Go Tribe!

Despite a lost season, a 4-game sweep of anyone should be a fun event, right? But I'm really ambivalent about. Although I'm glad we won, I'm REALLY hoping for a Milwaukee-Tampa Bay World Series.

Anyone else catch the 6 PM (for you East Coasters) Sportscenter today? I think it's the first time I've heard anyone throw Casey Blake's name out for a possible trade (aside from Cleveland fans). The suggestion was that the Mets would be interested (and I'm sure it would be for prospects).

Just interesting to hear Casey's name nationally.

Anyone wonder if the Tribe will try to sign Richie Sexson to a minor league deal?

They're just SO BAD.

Anyone see the Plain Dealer story with reactions from the team about the C.C. trade?

Most of them were pretty sad to see Sabathia go and mentioned what a great player and friend he was. I thought this was interesting:

Said Jhonny Peralta: "CC was in the last year of his contract, and the Indians couldn't pay him what he wanted. It's hard because he was a really good pitcher, a good friend and a teammate. He was always happy, and he helped a lot of guys.

"We need a player like that. Now that he's gone, I don't know what will happen."

Jhonny sounds pretty bitter.

And speaking of bitter, look who else chimed in:

Former Tribe slugger Albert Belle called Tuesday to voice his displeasure with the Sabathia trade.

"Imagine that the Cleveland Indians trade away another great player because they didn't want to pay him," said Belle from his home in Arizona. "The saga continues."

The beauty of the Belle's comment is...well, imagine if the Tribe HAD paid him big money. Yikes.

... since even the official site is now saying his time in Cleveland could be coming to an end.

Is Casey Blake next up on the trading block, and if so, who is going to go after him? I've been scratching my head on this one, and I don't see any obvious fits. Who is in need of a pending free agent who has been excelling at coming through with RISP and played all over the field?

(How many positions is he up to now, with that miniscule stint at SS a few weeks ago? Yes, that still makes me laugh.)

Anyone else going to watch the Brewers game tonight? I figure I'll tune in for the first inning at least. I hope C.C. does well. At least he was always honest about his situation.

It's not like he said he'd have to have the Tribe jersey ripped off his back before he left or anything ridiculous like that.

Some fun facts from an ESPN.com article I found on the Bartolo Colon to Montreal deal. Feel free to pass this info around to anyone upset that the Sabathia deal wasn't of the same caliber...because we really can't just a book by it's initial numbers:

Cliff Lee, LHP, 23
Lee, ranked only as Montreal's 11th-best prospect at the start of the year, blossomed into one of the top pitchers in the Eastern League, going 7-2 with a 3.23 ERA (7th) and 105 strikeouts (1st) in 86.1 innings. He relies on control, with just 23 walks, but has allowed 12 home runs.

Grady Sizemore, OF, 19
The Expos signed Sizemore to a $2 million bonus to lure him away from a football scholarship to Washington in 2000. He's a terrific athlete, but was hitting just .258 in the Florida State League. While's he's young for his league, his power has yet to develop (0 HRs, after just two last season in the Midwest League).

I'll spare you the line on Phillips (to avoid salt in the wound). Of note is the fact that the trade was actually centered around Lee Stevens (according to this article), who was with the Tribe for all of 56 games, hitting .222.

So we'll wait and see.

I'm really excited about the C.C. move. I kinda thought the season was lost some time ago, so I'm not overly dismayed by that. Furthermore, it's such a RIGHT move that I'm happy. Keith Law wrote on espn.com that the Indians didn't get as much as they could out of the deal, but if you consider how rare big rent-a-player trades are, then this totally makes sense. (Remember the Nationals getting absolutely nothing for Alfonso Soriano? With the emphasis on cheap young players no team is willing to do those deals anymore. Our Colon trade was a huge exception.)

