Signed SS Asdrubal Cabrera to a 1-Year, $4.55M Contract

The Indians came as close to an arbitration hearing with Asdrubal Cabrera as they did to almost any arbitration-eligible player since 1991. But although that team tradition has been maintained, another has been largely abandoned. Only two players in the organization (Travis Hafner and "Fausto Carmona") are under multi-year contracts that were signed with the Indians before they were eligible for free agency. Perhaps the pendulum is swinging back towards year-to-year contracts, with players and agents more content to deal with short-term risks in exchange for a big free agent payday.

It's been very apparent that Shin-Soo Choo is going to test free agency as soon as possible, and now it looks like Cabrera will be doing the same. This was probably Cleveland's best opportunity to extend Cabrera past free agency, as once his free agent season rolls around, what risk there is is swallowed up in the glare of bright, shinning reward. Chris Antonetti also seems resigned to this:

"We're appreciative of Asdrubal's contributions," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said. "We certainly value him as a member of the organization and a member of our team. He was a key part of our team over the last few seasons, and we're looking forward to him contributing in the time that he's with us.

With this anticlimactic signing, the Indians will head into Spring Training with a little over $60.0M on their payroll, with just the pre-arbitration players to sign. They should start the season with about a $66.0M or perhaps a $67.0M payroll, and no player on the roster being owed a 2013 salary.

Story

Signed 1B Casey Kotchman, to a 1-Year, $3.0M Contract

It's not official yet, but there's enough noise from people on the Tribe beat that I'll treat this as a done deal. Jon Heyman first reported that the Indians had signed Kotchman, and Paul Hoynes noted the salary.

And so the winter-long quest for a Bat is over. It's not over because Kotchman is that Bat, but because now that Kotchman has been signed, the Indians will cease looking for a Bat. Let me explain.

Kotchman had a career year in 2011, batting .306/.378/.422 for the Rays in 563 Plate Appearances. But that's tempered by a couple things: 1) his Batting Average on Balls in Play (BABIP) in 2011 was .335, well above the league average and well above anything he'd done in the past, and 2) the previous season (2010, with Seattle), he hit .217/.280/.336. In his non-Tampa career, Kotchman's batting line is .259/.326/.392 (91 OPS+). Players have been known to suddenly fundamentally change their games in mid-career (as we saw with Cliff Lee), so perhaps Kotchman's 2011 is a harbinger of success to come. But it looks like other MLB GMs were not that visionary.

I do think, though, that the signing has some positives. Kotchman has always been a very good defender at first base (career UZR of +32.3), and that should be a help behind a staff predicted to be full of ground-ball pitchers. If the Indians go with Jack Hannahan at third, they'll have very good defenders on both corners of the infield.

If you're Matt LaPorta, this type of signing isn't the worst thing in the world. Matt was going to AAA regardless of who they signed, but Kotchman isn't likely to stay in Cleveland beyond this year, whether it be due to success (free agency) or lack of it (minor-league free agency). So Matt will have a season in Columbus to earn another chance, and with the Indians only on the hook for $3M, they shouldn't feel obligated to play or keep Kotchman if he isn't hitting.

The Kotchman signing will make the Indians choose between Lonnie Chisenhall and Shelley Duncan this spring. I think Duncan still fits well on the roster, especially with the addition of a left-handed first baseman. He'd be one of the few right-handed power hitters in camp, and with Travis Hafner's injury history, he'd be a nice backup option for DH. But that would mean the Indians would have to send Lonnie Chisenhall to AAA.

The Indians had to bring in someone to force Matt LaPorta to AAA. This has been accomplished. But I don't think Kotchman is a Bat in the sense that Josh Willingham or Carlos Beltran or even Carlos Pena would have been. Kotchman is a modest improvement over what the Indians had, and no more.

Placed Fausto Carmona* on Restricted List

Placing a player on the Restricted List removes him from the 40-man Roster and also stops his pay. Usually players that are placed on this list have been suspended by MLB for testing positive for Performance-Enhancing Drugs, or off-field legal issues (for example, the White Sox placed Alexei Ramirez on the Restricted List when they traveled to Toronto because the shortstop's work visa prevented him from re-entering the United States); in this case Indians used it for the latter reason. Carmona/Heredia is still under contract with the Indians while on the Restricted List.

