Cleveland Sports Forum

Jeremy Guthrie sucked when he was in Cleveland. LaPorta like !

So did Brandon Phillips

Agree ! Swung for the fences to justify writing " the franchise" on his baseball spikes.

Come on guys even joe gets it. Choo for Bauer, Stubbs, Shaw and Ackers is a sweet deal for the Indians. The relief pitchers make it an almost certainty that other pen trades will happen before opening day, Stubbs will be a significant upgrade over Brantley in CF, Brantley will be a significant upgrade over Damon in LF and personally I like Cody Ross (who is equal to Choo in my opinion) for RF. On top of all that we get a young pitcher who is better than Pomeranz to put it in Indians terms. This is a great trade for the Indians.

Now do a similar one for that lazy fat ass A Cab and Antonetti made my off season!!!

Sure would like a lefty in the rotation too

I liked John Lannan when he was in Washington. He was available Frank, but he just signed with Philly.

Sports Insider: Interview with Cleveland Indians GM Chris Antonetti

By Glenn Moore, cleveland.com
on December 14, 2012 at 1:55 PM, updated December 14, 2012 at 1:58 PM Print





Antonetti touched on topics ranging from Josh Hamilton signing with the Angels, how he feels about the starting rotation and if the team is looking to move Chris Perez.

On Josh Hamilton signing with the Angels:

"Well, they certainly got better and are going to have one of the most feared lineups in all of baseball, when you put Josh Hamilton in the middle of an already dynamic lineup complemented by Mike Trout and Albert Pujouls, Kendrick Morales and Howie Kendrick and the depth of their lineup is pretty impressive. They are going to be a very good offensive team and certainly one of the best teams in the American League."

Will Hamilton signing start domino effect on other outfielder signings:

"I don't think Hamilton's signing will have an impact on the value of other players necessarily, but I do think it's impacted their timing to some degree. As players that might not be the caliber player that Josh Hamilton is, but play a similar position, I think their representatives were waiting for clarity on Hamilton's market, so the teams that were engaged on Hamilton that didn't end up signing him could then compete for the services of their clients."

Acquiring Drew Stubbs and Trevor Bauer:

"I think for us, as we step back, and when we looked at it at the time, we were hopeful and believe it's a step forward for us organizationally. We were able to bring in a high-upside arm in Trevor Bauer. Add a very athletic, Gold Glove caliber defender in center field, that also provides some speed as well and has had some success offensively. Adding those two members potentially to our Major League team and then the two guys in the bullpen that have some good arms, we felt we took a step forward, both for the short and long-term. Very difficult to replace a guy like Shin-Soo Choo and all that he's meant to the organization. But, this is one step to helping re-position ourselves moving forward."

On trading Shin-Soo Choo:

"Very difficult and not only is he a fan favorite, but he's a favorite of everyone within the organization. He played at such a high level while he was on the field, but he was also a great teammate. He prepared expectantly well. This is a guy, when the doors open in Goodyear, sometimes before the doors open, he was in there at 4:30, 5:00 in the morning working out to try to prepare and get better as a player. We will miss him dearly and we wish him well moving forward. But the reality we were facing is we knew at the end of the year, he likely was going to be playing for another team. We felt we were able to capitalize on an opportunity to move him on and get back pretty good value for him."

Getting bullpen help in Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw:

"We feel both guys will help our Major League bullpen. We view it to be a strength of ours already, but bringing in both Shaw and Albers gives us two more options back there. Both guys throw pretty hard and have quality secondary stuff. Albers is a little further along in his career. He actually was a pitcher on Terry Francona's staff in 2011 in Boston. Terry knows him well and thinks he can contribute. And Bryan Shaw is a guy with just over a year of Major League experience, but he has had some success. He's a very live arm with a very good cutter that helps neutralize left handed hitters. And when he throws the ball over the plate, he does a good job at generating ground balls and attacking both left handed and right handed hitters. Hopefully both guys will provide some quality alternatives for Terry as looks down in the bullpen."

Does adding bullpen arms mean Tribe is looking to move Chris Perez?

"We didn't look at it that way. I think we just looked at it as an opportunity to just improve our team. And Chris is our closer. As we sit here today, I have every reason to think he’s going to be our closer on Opening Day next year. This was just an opportunity for us to fortify the guys that help get the ball to Chris."

