would be better off letting him go elsewhere, and giving his time to younger players for evaluation purposes.

Another question will be whether the front office will use the “amnesty” clause to rid themselves of a bad contract on the salary cap.

Antawn Jamison could be a candidate to be let go, since the Cavs would like to get a good look at Omri Casspi and Thompson at the forward spots, but early indications are GM Chris Grant would be more inclined to look for a trade later in the year involving the veteran.

Having Davis and Jamison, two vets who still can play, are yet another reason why there is light at the end of the tunnel for the Cavs.  Besides, Irving and Thompson, there is the opportunity to get more draft picks, which will add to the rebuilding process.

If the Cavs do sign any free agents, they likely will be complementary pieces at this time.

The concern is whether or not this new CBA will make a difference for teams like the Cavaliers.  Once fans begin to realize there is no chance to win a title, will there be any interest in the team. 

Right now, NBA fans have more interest in players.  That’s not a good sign going forward for the league.  It’s a mess David Stern created for the NBA.

JK

Over the summer, there were several reports that the Cleveland Browns were interested in QB Kevin Kolb, then of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Those rumors came from people who don’t think Colt McCoy was or is capable of being a good starting quarterback in the NFL.  Those opinions were obviously preconceived because we pointed out that Kolb’s stats were really no different from what the former Longhorn accomplished with the Browns last season.

Now that McCoy has made 19 NFL starts, more than a full season worth, what do we know about the third round draft pick from the 2010 draft?

His yards per attempt is down from 7.1 last year to 5.93 this season.  Obviously, this is due to the number of short passes featured by the team early in the season.

Those shorter throws make McCoy’s completion percentage a bit troubling.  It has dropped from 60.8% in ’10 to 58.5% in 2011.  You would think the shorter throws would result in more completions.

Of course, the fact that Browns’ receivers lead the NFL in dropped passes doesn’t help this statistic.

However, a closer look at the numbers show the yards per attempt has been on the way up.  In four of his last five games, that figure has been over 6.64 yards per throw. 

So, there has been improvement from the quarterback as he becomes more comfortable with Pat Shurmur’s system.  That’s really all you can expect at this point.

One statistic that has shown improvement from his rookie year is his touchdown to interception ratio.  In 2010, McCoy threw six TD’s and nine completions to the opponents.

This year, that stat has improved to 13 scoring tosses compared to just eight picks.

Since the Browns just finished playing Cincinnati, many people compare McCoy with another young passer from Texas, the Bengals’ Andy Dalton.

Dalton has hit 60.1% of his passes and has an average of 6.91 yards per attempt.  He’s fired 16 TD passes while throwing 12 interceptions.

Outside of the yards per pass, and remember that McCoy’s figure last year was better than Dalton’s, the stats aren’t much different from the rookie from TCU.

And you have to consider that Dalton throws to a pair of first round draft picks in WR A.J. Green and TE Jermaine Gresham.

Dalton converted three huge pass plays last Sunday, and all three were throws where both of those players went up and made great catches. 

Right now, McCoy doesn’t have anyone like that to throw to.

As for the leadership quality, you constantly hear the Browns’ veteran praising the young QB’s toughness and leadership on a week to week basis.

After the victory over Jacksonville, a number of players said McCoy’s mantra all week was “just get it done”.

So, where does this leave us in the process of evaluating Colt McCoy?

Unfortunately, pretty much the same as at the end of last season.  We just don’t know.

What can be said is that McCoy hasn’t shown that he can’t be a winning quarterback in the NFL. 

Over the past five weeks, he has looked more like the player he was as a rookie.  He has seemed less robotic, less mechanical, and he is going out there and just playing football.

The running game has been better over that period of time with both Chris Ogbonnaya and Peyton Hillis giving defenses something else to think about.

It also probably means GM Tom Heckert will not be looking for another passer in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Right now, we don’t know much more than we knew going into the season about Colt McCoy.

JD

 

At halftime, things looked pretty good for the Cleveland Browns.  They were leading 17-7  on the road, and they were moving the football on offense pretty easily.

Unfortunately for Pat Shurmur, there were still 15 minutes to play and the Cincinnati Bengals made adjustments defensively and made enough plays on offense to defeat the Browns 23-20. 

