Tribe Talk: Out with the Old Guys, in with the New

(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Welcome to Tribe Talk, where Bleacher Report's Tribe fans weigh in on the ups and downs of the Indians each week throughout the season.

This week we examine the fates of the older players on the Tribe’s roster, from the recent trade of Carl Pavano to the uncertain future of Jamey Carroll. We also discuss the ethical implications of trading within one’s own division, weigh-in on what we’ve seen from the newly-acquired Justin Masterson thus far, and take our best guess at who the 2009 AL Central Division Champions will be.

I would like to thank this week's participants Dave Wiley, Dale Thomas, and The Coop for their contributions.

This discussion is open to all, so please feel free to comment below and pitch in your thoughts on the questions we're addressing this week.

Go Tribe!

1. We would all like to know what the value of the Pavano trade will be for the Indians, but that question cannot be answered until the Tribe receives the promised player to be named later from Minnesota sometime between now and Sept. 1.

The other question sparked by this deal is regarding where one should draw the line on who one makes trades with. Do you have a problem with the Indians trading a player to an AL Central rival, especially one who is in the race for the division title?

Would your opinion be different if the Indians were still in the race, or if the Twins were not?

The Coop: I don’t know how you could expect very much. The Indians pretty much took a flyer on him last offseason and he ended up being pretty mediocre. I mean, I certainly didn’t count on him for nine wins (now 10), but he hasn’t exactly been untouchable. It’s not like another team is going to mortgage their future for him.

He is playing on a one-year contract and is certain to make more money next year, assuming he finishes out well this season. Meanwhile, he’s 33 and has spent more time on the DL than on the field in his career.

Someone will pick him up, but it won’t be the Tribe. Their move was consistent with what they’ve been doing all along, exchanging million-dollar contracts with low-level prospects.

I don’t have a problem with the Tribe trading to a division rival now that they’re finished, regardless of where Minnesota is in the standings. If both teams were in the race, I think it would depend on what the Indians got in return. Obviously, a starting player for a prospect would not seem to make sense.

Dave Wiley: The Indians end up with some beads and other trinkets, and Minnesota and Pavano go on to win the AL Central Division crown. The Indians receive casino building rights in Cleveland on the next ballot.

Samantha Bunten: The idea of trading with a division rival just doesn't sit right with me whether the Indians are out of the race or not, but mostly it just seems like bad business to ever trade within one's own division to a team in contention.

In other words, cutting a deal with the Twins like this is more offensive than the situation would have been if the Indians and the Royals swapped a few players.

The one thing that lessens the blow is that Pavano's contract only runs through the end of the year. He can only help the Twins until the end of a season that is a lost cause for the Indians anyway, so at the very least they have not given a player to a division rival who might help that team down the road when the Indians would truly stand to be hurt by it.

For the Twins, it’s a win/win trade for three reasons:

1. What they will have to give up in the form of the player to be named later will likely be minimal;

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