Glaring holes on roster:

"We will continue to improve our outfield alternatives and our starting pitching alternatives. Those are probably the two areas, not only at the Major League level, but at the immediate upper levels of our Minor Leagues where we can add some depth. So probably we will focus our energy on those two spots."

On starting rotation:

"I am really, personally, excited to see Carlos Carrassco come back, because it's a guy that has had really great stuff. And before he suffered the injury, was pitching very well at the Major League level and really thought was turning a corner in his career. We're excited to get him back. We're excited to see him compete and reclaim his spot in the starting rotation. We will have to monitor his innings for the course of the season but hopefully he can be on our Opening Day roster and be a meaningful part of the team next year."

Prefer veteran guy in back of rotation or young arm:

"It all depends on which guys are available and it has to be the right guy. I don't think just bringing an experienced pitcher just for the sake of his experience will make that much of a difference. But if it's the right experienced pitcher that will also feel will make us a better team, then that's certainly an attractive offer for us."

On fan anxious to see a winner:

"We're hoping for the same thing. I think we have a very good nucleus of young players in place. And we're trying to build around that. And I think we have taken a few steps this off-season to strengthen that core and add some guys around it. But we still have work left to do. Our goal is continue to improve both the short and long-term position of our team moving forward as we work through the rest of the off-season. We'll continue working at it. Hopefully, we're not done. Hopefully we will be able to do a couple more things before spring training rolls around."

Be sure to check out Sport Insider every day on cleveland.com as we will be speaking with Plain Dealer reporters and other media and athletes from across the country.

http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-bl ... _with.html

Steroids and the baseball HOF get a fresh look: Bill Livingston

Published: Friday, December 14, 2012, 6:01 PM Updated: Friday, December 14, 2012, 6:23 PM
By Bill Livingston, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Judgment Day on the steroid era is coming soon.

The Baseball Hall of Fame ballot includes for the first time the names of some of the biggest fish among the suspected or proven steroid abusers -- Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Sammy Sosa. Among other tainted players, Mark McGwire's name is on the ballot for the seventh year and Rafael Palmeiro's for the third.

The ballot, which must be returned by New Year's Eve, forces voters to make very difficult choices. Major League Baseball has shown no inclination to void the records of the steroid era, artificially enhanced as they almost certainly were, or even to attach an asterisk to them. The national pastime has not declared any season "vacated," which is the NCAA's solution to problems.

The whole idea of "vacating" records has always seemed like something that happened in the Soviet Union when dissidents became non-persons. But that's not really my objection to omitting steroid abusers on my ballot.

I used to declare myself an "absolutist" on such players. Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch first raised many of the issues that have come to trouble me. ESPN's Dan LeBatard was another who made me reconsider my stance. After all, how can you invoke an absolute standard when lack of drug testing encouraged an "anything goes" attitude?

When a game that tried to destroy itself with the 1994 World Series labor stoppage saw the turnstiles spin as sluggers with body-builder physiques trashed all the great records -- well, no one in that game wanted to know anything. The conspiracy of silence and deliberate neglect included general managers, managers, trainers and the sport's top officials.

Many players who are not famous names no doubt used steroids or human growth hormone simply as a way of remaining competitive. Ever since the economy went into the garbage can in 2008, I've lost some of my righteous indignation at what those players did to keep their jobs.

Before steroids, there were amphetamines. Bottles of "speed" were reportedly placed in players' lockers in years gone by, to help them get through the marathon season. Wasn't that artificially inflating the numbers, too?

Before pharmacology led to better play through chemistry, Babe Ruth's numbers and those of a lot of other Hall of Famers were enhanced by baseball's policy of racial segregation. Those players didn't create the working conditions, as did the steroid users, but they still faced only white men between the white lines.

Players already are in the Hall of Fame who admitted to doctoring the ball, who were accused of throwing games, and who were virulent racists and bullies. It's not a "good guy" award.

As Miklasz pointed out, voting for the big names who played under the cloud of suspicion squeezes out some fine players who were never accused of cheating, such as Fred McGriff and Dale Murphy. The latter is in his 15th and final year of eligibility.

Do reporters have any mandate to "protect" the game? And, if so, how?

