Cleveland Indians' Jim Thome to City Club: 'I want to keep playing'

Published: Monday, October 24, 2011, 5:45 PM Updated: Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 7:39 AM

By Bill Lubinger, The Plain Dealer

Cleveland Indians baseball player Jim Thome, right, answers questions from the audience with broadcaster Tom Hamilton, left, at the City Club of Cleveland Monday, Oct. 24, 2011, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Jim Thome at City Club gallery (7 photos)


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- When Indians slugger Jim Thome was piling up homers in Cleveland, he wasn't even aware of something called the City Club. But on Monday, he became the first active major leaguer to address the historic civic affairs organization since Babe Ruth on July 17, 1925.

Babe Ruth and Jim Thome. Both left-handed wide bodies. Separated by nine decades and 110 homers. The Yankees were in town for a series with the Indians when Ruth spoke to the City Club crowd about controversial "juiced" baseballs -- balls wound extra-tight to promote power-hitting.

His season now a month over, Thome returned with his wife to the city where his career began in 1991 at the invitation of local businessman, philanthropist and former Browns minority owner Bob Gries. He fielded questions from Indians radio voice Tom Hamilton, then from the audience, which, at 300-plus people, was twice the usual City Club draw. The event was moved to the Marriott at Key Center to accommodate the turnout.

"I want to keep playing," said Thome, a 41-year-old free agent designated hitter, when asked about his future. "And I'll keep playing. I just have to have teams that call me, and we'll see how the process goes."

Playing somewhere close to home isn't as important as suiting up for a contender, he said afterwards.
"I think the team is an issue to me," he said, "getting the chance to win."

Thome, who Indians fans roundly criticized for leaving for Philadelphia as a free agent after the 2002 season, rejoined the Tribe in an emotional return on Aug. 25 for the final five weeks of the 2010 season.

"That night, when I walked to plate and I got that ovation," he said, "it was incredible."

Thome is eighth all-time in home runs (604) and walks and holds the Indians records for career home runs (334) and for one season (52). Once enshrined, he will enter the National Baseball Hall of Fame in an Indians uniform, buoyed by stats amassed during the high-flying "90s.

Hamilton had Thome play word association about some of his former teammates from that magical time in Cleveland baseball history:

• Eddie Murray: "Legend. ... In my time that I saw, he was one of the greatest switch-hitters of all time. Presence, I would say, too. He had great presence. When he walked into the clubhouse, you knew it was game on."

• Albert Belle: "Tenacity. Best focused, hard-core player I've ever been around. Wanted to win, wanted to do well, and if anything got in his way, he didn't care. ... Best clutch hitter I ever saw."

• Kenny Lofton: "Electric. He could just light up a room and still does."

• Carlos Baerga: "Oh, just so much fun. What a teammate, what a special person. ... The minute you walked into a clubhouse, this guy just knew how to make you laugh."

• Omar Vizquel: "Maybe one of the best ever at his position, and to do what he's doing at his age says a lot about him. ... Him and obviously Robbie Alomar are two of the most fundamentally best players I ever played with because they knew how to beat you with what they had. When Omar made an error, you thought the world was coming to an end, that's how good he was."

• Charlie Nagy: "Class. Just a class act. ... What a great person, just a special guy."

• Manny Ramirez: "Another one, as far as clutch hitters of all time. Could turn the game like that. ... He had great personality was well. He was a guy, [you'd be like] where's your underwear today or where's your socks, where's your stirrups and Manny would have 'em on."

• Former roommate Sandy Alomar: "I'm probably as close to Sandy as anyone because of what he did for me as a young player. He took me in. I remember he cooked me scrambled eggs one morning and I think I hit a home run, and I told him, "Keep cooking scrambled eggs." ... No question I think he's going to be a great manager some day."
http://photos.cleveland.com/plain-deale ... lub_1.html

Really don't see how the Indians can carry Thome and Hafner on a roster for a full season and Sizemore's knee only complicates the issue further.

TDU: Sounds like he won't be considering the Indians, anyway:



Playing somewhere close to home isn't as important as suiting up for a contender, he said afterwards.
"I think the team is an issue to me," he said, "getting the chance to win."

Grab all the bucks you can, Jimmy. There's always someone that will pay a faded star at the end of his career.