The move seems to signal that the Indians will not attempt to void Carmona's contract, at least for now. Going from 28 to 31 years old is a big deal when it comes to free agency, but as Carmona is already under contract for the 2012 season, it shouldn't change the Indians' plans for him this year, assuming, of course, he can enter the country. He was slated for a spot in the rotation, and if he takes care of his legal and visa problems, he'd go back into the rotation, even if he doesn't arrive in the US until mid-season.

Indians manager Manny Acta, who was in the Cleveland area on Thursday for the team's "Tribe on Tour" event, said Carmona is still considered a big part of the team's rotation.

"He's a very important part of it," Acta said. "You don't find 200 innings on every corner of America. Just two years ago, he had 210 quality innings. But, life goes on."

Why did Carmona resort to purchasing someone else's identity? Because when he signed with the Indians, he was 20 years old, and even someone that young is too old for an amateur free agent from the Dominican Republic. Players in the US who don't get drafted high enough or drafted at all coming out of high school have the opportunity to play at the collegiate level and get a second opportunity to get a big bonus three years later at age 20 or 21, but that wasn't an option for Carmona.

"I believe that Major League Baseball is doing a tremendous job right now to help better the system," Acta said. "But, it's just been a flawed system for a long time, because you can be 21 [years old] and be a first-round pick out of college here [in the United States].

"When was the last time that anyone that was 21 was signed out of [the Dominican Republic] that you knew was 21? It's a system that in the past has forced those kids to do some of that stuff.

*Real name Roberto Hernandez Heredia

Signed RHP Dan Wheeler to a Minor-League Contract; Invited him to Spring Training

The Indians added yet another NRI to their already crowded list by signing Dan Wheeler to a minor-league deal. Wheeler pitched with the Red Sox last season, missing the last three weeks of the season with a right forearm injury. The arm injury, along with a poor (for a setup man) season both contributed to him having to take a minor-league deal. Wheeler immediately becomes a frontrunner for the open bullpen spot; in his second stint with Tampa Bay, he averaged 68 appearances from 2008-2010, and posted a .975 WHIP. If he's healthy, he should make the team.

This is a series of Game Recaps from past Indians contests, written from the perspective of one who had just witnessed the game. Notes in italics indicate present (as in 2012) perspective.

Box Score

AP Story

It's a couple of hours since the game has ended, and I'm still laughing. Not much has gone right this season, and the Indians aren't even good enough to have a June swoon (already 11 games out), so tonight's odd win was just what was needed.

But before going into the hilarity, let's take care of the usual game stuff as quickly as possible.

This was not one of Jose Mesa's better starts. After throwing a complete game in Kansas City and eight shutout innings in Baltimore, this is Jose's second straight mediocre start. The Indians have much bigger problems in the rotation, but it's a bit concerning to see one of the bright spots in the rotation show signs of slowing down. Jose gave up two first inning home runs to the Rangers, the first coming off the bat of LGFT Julio Franco, the second off of Rafael Palmeiro. I still cringe when seeing Julio at bat, thinking mostly that horrible deal five years ago.

Left-handed flamethrower Kenny Rogers was pitching, so Mike Hargrove sat several of his starters. Kenny Lofton, Jeff Treadway, Paul Sorrento, and Wayne Kirby were all on the bench just like yesterday, when southpaw Charlie Liebrandt was on the mound. I suppose Hargrove was playing percentages, but it was strange that all five sat two days in a row.

So the Indians were down 3-0 after the first inning, but they'd come back. In the bottom of the third, Carlos Baerga drove home the first Tribe run of the game on a ground out, but the heavy lifting in the inning had been done by Thomas Howard's single and Felix Fermin's double.

OK, now for the hilarity. In the bottom of the fourth, Carlos Martinez led off the inning, and hit a deep but playable ball to right-center field. Right fielder Jose Canseco went over to make a play on the ball, and this happened:

Continue reading this post »

Traded RHP Zach Putnam (AAA) to the Colorado Rockies for RHP Kevin Slowey

The juxtaposition of this deal to the news out of the Dominican Republic would seem to indicate the Indians are hedging themselves, but Chris Antonetti denied any direct correlation between the two events:

"There's obviously some uncertainty with Fausto's situation," Antonetti said. "But as we've talked about throughout the course of the offseason, we've looked for opportunities to improve the team in any way we can. This is a guy we've had interest in for a while.