With so many players of the 1990s and the first years of this century, you really have no proof of who took what. I had my suspicions about the impressive physiques of several Indians players in the glory days of the 1990s. Manny Ramirez eventually tested positive twice elsewhere. Albert Belle, from all evidence, was more of a retro-cheat, corking his bats. That's almost an "Awww, how cute!" transgression, given what was going on.

I never mentioned the names of the Tribe players I suspected, whether the banned substance was amphetamines or steroids. That was because I lacked proof. After the legal system barely laid a glove on Bonds and Clemens, what's a voter to do?

As many as 10 names can be on a ballot, and I intend to max mine out. The names of some of the suspected drug abusers will be on it. They'll probably be blackballed for years. Just check the results, to be announced Jan. 9.

Players' statistics should be considered a reflection of the era in which they played. It's similar to how deadball stats don't compare to stats with the lively ball, which itself was introduced as an attendance magnet after the Black Sox scandal.

Drug cheating is not as noble as when a different, more athletic game emerged after the racial barriers came down, but the effect was just as pronounced in changing how the game was played.

The records of the steroid era might live forever now that drug testing is the norm. That's the problem of baseball's alleged leadership, however, not of sportswriters.

Applaud Chris Antonetti for Trevor Bauer trade, recent moves and roster flexibility

Published: Wednesday, December 12, 2012, 2:28 PM Updated: Wednesday, December 12, 2012, 4:20 PM
By Mike Brandyberry, Did The Tribe Win Last Night

It's time to give Chris Antonetti some credit.

The Indians General Manager has deservedly received his fair share of criticism for the Tribe's struggles over the last few seasons, but after several decisions that resulted in disappointment, he seems to have made a very positive move Tuesday evening.

"We need to do a better job of shaping our roster," Antonetti said at his season end press conference in October. "There were some decisions we made last year that didn't turn out the way that we had hoped. We certainly need to reinvent our process that led to those decisions."

Tuesday's three-way trade that sent Shin-Soo Choo and Jason Donald to the Cincinnati Reds and Tony Sipp and Lars Anderson to the Arizona Diamondbacks isn't the only move to change the shape of the roster, but it is the biggest. The Indians received Drew Stubbs in return from Cincinnati and Trevor Bauer, Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw from Arizona.

"We think the four players we've acquired will not only impact the 2013 season at the major league level, but will impact us for years to come," Antonetti said.

The 21-year old Bauer is certainly the marquee acquisition for the Tribe in the trade. He was the third overall selection in the 2011 MLB Amateur Draft from UCLA and the Golden Spikes Award winner—college baseball's equivalent to the Heisman Trophy. Bauer catapulted through the Diamondbacks' minor league organization to make his Major League debut on June 28, but was 1-2, with a 6.06 ERA in four starts.
Both before and after his big league debut, Bauer shined in the minor leagues going 12-2, with a 2.42 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in 2012.

He was ranked the #9 prospect in all of baseball by Baseball American before the beginning of the 2012 season and is the kind of top flight arm the Indians have not had in their system, since at least Drew Pomeranz. A week ago rumors swirled that Antonetti was discussing trade possibilities for Bauer, with Asdrubal Cabrera—the Tribe's top trade piece—as the centerpiece of the deal. Tuesday, Antonetti acquired the Major League-ready starting pitcher without dealing their top trade piece.

Granted, the Indians did acquire Drew Stubbs—a free-swinging, right-handed hitting center fielder—from Cincinnati coming off his worst year. Stubbs, combined with the Tribe's Sunday free agent signing of Mark Reynolds, could provide enough wind energy to put the turbine atop Progressive Field out of business. Each player led the league in strikeouts in 2011.

Despite hitting only .213, with 14 home runs and 40 runs batted in in 2012, Stubbs is projected to make $2.9 million in salary arbitration this winter. Once Cincinnati acquired Choo, Stubbs wouldn't fit in their outfield with Jay Bruce and Ryan Ludwick. It's likely the Reds insisted Cleveland take Stubbs in order to get Didi Gregorius in the trade.

Antonetti needed Gregorius to immediately flip him to Arizona as the piece to get Bauer. Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers has compared Gregorius favorably to Derek Jeter, while other scouts and GM's wonder if he can hit enough to warrant an everyday position.

