2012-2013 Indians Red Hot Offseason Thread (Bourn signed post 1940)

[b00bie]

I say get both Swisher & Ross.
You have the corner OF slot locked down.
the everyday DH
& also the emergency type OF in case brantley or Stubbs goes on the DL for an extended time.

Give me the extra hitter also.
They have the money.

I don't think they'll sign both Swisher and Ross, it's one or the other if they also want to add a pitcher.

I'd sign an outfielder, then add in a Jim Thome like signing to fill the DH role.

Wouldn't be opposed to seeing Hafner brought back on a small deal.

[Spectre]

Something should be said about the fact that the indians philosophy has changed. They used to be obsessed with OBP guys, and have picked up two guys that K a TON.

Reynolds is still a decent OBP guy... for someone who hits around .220-.230 and whiffs as much as he does, an OBP in the .330-.340 range is actually pretty respectable. Stubbs was an abomination last year and really hard to watch. Everyone in Cincy is thrilled to be rid of him. The thing is though, if he can just tick his BA back up to the .245-.250 range, he becomes a legitimate bat and his OBP wouldn't be trash either.

The K's are going to be absurd to watch though. If we sign Swisher to go along with Reynolds/Stubbs/Santana, it's going to be downright breezy.

[macbdog]

Still surprised at what they were able to get for Choo. The whole Bauer situation continues to get more bizarre- how a team like AZ could scout him, draft him, deal with him in the minors then suddenly forget all that in how they handle him at the bigleague level? Bauer sounds like a pain in the ass but they knew exactly what they were getting. This isn't anything new with him- he has his routine, you let him do it. He is adamant about finding his own way to adjust. What it sounds like to me is that an extremely hardheaded individual ran into a bigleague staff of hardheaded individuals- especially the manager, Kirk Gibson- and you got tension. (Hmmm, has this situation ever happened here in Cleveland, between a prospect and manager? I can't recall. If it did, that prospect probably flamed out after being traded away. But I am digressing, back to Bauer). The whole thing sounds like Kevin Towers, a renowned 'old school' guy, made a knee-jerk reaction to professionals butting heads. All over a guy you just spent the 3rd overall pick on and were supposedly infatuated with, weird regimen and all, at the draft the year before.

And that being said- best case scenario for the trading of Choo. Top tier starting pitching prospect for the rotation? Check. At worst, a 4th OFer who can hit lefties and actually play a good defensive CF? Check. A young power arm for the back of the bullpen? Check. One of 'those guys' to be filler for the bullpen that is an essential element of all team's offseasons? Check. You have to have your head buried square up your anus to not see this as an outstanding deal.

[elcheato]

What's the market look like for Marcum? Somewhat injury prone, but would be a solid add to the rotation.

[MoFlo]

You can still add "an extra hitter" without limiting yourself to only using him as a DH. Sign 2 OF instead of 1. I'd much rather keep Santana, Cabrera, etc fresh and get the bench some more AB's than have a guy who would be completely useless if he doesn't produce at the plate taking up a roster spot.

[MoFlo]

Nick Camino‏@CaminoTribe

#Indians GM Chris Antonetti held press conference today with Cleveland media. He said corner OF, DH and starting pitching are still targets.

.

[MoFlo]

Nick Camino‏@CaminoTribe

#Indians GM Chris Antonetti said he's not going to make any changes to Trevor Bauer's pre-game regimen. Dealt w/ similar situation w/ DLowe.

There ya go.

[Huber.]

So some people say Bauer seems to neglect information that his instructors and coaches give him and says he has a bad attitude towards teammates. It was also reported that he didn't bother to celebrate when they won the minor league title because he had a bad start that day. Also is a Duke fan...guy sounds like a doucher. Hopefully Francona kicks him in the ass.

[Gunther]

My very rough estimate has the Indians' payroll at about $52 million right now. That includes the Hafner buyout, the payment to Cincy, and estimated arbitration figures for all who are eligible. Give or take a couple of million. There's still money to play with, especially if we don't have to pay C. Perez his projected $7.2 M.

[Huber.]

Having to pay a closer $7.2 M on this team is like having nice rims on a station wagon. If they don't trade him before the start of the season I hope he's gone before the trade deadline if we are out of the race.

[MJA1080]

There ya go.

Smart. If it's not broke don't fix it.

[Pyro]

You pay him $7.2M if he's still saving games like a maniac.

[Huber.]

You pay him $7.2M if he's still saving games like a maniac.

Hard to save games when you're losing them before the 9th.

[b00bie]

Pestano or Allen could easily slide into the closers role.

Between one of those guys, Joe Smith and Bryan Shaw the 7th and 8th innings could be well handled in the absence of Perez.

One thing I mentioned the other day, I think we may see them carry eight bullpen guys for a couple reasons:

1) The Indians starting rotation is among the worst in Major League Baseball at this moment.
2) The functionality of Mike Aviles, Drew Stubbs and/or Zeke Carrera give them an opportunity to carry one less position player.

[Gunther]

You pay him $7.2M if he's still saving games like a maniac.

As things stand right now, he would be our highest paid player. Hopefully that won't be true for long.