Cleveland Sports Forum

When is the pressor regarding the Seattle signing of Bay?

Cant believe I am able to know these things here in CT. I must be omniscent. Wake me up when this travesty is over. The tribe is really the champion of the look good offer.

We can always resign Hafner and Sizemore and call it a day. Seriously with his budget why does Dolan let these guys waste all his money at the winter meetings. Shapiro and Antonetti can just share a screen and skype if they need to see anyone. I think you can get a screen for around 100$ at Best Buy. As a matter of fact I have an old one lying around the basement if Dolan asks. I would be willing to give it to him.

Everything in Indians land proceeding normally as they collect a lot of second places with their exellent look good offers. Manny is still available. I guess we need to wait until he gets a little older.

Hey does anyone else find Ken M hilarious ?

What, no, just boring you say. Yeah, me too.

The fourth team in some permutations of the blockbuster is the Mariners, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. One official in the talks sees them as the biggest roadblock, as they're unsure whether to move forward and surrender prospects. A source tells Rosenthal the player the Mariners want most in these talks is Derek Holland of the Rangers. Rosenthal says Rangers GM Jon Daniels is driving the trade, "feverishly trying to land" Upton. In the end, the FOX writer says the four-team blockbuster "appears unlikely to happen."


Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/#UKeiELfYOq68tTGc.99

Francona met with the media Wednesday. Here's five key subjects he touched on in the question and answer period:
Q. When you talk to a free agent like Nick Swisher, how do you sell him on coming to the Indians?
A. "I'm not going to talk about specific players. If they want to talk about it, that's their prerogative. In general, when I talk to any player, I always just tell them the truth. I found out that always works out the best."
Q. When you managed Boston, you usually won the bidding war for players such as Shane Victorino. How does it feel to be on the other end of the process?
A. "It's kind of hard to fault a guy like Shane Victorino on going to Boston. When guys get to be a free agent, they've earned that right to go wherever they want and it's a great baseball town.
"I have a lot of respect for him and how he went about his decision. It's hard to fault somebody for that."
Q. What is the Tribe's game plan this winter? You've talked about trading your best players, yet you've been connected with some high-profile free agents as well.
A. "I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you. If we wanted you to know, we'd invite you up to the suite. There is a lot going on. I don't think there's anything we haven't explored. But exploring it and doing it are two different things.
"I don't know where it will end up. I don't think anyone does."
Q. What kind of player is Mike Aviles and can he play shortstop every day if Asdrubal Cabrera is traded?
A. "He's a hard-nosed player, who wants to play every day, but he'll be a good teammate even when he's not. He can handle an everyday spot. At the same time, he can probably handle second, short, third and, probably, left and right field. He's a good guy to have."
Q. How difficult will spring training be if you lose several players to the World Baseball Classic?
A. "We don't know exactly how many guys we're going to lose, but it gets in the way. Again, I'm not bashing the WBC. It's good for baseball. I know you're trying to globalize the game. I get all that. But as a first-year staff, we'd love to have all our guys in place, and it's just not possible.
"Every team is going to have their own challenges, and ours as a first-year staff, that's one of them."

Is Francona the new voice of the Tribe? The public persona of Shapiro and Antonetti leave a lot to be desired. Maybe a guy that cracks a few jokes will attract more FA's than the humorless duo.

The good cop/ bad cop act with LaPorta seems a bit strange.

Astros Trade Wilton Lopez to Rockies for Alex White, Prospect Alex Gillingham
By John Sickels on Dec 5, 10:12p
3
Alex White - Justin Edmonds
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Astros Trade Wilton Lopez to Rockies for Alex White and prospect Alex Gillingham

The Houston Astros traded reliever Wilton Lopez to the Colorado Rockies Tuesday evening, receiving right-handed starter Alex White and minor league prospect Alex Gillingham in return. Here's the take on Gillingham.

Alex Gillingham, RHP: Gillingham was drafted in the 11th round in 2011, out of Loyola Marymount University, where he'd gone 8-4, 2.49 in 14 starts, with a 78/24 K/BB in 112 innings. Assigned to Low-A Asheville for 2012, he posted a 3.66 ERA in 123 innings, with an 83/28 K/BB ratio and 122 hits allowed. He was strong down the stretch and posted a 2.82 ERA in his last 10 starts for Asheville.