Keith Law projected LaPorta as a "three true outcomes" player, one who walks, strikeouts, and hit homeruns. Kinda like Dunn, Howard, Prince Fielder, and Jim Thome. Those aren't my favorite types of players, but I'd really like to see him between Sizemore and Hafner. (I believe he's right-handed, right? I tried to check but couldn't find where I'd read it.)

Oh -- I just realized that Sizemore is now leading the league in homeruns. For the last two years I've hated having Sizemore lead off, and I think now might be the time to change it.

Kind of don't know what to do with yourself, huh?

I missed a call from my dad earlier (the Mrs. and I were out and about) and, obviously, I now know why he called.

Which is harder to accept, the idea that C.C. is no longer an Indian or that the season is really and truly over?

It's strange to see a guy who spent his career (so far) with the Tribe get traded. I know it was the right move, but it's still hard. Granted, it would be much worse if it were Grady or Victor.

Anthony Castrovince has suggested that Jeff Weaver (newly signed to a AAA deal) will get the call to fill-in the rotation (although we don't need a fifth starter until later in the week). Here's something fun to think about:

When the season started our strength was considered our rotation depth. We had EIGHT starters, more or less, in Sabathia, Carmona, Westbrook, Byrd, Lee, Laffey, Sowers, and Miller.

We are now calling up a NINTH starter, a guy we just picked up a few days ago!

It's kind of hard to win that way.

I'm looking forward to seeing some kids try out for next year.

This was the first article I found about the other players in the Sabathia deal.

Also, Anthony Castrovince has a nice run down of LaPorta here.

(Off-topic, but does anyone else read Castrovince's blog on a regular basis? I find it very informative and entertaining.)

In other news... Two Indians will represent Cleveland at the All-Star game on July 15.


I'm happy for these two; they really deserve it.

But does anyone care about the AS game? Just wondering.

Nice knowin' ya big man.

I knew it was coming but I'm still bummed out.

Anyone else listen to the game on the radio yesterday? I got the impression that C.C. could go in the next day or two.

From ESPN.com:

"The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel's Tom Haudricourt reports that Brewers general manager Doug Melvin is waiting to hear back from Indians general manager Mark Shapiro about the trade proposal that was offered on Saturday.

The deal is thought to be centered around Matt LaPorta, the Brewers first-round draft pick in 2007, who is currently playing for Double-A Huntsvile. The deal reportedly could also include prospects Taylor Green and Lorenzo Cain.

Sabathia's next start is scheduled for Tuesday. However, the Indians' No. 5 starter Jeremy Sowers, whose next start will be skipped, also threw a bullpen. This move seems to be a backup plan in case Sabathia is traded before Tuesday.

ESPN's Buster Olney also reports that the Rays, Dodgers and Phillies are still in the mix, but each has specific problems that could hold them back in landing Sabathia."

Matt LaPorta is currently in AA, hitting .288. He does, however, have an OPS of .978. One would have to guess that the Tribe would send him directly to Buffalo to get him some time in at that level. He's a right fielder.

Taylor Green is currently in advanced A. He's a 3rd baseman. He's only 19. He's hitting .298 with 54 RBI.

Lorenzo Cain is also in advanced A. He's an outfielder. He's 20. He's hitting .280 with 43 RBI.

I would be shocked if any of them really help us next year, although I suppose there could be an outside chance LaPorta could.

I don't see us getting major league ready talent, though.

I don't know if anyone watched the Fox pre-game show today, but their beat reporter (Ken Rosenthal, I believe) said that while there are four teams who might legitimately be interested in C.C. (the Rays and Phillies are the other two), the top two are the Brewers (as we've all learned) and the Dodgers.

The Brewers are currently the favorites because the Dodgers are also trying to deal for a short stop, which, not for nothing, screams "package deal" to me, but I don't know if Peralta is the type of short stop they're looking for (since they're looking to replace their lead off man, Furcal).