Should they stay or go?
The Indians hold a $9 million option on Grady Sizemore and $7 million on Fausto Carmona for 2012 that must be exercised three days after the final game of the World Series. If they don’t exercise the option, Sizemore will become a free agent, and Carmona eligible for arbitration.

Why the Indians should keep Sizemore:
1. In 71 games last season, on two sore knees, 53 percent of Sizemore’s hits (32 of 60) went for extra bases — 10 doubles, one triple, 10 homers.
2. No other Indian who played 70 or more games last season had a higher percentage of extra-base hits, including Carlos Santana (48 percent) and Asdrubal Cabrera (36 percent).
3. Sizemore has never said a lot, but when healthy he plays the game so hard that other players can’t help but follow his example.
4. A healthy Sizemore gives the Indians a solid defensive outfield with Michael Brantley in left and Shin-Soo Choo in right.
5. What if free agent Sizemore signs with another team on the cheap this winter and he once again turns into a 30-30, Gold Glove CF in 2012?

Why the Indians should let him go:
1. His $9 million option for next year can be put to better use.
2. Five surgeries (left elbow, left groin, left knee, left groin, right knee) in three years.
3. Played just 210 games over the past three years.
4. Has 17 steals in 31 attempts (55 percent) over past three years. In five previous seasons stole 117 in 148 attempts (79 percent).
5. No guarantee on how healthy or productive he’ll be next year.

Why the Indians should pick up Carmona’s option:
1. They need starters with Carlos Carrasco out for the 2012 season following Tommy John surgery; the depth in minors thinned.
2. Carmona would still be under Indians control if they don’t exercise the options, but he could get a bigger payday through arbitration.
3. He’s durable, making 65 starts and pitching almost 400 innings in the last two years.
4. If Carmona pitches well next year, the Indians still have club options for 2013 and 2014.
5. Carmona’s contract should be easy to move if the Indians decide to trade him next year.

Why Carmona should go:
1. Outside the bug game against the Yankees in 2007, when was the last time this guy pitched well in the clutch?
2. He won 19 games in 2007 and hasn’t improved since.
3. He’s been in the big leagues six years and still gets rattled when something goes wrong behind him in the field.
4. He’s a sinker-ball pitcher who keeps giving up homers — 16 in 2009, 17 in 2010 and 22 in 2011.
5. Wildly inconsistent — 1-10 in 2006, 19-8 in 2007, 8-7 in 2008, 5-12 in 2009, 13-14 in 2010, 7-15 in 2011.

Who’s Next?
If the Indians didn’t pick up the options for Sizemore and Carmona, they conceivably would have $16 million to spend this winter on improving the roster.
Here are some potential free agents they may be interested in. The players' 2011 salaries are listed along with whether those salaries are trending up or down for 2012.

Coco Crisp, $5.25 mil., level
Kosuke Fukudome, $13.5, down
David DeJesus, $6.0, down
Nate McLouth, $6.5*, down
Juan Pierre, $8.5, down
Michael Cuddyer, $10.5, up
Josh Willingham, $6.0, up
Jason Kubel, $5.25, up
Carlos Pena, $10, level
Wilson Betemit, $1.0, up
Starting pitchers
Bruce Chen, $2.0, up
Armando Galarraga, $2.3, down
Edwin Jackson, $8.35, level
Javier Vazquez, $7.0, up
Rich Harden, $1.5, level
Freddy Garcia, $1.5, up
Bartolo Colon, $900,000, up
Aaron Harang*, $4.34, up
* — Club option for 2012

-- Paul Hoynes

Grady Sizemore's future with the Cleveland Indians examined: Terry Pluto

Published: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 8:05 PM Updated: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 10:21 PM