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The Indians came to terms with five of their seven arbitration-eligible players yesterday, the day when clubs and players exchange numbers.

• Shin-Soo Choo: $4.9M (second arbitration year)
  
• Justin Masterson: $3.85M (first year)
• Chris Perez: $4.5M (second year)
• Joe Smith: $1.75M (second year)
• Jack Hannahan: $1.35M (first year)

The two arbitration-eligible players not yet signed are Asdrubal Cabrera and Rafael Perez. The Indians haven't gone to arbitration with a player in over two decades, but in Cabrera's case, I'm hoping that the delay means that long-term deal negotiations are ongoing.

This is a series of Game Recaps from past Indians contests, written from the perspective of one who had just witnessed the game. Notes in italics indicate present (as in 2012) perspective.

Box Score

New York Times recap

For 29 Major-League clubs, nothing is as exhilarating as beating the Yankees, with the possible exception of winning the World Series. So how do you describe a game in which your team not only shut out the Bronx Bombers, but shut them out 22-0?

The Yankees are coasting towards another postseason appearance, with the only drama remaining whether they will be the AL East champions, or perhaps the Wild Card. The Indians obviously are playing for next year, having had just a taste of a pennant race. That high point was just a couple weeks ago (On August 14th, the Indians were 1.0 game behind the Twins), but all the losses since then make it seem like it was two months ago that Rick White gave up that home run.

But baseball, with its 162-game schedule, allows even the dogs to have their day, and what it a glorious game it was. The Indians jumped on Javier Vazquez early, with Travis Hafner clearing the bases with a triple deep into the center field gap. Vazquez was out of the game by the end of the second inning, a Matt Lawton single the decisive blow. Vazquez has been shaky of late, but usually he'd get the Yankees into the sixth inning or so, and that would be more than enough for the offense. But not tonight, as Joe Torre would have to bring in Tanyon Sturtze to soak up some innings. Sturtze couldn't stop the bleeding, as the Tribe bats, dormant for just about the entire month of August, kept piling up the runs as if impersonating a runaway train barreling down a steep hill. Gravity (or in this case, the score differential) seemed to increase the offense.There were three more runs in the third, and then six runs in the fourth. By the time the fourth ended, the Indians were up 15-0 and the Yankees were already on their third pitcher.

But this historic score had another component to it. Jake Westbrook, who is having a career season, spun seven scoreless innings against a lineup that had been terrorizing the AL, in a part that encourages offense. Jake started the game unconventionally, retiring the first six Yankees with four fly outs and two strikeouts, but settled in his usual routine after that. Eric Wedge pulled him after the seventh, partly because he had reached his normal pitch count, but also because by that time the Indians were up 16-0. It also must be added that Westbrook pitched this gem having to deal with C.B. Bucknor's Schroedingeresque strike zone.

Now a 16-0 lead is a massive rout, but the Indians were not content to stop there. They scored six more runs in the ninth off of Esteban Loiaza, those six runs coming on two three-run homers. The first came off the bat of Jody Gerut (his only hit on the night), and the second off Victor Martinez This record-setting inning could have been seen another incredible record tied had Omar Vizquel got another hit. If Omar could have slapped a single to right instead of flying out to right, he would have joined Wilbert Robinson and Rennie Stennett as the only players to ever have collected seven hits in a nine-inning game.

But that near-miss shouldn't dampen the glee that Tribe fans will take from this incredible victory. There's still a month of meaningless baseball to go, and perhaps this will end up being a footnote in another New York championship season. But in both cases it will be remembered; the 22-0 victory is the largest margin of victory for a shutout in modern baseball history. If ever I have a long wall to decorate, foremost in my mind will be a framed picture of the Yankee Stadium scoreboard on August 31, 2004. For tonight, Tribe baseball reached the regular season pinnacle of perfection.

I apologize for the lack of content lately. Part of that is due to no real Tribe news to talk about, but most of it is due to real-life work and site work that hasn't yet seen the light of cyberspace. That behind-the-scenes work should start appearing on the site as Opening Day approaches, and will be a feature over the next year or so; it's a rather ambitious project in size and scope, so it's taking some time to do right. I believe, though, that it will be worth the wait.