Gillingham is a 6-3, 200 pound right-hander, born October 17, 1989. Although effective in both college and pro ball so far, his prospect status has been limited by mediocre velocity, but he has a good slider, can change speeds, and keeps the ball low in the strike zone, racking up grounders. His most interesting sabermetric data point is his GO/AO ratio: 3.29, after posting a 2.32 mark in the 2011 Pioneer League.

He is a fringy-type prospect or useful organizational arm at this stage, but if he continues to throw strikes efficiently and collect ground balls at higher levels, he could end up as a back-of-the-rotation starter or (more likely) a relief option.

Thome undecided on a return

Jim Thome has been doing some traveling in recent days. He attended former teammate Joe Mauer’s wedding in Minneapolis over the weekend, and he was in Cleveland this week to get measured for the statue the Indians are creating in his honor at Progressive Field.

But Thome, a free agent, hasn’t been visiting any Major League clubs on formal business. The 42-year-old member of the 600-homer club is still undecided on whether to come back for a 23rd season, and it is not known what kind of market would develop for his services were he to decide to come back.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he spoke with Thome on the phone earlier this week and that Thome had not yet made up his mind on coming back.

“I think if somebody shows interest in him, he might [return],” Manuel said. “You know, I think he’s one of those guys who is having a hard time trying to leave.”

Manuel’s Phillies coaxed Thome out of a potential retirement a year ago with a one-year, $1.25 million contract. But when Thome’s bid to play first base with regularity for the first time since 2005 did not go as planned, he was shipped back to the American League when the Orioles acquired him for Minor Leaguers Gabriel Lino and Kyle Simon in June. A herniated disk in his neck limited Thome to just 28 games with the O’s. For the season, he hit .252 with eight homers, seven doubles and 25 RBIs in 58 games.

Orioles general manager Dan Duquette told reporters earlier this week that he has not had contact with Thome but that Thome “added a real veteran presence” to the club.

–Anthony Castrovince

BA's current take on Alex White


stros Acquire
Alex White, rhp
Age: 23. Born: Aug 29, 1988 in Greenville, N.C.
Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 215.
Bats: R. Throws: R.
School: North Carolina.
Career Transactions: Selected by Indians in first round (15th overall) of 2009 draft; signed Aug. 17, 2009 ... Traded by Indians with RHP Joe Gardner, 1B Matt McBride and a player to be named to Rockies for RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, July 30, 2011; Rockies acquired LHP Drew Pomeranz (Aug. 17, 2011).

Club (League) Class W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP
Colorado Springs (PCL) AAA 3 4 3.71 11 11 0 61 54 28 25 3 23 45 1.27
Colorado (NL) MLB 2 9 5.51 23 20 0 98 114 66 60 13 51 64 1.68

White's stock has fallen dramatically in the three-plus years since he went 15th overall in the 2009 draft. He ranked as the Indians No. 2 prospect at the time Cleveland traded him (and Drew Pomeranz) to the Rockies for Ubaldo Jimenez at the 2011 trade deadline. Now he's the key piece in a deal for a set-up reliever. White's time so far in the big leagues has been rough. Of the pitchers with as many innings as White in 2011-12, only one has posted a higher ERA—John Lackey. Batters have hit .294/.379/.521 off White, but scouts still see upside because he's still just 24 and his fastball sits in the 90-93 mph range, topping out at 96. He mixes in a slider and a splitter.

"We know what Alex White's stuff is like," Luhnow told reporters after the deal. "I've known it since he was in college. When I was with the Cardinals, we came close to drafting him out of North Carolina. He's a guy we believe in. He's 24 years old and has a lot of career ahead of him and has the stuff to be a big part of the major league rotation for a long time to come."

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Source: Two Upton blockbuster in play. One is three teams: #Diamondbacks, #Rangers, #Rays. Other is four teams, including #Mariners.

Looks like Antonetti and Shapiro are coming away empty ......again. Perhaps
they could run for Congress. They can't get a deal done either.

White's time so far in the big leagues has been rough. Of the pitchers with as many innings as White in 2011-12, only one has posted a higher ERA—John Lackey. Batters have hit .294/.379/.521 off White
That's why I figured trading him for Ubaldo wasn't the worst thing they could have done.

seagull wrote:Looks like Antonetti and Shapiro are coming away empty ......again.

Was anyone expecting something different?