Cleveland Indians Offseason News, Notes, and Rumors

[Kevalier]

Derek Lee is a free agent and would be a nice, affordable stopgap for the Tribe at 1B in my opinion. Or they could make a run at Henry Blanco and start Santana at first full-time.

 

[AZ_]

Derek Lee is a free agent and would be a nice, affordable stopgap for the Tribe at 1B in my opinion. Or they could make a run at Henry Blanco and start Santana at first full-time.

Henry Blanco as a full-time starter?

God I really, really hope not.

 

[elcheato]

I wouldn't want Lee, either.. Doesn't get on base, strikes out a lot, and his limited power doesn't make up for it.. We aren't going to find our first baseman via free agency unless we make a big splash, which is not likely.

 

[DougHeil]

I wouldn't want Lee, either.. Doesn't get on base, strikes out a lot, and his limited power doesn't make up for it.. We aren't going to find our first baseman via free agency unless we make a big splash, which is not likely.

We will trade for Votto.

... giving up anyone but Kipnis for him. :chuckles:

..well, Santana as well.

 

[macbdog]

Derek Lee is a free agent and would be a nice, affordable stopgap for the Tribe at 1B in my opinion. Or they could make a run at Henry Blanco and start Santana at first full-time.

Um... are you thinking of the 40 year old Henry Blanco?

As for Derrek Lee, I guess it depends on which Derrek Lee the team gets- in each of the last two years, he was middling for the first half then would go off once traded. You can't argue, really, with a guy with a career .864 OPS, either. One way for the club to guarantee they spin there wheels would be to get too picky on the hitters they go for and push aside productive options. This club needs productivity from 1B, they aren't selling their farm system to do it, and there are several good, solid vet options on this FA market that will be reasonably priced. I think the club will be much better off, especially if they decline Sizemore, with spending their disposable cash then on an OFer.

 

[DougHeil]

It's getting real close now. By the end of the week we will find out what direction we might go in the off season.

Keeping Sizemore = Acquire a productive 1B/OF.

Say goodbye to Sizemore = Acquire a productive starting LF'er.

I think we shop for a SP no matter what happens.

Things are going to start to get interesting real fast.

 

[Steve_424]

If anyone is interested, Kenny Lofton is now on Twitter. I found this tweet pretty neat. He's a little new at Twitter so it's hard to read, but someone asks if he's going to be working with Brantley again next year and he replies "yes sir". I assume that means in Spring Training.



I hope he can teach Brantley how to regain his speed. No idea what happened to that last season.

That's me that asked the question

 

[Steve_424]

I wouldn't be shocked to see Ryan Doumit draw some interest. He had a pretty good year for Pittsburgh - .303 AVG/.353 OBP/.477 SLG/.830 OPS in 77 games. He's primarily a catcher, but can also play RF and 1B. He's also a switch hitter.

 

[The Oi]

I'd like to see them keep Grady if possible, if only because of the fact that noone has any expectations of him.

 

[DougHeil]

I'd like to see them keep Grady if possible, if only because of the fact that noone has any expectations of him.

If no one has any expectations of him, including the Indians, why pay him 9 million?

 

[MoFlo]

If no one has any expectations of him, including the Indians, why pay him 9 million?

To be fair, he didn't exactly say he'd pick up the option, just that he'd keep him.

 

[The Oi]

Actually what happened was that I accidentally posted in this thread earlier today when I meant to post in the Browns thread. Instead of leaving just the period in there after I deleted it, I made up some bullshit so I'd have an actual post.

In reality, I could give a shit what they do with Grady.

 

[Steve_424]

From MLBTradeRumors:

The Orioles, Rays, Blue Jays, Indians, Cubs, Brewers, Pirates, Cardinals, and Dodgers could be in the market for first base help this offseason. Despite internal options at the position, the Angels, Mariners, Rangers, Marlins, and Nationals can't escape speculation either. It's a good time to be a free agent first baseman, as power pays and plenty of teams are looking even if the Yankees and Red Sox sit this one out.

Starting First Basemen Available In Free Agency

As many as six qualified starting first basemen are eligible for free agency this winter. Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder are the best offensive free agent tandem in many years, and they'll sign contracts well over $100MM. The terms will be a minimum of five years. The many teams that cannot afford to bid at that level can still look at Michael Cuddyer, Carlos Pena, Casey Kotchman, and Derrek Lee. Cuddyer is undoubtedly a starter, though it's possible his preference will be right field. I think he'll find a three-year deal. Pena has an outside shot at two years, but his low batting averages may limit him to one. Kotchman needs to prove 2011 wasn't a fluke, while Lee has to get past memories of his ugly Baltimore stint if he decides to play in 2012.

Thinking Outside The Box

The Padres' signing of Brad Hawpe as a first baseman last winter didn't work out, but teams may still look beyond the six players listed above. While we won't be seeing David Ortiz putting on a glove regularly, it's less of a stretch to think Josh Willingham, Raul Ibanez, or Ryan Doumit could spend significant time at first base in 2012. Willingham is a lock for a two-year deal, with a ceiling of three.

Quality Backups

Eric Hinske, Lyle Overbay, Casey Blake, Eric Chavez, Mark DeRosa, Greg Dobbs, Carlos Guillen, Conor Jackson, Juan Rivera, Jorge Posada, and Jason Giambi are candidates for big league deals that could involve time at first base.

Non-Tender Candidates

The Dodgers' James Loney and the Athletics' Daric Barton are candidates to join the free agent frenzy as non-tenders. They're both more likely to be tendered than not at this point though. Both could become trade bait. Luke Scott is another name to watch when the December 12th deadline nears.

Other Trade Candidates

The Reds appear to have no interest in trading Joey Votto. It's easier to picture Adam Lind, Mark Reynolds, Adam LaRoche on the market, depending on how their teams' offseasons play out. The Angels could have a surplus between Mark Trumbo and Kendrys Morales, but only if Morales comes on strong after missing all of 2011. The Yankees could potentially consider Nick Swisher a trade chip, once they pick up his option.

 

[Steve_424]

I have a gut feeling the Indians talk to Cuddyer but then end up signing Willingham. I never considered him at 1B, but he really does fit perfectly if he can play there. If they keep Sizemore, the lineup could look like this:

L-CF-Sizemore
S-SS-Cabrera
L-RF-Choo
L-DH-Hafner
S-C-Santana
R-1B-Willingham
L-2B-Kipnis
R-3B-Chisenhall
L-LF-Brantley

 

[Steve_424]

John Shea predicts the Indians will sign Beltran. Not too sure about that one...