Yes, if the Cleveland Indians really want to win the World Series this year without 'giving up the farm', it can be done.
We have moves that need to be made now! And I am talking about moves that will not drain our farm system. Yes, I am frustrated not just about our first ten games, but that much of what we have seen was predictable before the season began. And the Tribe Brass thought nothing needed fixed.
Another part of my frustration is to look around at the young ex-Indians who are doing so well (Phillips, Kouzmanoff, Barton, etc.) and we have David Dellucci, Jason Michaels, and a young fellow in Andy Marte who can only play third base, but will not be given playing time. I see us performing much like we did in 2006 after a very successful season in 2005.
Some of these suggestions will be unpopular, but are a few places to start.
The first one is a no-brainer, trade/release Dellucci, Michaels, and Marte. It is unbelieveable to me that we have these three on our roster, with two of them starting most games. Bring up Ben Francisco and Andy Gonzalez (to take Marte's spot) from Buffalo.
Gonzalez would give us a utility guy who can actually PLAY a number of positions (3B, 1B, and the OF). It seems to me that manager Eric Wedge is falling for that veteran garbage again by playing Michaels in right field so much and letting Gutierrez sit. I see another young man that may be losing his confidence trying to play for Wedge.
The biggest move, the one that will be controversial—sign Barry Bonds. He has stated numerous times that he would love to play for a team that has a chance to go the World Series. Indications are that he would not require a huge salary contract, and it would be for only one year.
The Tribe could be a perfect fit. The big if, is that he must come on the team as a team player, and not expect to have special perks that could throw off the team chemistry.
Yes, the news media will go crazy, but he could be protected from much of that. Bonds obviously doesn't let the fans' criticism effect his play. Getting away from the west coast may be perfect for him. You can also expect a tremendous rise in the ticket sales for the Indian games.
Then what would we expect from Bonds? He would be in left field about half the games and, Ben Francisco the other half. When he isn't playing, just think of the advantage of having a guy like him to pinch hit late in the close games.
Francisco would also be able to relieve Gutierrez in right field against some of the tougher right-handed pitchers. Francisco has shown that he can hit right-handed pitchers much better that Gutierrez.
Then when Shin-Soo Choo is activated, we could send Gonzalez back down to Buffalo and determine if Choo will be able to get playing time and produce under Wedge. I have a concern that for whatever the reason, Wedge has shown very little faith in playing Choo enough to give him a decent opportunity. I don't see that changing with Wedge being the manager.
I would love to see us include Dellucci, Michaels, and Marte in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles to obtain Brian Roberts. The Orioles are playing well now, but their slide will start soon and then they will be looking to trade Roberts. I would be willing to throw in a Jeremy Sowers/Aaron Laffey, as well as a couple of AA prospects. I may even consider Josh Barfield since I don't believe he is in Wedge's plans anymore.
We need to get a great leadoff hitter like Roberts, and quit playing around and allow Sizemore to bat in the second or third position. Even if it means that we have to overwhelm Baltimore, we still have not even started to give away our farm system.
Just think of the lineup we could have: ROBERTS, SIZEMORE, BONDS, MARTINEZ, HAFNER, PERALTA, GARKO, GUTIERREZ, BLAKE. And then a bench of Jamey Carroll, Francisco, Kelley Shoppach, and Gonzalez/Choo. The lineup the Indians have been using is a joke compared to what we could have. Consider our lineup now: SIZEMORE, CABERA, HAFNER, MARTINEZ, PERALTA, GARKO, DELLUCCI, MICHAELS AND BLAKE. That is not a World Series Championship team.
I believe that the pitching will again be our strength. C.C. Sabathia will eventually get his game straightened around. I expect big seasons out of Fausto Carmona and Jake Westbrook. Cliff Lee has looked good early, and Paul Byrd is struggling, but I believe he will be adequate for a fifth starter. Our bullpen will again be a strength for us even, if Joe Borowski should falter.
But our offense is what really needs immediate help. We finished the second half of the last season as the 24th ranked team in many of the major offensive categories. Much of that continued in the playoffs, especially against the Red Sox. Most teams have discovered how to pitch to our lineup, and that has carried over into 2008.
Getting Barry Bonds is without a doubt controversial, but how bad do we want to be able to win a World Series. The great managers know how to direct a team with different type of ballplayers and attitudes. We seem to want to produce a team with a good-guy images but that by itself will never bring championships. I truly believe that Bonds could positively effect the team in many ways.
I do have reservations that Wedge would convince his partner, Mark Shapiro not to make this move. Having a strong-willed personality would create major issues in Wedge's confidence. But Wedge needs to become a real major-league manager that is not fearful of specific ball players.
After all, this is a team game and we should be making moves to make this the best team to compete for the World Series!
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3 months ago
Dellucci and Michaels are starting to grow on me. My biggest concern is Casey Blake always getting down in the count so easily.
3 months ago
I don't quite understand what you mean by Dellucci and Michaels growing on you. Do you mean a bad thing, like a headache or a tumor that keeps growing bigger and bigger? Or are you saying that you are pleased with their play?
Yes, as far as Casey Blake, it seems everytime I look up, he has two strikes on him and we all know what kind of hitter he (and most players) are after they get 2 strikes on them.
