Good Wood and Other Tribe Tidbits

Reports are swirling about from MLB's Winter Meetings that the Indians are closing in on a deal with pitcher Kerry Wood for two years with an option for a third year. My initial reaction to the news - why not push harder for Trevor Hoffman?

Baseball fans know about Wood's impressive start to his career and the subsequent battles with injuries. With the Tribe having limited funds to commit to signing players, there remains little room for mistakes in the team's offseason decision making (see the success stories of Jorge Julio, Roberto Hernandez, and David Dellucci).

Wood did find success in his first year as a closer with a record 5-4, converting 34 saves in 40 opportunities for the Cubs. And in his career, opponents have hit a mere .214 off Wood and as he has averaged 10.4 strikeouts per 9 innings.

However, in deciding between Wood, Hoffman or the incumbent Jensen Lewis, Hoffman seems to provide the greatest reward versus the least amount of risk. Though Lewis proved some much needed "relief" from the early season closer woes the Indians experienced, those in charged have clearly indicated that they don't feel comfortable handing him the reigns. Unlike Wood who has had only one season of success, Hoffman has a proven track record, saving over 30 games 13 of the last 14 seasons. And though there might be concern about Hoffman's age (41) and the miles on his arm (he did have the highest ERA he's had in ten plus seasons) he still kept his WHIP right around 1.00 and struck about a batter an inning last year.

Hoffman would probably want less money and years than Wood, who might be attempting to cash in on one year of being healthy. This might be Wood's last chance to receive a big payday before another inevitable injury happens. When playing with limited funds and a slim margin for errors, I'd prefer for Wood to be someone else's headache. Between a former phenom turned full-time hospital patient or a steady everyman - I'd make a strong play for Hoffman.

In other Tribe news:

• The Beard will not be returning, as Casey Blake has signed a three year $17 million deal to stay with the Dodgers. I always felt that Casey was under appreciated in his role as a super utility man with the Tribe, filling whatever position opened on the field. I think the Dodgers are a bit crazy for giving Casey a three-year deal, but wish him all the best.

• Could the Indians look to Furcal to solve their hole in the infield? Yes please.
  

• Say goodbye to Tom Mastny as the Indians sold his contract to the Yokohama Bay Stars. Mastny didn't really figure to have any sort of impact on the Tribe's bullpen this year, and if his departure opens the door for a younger arm with more potential - I'm sure they won't have any problem improving upon his 10.80 ERA from last season. Though, I don't know who will fill the Steve Stifler look alike role (maybe Shin-Soo Choo?)
  

Read the rest of this article

C.C. Trade Complete: Tribe Gets Brantley

A day after C.C. Sabathia once again reminded the world that is he not a big game pitcher (his career postseason ERA is 7.92), the Indians and the Milwaukee Brewers have completed their trade with the Tribe selecting outfielder/first baseman Michael Brantley.

Though most thought the selection would come down to Brantley and Taylor Green (2b/3b), I, for one, am thrilled at the selection of Brantley. Brantley has all the peripherals of a player primed to succeed at the major league level. His father, Mickey Brantley, is a former major leaguer who played four seasons with the Mariners in the late eighties. The lefthander hit .319 with 80 runs, 17 doubles, two triples, four homers and 40 RBI in 106 for Class AA Huntsville this year. He also stole 28 bases in 36 attempts and had 50 walks against only 27 strikeouts. Perhaps most impressively, Brantley has a minor league career .399 OBP. For comparison, Shin-Soo Choo led the Indians this year with a .397 OBP mark, and only three players in the American League had a better OBP. Baseball America has rated Brantley as having the best strike zone judgment and the best base running skills in the Southern League.

Brantley has the potential to become the prototypical leadoff hitter the Tribe has lacked since the likes of Kenny Lofton. Though it appears as if Brantley might be headed to Akron to start the season with the reemergence of Trevor Crowe this year, it is quite possible that we might see Brantley patrolling the outfield as early as the end of next season. (Edit: When asked how close he is to helping the Indians, Shapiro said, "He'll determine his own pace, but he'll be in Triple-A. That's an indication that he's not that far away."- from the Plain Dealer ) Placing Brantley in the leadoff spot of the lineup would finally allow the shift of Grady Sizemore down to the third spot, taking advantage of Brantley's high OBP numbers and Grady's power bat. Having Brantley in the outfield would also allow a shift of Matt LaPorta, the main player of the C.C. trade, to first base.

As shown by Billy Beane in Moneyball, taking pitches, having a great awareness of the strike zone and a high OBP are some of the most important traits a player can posses. If Brantley continues at the same rate as his minor league numbers project, the C.C. trade could become this generation's Bartolo Colon deal. Read the rest of this article

Here, in Cleveland? I didn't know we still had a team

Yes, the Indians are still playing ball, at least until today. The Tribe closed out an interesting year with a 5-1 loss to the White Sox. With future Cy Young winner Cliff Lee nursing an injury, Orel Hershiser, er, make that Bryan Bullington took the mound for the Indians.

The kid didn't pitch too badly, calling upon his inner-Bulldog to hold the Chi-Sox to 2 earned runs in 5 innings. That's pretty good for a guy who was recently cut by the perennial cellar dwelling Pittsburgh Pirate organization. Hopefully, one day, he'll become the player he was meant to be as the number 1 overall pick in the 2002 draft. Unfortunately, I don't think he'll be in the bigs next April. And that is what this season became about early, next season.

So what did this season teach us about next season?

1) Andy Marte is a bust. 80 games and he struggled to reach a .221 average. The biggest concern is his lack of power, which was much more prevalent in the minors than his batting average. 3 home runs just won't cut it for a third baseman. At 24 years old, he still has time to get better. But with no more options, are the Indians willing to wait to find out?

2) Shin-Soo Choo is a ball player. 94 games and a .309 average, easily tops on the team. This was a refreshing change to the .240 averages put up by his outfield predecessors Guterriez, Dellucci, Michaels. His development also provides solid insurance for the organization in case corner outfielder of the future not named LaPorta, Trevor Crowe, is unable to develop into a major league talent.

3) Jeremy Sowers is done. After two straight seasons with an E.R.A. over 5.53, Sowers has fallen too far down the depth chart of young starting pitchers. We should see a rotation next year of Lee, Carmona, Reyes, Laffey, and Scott Lewis. Westbrook will find a way into the rotation at some point mid-season following his rehab. Of course, if superstud Adam Miller can go 2 weeks without a blister, he might finally get a chance in the bigs.

4) Jensen Lewis might be a good closer, possibly, perhaps. 13 saves in 14 chances is promising, but so was 10 wins in 15 starts last season for Derek Anderson. After a horrendous June and July where he had E.R.A.s of 6.00 and 6.97, Lewis settled down and had E.R.A.s of 3.38 and 1.00 in August and September. Not surprisingly, 12 out of his 13 saves came during August and September. And at only 24 years old, Lewis has his best years ahead of him.

So here's to the summer of 2008, as it leads us to the summer of 2009.

Read the rest of this article