Indians with best winning pct of any Cleveland team in 2012. I'm glad I'm a baseball fan and don't care about football at all nor much about basketball.

Indians with best winning pct of any Cleveland team in 2012. I'm glad I'm a baseball fan and don't care about football at all nor much about basketball.

Me two.

Yes! Happy, Healthy, and a Safe New Year To All!

Why had Myers become a reliever? And does the general baseball consensus think that;s where he should remain? In 3 of his last 4 seasons as a starter he had a NL ERA of 4.40 or above; and AL ERA's nearly always are higher. Adding 1/2 a run a game gives us a pretty miserable 5.00 to anticipate. Which fits in too well with the rest of our rotation.

I heard about Myers and Marcum being possibilities. I think I would have preferred Marcum. Anybody know what Myers cost us?

Maybe we can get both.

Myers for $7M and a 2014 option. Decent pick up I think. Back of the rotation guy....

WOW! 7 M seems high. Doubt we will get both now.

Hard to criticize the winter efforts this season. 2014 success will be dependent on (as usual) the staring pitching.


IF Bauer is ready for the majors, we could have an ace.
IF Carrasco is ready to pick up where he left off, we have a No. 2 or 3.
IF Masterson really has figured out what he was doing wrong, we have another No. 2 or 3.
Among Myers and McAllister and Jiminez we should have a No. 4 and No. 5.

Since I doubt we'll score 3 of 3 on the 3 IFs, we should be back to the 500 neighborhood.

Here is the link to Brett Myers career:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/playe ... br01.shtml

Really, the 2010 season was stud. That would lead our staff, and easily. Not as if 2010 was forever ago.
And even in 2011 he went 200+ innings.

If Myers could be somewhere between those two seasons, his last 2 as a starter, we would take that in a minute. 200+ innings and other goodies as well. I'd guess that is the brass' thinking.

How many pitchers capable of pitching 200 innings get less then 7 million ?

How many would be willing to play in Cleveland ?

Only way you get players to come to Cleveland is to overpay. Myers gets a team option. Swisher gets an additional option year that vests on plate appearances. It is just what you have to do.

Now on to what is really happening.

Shaponetti is stealing a page out of Billy Beane's book of tricks.

The minor league cupboard is pretty bare so what do you do ? Trade current players for youth and needs.
Sign veteran players to slightly inflated contracts to replace them to keep the fans interested in the upcoming season.

If things go well the veterans pay for themselves through additional revenue.

If not, you trade them off to help restock the cupboard with youth and needs at the trade deadline.

Do you really think that Swisher will care if the Indians trade him to New York, Boston, California, or the Dodgers next year ? Remember Swisher is only making 11 million this season before higher numbers kick in. (classic Beane move)

Meyers can relieve and start which should mean he would be quite valuable if healthy. (Remember he has a team option which makes him easier to trade and made Meyers want to sign here.)

Reynolds has a 1 year contract. Fantastic for teams with a need to show their fans they are making a playoff push that would cost very little in actual dollars.

This is a strategy that should be used more often by MLB teams.

Press conference on now. He is definitely upbeat and animated!
He says it was great to meet the management team here, and he is just happy to be home again.

J.R. wrote:

Mrs. Swisher!

Nick looks like a little guy. And nowadays 32 years old looks like a kid, too.