3 months ago
Bonds last Hr ball just sold for only $313k, Why?, he's going to play again and he's going to hit more home runs. Need a stick? Get Bonds, the best.
3 months ago
Someone is eventually pick up Bonds to help their offensive. He can make the difference and I believe that he will be more motivated than ever when given that opportunity.
Hart brought in guys like HOF's Murray, and Winfield along with Justics and Baines to hopefully bring in some of their power and presence from earlier years. I see it no different with Bonds except our need may be even greater than what the Tribe teams in the 90's.
Yes, we do need a stick and Bonds may be our best option.
3 months ago
Oh my god..You are one of those guys.
And I don't mean it as a bad thing.
But you are one of those guys who is just ITCHING to get Sizemore out of that lead-off spot.
I say.. What's the harm right now?
He makes pitchers work, and strikeouts aren't such a bad thing as long as he is going deep into counts. He does that.
Brian Roberts? What? Why... Right now Asdrubal Cabrera has done nothing to get demoted, and if you do that, Josh Barfield is doing pretty good in Triple A. For the record I think Barfield is this club's future lead-off hitter. There We can move Grady down now.
Barry Bonds? Talk about unrealistic. That will not only NOT win us a championship, it will severely damage that team. There is something you can't teach, and this team as a whole has it. It's playing as a team, for each other.
Barry Bonds doesn't only NOT fit the mold, he completely contradicts it. No offense, but that is an insane and absolutely STUPID idea. There is much more you need to factor into it other than attention and numbers.
Plus he is a liability in left-field and he certainly won't be DHing.
I'm gonna stick up for Marte now.
Marte can only play TWO positions(he can play first base, but I don't see him doing much of that this year). But we don't need him to. Peralta and Cabrera are gonna get the majority of the starts at short and second and Carroll is a FINE fill in for either one. If Wedge sits peralta he plays Cabrera at short and Carroll at 2B. We don't need Andy Gonzalez at this point in time. Marte will get much needed Major League ABs backing up Blake, and if Casey continues to struggle, Marte will see more action.
Kouzmanoff was a risky player to hold onto. They made the right move bringing in Barfield for him. Barfield proved he could do it at the major leagues.
Brian Barton was selected in the rule 5 draft, the Indians didn't want to get rid of him, but they had no choice but to leave him unprotected.
Let's not get into the BP discussion please.. The Indians learned from that blunder and the guy we got for him will be on this team at the end of the year.
I don't mean to sound condescending or anything, but I just really really dislike it when people continue to shout ridiculous ideas like SIGN BARRY BONDS! You lose credibility. Most of your ideas were all realistic and ones you can consider at first, but the Bonds one simply is not. It just so happens I disagree with all of them.
Expect the Dellichaels thing. Look I said we needed to trade them at the start of the year, at least Dellucci cause Michaels is a great leftie hitter. But Right now Francisco isn't exactly ripping it up in Triple A.
I think though if Dellucci struggles in the long run, and Francisco isn't, a move has to be made there, of course the up coming Shin-Soo Choo decision is looming and I won't be surprised to see them deal him.
To answer your question. I want to win a world series bad, and I bet Mark Shapiro does too. But not only does he not want to use Barry Bonds to do it, Bonds WOULD NOT HELP THIS TEAM.
Hart's philosophy sucked. Shapiro learned the good things from Hart but he also has put his own mark on this team. He is a very intelligent GM and his assistant Chris Antonetti is just as smart. They would never make such a ridiculous move.
3 months ago
Nino, I am just asking intellegient posters and writers to actually LOOK at Sizemore's stats last year and this year with runners on base versus no one on base. The results were alarming to me and indicate that Grady would better serve the team batting third and not lead off. In the few games that he batted 3rd last year even showed that he was a better hitter there.
The key of course is to find someone to leadoff. My new adoration if you will (I know that getting Bonds was not ever going to happen but I wanted to get people thinking), is Reggie Willits of the Angels. A switch hitting leadoff hitter with speed, 30+ SB and100+ walks potential, plays great defense with an excellent arm and would be a huge improvement over Dellucci/Michaels. The only knock on him is he has no HR power but honestly, how much does Dellucci/Michaels have and isn't a .393 OBP much more important. He is currently playing in Salt Lake City now because the Angels have Hunter, Matthews,Jr., Anderson, Guerrero & Riveria. Willits, even though he is playing AAA would be our second best OF behind Grady and should not cost that much to get him.
But getting back to your comment, by moving Sizemore to 3rd, it puts Hafner down in the lineup. In actuality, based on performance this year, Hafner should be batting behind Garko but I will concede that may not be necessary. Hafner may become more like the old Pronk batting 5th, behind Martinez and before Garko.
WILLITS, CABRERA/CARROLL, SIZEMORE, MARTINEZ, HAFNER, GARKO, PERALTA, GUTIERREZ/FRANCISCO and BLAKE/MARTE.
All I am asking Nino is not to believe what Wedge has trying to feed us for the last number of years but look at the stats yourself and then respond back to me, if you will. Keeping Sizemore batting 1st borders on keeping Peralta batting 3rd for over half the season in 2006 and having Peralta batting ahead of Garko, except when Garko bats cleanup. Figure that one out.
Thanks
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