In the meantime, I'll be doing some historic game recaps of important (or unimportant) Indians games of the past, with the first one to appear tomorrow morning. It will be done as if the game had just ended. If you have some suggestions of games that you'd like recapped in this odd way, please let me know, whether in the comments below, or via e-mail.

And I'll be doing the News and Notes posts. Unfortunately, there isn't much to relate about the Indians, who seem to be stuck waiting for Prince Fielder to sign somewhere. But there has been news elsewhere around the league, so I'll be covering that.

Cleveland Indians GM Chris Antonetti works on making that first decision | cleveland.com
Paul Hoynes recaps what seems to be the latest conventional wisdom. The Indians will likely attempt to sign a first baseman after the market gets unstuck. Carlos Pena, Derrek Lee, and Casey Kotchman are the three main candidates available to the Indians, but each has their drawbacks. Lee will be 36 next year, and probably isn't far from the end of his career. Pena will command the most money, and is a left-handed hitter. And Kotchman is not much of a power hitter (and before last year not much of a hitter at all.

Of course, all this assumes that Matt LaPorta will spend the season in Columbus. The Indians can't risk a premium offensive position on a player who has yet to show signs of hitting at the major-league level. LaPorta has had just over 1000 Plate Appearances at the major-league level, and a .397 Slugging Percentage. Last season, he struck out 87 times to 23 walks. A poor SO/BB ratio may be forgiven if power's there, but Matt hasn't even done that.

Yankees trade Montero for Pineda, sign Kuroda

The Yankees had been very quiet this off-season, re-signing Sabathia early but otherwise not making many moves. That changed this past weekend; they not only signed Hideki Kuroda, but pulled off a blockbuster trade. They dealt prospects Jesus Montero and Hector Moesi to the Mariners for Michael Pineda and prospect Jose Campos. All the players involved were under 23 years of age and with little or no service time. It's rare that this type of trade happens, as talented players with little service time are very valuable to a club.

Pineda had a very good rookie season, allowing only 133 hits in 171 innings pitched, and topping 9 strikeouts per 9 innings. He'll slot right behind Sabathia, and give the Yankees two outstanding pitchers who also happen to be under contract or control through 2016. Montero, who is still considered a catcher, should hit enough to stick at first or even DH, but obviously he's a much more valuable player if he can handle the tools of ignorance. He's ready for the majors, and the Yankees were likely going to give the DH duties, so that may mean New York will be looking at Carlos Pena or Derrek Lee.

Later today the final member or members of the 2012 Hall of Fame class will revealed.

Last week, Chris Jaffe of the Hardball Times put forth not only his predictions for today's election results, but the percentages each candidate will receive on the ballot: Chris has been doing these predictions for several years now, and the results have matched them closely. One of the main components he uses is the strength of the ballot, which at first glance shouldn't matter, as voters can place up to ten players on their ballot. But the presence or absence of Hall of Fame-worthy players on a ballot has an effect on other more marginal candidates:

This is the single most important guideline. When the ballot’s overall strength goes up, the members of the backlog have their vote totals go down. If a ballot gets weaker, the backlog’s support gets stronger.

Two things change the strength of a ballot: guys arriving on it, and those departing from it. For example, in 1999 Nolan Ryan, George Brett, Robin Yount, Carlton Fisk, and Dale Murphy arrived on the ballot and the holdovers suffered considerably.

So what does that mean for this year's ballot? There are 13 new players on the ballot, but only one (Bernie Williams) that seems a lock to stick around a year. And while Williams does deserve a long look, he shouldn't hurt any of the holdovers. That should mean that the top holdover on the ballot, Barry Larkin, will probably easily pass the 75% threshold for induction, and Jack Morris should get a pretty big boost as well. This may be Morris' best shot of induction through the BBWAA ballot, as the next couple seasons will see a huge influx of HOF-worthy players.

But those are strategic considerations; what about the players' actual worthiness?

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Story

Signed RHP Robinson Tejeda to Minor-Leagu Contract with an Invitation to Spring Training

The Indians made an acquisition today, but it wasn't a corner bat. They signed relief pitcher Robinson Tejeda to a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training. The bullpen on paper looks to be the deepest position on the team, for the Indians not only will bring back six out of the seven relievers with forty appearances, the farm system is deepest in relief pitching. But Tejeda could help the team; before missing almost the entire 2011 season with a shoulder injury, he had a couple of decent seasons as a setup man with the Royals.