Meanwhile, Antonetti shipped Sipp and Anderson to Arizona to help bring right-handed relief pitchers Albers and Shaw to the Tribe bullpen. Albers, split the 2012 season between the Boston Red Sox and Arizona, going a combined 3-1 with a 2.39ERA in 63 relief appearances. He is projected to make $1.7 million in salary arbitration this winter. Shaw spent most of the 2012 season in the Arizona bullpen where he went 1-6 with 2 saves and a 3.49ERA in 64 relief appearances.

Their acquisitions are a clear sign that Antonetti is not done remaking his roster. Cleveland now has an abundance of right-handed relief pitching with Albers, Shaw, Chris Perez, Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano and Cody Allen. There isn't enough room for six, one-inning, relief pitchers to be in a bullpen. Certainly any of them could be moved with other players to help solidify the left side of the bullpen or other holes on the team.

It is also believed the Indians are still pursuing free agent outfielder, Nick Swisher and could be in the market for another starting pitcher. Antonetti's wheeling and dealing has cut the Tribe's current projected Opening Day salary to around $56 million. The normally tight-fisted Indians have excess cash to upgrade the roster.

While it may be sad to see Choo leave Cleveland after six seasons, the Tribe would have lost him at season's end when he and his agent, Scott Boras, hit the free agent market. Antonetti's ability to trade his one future year of production and three minor parts for a top pitching prospect, bullpen depth and the flexibility to make future deals should be applauded.

Well, I hope they don't get rid of Perez !!!!

I've been posting for a long time now that this team needs some players with an attitude. Perez is one. It appears that Bauer is another. What two better players, one that has the potential to be a #1 starter and the other your closer, would there be to fill the need ???? If Perez can save close to 40 games for a team that lost 90+ in 2012, how valuable would those numbers be for a team that's finally building for a .500+ season 2013/?!?!?!

It just doesn't make any sense to me.

Well, I hope they don't get rid of Perez !!!!

It's not like they're trying to dump him.

If they can get a good player or two, why not. Pestano can handle the closer's job.

seagull wrote:

Well, I hope they don't get rid of Perez !!!!

It's not like they're trying to dump him.

If they can get a good player or two, why not. Pestano can handle the closer's job.

Reminds me of a quote from Ralph Kiner when he was trying to get a raise from the Pgh Pirates back in the 50's I think. He hit something like 47 home runs in 1950, but the Pirates finished 57 - 96. Branch Rickey was the GM.

When Kiner said he deserved a raise because of his production, Rickey said "We finished last with you, we can finish last without you".

Vinnie Pestano given Bob Feller Award as Cleveland Indians' Man of the Year

Published: Sunday, December 16, 2012, 6:00 AM Updated: Sunday, December 16, 2012, 6:03 AM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians lost 94 games last season, which meant a lot of things didn't go well. In the bullpen, however, things were normal, which meant they were good.

Right-hander Vinnie Pestano was one of the reasons as he set a club record in holds, while leading the bullpen in strikeouts and innings pitched. Pestano (3-3, 2.57 ERA) received the Bob Feller Man of the Year award from Cleveland's Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America because of those efforts.

Manny Acta, fired as manager on Sept. 27, was voted the Frank Gibbons-Steve Olin Good Guy award.

The hard-throwing Pestano struck out 76 and walked 24 in 70 innings covering 70 appearances. He averaged 9.8 strikeouts and 3.1 walks per nine innings. Pestano, 27, finished second in the American League with 36 holds. Tampa Bay's Joel Peralta was first with 37. A reliever is credited with a hold anytime he enters a game in a save situation, records one or more outs, and leaves without giving up the lead. If he finished the game, he earns a save, but not a hold.

"For me it was a tale of two seasons," said Pestano. "For the first 4 1/2 months, I pitched up to my capabilities and a little beyond. For the last six weeks, I struggled just like the team.

"It was a good learning experience."

The Indians were 50-20 in Pestano's 70 appearances. He earned two saves. The opposition hit .207, which ranked 15th in the league. He stranded a team-best 86 percent (18 of 21) inherited runners.
Pestano and All-Star closer Chris Perez were an impressive 1-2 punch in the late innings. Pestano pitched at least two-thirds of an inning in 33 of Perez's 39 saves.

"In addition to establishing himself as one of the best relievers in the American League, Vinnie has developed into a leader in our clubhouse and active member of our community," said Indians GM Chris Antonetti.

