Category: Cleveland Indians (Page 62 of 96)

Sure, he’s old, but a healthy Nomar Garciaparra could be a great addition to the Indians’ lineup. ESPN’s Buster Olney agrees:

He got off to a terrible start last season, batting .157 in April before tearing his groin, but Garciaparra hit .338 in August and .311 in September. When healthy, he would fit in perfectly with the Indians in the middle of their lineup, perhaps batting behind Travis Hafner, lending some experienced and right-handed protection; he’d be playing for former Red Sox prospect Eric Wedge in Cleveland.

Nomar could be the right-handed bat this team needs. He has a lot to prove, and he can play first, third and in the outfield. Of course, Shapiro and Dolan would still have lots of work to do, but this guy should come cheap, and the upside could be huge.

Meanwhile, it looks like Brian Giles is re-signing with San Diego and Paul Konerko will be back with the White Sox. Shapiro better get to work.

Mark Shapiro is already laying the groundwork for another Tribe off-season of low rent free-agent signings.

Shapiro was keeping his plans quiet, but he left no doubt about what the signings of B.J. Ryan and Billy Wagner did to the closer’s market. “It elevates it,” said Shapiro. “It’s hard to be poetic about it. Anytime the market escalates, it makes it harder for us to do business.”

Why does this surprise anyone in Tribe management? What the hell is so surprising about the “market escalating”? Doesn’t it escalate every single year? How is this “poetic”?

You know what’s poetic? I’ll tell you what’s poetic. We are also now talking about Nomar Garciaparra, who 2 years ago would have been a blockbuster addition to the Tribe, but now just seems like another budget rack blue light special. Pure poetry. Ryan didn’t get signed, Howry is gone, it’s starting to feel like Millwood’s gonna be gone, and who knows what the hell is gonna happen with Elarton and Bob Wickman.

He made the ballot.

Belle led the AL in RBI three times and finished a .295 batting average, 381 homers and 1,239 RBI. Clark had a .303 career average, 284 homers and 1,205 RBI.

Does that get him in? Even if the numbers are good enough, he was mean to reporters. Reporters remember when people are mean to them. They’re funny that way. You could be Ray Lewis and beat a murder rap and get hailed as a second coming, but you look at a reporter the wrong way one time, forget about the HOF.

The Beacon-Journal is reporting that the Indians are serious about landing Brian Giles:

Even so, the Tribe appears willing to pay Giles $30 million for three years to play right field. Giles, of course, spent the formative seasons of his career in Cleveland, before going off to Pittsburgh and then to San Diego, where he says he would like to stay. But he already has turned down $25.5 from the Padres, who offered a three-year deal.

They also want closer B.J Ryan, but ESPN is reporting that Ryan will agree to a huge 5-year deal with Toronto. Meanwhile, Kevin Millwood is probably out of their price range as well.

Shapiro has done a great job with the financial constraints imposed on him by the Dolans, but with a big new TV contract in the works, let’s see if they step up this year.

The Chicago White Sox, fresh off a World Series championship, have acquired Jim Thome from the Phillies in exchange for fan favorite Aaron Rowand and minor-league left-handers Daniel Haigwood and Giovany Gonzalez, the team’s first-round draft pick in 2004. The trade is not official but both teams have confirmed it. It will require the commissioner’s approval because the White Sox will receive a whopping $22 million in cash to help defray Thome’s $46 million contract over the next three seasons.

Thome is 35 years old and missed most of last season with injuries, but the White Sox believe that the move protects them if free agent Paul Konerko leaves and gives them a much-needed left-handed power bat if Konerko returns.

This is a huge gamble for the White Sox. If Thome is healthy and they resign Konerko, their lineup will be improved dramatically. They also mitigated their risk by reducing the salary burden. Three years for $24 million is not outrageous, even for a slugger who might be breaking down. They have a window of opportunity with their pitching,so it makes sense to try to improve the offense and have a backup plan in case Konerko leaves.

Phil Rogers has the following take:

As much as Rowand’s approach is respected and as much as everyone enjoyed being around him for parts of the last five seasons, especially during the World Series season in 2005, it’s Thome who is on the short list of baseball’s difference-making hitters in the last decade.

He was David Ortiz back when Ortiz was floundering with the Minnesota Twins. He’s almost_not quite_a left-handed version of Manny Ramirez without the headaches.

Another way of putting it: He has resembled the 2000 MVP version of Jason Giambi more often than not the last decade.

Rogers makes a good point – Thome has been a clutch hitter. But he’s overstating the point by comparing Thome to Ortiz and Manny. Just look at their RBI numbers. Thome has NEVER been an RBI machine like Ortiz and Ramirez. For every dramatic home run, there are numerous instances where Thome fails to drive in runs. He’s always swinging for the fences. Thome will sometimes hit the dramatic home run, but great hitters like Ramirez will also hit the singles and doubles in key situations as well.

Nevertheless, the trade will probably be judged based on Thome’s ability to overcome his injuries. The White Sox gave up a big part of their future with this trade.