As the offseason enters the final stretch, the Indians are still looking for that elusive corner bat. Meanwhile, there have been some moves elsewhere that indirectly affect the Indians:

Padres acquire OF Quentin from White Sox - Sacramento Sports - | Sacramento Bee
The White Sox dealt Carlos Quentin, who fits the profile of the type of hitter the Indians are looking for, to the San Diego Padres for two pitching prospects. Quentin is one year away from free agency, and with this and other recent trades, it looks like the White Sox are taking a step back in order to rebuild. Quentin would certainly have been on Chris Antonetti's trade radar, but making an off-season trade within the division is a rare occurrence.

For one year of Quentin, the White Sox received two pitching prospects, though neither are considered potential stars. Simon Castro has a good fastball/slider combination, and if he doesn't work out as a starter, he should move quite easily into a relief role. Pedro Hernandez could help at the major-league level, though his upside isn't that high. At first glance, it seems that the White Sox could have gotten more for Quentin.

BaseballAmerica.com: Majors: Trade Central: Blue Jays Reacquire Frasor In First Trade Of 2012
Ken Williams wasn't done dealing, as he also traded Jason Frasor, who will also be a free agent after the season, to the Toronto Blue Jays for a couple of more pitching prospects. Frasor came up with and pitched most of his 8-season career with Toronto. Frasor was dealt to Chicago last July as part of the multi-step, eleven-player deal that sent Colby Rasmus to Toronto. Logically, if you're going to deal Quentin, you also have to deal other tradable players who are that close to free agency. John Danks, who signed at extension just a couple days ago, presumably would have been trade bait as well if a deal hadn't gotten done.

RHP Myles Jaye, who is only 20 years old, has only pitched at the Rookie-League level, so is at least a couple of years away, though he does seem to have upside. Daniel Webb is also a couple years away, and projects as a reliever.

The Indians had three main goals this offseason, at least as far as acquisitions were concerned:

1. Stabilize the starting rotation

This was taken care of almost immediately. The Indians made the first trade of the offseason, acquiring Derek Lowe from the Braves in a salary dump, and they also picked up Fausto Carmona's 2012 team option. As far as I know, that ended their interest in starting pitching for the winter.

2. Find a starting center fielder

After allowing Grady Sizemore to test the market, they re-signed him to a one-year deal with $4M less in guaranteed money, although he'll get to $9M if he makes 650 plate appearances. This was also completed fairly quickly, and before many of the other free agents signed.

3. Add offensive production in either left field or first base, preferably a right-handed power hitter

This one hasn't been addressed, and might not be addressed at all. They were one of the finalists for Josh Willingham, but balked at giving the 32-year-old a three-year contract. The other outfielder that fit what they were looking at, Michael Cuddyer, ended up signing for more money than Willingham.

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There's still opportunities on the trade market, whether it be for one of the Angels' redundant first basemen or even San Diego's Anthony Rizzo, but the Indians aren't going to grab that offensive bat via free agency. As of today Michael Brantley is your starting left fielder, and the first baseman will be an amalgam of Carlos Santana, Shelley Duncan, and Matt LaPorta. Santana, of course, is also the starting catcher, so whenever he's playing first, Lou Marson will be in the lineup; that just shifts the offensive problem to catcher.

The Indians meanwhile have concentrated on depth, signing Felix Pie and Jose Lopez to minor-league contracts, and trading for Aaron Cunningham. Cunningham has the inside track on the fourth outfielder spot, as he's not only right-handed, but also out of options.

If this was a rebuilding season, these wouldn't be a bad series of moves, but 2012 looks like the first of two seasons in which the Indians should be able to compete with the present cast of characters. Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore will likely be gone after this season, and more importantly, Asdrubal Cabrera, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Shin-Soo Choo will likely be free agents after the 2013 season. It seems like the window of opportunity is 2012-2013, and that means in my opinion that the Indians just can't go into the 2012 season with both Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley as starters.

So there's still some unfinished business for the Indians this offseason, and it almost has to be a trade.

Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that the Indians have signed outfielder Felix Pie to a minor-league contract with an invitation to Spring Training. Pie, who spent most of the last three seasons with the Orioles, was outrighted off Baltimore's 40-man roster last August. Like many "top" minor-league contracts, this one features an opt-out clause if he doesn't make the Opening Day 25-man roster.