I've long maintained that the Tribe needs to get a major league or nearly major league ready player back for C.C., which is why the Brewers deal worries me (as they're offering only AA guys). But I realized today that no team is going to give up major league level talent for a half season rental. Basically, anyone we get for Sabathia probably won't be in Cleveland until 2010.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney chimed in on the Tribe today, and he's at least fairly optimistic about our future (although keep in mind he picked us to win the World Series this year):

"Joe Borowski was designated for assignment, at the same time the Indians are considering possible deals for C.C. Sabathia.

The great expectations for 2008 have been dashed, amid injuries to Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez, who were supposed to be the heart of the Cleveland lineup, and the sudden regression of the Indians' bullpen, which is Exhibit A for the volatile nature of bullpens. Fausto Carmona went down with a hip problem, and Jake Westbrook -- who looked so good in spring training -- blew out his elbow. You can bet that as the Indians drew up their plans for this season, they did not envision Ben Francisco and Ryan Garko lined up in the 3-4 spots in their lineup.

But what the Indians are faced with now is not a full-blown rebuilding job, but what could be a relatively smooth re-adjustment that would bring them right back into contention next season. The Indians will have Cliff Lee heading their rotation, in the season after he probably will start the All-Star Game for the American League, along with Carmona, and Aaron Laffey. The Indians need help for the middle of their lineup, for sure, and they should be getting some when they make the Sabathia trade. They have some pieces to rebuild the bullpen, and as they saw in 2007, you can go from awful to great in one season with your relief.

The Mariners have been the American League's other great disappointment. But while Seattle must cope with a total overhaul, the Indians will be merely reshaping a future -- albeit without Sabathia, whose time with the Indians is close to an end, after 237 starts and 106 victories."

It's official: Borowski and Bauer designated for assignment, Lewis and Slocum called up.

Anyone heard any news today? I thought maybe they'd have a press conference, but I haven't heard anything (but I'm in Los Angeles, so I would be the last to know).

Read some interesting things online today while searching for new info:

According to Jayson Stark at ESPN, the Tribe are making an aggressive play to keep C.C. One of Sabathia's friends told Stark that C.C. would rather not move to New York or Boston or a city like that; he prefers Cleveland. Stark also said -- as we've heard before -- that the issue isn't the money, it's the length of the contract.

There's an article on the Indians site about the bullpen. One new piece of information that I hadn't heard before was that Brian Slocum was moved to the bullpen a few weeks back in Buffalo. Since then, he's thrown 12 innings out of the 'pen, allowed 1 run, and struck out 10. I would expect to see him get the call.

Kyle's Speculative Roster Move Guesses:

1. Release David Dellucci (eating a year of contract)
2. Release Joe Borowski (eating the remainder of the year)
3. Send down Valendia
4. Send down Bauer
5. Send down Sowers

Corresponding Roster Moves:

1. Call up Michael Aubrey
2. Call up Brian Slocum
3. Call up Asdrubal Cabrera
4. Call up Jordan Brown (which means we're back to a 6 man bullpen)
5. Call up David Huff

Those are my guesses. What are yours?

I'm confused about something...

Are pitchers for the All-Star game not considered in the voting or something? I follow the Indians website pretty regularly, and I only ever see stories about Grady being voted in. Do the coaches pick the pitchers? After all, Cliff Lee should be a lock, so am I overlooking something?

From Anthony's Castrovince's Tribe blog on the official site, this was Wedge's response when asked if Borowski was still the closer:

"I had a feeling that question would come up," Wedge said. "We've got an off day [Thursday]. We're going to be meeting, we're going to be talking, we've got a lot of things that we've got to work through right now. We'll be working on the off day to try to solidify some things, make some decisions and go from there."

That seems to be the general consensus from the pre-game chats.

This begs the question, though: What changes CAN they make?

I don't expect them to trade C.C. on Thursday and I don't know what kind of moves they have left to make. Call up Cabrera and keep Jhonny as the full time DH? Send Sowers down and call up Huff? Call up Aubrey again? Play Marte?

In case you missed it, here's the video of the Indians' recent participation in the Make A Wish Foundation:



warning: you're probably going to need tissues for this