Cleveland Sports Forum

paul hoynes ‏@hoynsie

Indians-A's deal for Brandon Moss (one way or the other) should reach conclusion Friday.

A’s discusssing minor leaguer for Brandon Moss
By Susan Slusser on December 4, 2014 4:44 PM


From Chronicle Staff Writer Susan Slusser

The A’s are in discussions that could net them a minor-league infielder from the Indians in exchange for outfielder Brandon Moss. Among the A’s targets, according to big league sources, is Double-A second baseman Joe Wendle, a strong prospect whose 2014 season was shortened by a broken hamate bone.

Moss, who is recovering from surgery to repair a torn hip labrum, has hit 76 homers for Oakland over the past three season, despite the fact that he hit only four in the second half of this past season, possibly because of the hip injury. He was one of the A’s six All-Stars this past season; another, third baseman Josh Donaldson, was traded last week, and right-hander Jeff Samardzija, who made the NL All-Star team for his work with the Cubs, also could be dealt soon.

Moss, arbitration eligible, is likely to earn between $6.5-$7 million next season.

Wendle, 24, hit .295 with 16 homers and 64 RBIs at Class-A in 2013, .253 with eight homers and 50 RBIs in 87 games with Double-A Akron this past season. He was a sixth-round pick in 2012 out of West Chester (Pa.) University.

Cleveland Indians, Oakland A's have yet to strike deal for Brandon Moss

Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group
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on December 04, 2014 at 8:29 PM, updated December 04, 2014 at 10:16 P

CLEVELAND, Ohio – There is no deal until there is a deal.

In baseball that line has stood the test of time and that's where the Indians and Oakland stand in their proposed trade of first baseman-outfielder Brandon Moss. Thursday night the Indians were "guardedly optimistic' that they could get a deal done, but that still wasn't a guarantee.

The A's, meanwhile, were reportedly working on other deals before signing off on Moss. Oakland was also reportedly talking to other teams about Moss as well.

GM Billy Beane signaled another retooling of the Oakland roster when he traded third baseman Josh Donaldson to Toronto for infielder Brett Lawrie, starting pitchers Kendall Graveman and Sean Nolin and shortstop Franklin Barreto. Moss is believed to be part of that retooling as well.

Moss, like Donaldson, was an All-Star last season. He hit .268 with 21 homers and 66 RBI at the break. He hit .173 with four homers and 15 RBI after the break and in October underwent surgery on his right hip to repair torn cartilage.

The Indians, reportedly, don't see the surgery on Moss's hip as a deal breaker.

The A's are looking for prospects. If the deal goes through, the Indians are not expected to part with a player, or players, on the 40-man roster.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the A's are interested in second-base prospect Joe Wendle, who impressed the Indians with a strong showing in big-league camp in spring training. Wendle played 57 games at Class AA Akron before a broken hamate bone in his right hand ended his season.

Wendle hit .253 (85-for-338) with eight homers and 50 RBI at Akron this year.

Last season Moss hit .234 (117-for-500) in 147 games. He posted a .772 OPS. Over the last three years with the A's, Moss has hit 21, 30 and 25 homers.

Moss played first base, left field, right field and DH last season.

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ss ... nd_in.html

A's eyeing Cleveland Indians prospect Joey Wendle in trade talks

They are keyed on Joe Wendle? I'd rather lose him than Ramirez or Gonzalez. He's a 2nd baseman only. That rumor with ramirez, ramsey , naquin, and wendle maybe means 1 or 2 of those 4? Perhaps one IF and one OF?

An A's blogger wants Swisher:

for it to make sense.

Susan Slusser reported that the A’s would be interested in second base prospect Joe Wendle but it seems unlikely that that would be a one to one trade Beane could get behind. So howzabout we get Wendle, Nick Swisher and some cash. Would that make the trade worthwhile? The A’s get a veteran with some power left in his bat who could, theoretically, finish his career with the team that drafted him at a discounted price plus a strong prospect at a position the Athletics need covered. I’m still not crazy about it but there are serious benefits for both teams if the trade goes through like this but, ultimately, I think the A’s come out on the losing side of any trade for Moss with the Cleveland Indians. What are your thoughts?

Another A's commentor:

Hopefully Wendle is just one piece of the rumored deal that is being discussed because Moss is worth much more than a prospect who is ranked ninth in the Cleveland’s farm system and has not risen above Double-A yet. The Oakland A’s still need a shortstop and a left fielder. It does seem as though the Athletics are considering all of their options for Jane Lee from MLB.com also tweeted that the Indians was not the only team interested in Moss and that no deal seems imminent. So, as seen with the shocking Donaldson trade, anything could happen.

Civ, that rumored deal not only included Moss but also Cook. Who is a pretty darn good righty reliever. It will take the rumored 4 prospects.

The Indians have checked in on free agent outfielder Alex Rios, according to Jon Heyman.

Rios, a 33-year-old right-handed hitter, had a mediocre 2014, batting .280/.311/.398 with only 4 home runs in 521 plate appearances, and posting probably the worst base running numbers of his career, and seeing a small decline in his defense. Put like that, he doesn't sound like someone worth anything like the 2 years, $20 million or so it'll probably take to sign him.