Pie was half-way decent at the plate in 2009 and 2010, but fell off the face of the earth last season. He's been a fourth outfielder his entire career, and that's his upside with the Indians. If Cleveland doesn't sign a starting left fielder (like Josh Willingham), he would have a shot of making the Opening Day roster; if they do, Brantley's the fourth outfielder, and Pie is likely going to someone's AAA roster. UZR says that he's a good defender in center, which is where he'd play most often.

This signing also pushes Ezequiel Carrera down a notch on the depth chart.

Signed OF Grady Sizemore to a 1-Year, $5M Contract (with $4M Incentives)

This is a unique signing for the Indians; normally once a player enters the open market, he's gone, as the Indians haven't been known to have either deep pockets or an aggressive nature. But in this case, there were several factors that pushed Grady back to the Indians. First, he's damaged goods because of the knee injuries, so he was not going to get the huge free agent contract that a player of his talents would normally get. Second, because he's been essentially rehabbing with the Indians over the past three years, he felt that going to another club right now would be counter-productive. After all, if his goal is to get that huge contract, he needs to prove that he can stay on the field for an entire season. Thirdly, the Indians were willing to keep him in center field, and other clubs wanted instead to move him to a corner. Now playing a corner may eventually be where Grady ends up for the rest of his career, but if does have a comeback season, he's going to get a much bigger contract as a center fielder than a left fielder. And finally, it seems that Sizemore feels some affection to the organization; he specifically mentioned that Chris Antonetti personally informed him that the Indians were declining his option. Now a gesture like that may not have made a $12M difference, but when all the other offers were in the ballpark, it seemed to play a considerable part in Sizemore's decision.

The Indians will pay Sizemore a base guaranteed salary of $5M, but he can earn an additional $4M in incentives based on plate appearances. The incentives start to kick in after 450 plate appearances, which is more than he made in either 2010 or 2011, but it's a very reachable incentive, as most full-time position players have in excess of 550 or 600 plate appearances. Sizemore also gets a $500K bonus if he wins the AL Comeback Player of the Year award, which he's a natural fit for. But the incentives pale in comparison for the paycheck waiting for Grady at the end of the year if he's healthy and productive.

So as of now the Tribe outfield looks a lot like it did at the beginning of the 2011: a rehabbing Sizemore in center, Shin-Soo Choo in right, and Michael Brantley in left. Although it looks like the Indians are turning their attention to first base, I would still like them to sign either a quality NRI or even a major-leaguer, as the organizational depth in the outfield just isn't very good. They did acquire Thomas Neal at the trade deadline last season, who has some power potential, but the Indians still need to drastically upgrade the position.

Because the 40-man roster was full when the Indians signed Sizemore, someone had to go, and that someone was: (Correction: Valbuena was removed when the Indians protected three players from the Rule 5 Draft).

Traded IF Luis Valbuena to the Toronto Blue Jays for Cash

Thus continuing a tradition of the Indians sending marginal infielders to the Blue Jays. John McDonald, who the Indians dealt to Toronto in 2004 for Tom Mastny, made a nice career for himself in Canada as autility infielder, and even Joe Inglett, who was claimed off waivers in late 2007, was still playing in the majors last season.

Luis Valbuena probably can't stick at shortstop, but I think he can be a major-league second baseman if he can transfer the success he's had in the minors to the majors. He has surprising power for someone his size, and has glimpses of that in the majors. But each time he's gotten chance with the Indians, he's been awful. And with second base being the deepest position on the roster (with Jason Donald and Cord Phelps behind Jason Kipnis) and Valbuena being out of options, he wasn't going to last the winter.

Purchased the Contracts of LHP Scott Barnes (AAA), RHP Danny Salazar (A-), and SS Juan Diaz (AA)

Designated IF Luis Valbuena for Assignment

For those who don't know, the Rule 5 Draft is a draft of players not on 40-man rosters and who have been in a professional organization for four seasons. However, there is one really big catch, which is why although there have been some huge successes (Johan Santana, to use a fairly recent example), normally it doesn't work. The drafting club has to keep the player on their 25-man roster all season. Because most of the eligible players aren't ready for the majors, this is a huge inconvenience, especially for a club who has designs of competing, but it can be done if they draft the right type of player. Common types of players drafted are defensive specialists that can run (Wily Tavares, for one), or a pitcher that can be used as a mopup man. And of course the player needs to have, in the drafting club's opinion, enough upside to justify them using a 25-man roster spot all season.

