You are the GM

[Steve_424]

Eligible For Free Agency (4)

Kosuke Fukudome, Austin Kearns, Chad Durbin, Nick Johnson

Contract Options (2)

Grady Sizemore: $9MM club option with a $500K buyout.
Fausto Carmona: $7MM club option, arbitration eligible if declined.

Arbitration Eligible (10)

First time: Justin Masterson, Travis Buck, Jack Hannahan, Tony Sipp, Justin Germano
Second time: Shin-Soo Choo, Chris Perez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Joe Smith
Third time: Rafael Perez

2012 Payroll Obligation

The Indians have a payroll obligation of $17.2 M for 2012, according to Cot's, with Travis Hafner ($13 M) and Ubaldo Jimenez ($4.2 M) accounting for all of it. Tim Dierkes, who wrote the original write-up on this, estimated another $20MM for the aforementioned four big arbitration eligible names, putting the team at around $38 M. There are additional arbitration eligible players, and even those making the league minimum account for a few more million tacked onto the total. Let's say that puts them at $42 M.


You are the General Manager of the Cleveland Indians. Larry Dolan has told you the budget allows for the payroll to reach $70 M, giving you up to $28 M to spend.

1) You must decide whether or not to keep Sizemore and/or Carmona. Sizemore's is $8.5 M, Carmona's is $7 M.

2) You must decide what free agents to sign or players to target via trade. All free agents/trades should be as realistic as possible.

 

[Steve_424]

1) Pick up Fausto Carmona's $7 M option, but then trade him for the best package of prospects available.

2) Decline Grady Sizemore's $9M option.

3) Trade three quality prospects for Wandy Rodriguez (No idea who they'd want, but the Indians have the ammo to get him). (Adds $10 M to 2012 payroll)

4) Offer Michael Cuddyer 3 years, $30 M. (Adds $10 M to 2012 payroll)

5) Offer Josh Willingham 3 years, $24 M. (Adds $8 M to 2012 payroll)

Payroll - $70 M

Lineup

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

Bench

3B-Hannahan
C-Marson
IF-Donald
OF-Carrera/Crowe

Rotation

Masterson
Jimenez
Rodriguez
Tomlin
Gomez/Huff/Talbot

Bullpen

RP-Hermann
RP-Hagadone
RP-Smith
RP-Perez
RP-Sipp
RP-Pestano
CL-Perez

 

[The Oi]

Here's the line-up as I got to it:

 

[Steve_424]

Getting pretty old...

 

[KCOTT]

cuddyer and willingham are 32 years old, i dunno

 

[Otsego Mar]

1) Pick up Fausto Carmona's $7 M option, but then trade him for the best package of prospects available.

2) Buy-out Grady Sizemore for $500 K

3) Offer Mark Buehrle a 2 year, $25 M contract (Adds $12.5 M to 2012 payroll)

4) Re-sign Kosuke Fukudome to a 2 year, $10 M contract (Adds $5 M to 2012 payroll)

5) Re-sign Thome 1 year, $5 M contract (Adds $5 M to 2012 payroll....trade him to a contender at trade deadline if we are out of it, if not, trade Hafner).

6) Offer Michael Cuddyer a 3 years, $30 M. (Adds $7.5 M to 2012 payroll, $10.5 M to 2013, & $12 M to 2014)


Payroll - $70 M


Lineup

L-CF-Brantley
S-SS-Cabrera
L-RF-Choo
S-C-Santana
L-DH-Thome
L-LF-Fukudome
L-2B-Kipnis
R-1B-Cuddyer
L-3B-Hannahan

Bench

3B-Chisenhall
C-Marson
IF-Donald/Hafner
OF-Carrera/Crowe

Rotation

Tomlin
Masterson
Buehrle
Jimenez
Carrasco/Gomez

Bullpen

RP-Hermann
RP-Hagadone
RP-Smith
RP-Perez
RP-Sipp
RP-Pestano
CL-Perez

 

[The Oi]

Getting pretty old...

Won't stop me. Me finding things funny takes far greater priority over others finding it funny.

 

[Gunther]

Just a reminder: Carrasco is out next season due to Tommy John surgery.

 

[AZ_]

1) Pick up Fausto Carmona's $7 M option, but then trade him for the best package of prospects available.

2) Buy-out Grady Sizemore for $500 K

3) Offer Mark Buehrle a 2 year, $25 M contract (Adds $12.5 M to 2012 payroll)

4) Re-sign Kosuke Fukudome to a 2 year, $10 M contract (Adds $5 M to 2012 payroll)

5) Re-sign Thome 1 year, $5 M contract (Adds $5 M to 2012 payroll....trade him to a contender at trade deadline if we are out of it, if not, trade Hafner).

6) Offer Michael Cuddyer a 3 years, $30 M. (Adds $7.5 M to 2012 payroll, $10.5 M to 2013, & $12 M to 2014)


Payroll - $70 M


Lineup

L-CF-Brantley
S-SS-Cabrera
L-RF-Choo
S-C-Santana
L-DH-Thome
L-LF-Fukudome
L-2B-Kipnis
R-1B-Cuddyer
L-3B-Hannahan

Bench

3B-Chisenhall
C-Marson
IF-Donald/Hafner
OF-Carrera/Crowe

Rotation

Tomlin
Masterson
Buehrle
Jimenez
Carrasco/Gomez

Bullpen

RP-Hermann
RP-Hagadone
RP-Smith
RP-Perez
RP-Sipp
RP-Pestano
CL-Perez

30 million for Michael Cuddyer, then he's batting 8th?

Chisenhall benched for Jack Hannahan?

Really?

 

[Otsego Mar]

30 million for Michael Cuddyer, then he's batting 8th?

Chisenhall benched for Jack Hannahan?

Really?

Yes, I like Hannahan and if he plays better than Chis (which I think he'd do next year if healthy) he deserves the start.

I couldn't think of anyone else to sign at 1st.

And I completely forgot about Carrasco......really like him.

 

[The Oi]

Next year's Indians squad is overflowing with talent:

 

[elcheato]

Chisenhall isn't going to be the back up next year, and if he is they might as well send him down to Triple A so he can get consistent at-bats.. Aside from Santana, he has the most upside offensively on this team.

 

[Otsego Mar]

Chisenhall isn't going to be the back up next year, and if he is they might as well send him down to Triple A so he can get consistent at-bats.. Aside from Santana, he has the most upside offensively on this team.

We'll see how it pans out.

 

[AZ_]

We already know how it pans out.

Chisenhall is the starter at 3B for the next 5 years. Hannahan is a backup, or playing for another organization's Triple-A team next season.

 

[MoFlo]

Chisenhall isn't going to be the back up next year, and if he is they might as well send him down to Triple A so he can get consistent at-bats.. Aside from Santana, he has the most upside offensively on this team.

Um, he took over for Hanahan as our starting 3B while competing for 1st place this season. Not sure why he wouldn't be our starting 3B going into next season..?