Cleveland Sports Forum

Tribe Fan in SC/Cali wrote:

Charlie T. wrote:I assume the disqualified list--I hadn't heard of it either--is a mechanism by which a team can get around having to pay a guy for a self-inflicted injury, or an injury incurred while engaging in behavior prohibited by one's contract. He had been sent back to the minors, but the injury technically happened Friday when he was still with the team, so this also is a way to keep Hagadone from drawing a major league salary while he's on a major league disabled list.

If he broke bones, his season is over. Idiot.

I'm still steaming over Kellen Winslow and his "crotch rocket" motorcycle debacle that cost him and fans a season....and he still got paid.

The one Tribe-related one I remember was Matt Whitney, the draftee who was never the same after breaking his leg chasing after a basketball while killing time in spring training. The Indians apparently gave some thought to challenging his signing bonus on the grounds that he should have been more careful, but decided against it.

I never did understand why the Browns went so easy on Winslow, but over the years that's an organization that has just loved spending money on people who no longer work for them.

I have heard of players hurting themselves in the dugout or clubhouse and looking pretty stupid, but I dont think I have heard of their salary being eliminated. What did Hagadone hit? Something really expensive? A coaches jaw?

I think he must have hit something in a public place. That is, there was no denying that he had done it to himself. That is, he could not get away with saying he had been washing his truck.

I had demoted Hagadone twice already, pre-injury. He was totally out of synch and needed some time in AAA to get back to his game. Now we won't see him this year apparently

Hags looked pretty good for awhile before the wheels started to wobble. Dumb-ass thing to do, hasn't he ever seen Bull Durham?

Charlie T. wrote:
The one Tribe-related one I remember was Matt Whitney, the draftee who was never the same after breaking his leg chasing after a basketball while killing time in spring training. The Indians apparently gave some thought to challenging his signing bonus on the grounds that he should have been more careful, but decided against it.

I never did understand why the Browns went so easy on Winslow, but over the years that's an organization that has just loved spending money on people who no longer work for them.

I remember Bake McBride missing most of a season 30 years ago after getting something in his eye....or something similar. We traded Sid Monge for him. Memories.

MtFan wrote:Hags looked pretty good for awhile before the wheels started to wobble. Dumb-ass thing to do, hasn't he ever seen Bull Durham?

He should have just taken a bat to a urinal.

I still want Hagadone on my team. He is an intense competitor and keeps his head in the game. He has good stuff, and will get it figured out. I just hope he's with US, when he does.

I like Hagadone quite a bit and he has closer possibilities. Still haven't heard what injury he caused to himself and how long he'll be gone.

Not sure I agree with this..........

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Michael Weiner, executive director of the players association, said a grievance could be filed over the Indians placing left-hander Nick Hagadone on the minor league disqualified list after he injured his pitching hand following a power performance against Tampa Bay on Friday at Progressive Field.

The Indians said Hagadone suffered a "self-inflicted' injury to his pitching hand after he left the mound. GM Chris Antonetti did not go into detail with reporters, but he said Hagadone suffered the injury because he was angry at his performance and not because he was informed that he was being optioned to the minors.

The Indians sent Hagadone to Class AAA Columbus on Saturday and placed him on the disqualified list Sunday. Hagadone does not get paid or receive major league service time when he's on the disabled list.

"I'm very aware of the matter," said Weiner, to members of the Baseball Writers Association of America on Tuesday. "We've already been in touch with the Commissioner's office about this matter and there's a potential grievance. I don't want to get too much into it."

Weiner said he did not know all the facts, but that union personnel were investigating.

"I will say this, though, there is a long standing precedent in baseball, and arbitration precedent going back to Doyle Alexander, a great player and a great union member, saying that baseball is a very intense game," said Weiner. "And if a player, in the intensity of the moment, makes a mistake and whams his hand against the dugout or a door or does something else, that's a work related injury. That's part of the game.

"Clubs want players to compete, to compete very hard, and sometimes those emotions come out. No player is proud of the fact that he injured himself in that kind of situation. But Nick is not the first player this year, and certainly not the first player in baseball history, who unfortunately suffered that kind of injury."

Weiner said that he hopes that kind of precedent will bring the matter to a quick resolution.

As to Hagadone's salary, Weiner said, "If he's on the minor league disqualified list, the Commissioner's office says he's not getting paid. Now players don't get paid every single day. Players get paid twice a month.

"Nick's next pay check is on July 15. We'll see what Nick gets paid on July 15. If Nick isn't paid what he's supposed to be paid on July 15th. . .we'll have to fight about it."

Weiner added, "Understand that labor peace, doesn't mean we don't have fights. It just means we do it in a professional manner consistent with what our contract says. If we have to have a fight over Nick Hagadone, and I hope we don't, we will."

Hagadone went 1-0 with a 6.39 ERA in 27 games for the Tribe. He struck out 26, walked 15 and allowed 18 earned runs and 26 hits.

I will say this, though, there is a long standing precedent in baseball, and arbitration precedent going back to Doyle Alexander, a great player and a great union member, saying that baseball is a very intense game," said Weiner. "And if a player, in the intensity of the moment, makes a mistake and whams his hand against the dugout or a door or does something else, that's a work related injury. That's part of the game.

Part of the game???

