Jeff Mathis, Angels Strike Again
July 24, 2008Training Camp Confidential…
July 24, 2008
As the trade deadline looms, baseball writers everywhere have been consuming themselves with the seemingly endless list of players that could be on the move before it is all said and done. Since dealing CC Sabathia, the Indians have fallen out of the trade spotlight a bit, since names like Matt Holliday and Mark Teixeira have vaulted to the top.
But while we do not have any power sources like the two aformentioned, we do have a few names that have apparently continued to stir interest among the MLB ranks. From Tim Brown’s recent article at Yahoo!:
After moving Sabathia, the Cleveland Indians remain in sell mode and are listening to offers for Blake, Paul Byrd and Jamey Carroll, and they could be convinced to discuss shortstop Jhonny Peralta. The Dodgers, who would prefer to acquire a true shortstop and move Nomar Garciaparra to third base, are in on Blake and McPherson, the former Angels prospect who is healthy again and has hit 32 home runs in Triple-A for the Florida Marlins. The Dodgers also need help in the bullpen but are not believed to be interested in Street. The Tampa Bay Rays would love to have Blake cover right field for them, but so far no one has met the Indians’ price.
Now given the recent play by Peralta (as well as his very, very friendly contract), I would assume that it would take one heck of an offer to pry the (gulp) shortstop from our fingers. But the one part of the above that caught me by surprise is that no one has “met our price” for Casey Blake thus far.
What could our price be? Aside from the Rays, the Mets have reportedly expressed interest in the third baseman/right fielder/first baseman. We’re obviously not asking for an Evan Longoria in return here, but if the demand for Blake’s services continue to rise (read: Twins, Dodgers), we could be seeing a case of last-minute moves with this one even though he did not play in yesterday’s game.
But given the fact that Blake will be a 35-year old free agent at the end of the season, and would likely demand something more than his current deal of $6.1 million, what sort of market is there? If we hold him, and he walks, we get a first-round supplemental draft selection. But so would any team that would acquire him – increasing his value. He sees over four pitches per plate appearance – something teams love. He can play a bevy of positions – always a plus.
Focusing on Tampa Bay, their rotation is going to be full of young, very good arms. Perhaps they would be willing to give up one of their minor league arms? I doubt we can nab Jeff Niemann for Blake, given the whole one-year thing. Other names that have been floated around message boards and rumor mills have been Reid Brignac (a 22-year old shortstop) and Justin Ruggiano (a 26-year old outfielder with speed).
Ruggiano fits the “lower level prospect” mold that could garner someone like Blake. Brignac is typically considered a top-five prospect within the Rays’ system, so that may be a bit tougher to pull off without adding a few more pieces on our side.
What’s good to see is that Shapiro isn’t just shelling out chips to anyone who makes a phone call. While the Indians are definitely on the sell-side of things, we continue to look for the best offer out there.
14 Comments
I wonder if Shapiro is rethinking Blake’s value (i.e., reconsidering moving him at all). I imagine that Shapiro can see what the rest of us can: first base and third base are both tenuous positions on this team, with no obvious right answer — while Blake is obviously a valuable player who could be a pretty good answer to either of those positions if we commit to him. In the absence of a rash of offensive outpourings like Garko’s yesterday, and of Marte’s average eclipsing .200, I could see Blake being offered an extension. Of course, this may be wishful thinking.
You may be right, LM. The main issue is that he means more to us than he would mean on another team. Typical Cleveland case of a guy that shouldn’t really be an every day player… playing every day.
The Rays would likely platoon him in right. So while we would be giving up a starter, other teams would only want to pay for a utility guy – as that’s what he would be.
there is no reason shapiro shouldn’t wait it out for a team to get desperate and overpay for blake. the worst case scenario is he waits it out and gets a low-level type prospect at the trade deadline – which is probably what he is being offered now. fans should not assume that we cant get squat for blake. dont forget, in recent years the indians got coco crisp for Chuck Finley’s corpse, Shin Soo Choo for journeyman Ben Broussard and Asdrubal Cabrera for an about to retire Eduardo Perez. I’d consider Blake more valuable than any of those 3 the indians gave up. none of the 3 we received will be in cooperstown; however, they are all basically something for nothing. i realize the dynamics of baseball in 2008 are different than they were when we traded finley or even just a couple years ago when we traded Ben and Perez, but the point is you just never know.
dude. wtf. why trade carroll.