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer


CLEVELAND, Ohio — Pretend that Grady Sizemore never spent his career with the Indians, that his career had been spent with the Kansas City Royals.
Sizemore is now 29, and a free agent.
You are the frugal Tribe with $9 million of an estimated $70 million budget to spend on Sizemore. You already have $13 million committed to Travis Hafner, a player with his own history of injuries. You are expected to gamble $7 million more on Fausto Carmona because you need starting pitchers. Carmona is inconsistent on the mound, but durable in terms of making nearly all of his starts.
That's $20 million on two players whose performance for 2012 is hard to project.
Do you invest another $9 million in Sizemore, who has missed more games in the past three years than he has played?
Remember, you haven't been watching Sizemore come through your farm system. You didn't see him mature into a three-time All-Star (2006-08). He has simply been a very good player on another team who has had five different operations in the past three years -- including major microfracture knee surgery.
Would there be a serious debate in the Tribe front office about giving Sizemore the $9 million if he had not played so well for them in the past?
The Indians often say when it comes to signing a player, make sure you are paying him for what he WILL do, not simply what he has done in the past.
In the past three seasons, Sizemore has played 210 games . . . missed 276.
His batting average in those 210 games is .235 with 28 homers and 109 RBI.
In 835 at-bats, he has fanned 212 times and walked 87.
The past two seasons, it's 120 strikeouts to only 27 walks.
The knee problems sabotaged his defense, and he didn't steal a base last season. Maybe his quickness that allowed him to average 28 stolen bases a year from 2005-08 will return.
Or maybe not.
Yes, there are three years of asterisks next to all these numbers because of the two knee surgeries, the wrist surgery and the two surgeries for hernias. As Tribe General Manager Chris Antonetti said recently, "The one thing we know is when Grady is healthy, he's been a very productive major-league player."
But IF is the biggest little word in the English language.
In this case, the Tribe has no idea IF Sizemore can stay reasonably healthy.
In 2010, he had the microfracture surgery on the left knee. In 2011, he was on the disabled list three times with the right knee, which had arthroscopic surgery after the season.
Doctors report the latest operation went well, and Sizemore should be ready for spring training.
But what kind of player will he be in 2012? Can he play even 100 games? Who knows?
There are reports that San Francisco may have an interest in Sizemore if the Indians decline his $9 million option, paying him $500,000 and allowing him to be a free agent. Other major-market teams may view Sizemore as a good gamble, because they have money with which to gamble.
That's not the Tribe.
If the Indians put $9 million next to Sizemore's name, that probably ends their serious off-season shopping.
If they hadn't been so attached to Sizemore for so long, would the Indians even be considering this -- especially since Sizemore apparently has no interest in reworking his contract?
Pick up the option or let him go seems to be the stance of his agent.
If that's the case, it is indeed time for the Indians to let Sizemore go.

Offseason Outlook: Cleveland Indians
By Ben Nicholson-Smith [October 28 at 1:50pm CST]
The Indians face major decisions in center field and in the rotation this offseason. GM Chris Antonetti begins the winter with the expectation that payroll will rise following a promising 2011 season.

Guaranteed Contracts

Travis Hafner, DH: $15.75MM through 2012
Ubaldo Jimenez, SP: $5.2MM through 2012
Arbitration Eligible Players (estimated salaries)

Justin Masterson, SP: $3.6MM
Jack Hannahan, UT IF: $1.3MM
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS: $4.8MM
Shin-Soo Choo, OF: $4.3MM
Chris Perez, RP: $4.2MM
Joe Smith, RP: $1.6MM
Rafael Perez, RP: $1.9MM
Contract Options

Grady Sizemore, OF: $8.5MM club option with a $500K buyout (no Elias ranking)
Fausto Carmona, SP: $7MM club option (would be arbitration eligible if Indians decline option)
Free Agents

Kosuke Fukudome (unranked OF), Jim Thome (unranked DH), Chad Durbin (unranked RP)
The Indians' offseason begins with a pair of difficult decisions for GM Chris Antonetti. Cleveland has options for Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona, two of the club's longest tenured players. Neither one is guaranteed to return in 2012 and the Indians' decisions regarding the pair will shape the rest of their offseason.

The Indians have a $7MM option for Carmona, who would be arbitration eligible if the team declines the option. MLBTR projects Carmona would earn about $7.8MM if the Indians declined his option and went to arbitration with him, so it's the option or nothing in 2012.

