If the Tribe is serious (I have my doubts) about adding position players with some power, anybody on our major or minor roster except Kluber, Corrasco, Salazar and Lindor should be available for the right players.

If the Angels offered Trout for Carrasco, I'd turn that down!

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NOT!!!

Might have to think about that one.

Thought about it.

One second.

Done deal!

I'd accept Harper, too.

This is even less interesting than the 40 man roster Rule 5 stories:


general manager Mike Chernoff promoted three people within the club's baseball-operations department, it was announced on Friday.
Matt Forman is now the director of baseball operations. Sky Andrecheck is the new senior director of baseball research and development, and Keith Woolner is the principal data scientist for baseball analytics.



Next season will be Forman's fourth with the Indians. He spent the 2015 season as the assistant director of baseball operations. Besides aiding in the decision making within baseball operations, his duties include rule administration and interpretation, contract negotiations, arbitration, budgets, player evaluation and procurement. Andrecheck joined the organization in 2010 and was most recently the club's senior analyst. He is responsible for the club's analytical systems across baseball operations and serves as a resource for personnel and strategy decisions.

Woolner, who just completed his ninth season with Cleveland, will continue to lead research using advanced metric principles, theories and concepts via engineering, statistics and data science.

Ok, now that we have established that Carrasco is NOT untouchable, let's get to some more reasonable options for hitters that might be in the Carrasco or Salazar range of value.

Safe to say that not a single one would be located on the Yankees - and by the way the latest rumor has Gardner being mentioned with the Cubs for Starlin Castro. Hey, if you are Brian Cashman you shop him around to see what you can get.

Adam Jones. Stud centerfielder and right handed bat. If Baltimore offers that I jump and jump quick before the alcohol wears off.

Lorenzo Cain - see above

Buster Posey - quick before the alcohol wears off the SF general manager.

Freddie Freeman

George Springer - ok, this one is close. Maybe Salazar?

Andrew McCutcheon - duh

A.J Pollock - check his last year numbers if you doubt. Maybe Salazar

Nolan Arenado - RH bat and stud 3B. Lucky we don't need a 3B. Oh wait.....

Josh Donaldson

Paul Goldschmidt

Jose Abreu - RH killer. Lucky we don't...never mind

Mookie Betts - in Springer category. Very young. Maybe Salazar instead?

Todd Frazier - lucky we don't need..nevermind. RH too. For this one Cincy would have to ante up more - but still....
Maybe Salazar?

Carlos Correa - he's a SS, so not a need. But still.

You get the idea. It's not like there's not options out there for a good young SP to be traded for a very good bat. And get a position (3B? CF? or 1B) that we absolutely suck in at the moment.

I'm not going to be like the Tribe Brass is accused of an overvalue our players. Every one of the guys I mentioned here are more than legit. And this list is just a list of guys who are approximately 1 for 1 quality. Few trades end up being 1 for 1, that opens up other possibilities. So it's up to our GM to survey the options.

IMO this team is so out of balance that trading a quality SP for a quality hitter (preferrably at a position we need who's stud RH hitter) is a no brainer.

When TFIR mentioned Trout for Carrasco, I went back and looked at the 2009 draft. Tribe took Alex White and Trout, AJ Pollock and Goldschmidt went a little later

I read an article recently that Trout at his age has the highest WAR of any player in baseball history at the same age.
Not that Ty Cobb or Babe Ruth realized that they had WARs. So Trout who's only won 1 MVP is on potential pace to rate as Greatest Player of All Time.

TFIR: All intriguing players, but will the Tribe make such a deal, even if it were offered to them? I would say they wouldn't, b/c it seems they never make such trades. Oh well, "You can never have too much pitching."

JR - who knows but I do think we did see some difference between Antonetti and Shapiro.

Now?

I do think they are very open to adding offense. Not going to be by free agent.

We also know there WAS issues with Bauer so maybe he's the one they might dangle.

I think I'd rather part with Bauer than with Carrasco or Salazar.

Of course you would, so would anyone.

It's like saying you'd rather part with a $10 dollar bill than a $20.

But the $20s buy you a lot more too.

You ain't buying most of those guys on the list I posted with a Bauer.

WE GOT PARKMAN!!!!!

Nah, he was just traded to the CWS.

ove over Jerry DiPoto, the Cleveland Indians are taking over the Hot Stove headlines. First, Cleveland rocked the baseball world signing none other than Shane "The GOAT" Robinson to a minor league deal last week and now they have completely fixed their bullpen by acquiring Kirby Yates for cash in a swap with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Yates masterfully wove his way to a 7.97 ERA in 20 appearances for the Rays in 2015, including a span of six straight games between August and September where he allowed at least one run in each appearance. In total during that span, he allowed 12 run of his 18 runs. So in all honesty, despite the sarcastic tone here, he was fine for the other two-thirds of the season he pitched for the Rays. Yates is a pitcher who could be an effective bullpen option if he can keep his strikeouts high while keeping his home runs allowed low—something he did in the minor leagues but has not quite figure out how to do at the Major League level.

Every time would love to have an extra bullpen arm or two, especially any team managed by Terry Francona, so this serves as another solid depth move, as long as it's not the only move. Based on a quick glance at his Twitter timeline, Yates also seems like a pretty down-to-earth guy with an English Bulldog (which is a plus in my book), and he seems excited to play for the Tribe.

In order to make room for Yates on the 40-man roster, the Indians have designated Michael Choice for assignment. This leaves the Tribe with Abraham Almonte, Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin, James Ramsey, Jerry Sands, and Zach Walters as the outfielders on the roster.