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by rusty2
But clearly, the Indians didn't get enough at the deadline, even though they really tried very hard and even though they traded with the Cubs for outfielder Kosuke Fukudome. The Indians had interest in Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, but he said he wouldn't approve a trade to Cleveland because he was more comfortable staying in the National League (he was dealt to the Giants). They actively pursued A's outfielder Josh Willingham, but the asking price was way too high (Willingham stayed in Oakland). They went aggressively after Padres outfielder Ryan Ludwick, but the Padres wouldn't make the trade without Taiwanese right-handed pitcher Chen-Chang Lee (currently at Triple-A Columbus) in the deal, and the Indians said no (Ludwick went to Pittsburgh).
Now the Indians are left with an offense that has struggled mightily since the 30-15 start. And that offense likely will continue to labor without injured outfielders Shin-Soo Choo and Grady Sizemore, who are out for another three weeks and a month, respectively. Acta recently spoke to some of his veteran hitters -- there aren't many of them; Hafner is one -- and told them that the team needs even more out of them. The Indians have two good young hitters in 24-year-old second baseman Jason Kipnis ("He's a tough kid, a real grinder," Acta said) and 21-year-old third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall ("Look at that short stoke he has, he has a great swing," Acta said), but flipping those guys into the middle of a pennant race and asking them to produce might be too much to ask of two players so young.
It is clear that the only way the Indians are going to pass the Tigers and hold off the White Sox and Twins in the AL Central is to outpitch everyone. And Jimenez at least gives them a chance. Half the people you talk to believe Jimenez is still an ace despite his drop in velocity from 96 to 93 mph in the past year or so. The other half are suspicious about why the Rockies would trade an ace, believing that something must be wrong with him. Physically, there doesn't appear to be, although at least one team (the Yankees) was worried enough about Jimenez's health that it wanted him to take a physical before it agreed to a trade, a request the Rockies denied. There is mild concern that Jimenez's delivery is so complicated, being able to repeat it has been difficult, and will continue to be.
Scott Van Pelt
Indians DH Travis Hafner shares his thoughts on Asdrubal Cabrera, Cleveland's push for the postseason, the Ubaldo Jimenez trade, the AL Central and more.
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The Rockies traded him mainly because they badly underachieved this season and, as a mid-market team, they can't plan things year-to-year; they have to do so in three-year blocks. And that's where White and Pomeranz come in. Way down the list of reasons the Rockies were willing to deal Jimenez was that earlier this year, very briefly, Jimenez pouted about not getting a contract extension. He put himself above the team -- again, very briefly -- and that violated the extremely high standards set by the Rockies.
Now the expectations are high for Jimenez in Cleveland. We blast teams for not doing enough at the trade deadline, and some have blasted the Indians for doing too much, taking too big a risk for a rebuilding team, at the deadline. This trade can't be evaluated for another two years until we see how Jimenez does in Cleveland, and how White and Pomeranz do in Colorado. The evaluation process will begin Friday night in Texas when Jimenez will make his first start as a member of the Indians. Rest assured that he won't have someone warming up next to him.
Tim Kurkjian is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. His book "Is This a Great Game, or What?" was published by St. Martin's Press and is available in paperback. Click here to order a copy.
Follow Tim Kurkjian on Twitter: @Kurkjian_ESPN