Carmona doesn't strike many opponents out -- Indians starters as a group placed 27th in MLB in strikeout rate -- but there were some positives in 2011. He pitched 188 2/3 innings and though his 5.25 ERA wasn't pretty, his xFIP of 4.17 and SIERA of 4.18 suggest his ugly ERA may have been due to bad luck. Carmona had a 54.8% ground ball rate in 2011, so he could have trade value to teams in homer-friendly parks, like the Rockies, Rangers and Yankees, even if the Indians pick up his option and guarantee him a $7MM salary. I expect Cleveland to pick the option up and given how difficult it is to obtain starting pitching, that decision would be justifiable.

Regardless of how the Indians handle Carmona's option, they'll probably pursue starting pitching depth. Ubaldo Jimenez, Justin Masterson and Josh Tomlin will lead the rotation, possibly with Carmona. David Huff, Zach McAllister and Jeanmar Gomez provide manager Manny Acta with internal alternatives and Antonetti will likely add an arm or two from outside of the organization.

Sizemore's knees have limited him to 104 total games in the past two seasons, so exercising his $9MM club option ($500K buyout) would be a bet on Sizemore's health. Why would a small-market team even consider such a gamble? From 2005-08, Sizemore combined power, speed and on-base skills as one of baseball's premier center fielders. When he's healthy, he's a force, but the Indians don't seem confortable paying him $9MM in 2012.

Sizemore offers more offensive upside than free agent alternatives such as Rick Ankiel, Cody Ross and former Indians center fielder Coco Crisp. The Indians already have 24-year-old Michael Brantley, who posted a .702 OPS in 114 games and spent considerable time in center field. Rookie Ezequiel Carrera played 55 games in center, but had an OPS of just .613. If the Indians decide to pursue experience and certainty in center field and are unimpressed by the available free agents, they could turn to trade targets such as Angel Pagan and B.J. Upton.

The Indians may pursue corner outfielders, regardless of how they handle Sizemore's option. Right-handed hitting outfielders such as Josh Willingham and Michael Cuddyer could appeal to the team. Sizemore, Brantley, Carrera and Shin-Soo Choo all bat from the left side and the Indians lineup also includes three other left-handed hitting regulars, so they may pursue right-handed hitting outfielders if possible. One such player, Matt Murton, hit .311/.339/.423 in Japan in 2011 and could be available this offseason. He just turned 30 and boasts a .788 OPS as a Major Leaguer, so Antonetti may decide to offer an incentive-based deal should Murton become available.

Jim Thome intends to play in 2012 and though he made a triumphant return to Cleveland in 2011, a new deal seems unlikely, since the Indians already have a left-handed hitting designated hitter in Travis Hafner.

First base presents more uncertainty for the Indians. Carlos Santana is a regular contributor, but Matt LaPorta hasn't produced enough at the plate in two-plus seasons and Shelley Duncan probably isn't an everyday first baseman. The Indians could pursue free agents such as Casey Kotchman if they're losing confidence in LaPorta as their primary option at first.

Second baseman Jason Kipnis and third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall have the minor league pedigree LaPorta boasted a few seasons ago. They'll enter the 2012 season with a chance to build on the successes of their rookie seasons. Meanwhile, 24-year-old Cord Phelps is another homegrown option on the infield and the versatile Jack Hannahan is also under team control.

The Indians have just $17.7MM in guaranteed contracts for 2012, but that figure will rise to the $40MM range if the club retains all of its arbitration eligible players, as expected. If the Indians pick up the options for Sizemore and Carmona, payroll would be over $55MM before accounting for minimum salary players or potential acquisitions. Antonetti says he expects the Indians to exceed this year's $49MM payroll and accommodating both Sizemore and Carmona without a substantial increase would be difficult.

Joe Smith, Rafael Perez, Tony Sipp and Vinnie Pestano will return to a bullpen that will mostly remain intact. Closer Chris Perez struggled down the stretch after making his first All-Star team, so he'll look to pitch as effectively as he did in 2010. Nick Hagadone, the 25-year-old southpaw who came to Cleveland in the Victor Martinez deal, posted a 3.35 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 at Triple-A before making nine appearances as a September callup. He could be ready for a season-long stint in the Indians' 2012 bullpen and while there's no guarantee he'll replicate his minor league success, he deserves a shot.