The biggest play of the game came with a little over tw0 minutes remaining when Bengal QB Andy Dalton hit rookie WR A.J. Green for 51 yards to the Cleveland 3.  Green made a tremendous leaping catch over CB Joe Haden as Dalton threw it just before getting leveled by DT Ahtyba Rubin. 

The Browns were that close to getting the ball back with a chance to win or at the very least, force overtime.

Meanwhile, Cleveland rookie wideout Greg Little, scored a touchdown, but dropped several passes including ones on the last two drives for the Browns.

RB Peyton Hillis made a surprise return and paced a ground attack that netted 4.5 yards per carry.  However, it seemed as though Shurmur was too quick to go away from the run in the second half.  Cleveland had several 2nd and short situations after first down carries by Hillis, but went to the passing game rather than batter the Cincinnati defense with the run.

Sensing the Browns’ willingness to put the ball in the air, the Bengals were able to pressure McCoy with just four defensive linemen, forcing the Cleveland QB into hurried, inaccurate throws.

McCoy would up under 50% for the game, hitting just 16 of 34 throws for 151 yards with 2 touchdowns and a bad interception which cost Cleveland three points. 102 of the yards came in the first half.

This is not to stick up for the young quarterback or right him off as nothing more than a journeyman, but he needs an offense clicking on all cylinders to be effective at this time.

The stat that stands out the most in this contest was the number of passing yards and the number of yards per passing play.  The Bengals threw for 257 yards, an average of 7.8 per pass.  The Browns gained 140 yards through the air, getting just half of Cincy’s total, 3.9 yards per play.

And the biggest gains by the Bengals were passes thrown up in the air by Dalton with receivers making plays. 

The second touchdown drive by Cincinnati featured two such plays, a 35-yard throw to Green and the 22-yard pass to TE Jermaine Gresham which resulted in the score.  Neither play was any complex pattern, it was a matter of throwing the ball in the air and having receivers who can go get it.

The same was true on the biggest play of the game, which set up the winning field goal.

Right now, the Browns don’t have anyone like that on their roster.  And today, the contrast between Green and Little was astounding.  This isn’t to say Little won’t be a very good NFL receiver.  He just isn’t a play maker at this point.

And what Browns game would be complete without a special teams gaffe. 

Long snapper Ryan Pontbriand rolled another snap back to Brad Maynard on Phil Dawson’s attempt for a 55-yard kick which would have given Cleveland the lead with under two minutes to go.

Whether the attempt was ill-advised or not, Shurmur might have been better off punting into the wind and making the Bengals drive a long field to win the game, the poor snapping has been a recurring thing all season.  A former Pro Bowl snapper, Pontbriand is not having a good year.

The Browns don’t have enough talent to overcome what is becoming a weekly special teams problem.  And they aren’t getting any big plays from this unit either. 

Still, progress was shown today.  But a loss is still a loss, and the Browns are now sitting at 4-7 with the Ravens and Steelers on the slate the next two games.  Real progress is shown in the win column.

JD

A little over a week from now, baseball’s winter meeting will start.  December 5th to be exact.  That setting is usually the place where a lot of trade discussion occurs and many free agents agree to deals.

So far, the Cleveland Indians have added to their starting rotation by getting Derek Lowe from the Braves, and they resigned Grady Sizemore to a one year deal.

The $5 million guaranteed to Sizemore is too much money, by the way, based on the outfielders” performance over the past three years.  Giving him a little less would give GM Chris Antonetti more cash to fill other needs.

In interviews, Antonetti indicated that Sizemore will play CF most of the games.  Of course, the number of games played should depend on his production, because if he’s hitting like he did after May of last season, Manny Acta cannot continue to write his name in the lineup.

As for the position he has and will continue to play, why wouldn’t the Indians move him to LF to take some stress off his ailing knees.  There is no question that Sizemore’s defense in the middle of the outfield was not up to past performances.

It seems like although he has struggled with both injuries and production the last three seasons, Cleveland is overlooking that and is returning him to favored status within the organization.

Let’s say right now, that is a big mistake.  Anything Grady Sizemore gives the Indians in 2012 should be looked at as a bonus.  They should continue to construct their team for next year as if he will not be healthy once again.

There is no question the Tribe needed help in the rotation, so getting Lowe addresses one area that needed upgrading.  However, the Indians still need a right-handed bat, preferably a 1B/DH type, so keeping Sizemore did nothing for that spot.