Not part of any game that I know.

seagull wrote:

I will say this, though, there is a long standing precedent in baseball, and arbitration precedent going back to Doyle Alexander, a great player and a great union member, saying that baseball is a very intense game," said Weiner. "And if a player, in the intensity of the moment, makes a mistake and whams his hand against the dugout or a door or does something else, that's a work related injury. That's part of the game.

Part of the game???

Not part of any game that I know.

I had higher than mediocre skills at bowling, and less than mediocre skills at golf.

I won over many when they got p.o.'d at themselves and started hitting, kicking or throwing things.

As they did, I just told myself to focus on what I knew I could do, do it well, and go for the jugular vein.

"Hit it straight"

"Drive for show, putt for dough"

A fool and The Game are soon parted.

After decades of watching professional athletes acting like imbeciles and their teams coddling them-that means you Cleveland Browns see Kellen Winslow I am glad the Dolans finally took a stance. I dont think any contract with the players union allows guys to act like jerks in the clubhouse. My main question is did he damage the furniture and did the tribe sock him with the bill. Good for them if they did. I gotta say one of the dumbest things you say at a ballpark is when some bozo after getting lit up starts throwing around the water cooler. There has got to be some kind of morals clause in these contracts. Start enforcing it. Teams shouldnt be afraid that players wont want to play for them. No one wants to play for whatever peanuts the dolans are handing out anyway.

I dunno, for $400,000/year to play a game I love ... I would sure think about it.

Who's got the Minor League chips to trade?

Contenders who want to improve need to have prospects to offer in return

By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | 07/12/12 10:00 AM ET


Wanting to improve the Major League roster at the Trade Deadline is one thing. Having what it takes to complete a deal to do so is quite another.

Typically, having the right pieces to fill immediate needs comes down to having prospects to offer potential trade partners. While building a farm system is essential for long-term success in that it can feed homegrown players to the big leagues, it's also important so that contending teams have trading chips to use at this time of year.

Some teams currently in contention are better equipped than others to be active between now and the July 31 non-waiver Deadline, especially since most of the sellers in the market figure to be looking for close-to-big-league-ready talent.

With many teams still very much in a race, here's a look at which ones are in the best position to get what they need for the stretch run.

Yankees: New York's challenge will be that the talent at the top of its system -- pitchers Manny Banuelos and Dellin Betances and catcher Austin Romine -- have been hurt or have struggled. There's talent in the lower ranks, namely catcher Gary Sanchez and outfielder Mason Williams, if a team is willing to take on high-end talent that will take longer to develop.

Orioles: It's difficult to imagine Baltimore dealing either of its top two prospects in shortstop Manny Machado or pitcher Dylan Bundy. Middle infielder Jonathan Schoop is their other Top 100 prospect, currently in Double-A.

Rays: Tampa Bay has five prospects in MLB.com's Top 100. Right-hander Chris Archer has already contributed at the big league level, making two starts. Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee is in Double-A. Most of the rest of the Rays' young talent is a little further away.

White Sox: While Chicago's system has been much maligned in recent years, it should be noted that much of the White Sox's current 25-man roster is homegrown.

Indians: A year ago, Cleveland went all-out in trading with Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez. That deal raided the cupboard quite a bit. What talent remains is far away from the big leagues, so don't expect the kind of blockbuster the Indians pulled off a year ago.

Tigers: Detroit made more noise in the free-agent market than it's likely to make this trade season. The Tigers have a few arms at the upper levels, with Jacob Turner, Andy Oliver and Casey Crosby in Triple-A.

Rangers: Texas gave up two Minor League pitchers last year to get Mike Adams from the Padres and there's still talent to choose from in a deep farm system. Eight of the Rangers' Top 10 are in Double-A or higher.

Angels: Like the Tigers, the Angels did most of their work in the offseason via free agency. Shortstop Jean Segura is their lone Top 100 prospect in the Minors, as right-hander Garrett Richards is in the big leagues. Beyond that, there isn't much in the way of impact talent.

Nationals: Hasn't the Nats' farm system done enough, providing high-octane talent to carry them into first place in the National League East? There are no impact players remaining who'd fetch a lot on the trade market, but there is some talent in Double-A that could draw some interest.

Braves: Atlanta managed to get Michael Bourn without giving up any of its upper-tier prospects a year ago. The Braves dealt two pitchers in that deal with Houston and they still have some pitching depth if they decide to go shopping again.

Mets: A year ago, the Mets were sellers and netted right-hander Zack Wheeler from the Giants. Now they're hanging around the NL East lead and could use some of the pitching they've built -- Wheeler, Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia are the organization's top three prospects -- to fetch help, if they're not used to pitch in New York.

Pirates: It's difficult to envision Pittsburgh dealing either of its top two pitching prospects in Jameson Taillon and Gerrit Cole, but they do have some depth in terms of just-about-ready arms to draw from as they try to stay atop the NL Central.

Reds: The system was stripped a bit when they acquired Mat Latos from the Padres during the offseason, so there isn't much to deal from. There is some talent on their Double-A team in Pensacola, so look there for any potential deal fodder.

Cardinals: The Cards have one of the most improved farm systems in baseball with some legitimate prospects at just about every level. How much they are willing to raid it remains to be seen, but they have some options from which to choose.

Dodgers: The strength of the Dodgers' system is pitching and teams are often looking for arms at Deadline time. Eight of Los Angeles' Top 10 prospects are pitchers.

Giants: The Giants sent Wheeler to the Mets to get Carlos Beltran last July and that didn't go so well. This time, they might have more depth in hitters, with eight of their top 10 being position players.