So of the three players the Indians protected, two I'd classify as strategic, as neither Salazar or Diaz would be considered among the Indians' top prospects. Scott Barnes, on the other hand, needed to be protected because not only is he one of the best prospects in the organization, but he also could go into a rotation this season.

Diaz came from the Seattle organization in the Russell Branyan trade. He's always been rated an excellent defender at shortstop, but that's just about all he's shown thus far. He'll be 23 years old, and would presumably move to Columbus this season, but I don't think he has starter upside. He could make a career for himself as a utility infielder, and I'm being charitable: his career batting line is .257/.313/.355, and he's never been young for his level (like Asdrubal Cabrera). I guess what I'm saying is that in this case the front office may be out-thinking themselves here. Yes, he's the type of player that gets selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but in this case I don't think I'd care very much if he was lost.

Salazar has great stuff (fastball sits in the mid-90s), and the only reason why he hasn't pitched beyond Low-A was Tommy John surgery in 2010. He has upside, and he looked good in small number of games he pitched in last season. If he's healthy, he'll probably spend most of the season in Zebulon's rotation. I understand this pick.

To allow for the Indians to add three players, the Indians designated Luis Valbuena for assignment. Now is the time to try to get a player through waivers, as most other clubs have full rosters, but I think someone will take a chance on him. He's been horrible in the majors, but he's hit in the minors, including a .302/.372/.476 line in Columbus last season. Valbuena is out of options, though, which will discourage some clubs.

Because the Indians now have a full 40-man roster, it's unlikely that they'll make a selection in the Rule 5 Draft, and if they do bring back Grady Sizemore, they'll need to remove a player.

Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball, by Terry Pluto and Joe Tait

So what am I doing reviewing a Joe Tait biography? Tait, after all, is known for broadcasting Cavaliers games, and is in the media wing of the Basketball Hall of Fame. But he did also broadcast Indians games on the radio on television during the 1970s and early 80s, and those days are covered extensively as well.

The book is not written in first-person, but in third-person form (in other words, in co-author Terry Pluto's voice), which I think was a good move. It allowed Pluto to write a history of that era of Cleveland sports, with Tait as the common thread. Interspersed through the book are collections of anecdotes from fans, as well as short chapters written by those who worked with Joe during his broadcast career.

The most interesting parts of the book for me were those dealing with the 1970s and early 1980s, partly because I wasn't around to experience it, but also because Joe was involved with both the Cavs and Indians at that time. I didn't know about the controversy with Tait and Frank Robinson (Tait filled in for Pete Franklin on WWWE, and Tait was critical of Robinson - and this was while Tait was broadcasting Indians games on the radio) or just how bad the early days of the Cavaliers were. I also didn't know that Bob Neal was such a prima donna (among other things). 

For a time Tait did both Cavaliers and Indians on the radio, which is an amazing feat considering how many games there are to do between the NBA and MLB seasons.  He was the radio voice of the Indians from 1973-1979, and was the play-by-play man on television from 1980-1987 (keeping in mind that usually less than half of the games were on TV). So through the mid 1980s, he was just as involved with the Indians as the Cavaliers.

But of course, his relationship with the Cavaliers defined his broadcast career, and he quickly became synonymous with the team. When it was apparent that Ted Stepien (who has to be the worst owner in the history of American professional sports) would force Joe Tait out, the fans organized an informal "Goodbye Joe Tait" night, drawing over 20,000 fans for the last of the 1980-1981 season, almost double the normal attendance. When Gordon Gund began to pick up the pieces of the franchise two years later, perhaps his most important move was bringing Tait back.

The meat of the book is Tait's first decade or so with Cavs, from the days of Bill Fitch to the Ted Stepien debacle, and those chapters alone make the book worth getting. But that isn't a knock on the rest of the book; the sections on Tait's Indians days are fascinating, as is his early career in radio. But the chapters covering Joe's later career were rather sparse, so don't expect to read a lot about the Price/Nance/Daugherty or Mike Fratello teams. LeBron James was covered, though, including Joe's thoughts about "The Decision."

Tait comes across in print just as he did when doing Cavaliers games: he's honest, unpretentious, and at times funny. Pluto deftly balances Joe's life as a broadcaster with the events happening around him, and the result is a memoir that reads like his sports history books.

