Inbox: What Will Happen to Wedge?
Beat reporter Anthony Castrovince answers fans' questions
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
09/10/09 11:15 AM ET
The Inbox has collected not only e-mails but also dust, as it's been a few weeks since the last edition. So let's pull out the Pledge and the pen and get to work.
Is it time for Eric Wedge to be removed as manager? My answer is a resounding yes! His won-loss record is mediocre, he looks unhappy in the dugout, and most importantly, he has no ability to communicate with young players.
-- Ron C., Lakeland, Fla.
When the chips are down, everyone looks for someone to blame, and the easiest person is Wedge. Never mind that the bullpen couldn't hold a lead, the team was injury plagued, and the hitters couldn't capitalize on key moments. I'm not saying that Wedge is free from blame, but it seems like lately the Indians' fan base is as fickle as the rest of the American public. They want everything to be perfect, and if someone doesn't deliver immediately, they want heads to roll.
-- Joel S., Athens, Ohio
Though it's a 50-50 split right here, my unscientific examination of the e-mails and comments I get reveals a fan base that, by and large, is in favor of a managerial change. And I'm sure the Dolan ownership family is getting that same feel.
If I had to guess, I'd say either Wedge or all or part of his coaching staff will be dismissed at season's end, because to make no changes at all would send the message that the Indians find the status quo acceptable. The front office has to know Wedge is not the sole root of this club's issues, but this decision will ultimately rest with the Dolans, who might be feeling pressure to make a move that sits well with a frustrated fan base. And in the majority of fans' eyes, Wedge simply can't do anything right.
Wedge told reporters in Detroit last week that he hopes to know his fate by season's end. A front office that supplied him with a highly suspect pitching staff this season at least owes him that much.
I don't doubt that Wedge, who is well-regarded in the industry, still has a managerial future at the Major League level. But given the wrath of the fan base, the Indians entering a "reloading" period and the fact that seven years is a long tenure for any manager, the Tribe, rightly or wrongly, might decide it's time for a new voice and a fresh set of ideas.
Trouble is, where are the Indians going to get that fresh perspective? If they promote from within, they'll be accused of sticking with that status quo. If they go outside the organization and target, say, former farm director and current Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell, they'll probably have to pony up big bucks, in addition to the more than $1 million they're paying Wedge for 2010.
October will be interesting.
