I just got back from the Indians' Town Hall meeting with Antonetti and Acta and figured I'd try to supplement what Bastian and Hoynes said on twitter.

• Acta specifically mentioned Hannahan with Nix and Donald for the 3B competition
• I can't tell if they're expecting or hoping Chisenhall and Kipnis to contribute in the majors before the end of the year, but it was something they consider very realistic
• Acta was excited about some of the younger pen arms - Stowell, Putnam, Judy, and Packer were all mentioned by names as guys he expects to come up and contribute
• When asked about internal expectations for 2011, particularly if they can get to .500, Antonetti said they're looking higher than that. They think they'll be healthy and able to build on the pitching from the second half.
• Sizemore is set in CF, but not necessarily in the #2 spot in the order.
  

bob nightengale of USA today says that Johan Santana is officially a New York Met. All still pending a deal for the Mets to sign Santana. The Twins are getting  Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra and Kevin Mulvey.

link:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2008-01-29-twins-mets-santana_N.htm

http://www.minorleagueball.com/story/2008/1/14/17208/9906

nobody even a B+, though he says Miller would be except for the elbow concerns. pretty much what we already knew.

"This system has thinned out at the top but still has depth. There is a large number of C+ guys, anyone from 9 through 18 could rank together depending on what you want to emphasize, so don't fret over the exact placement. I'm not a super-huge fan of Beau Mills, and probably rank him a tad lower than other analysts. I think he'll hit for power but I have questions about his other skills and want to see more pro data."

a quick breakdown on platoon splits at BP.com

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=669

what i found most interesting was a result at the end: "platoon splits are actually a much bigger deal for pitchers than for hitters"

i'm not sure if anyone else noticed it this year, or if i'm having selective memory here, but it seemed that the Indians played the platoon against the pitcher more than the hitter, ie, playing michaels against a RHP that righties hit better than lefties. its just good to know that our FO already has discovered, and tried to take advantage of this.

I know that I am probably the only person on the face of the planet who thinks this, but doesn't there have to be some thinking in the FO about what to do at 2B? Asdrubal Cabrera's career OPS (including postseason) is .720. Not even average. Of the 9 regulars (Lofton in LF and Guti in RF) he had the lowest OPS (again including the postseason). He may have shored up 2B for about 100 PAs when replacing Barfield, but his total numbers, which include a BABIP higher than can probably be expected out of him, aren't anything worth noticing.