On the other hand, during 2012 and 2013 he totaled 43 home runs and 65 stolen bases, and he was hit .305/.333/.440 during the first half last season, before being slowed by injuries to his ankle and thumb after the All-Star break. If you remove the last two and a half months of 2014, he's been a well above average hitter and good base runner, worth something like 3 to 3.5 WAR a season. If you think he can rebound back to what he was doing before the All-Star break last season, he'd certainly be worth $10 million a year for a couple seasons.

The Indians and A's are reportedly in serious trade discussions on a deal that would bring Brandon Moss to Cleveland, (with Joe Wendle having been mentioned as someone the A's are after) and there's no way the Tribe will be adding both Rios and Moss, so Rios has to be viewed as a backup plan for the possibility of those trade talks with Oakland falling through.

Moss will likely be a little cheaper over the next two years, and will likely be the better player. Whether he'll be enough better to be worth the added cost of a good prospect or two is up for debate.

Only if Moss' 2014 offensive slump really was due to an injury which is now passed would I want to give all those guys away. They can have Wendle and one of the OFs. Maybe both OF, but not Wendle and Ramirez, although I always like more hard throwing relievers.

We are losing our bullpen coach:


Cash named Rays' new manager


By Bill Chastain / MLB.com | @wwchastain | 2:10 PM ET

ST. PETERSBURG -- Kevin Cash is the Rays' next manager.

Named the fifth manager in team history on Friday, Cash will succeed Joe Maddon, who ended his nine-year tenure with the team by exercising an opt-out clause in his contract before agreeing to a five-year, $25 million deal to manage the Cubs. The news was first reported by FoxSports.com and MLB Network.

Cash, 36, attended Tampa's Gaither High School and Florida State, where he played infield when the Seminoles reached the 1999 College World Series. He becomes the youngest Major League manager since A.J. Hinch, who became the Diamondbacks' manager at age 35 in 2009.

Cash spent eight seasons as a player in the Major Leagues, primarily as a catcher, with the Blue Jays, Devil Rays, Red Sox, Yankees and Astros. Known for his defensive skills behind the plate, Cash last played in the Major Leagues during the 2010 season. He retired after spending the 2011 season with Triple-A Round Rock in the Rangers organization. He earned two World Series rings, with the 2007 Red Sox and the 2009 Yankees.

Cash worked as an advance scout for the Blue Jays in 2012 and in '13 he joined the Indians coaching staff, working as the team's bullpen coach.

During his time with the Indians, Cash worked with Yan Gomes, and he is credited for helping Gomes improve his catching skills. He also received praise for helping Indians pitching coach -- and former Tampa Bay pitcher -- Mickey Callaway in his efforts with right-hander Carlos Carrasco. Cash does not have any managing experience.

The Rays identified 10 candidates for their vacant managerial post: Dave Martinez, Charlie Montoyo, Manny Acta, Ron Wotus, Don Wakamatsu, Raul Ibanez, Craig Counsell, Barry Larkin, Doug Glanville and Cash.

On Nov. 21, the Rays narrowed down the field by seven candidates to three: Cash, Ibanez and Wakamatsu. Ibanez dropped out on Thursday due to family issues, leaving the Rays to make their final call between Cash and Wakamatsu.

Source: A's, Indians yet to reach agreement on Moss trade
December 5, 2014, 11:45 am
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In three seasons with the A's, Brandon Moss hit .254 with 76 home runs and 220 RBI. (USATSI)

Programming note: For the latest MLB Hot Stove news, tune in to SportsNet Central tonight at 6 p.m., 10:30 and midnight on Comcast SportsNet Bay Area

The A’s and Indians had yet to agree on which players would be included in a potential Brandon Moss trade as of Friday morning, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

The teams have been in deep talks for at least a couple days now about a trade that would send the Oakland slugger to Cleveland. The A’s are in need of a major league-ready shortstop but are also looking to acquire prospects in general to help upgrade their farm system. Shortstops Erik Gonzalez and Jose Ramirez are among the players who seem potential targets for the A’s. Second baseman Joe Wendle also has been reported as a player to catch their attention.

Among the Cleveland pitchers who might make sense for the A’s are right-hander Cody Anderson, 24, and left-hander T.J. House, 25. Both are relatively young and would bring several years of team control.

It’s unknown if Oakland might still be engaging other teams in discussions about Moss, who hit .234 with 25 home runs and 81 RBI last season.


Joe Stiglich is CSNBayArea.com's A's Insider. Follow him on Twitter @JoeStiglichCSN.

Kevin Cash is the new Rays manager.

Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan reports that the Indians have acquired Brandon Moss from the Athletics.
Prospect second baseman Joey Wendle will head back to Oakland in a one-for-one swap. Moss is coming off hip surgery, which likely affected the return. Still, he has the potential to be an impact bat in the middle of Cleveland's lineup.


Source: Jeff Passan on Twitter
Dec 8 - 12:31 PM

At least we got rid of a bible thumper in the deal. Cant say I am too interested in a 31 year old left outfielder with a bad hip though. Post roids I would never bring in anyone over 30. Beane gonna try a make the tribe look like morons again. I guess from Shapanetti's perspective now they can get on with their cruise.