Since the free agent budget is probably limited (the Tribe isn’t signing Albert Pujols),  many are figuring the team will be looking for a platoon like player, such as Andruw Jones or Derrick Lee, older players with limited skills.  We’ve seen this before, trying to fix a problem with two players, and it hasn’t worked.  Remember the LF combination of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels?

To get a quality right-handed stick, it is more likely that Antonetti will have to make a trade.  The Tribe’s farm system has been stripped bare at the top levels. but it still has some depth in the bullpen, where Nick Hagadone, Zach Putman, and C.C. Lee are ready to compete for spots on the big league roster.

We have said before that the biggest trade chip the Indians have may be closer Chris Perez.  Now, it may seem like heresy to deal a closer with more than 30 saves in 2011, but you have to be concerned with Perez’ declining strikeout rate, which dropped from one per inning in 2010 to about 2/3 per frame in ’11.

Besides, it looks like Vinnie Pestano can assume the closer duties.  He whiffed 84 batters in just 62 innings, and has been a closer in the minors.  And if he doesn’t take to the new role, remember what former Tribe GM John Hart said about closers.  It was something to the effect that they fall out of trees.

Other bullpen candidates to be dealt are southpaws Tony Sipp or Rafael Perez with Hagadone ready for a steady big league job, and sidearmer Joe Smith, who had by far his best year in 2011. 

Sipp has the better strikeout rate, but gives up many more home runs (10) than does R. Perez (2).  Smith went from being a guy with an ERA around 3.50 to a 2.01 mark last season.  It’s always good to trade somebody off a career year.

The front office knows it can’t stop right now and expect to contend in the AL Central next season.  In the next month or so, we should have a good idea if the Cleveland Indians have addressed the things they need to in order to get back to the post-season.

MW

Any day now, the Cleveland Indians are expected to sign free agent Grady Sizemore to a one year deal, based heavily on incentives.

It appears to be a feel good story, as Sizemore returns to the Tribe for at least one more year.

There are a variety of reasons as to why the centerfielder is returning.  Perhaps he isn’t healthy yet to show what he still can do to other teams. 

Maybe he feels bad that he couldn’t perform to the level he established over the last three seasons, and felt compelled to make it up to an organization who has treated him well over the years.

On the surface, it’s a good low-risk move by GM Chris Antonetti.  He’s taking a chance that Sizemore will return to an all-star type player, and not spending a lot of money if it doesn’t work out.

However, there are other things to consider about this move.

First of all, the Indians cannot approach this off-season counting on Sizemore, or Travis Hafner for that matter.  These two players have to be treated as a bonus if they provide any production.

The front office must continue to approach the rest of the off-season as if Sizemore is not on the roster, and that they need someone to fill in at DH for at least part of the season.

Secondly, the ballclub cannot give Sizemore the preferential treatment he received as the team’s best player from 2005-09.  That is to say, the leadoff spot is no longer his. 

He should bat further down in the order, taking advantage of the one thing he did at times last season, and that is get extra base hits.  Even with his .224 batting average last season, he still slugged at .422.

His on base percentage hasn’t been over the .350 mark, decent for a leadoff hitter, since ’08.  The rest of the order shouldn’t depend on Grady Sizemore at the top of the order.

The Tribe also could have a potential problem if Sizemore doesn’t return to his halcyon days.  How long does Manny Acta stay with the former all-star if the middle of May arrives, and he’s hitting .230 and striking out a lot?

The Indians may not be in a position to let him continue to play if he’s not producing.  The front office has signaled, with the trades for Ubaldo Jimenez and Derek Lowe, that they are in it to win it in 2012. 

They can’t have that attitude weighed down if one of their regulars isn’t hitting.

The team must see a change in Sizemore’s approach at the plate too.  Perhaps it is because of the injuries to his legs, but he has become a pull hitter who strikes out way too much.

Sizemore is too talented a player, when healthy, to settle for this type of approach.  He should be looking to take outside pitches the opposite way to get base hits. 

The terms of the agreement haven’t been announced as of yet, but it will be interesting to see if a club option is involved for 2013.

If Sizemore does show flashes of his previous form, shouldn’t the Indians get the first shot at keeping him?

Would the Tribe have been better served cutting their ties with the centerfielder?  Only time will tell, but it’s not as simple as getting back the Grady Sizemore who played here before 2009.

MW