If the Indians are committed to Peralta at short, then we have 3 second basemen…don’t need them all, and Carroll has the most trade value, especially to a NL team.
Wendigo – Agreed to a point. Coming into the year, his value was as a spot-starter. I think this may have to do with the fact that they value Cabrera more, and may have their eye on Taylor Green?
But he has definitely been a surprise.
I would keep Casey Blake, as versatility does have its value. I personally don’t have much use for Peralta. I’d much rather see Cabrera at short with Blake at 3rd. Andy Marte is a lost cause.
dan the goalie – stick to hockey/soccer.
I have to chime in on the “Blake shouldn’t be an everyday player” comment. Barring injury or sudden benching, Blake should end this season with at least 20 home runs, at least 80 RBI’s, and will have made a number of great defensive plays and shown versatility and reliability in clutch situations. He will be one of the top hitters in baseball with RISP. I just don’t see how he ought not to be an everyday player. I get that some people prefer someone younger, but I will opt for production over youth any day, especially if production=Blake and youth=Marte.
As for Carroll, I too, would be upset if they parted with him. I’d much rather see Josh Barfield dealt — same reasoning as above, though I think that it is highly unlikely that they’d deal Barfield.
As for Peralta, I’ve expressed my dismay with him on here nearly as much as my endorsement of Blake, but I suspect that we’ll hang on to him since we might have him do any number of things next year (SS, 3B, DH), he’s providing a steady bat (now, at least), and he’s got an affordable contract.
As for Byrd, you’ll hear no objection from me or probably anyone. (By the way, I think it’s Tim Brown who just wrote an article on Byrd…might want to look for that).
trade blake now, play marte as much as possible and get something for carroll. whats the difference at this point? carroll and blake are bench guys who are not the future of the team. give marte a shot. not every player comes up and has success right away like ryan braun or longoria. edwin encarcion is a decent player now for the reds and it has taken him 2-3 years to get to this point. the same might be true for marte. the indians dont have the luxury to just give up on a young player and be able to replace him with a proven vet at any given time. they have made that mistake already too many times – give marte a chance.
Joe – if you want to spend the rest of this year trying to see if Marte can play, that makes sense, but I sure wouldn’t waste a roster spot on him next year. Shapiro’s hands are tied on him since he’s out of options. Carroll may have some trade value, I’d still trade Peralta and keep Blake. I think Cabrera’s the next shortstop (his natural position, as well). By the way, it’s Hockey.
why not use marte at 3b next year? there isnt anyone else in the organization ready to fill in at 3b next season. the indians arent going to go out and pay big money for a miguel cabrera type of 3B as a free agent, nor are they going to make a blockbuster trade to get someone in. this is a list of free agent 3B i found which may or not be completely accurate: Casey Blake, Russ Branyan, Jeff Cirillo, Joe Crede, Morgan Ensberg (in our organization now), Pedro Feliz, Nomar Garciaparra,
Shea Hillenbrand, Corey Koskie, Greg Norton, Abraham Nunez, Scott Spiezio, Wes Helms, Chipper Jones (option), Hank Blalock (option). nobody on that list gets me overly excited. those guys will either be expensive or the ones who arent expensive are older, journeymen or just not worth it. so why pay to bring in someone like pedro feliz, wes helms or hank blalock (none of which would have a real future with the team) when we can give marte a full season in 2009? they have nothing to lose. if marte still stinks next season, then they can safely move on.
Marte could very well still be here next year, assuming Blake is traded. I don’t expect to see the Tribe spend any significant $$ on that position in free agency. If they are going to be a player at all in the off season, I think they are going to put a higher priority on the closer/bullpen problem. I’d like to see Marte grow into the position and improve, but I don’t see it happening anytime soon, and I’m not sure how much patience they are going to have with him after this year. They also have to figure out if Ryan Garko can play or not. Personally, I’d like to see Victor Martinez at 1st (already a defensive upgrade over Garko), Barfield at 2nd, Cabrerea at short, and Blake at 3rd. The catching situation is stable without Martinez there, and I think they’ll be concentrating on pitching.
agreed about spending money on pitching. possibly a corner OF too. i just dont think being patient with marte is a big deal.