Posted on Wednesday 8 February 2006 by Bob @ 9:22 pm
I recently caught myself reading articles on the Cleveland Indians and constantly saying “we are building a winner”. It’s cheap and less risky to continue building a winning team. The expensive and challenging part is maintaining one. The Indians (Dolan) are always focused on the future. The batting average for Coco Crisp against competitive teams was huge and he always stepped up in the key situation. The same can’t and shouldn’t be said for Aaron Boone or Casey Blake.
The Boston Red Sox want to win now, hence they didn’t ask for either one of them. The Cleveland Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert, is out spending money and creating an entertaining and competitive franchise. Mr. Dolan, if you can hear all of us baseball fans, “win now”, before all the young talent you have leaves for big money or start to slide. We need to start saying this is year, and not next year in this town!
I agree with the general point, but I actually like the Crisp trade. He’s more valuable to Boston that to Cleveland because the Indians already have a center fielder. Marte helps add to one of the best group of young players in baseball.
G,
Did you agree with not getting any power in the outfield? Did you agree with not signing a number 2 starter on the mound? How about right field? Cmon, Dolan still has his communion money.
i have been saying the same thing since he bought the team! why buy the freakin thing if you are not going to spend and compete? what is the point? the only thing that has saved him so far is shapiro’s moves working out! but how many more times is he going to trade current player s for young and upcoming players? what next, trading to central middle school for a couple of infielders and a right handed pitcher? give me break!
Here is my opinion…This is the first year that I have excepted Dolan to open up his wallet and add payroll because this is the first year that I expect to make the playoffs since Hart left. If you analyze the free agent class this year, it wasn’t the greatest crop to pick from…certainly not as deep as the previous off season.
In my mind, the three guys we know the Indians pursued and didn’t get, the only deal that made sense to me was the Nomar deal…primarily because it was not a huge risk since it was a one year deal. What will Hoffmann be like in the third year of his deal, or what will Giles be at the end of his deal? They both appear to be declining to me now, and a few years from now they might be another Chuck Finley.
I’m disappointed that our team on paper looks weaker coming into spring training, but I trust that Shapiro made the right move on the Crisp deal, and I also trust that the team we currently see on paper isn’t completed yet. There will be more moves, if not before spring training, then perhaps early in the season.
Would I like for Dolan to give Shapiro a budget of $100 million? Sure, but that doesn’t guarentee a World Series Championship. I believe that Shapiro is setting this organization up to compete for many years, and the more often we are in the hunt, the better our chances are of winning it all.
I’ll turn on Dolan when he fails to okay adding payroll prior to the trading deadline if we are in position to make the playoffs and a trade is available that will make us better immediately.