Joe Tait: It's Been a Real Ball is available at NE Ohio bookstores, Amazon.com, and BN.com. You can visit the book's website here, which includes a schedule of book signings by Joe. I received a free preview copy from the publisher.

Ken Rosenthal submitted this at 9 PM:

Grady Sizemore appears to be headed back to the Indians.

 

The free-agent outfielder is in serious discussions with his previous team, according to his agent, Joe Urbon.

Now this could just be posturing from his agent so that the other interested teams up their offers, or it could just mean that Sizemore wants to play in Cleveland next year. If the Indians bring back Sizemore, he's going to be their center fielder; I'm not sure how many of the other clubs are promising that.

ESPN's Jerry Crasnick tweeted another quote from Urbon:

"The #Indians came at us with an aggressive offer,'' said agent Joe Urbon. He says the two sides have "exchanged proposals.''

Obviously that doesn't mean the Indians are going to sign him, but it does hint that the Indians are at least close to any other offer.

Jordan Bastian also has chimed in, echoing Rosenthal but also including a quote from Chris Antonetti:

"I will refrain from specifically commenting on any speculation," Antonetti wrote in an e-mail to MLB.com. "But we remain interested in keeping Grady in an Indians' uniform and have expressed that sentiment to Grady and his representatives."

Bastian brought up a good point later in the article: because Sizemore can't work out for other clubs, the Indians are at an advantage because they are intimately aware of Sizemore's health.

More to come...

Sources: Baseball reaches agreement with labor deal - MLB News | FOX Sports on MSN
Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the new deal will be announced officially on Monday. Rosenthal reports that draft bonuses will be modified, and that draft compensation will be scaled back.

Owners Meetings Chatter | cleveland.com
Hoynes notes that the Indians have an interest in Jason Kubel, who is left-handed but will be come cheaper than Michael Cuddyer or Josh Willingham. I would think the Indians would use Kubel and Shelley Duncan together in left field.

Chicago Cubs hire Dale Sveum as team's new manager - MLB News | FOX Sports on MSN
Sandy Alomar interviewed for the job, but he's still in the running for the Red Sox position.

Beat reporter Jordan Bastian answers fans' questions in his latest Inbox. | indians.com: News
Among the usual questions in Jordan Bastian's inbox, this one stuck out:

While I wasn't expecting Asdrubal Cabrera to win the Gold Glove this year, I don't understand how his fielding stat of UZR is so low? We all saw many jaw-dropping plays from him this season. How accurate is UZR?
-- Dan O., North Olmsted, Ohio

In a discussion with local media at the end of this past season, Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said UZR is one of the best publicly-available defensive metrics. Cabrera made some amazing plays this year, but he rated last in UZR among American League shortstops for 2011. That said, the Indians were plenty happy with Cabrera's season -- both defensively and offensively.

Cabrera was rated by UZR at -11.8 in 2011, which was the worst rating for a starting AL shortstop. The Range component was the main driver of the poor rating, while the Error and Double Play components were either slightly negative or positive. So the real question is whether Asdrubal has the range to play shortstop, at least compared to his peers. My amateur opinion is that he shouldn't have been a Gold Glove finalist, but also that he's still adequate as a shortstop, especially given his contributions on offense and on the bases. The only other option to play shortstop on the roster in Jason Donald, and I don't think he's any better than Cabrera.

AP source: MLB players, owners close in on deal - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
Who would ever have thought that MLB would have the best labor relations of the four major sports? If the CBA is agreed to by the December 11th deadline, that would mean at least 20 years of labor peace, something unthinkable during the 80s and 90s.

The major hurdle cleared on Monday was the imposition of spending caps on bonuses. In exchange for removing draft pick compensation for free agents, the MLBPA has reportedly agree to a quasi-hard cap on bonuses for draft picks. The new cap would not specify any individual bonus caps, but would cap the overall bonuses for players selected within the first 10 rounds. If a club exceeded this cap, penalties ranging from a monetary to a draft penalty would be incurred.

The Indians have named former big league manager Edwin Rodriguez to lead Class A Carolina. | indians.com: News

Rodriguez managed the Marlins in 2010 and 2011. The Tribe's Carolina League affiliate will be moving to Zebulon, North Carolina for the 2012 season.