What Happened Indeed
WaitingForNextYear —
hafner-martinez ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick wrote today about the Tribe’s fall from grace. One win away from a possible World Series title in ‘07, the Indians find themselves at the bottom of the American League. He covers everything from injuries, to bullpen implosions, to poor drafting and even inflated expectations. The piece is well done and worth reading , even if you have been paying attention the last two seasons. It does make me cringe though, to think about how close this team was in ‘07. The question I find myself asking more and more is what in the world are we going to do about Travis Hafner? Here is a guy making $11.5 million dollars that can’t ...
Diamond Hoggers — Jerry Crasnick takes a look at what the Cleveland Indians lost in that ALCS game 7 of 2007. "So here's where things stand: The Indians, a fashionable AL Central pick in March, are 12 games behind first-place Detroit and last in the division. Shapiro can't make it through a day without answering another question about manager Eric Wedge's job security, and he began the process of selling off short-term assets for long-term value when he traded infielder Mark DeRosa to St. Louis for reliever Chris Perez on Saturday." [ESPN ...
One man's guess: Williams might hold, but won't fold
Sox Machine —
One man's guess: Williams might hold, but won't fold Many men have damaged their reputations trying to predict what Kenny Williams will do, and many more will fall. However, since I've taken the bait so many times already, there's no risk in making a bold, declarative statement. So hell -- barring a collapse over the next few weeks, I am convinced that Kenny Williams isn't going to sell. Here's what does it for me: That line represents the combined Junes for Gavin Floyd and John Danks. Floyd saw Danks' seven shutout innings against the Cubs on Sunday ...
What To Watch For
The DiaTribe —
... While you’re thinking about that, take a look at this quote from Shapiro in an excellent piece by Jerry Crasnick of ESPN in which he dissects what has gone wrong for this organization since the 2007 ALCS: ...
Links For Wednesday; Mariotti, Red Sox, Zorillia Interview
Around the Majors —
Ladies and gentlemen, here are your links for Wednesday. And, since we took off yesterday, you get double the fun...
Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Jeff Suppan, due to make $12.75-M this season, has struggled so far in 2009. Suppan is currently 5-6 with a 4.86 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, a performance that has hovered near replacement-level.
So how are Brewer fans taking out their frustration, you ask? By attempting to auction off Suppan on eBay.
Tom Verducci published his All-Star ballot yesterday. You can compare his picks to the staff of Around the Majors' by following the link.
Eric Seidman had an ...
Would the Indians really trade Victor Villian?
Diamond Hoggers —
There's a few rumors out there that trade possibilities for Indians catcher Victor Martinez are being explored. Martinez is having an All-Star season at 30 years old for the Tribe. He's hitting .313 with 14 home runs and 57 RBI. He's probably got five or six very good years left as long as he doesn't log too many innings between the plate. What we're saying is, Victor could definitely nab some high level prospects in return for the Indians and they're at a crossroads where they must make a tough decision. And they don't really seem to know what direction to head. ...
The Lost Tribe and the Usual Suspects
The Futility Infielder —
... . Alas, an increasing proportion of that value, from Manny Ramirez and C.C. Sabathia down through Jeremy Guthrie, was delivered for other teams. As ESPN's Jerry Crasnick pointed out recently, Guthrie has been the most successful of the 19 first-round or supplemental pics on Shapiro's watch, but all of that success has been with the Orioles. Among those on their major league roster, top 2004 pick Sowers and top 2006 pick Huff, are among the glut of low-upside southpaws, while top 2005 pick Trevor Crowe looks like a card-carrying member of the Future Fourth Outfielders of America. ...