Once the option decisions have been finalized and free agency has slowed down, Antonetti could explore extensions for Santana and Asdrubal Cabrera. Cabrera is closer to free agency than Santana, so the Indians would likely prioritize an extension for their shortstop. It's unlikely agent Scott Boras would encourage an extension for Choo, whose bargaining power dipped after a frustrating season.

Antonetti's first offseason as the Indians' GM led to an extended playoff run. They'll enter the 2012 season with elevated expectations and, if the winter goes according to plan, depth in the rotation and answers in the outfield.

Indians To Decline Sizemore's Option, Exercise Carmona's
By Dan Mennella [October 29, 2011 at 6:25pm CST]

The Indians are expected to decline their $9MM 2012 option on center fielder Grady Sizemore and exercise their $7MM 2012 option on right-hander Fausto Carmona, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. Sizemore will be owed a $500K buyout.

Sizemore, 29, was a cornerstone player for the Tribe from 2005-08 (.281/.372/.496) but has seen his stock plummet after three consecutive injury-riddled campaigns. Bastian notes that the Indians will likely be interested in bringing back Sizemore on a lesser deal, and as Tim Dierkes wrote earlier today, the three-time All-Star should garner interest - perhaps in the form of an incentive-laden deal - from teams in need of help in center field.

Carmona, 28 in December, will apparently return for a seventh season in Cleveland. The groundballer (58.6% career rate) has seen pretty wild fluctuations in his yearly ERAs, although his FIPs usually sits in the mid-4.00s. He averaged 200 innings over the past two seasons, however, so the Indians are hoping that he can shoulder a similar workload again and pitch competently at what is a reasonable salary. The Indians also hold options on the right-hander for 2013 ($9MM) and 2014 ($12MM).

Last night we learned that all option decisions - regardless if it's team, player, or mutual - must be made by 11:59pm ET on Monday.

In my opinion, good calls on both fronts. Pitching is still the name of the game! I don't think that Sizemore's numbers these past few years can't be replaced and upgraded.

Jim Thome, Kosuke Fukudome, Chad Durbin are among the first 148 players to file for free agency


Mark Duncan, Associated Press

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians Jim Thome, Kosuke Fukudome and Chad Durbin were among the first 148 players to file for free agency after the filing period began on Saturday night. The players association released the names Sunday morning.

The Indians acquired Thome and Fukudome in trades for the stretch run. Thome was acquired from the Twins and Fukudome from the Cubs. Durbin pitched out of the bullpen all season for the Tribe.

They could be joined by Grady Sizemore if the Indians don't pick up his option on Monday.
Thome said he wants to keep playing, but it won't be with the Indians. They already have a veteran left-handed DH in Travis Hafner.

If the Indians don't exercise Sizemore's option, Fukudome could be re-signed. The Indians will make a decision on Sizemore's $9 million option on Monday.

• Complete list of MLB free agents released Sunday

It would be a surprise if Durbin is re-signed. The Indians have several promising young relievers who could take his spot.

Teams can start bidding on free agents at 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Until then only their former teams can sign them.

Other prominent players who filed included Albert Pujols, Prince Field and C.J. Wilson, who starred in the just completed postseason.

In the AL Central, Twins outfielders Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel filed. So did left-hander Mark Buehrle, infielder Omar Vizquel and outfielder Juan Pierre of the White Sox.

The AL Central champion Detroit Tigers saw infielders Ramon Santiago, Wilson Betemit and Carlos Guillen, outfielder Magglio Ordonez and right-handers Brad Penny and Joel Zumaya file.

Kansas City left-handers Bruce Chen and Jeff Francis filed. So did catcher Jason Kendall.

Well with 148 out there we should be able to find someone useful

OH, NO! Chad Durbin ?!?!?!

Time to bring back Omar for his final hurrah.

We save 9 million on Grady.

We spend 5 million on Lowe.

Why - with the 3 million from Matt Williams, we gots 7 million to spend!

Others whose options were not picked up included OF's Nate McLouth and Brad Hawpe. I quickly glanced at their stats and sure don't want Hawpe (645 OPS and more than 3K/BB) and not interested in McLouth (677, walks nearly equal K) and yet another LH. Are there any RH OF's out there?

Juan Pierre another LH let go by the Sox, with another 657 OPS and led the league in Caught Stealing. No thanks.


I would however be willing to sign Pujols.