The Indians selected Pestano in the 20th round of the 2006 draft even though they knew he needed Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. It was a gamble that worked. Last season Pestano made 19 consecutive scoreless appearances from June 30 through Aug. 9. In 21 innings, he struck out 22 and allowed just 10 hits. The streak ended when Albert Pujols hit a two-run homer on Aug. 13.

Pestano's ERA from that point to the end of the season was 6.16 (13 earned runs in 19 innings).

"When you're losing like we were, and there's not much you can do to impact the team, as a player I think you get a little depressed," said Pestano. "My routine broke down. That's where the learning experience comes in."

Acta managed the Indians for almost three seasons. The Good Guy award is presented to an Indians player, coach, manager or front office employee who understands the media's job and is always available in good times and bad.

Jason Kipnis, Perez, Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera were also nominated for the Man of the Year award. Justin Masterson, Shelley Duncan and Sandy Alomar Jr. were nominated for the Good Guy award.

Swisher meeting next week

The Nick Swisher recruiting tour begins this week.

Swisher is the next big outfielder on the free-agent market following Josh Hamilton's signing with the Angels last week. The Indians have been negotiating with him for much of the winter and he's scheduled to visit Progressive Field on Tuesday or Wednesday.

The Indians have two starting outfielders in Michael Brantley and Drew Stubbs, acquired last week from the Reds. They need a third and Swisher could be the man, but he will not come cheaply. The Tribe made a four-year, $44 million bid to Shane Victorino at the winter meetings, but it's going to take more to get Swisher.

Swisher, who played baseball at Ohio State, hit .272 (146-for-537) in 2012 for the Yankees with 36 doubles, 24 homers and 93 RBI. Texas, Seattle and Baltimore have also expressed interest in Swisher.

CLEVELAND -- The Indians have a hole to fill in right field and the ballclub believes free-agent outfielder Nick Swisher offers the solution. Cleveland is in the midst of making a serious push to convince Swisher to call Progressive Field home.

According to a source, Swisher will be in Cleveland Monday night and he will spend Tuesday touring the club's facilities and listening to the organization's pitch. Following last week's three-team, nine-player trade that sent Shin-Soo Choo to the Reds, the Indians can offer Swisher the full-time role in right field.

The Indians have spent much of this offseason courting Swisher, who entered a strong winter market for outfielders. Lucrative deals have already been dished out to the likes of Josh Hamilton (Angels), B.J. Upton (Braves), Angel Pagan (Giants), Torii Hunter (Tigers), Melky Cabrera (Blue Jays) and Shane Victorino (Red Sox), among others.

The Indians offered Victorino a four-year contract worth $44 million before he opted for a three-year, $39 million deal with Boston. That offer showed that Cleveland has some flexibility to spend on the open market this winter -- a fact that would likely net Swisher a four-year offer, as well.

Last week, free-agent first baseman Mark Reynolds agreed to a one-year contract worth $6 million plus incentives to play for the Indians. Reynolds has since passed his physical, but the team has not officially announced the deal, which requires the Tribe to clear a spot on the 40-man roster.

Also last week, Cleveland traded away Choo in a blockbuster deal that helped the Tribe acquire pitching prospect Trevor Bauer and relievers Matt Albers and Bryan Shaw from the D-backs, and outfielder Drew Stubbs from the Reds. As things currently stand, Stubbs and Michael Brantley project to occupy two of the Indians' outfield spots.

Swisher would potentially complete the outfield picture.

Throughout this winter, the 32-year-old Swisher -- a product of Ohio State University -- has also been linked to the Mariners, Phillies, Red Sox, Giants and Orioles in various reports. Cleveland has been the one club to consistently come up as having strong interest.

Last season, the switch-hitting Swisher hit .272 with 24 homers, 36 doubles and 93 RBIs in 148 games for the Yankees. He also posted a .364 on-base percentage and a .473 slugging percentage. Swisher has hit at least 23 home runs in five straight seasons and he has collected at least 80 RBIs four years in a row.

So this is the dog and pony show before the look good offer. We have seen this before. Will it be any different this time around?

You are talking about Swisher right ? Give us an idea what you would offer him ? A guy that just got done doing absolutely nothing in the playoffs ?

Maybe it's just the Holiday spirit of happiness and joy, but I think they'll make a real offer and a real effort to sign Swisher.