While We’re Waiting… Letting LeBron Go, Remembering Robertson and Free Agent Summits
June 2, 2010LeBron James With Larry King On Free Agency, Prejudice
June 2, 2010
When the Indians had three free agents-to-be during the 2007 offseason, the hope was to sign all three at the time. The reality was that at best, they could sign two of them. Those three men: C.C. Sabathia, Travis Hafner, and Jake Westbrook.
Signing Sabathia was a pipe dream and we all knew it. His agents were going to have him wait to hit the open market and cash in. After all, he was the biggest free agent pitcher out there coming off a Cy Young season and in his prime.
Hafner was smart enough to know that his value in Cleveland was higher than it would be anywhere else. His numbers from 2004-2007 warranted big money. The Indians were the team that gave him his shot as an everyday player, so he signed a huge extension during Spring Training that netter him an average of $14 million per year (Can we have a do-over on this one, please?).
Westbrook, a middle of the rotation rock and innings eating horse, liked Cleveland for the same reasons Hafner did. It was good to him and his family, the organization gave him his chance to be a regular part of the rotation, and at the time, the Indians looked like a team on the rise. So, like Hafner, Westbrook took his extension before the season, signing a three-year, $33 million deal.
All three guys have gone in different directions.
Sabathia was traded to Milwaukee where he led the Brewers to the playoffs before signing the richest pitching contract of all time with the Yankees. In his first season there, he led a pitching staff that won the World Series. Hafner’s game has completely fallen off the table for reasons that are still unknown (PEDS) and his contract has become the noose around the organization’s neck. Westbrook essentially missed the first two years of his three year deal after going under the knife for Tommy John surgery.
C.C. wins.
While Sabathia’s gone and Hafner is immovable, Westbrook is riding out the last year of his deal in style. He continues to showcase himself to contenders with his third straight road win, a 3-2 beauty over the Tigers. Pitching a gem seven and two-thirds innings, Jake allowed just five hits and one walk – the last batter he faced – giving the tired bullpen a much needed breather.
“He threw a complete game, almost a shutout, in Baltimore,” Manager Manny Acta said. “But today, with the amount of first-pitch strikes and the way he was getting in on some good hitters, I think this was his best start.”
The offense supplied power and a clutch insurance run that ended up saving Westbrook’s win. Shin-Soo Choo and Russell Branyan each hit solo homers to put the Tribe ahead 2-1. It was Branyan’s third bomb in his last four games. But the biggest run came in the top of the eighth.
With one out, Travis Hafner was hit in the toe by a pitch (the best thing he did all night). Jhonny Peralta hit a strong single to left. It was the first time they had really strung anything together against Jeremy Bonderman. Branyan hit a deep fly to right, but just missed it for the second out, but it moved Hafner to third. Up stepped Mark Grudzielanek in a spot that has been huge for him and for the Indians. For the fifth time in nine at-bats with runners in scoring position and two out, the veteran singled home what would turn out to be a huge insurance run.
Grudzie now has seven RBI’s in those nine at-bats.
Of course, as with every Indians close game, there was unnecessary drama. After Chris Perez got a monster final out in the eighth with two on and two out, Acta went to closer Kerry Wood. Wood came out smokin’ with his fastball, getting the first two men out with ease. Carlos Guillen’s grounder to Branyan at first looked like it would end the game, except Russ booted it and allowed the tying run to come to the plate.
Not what Wood or the Tribe needed.
Wood lost his composure a little, walking Brandon Inge as he couldn’t spot his breaking pitch. Pinch hitter Alex Avila worked Wood into a 10 pitch at-bat, fouling off one fastball after another until he singled home Guillen inching the Tigers closer at 3-2. I thought I had seen this movie one too many times. However this time, they didn’t all die in the end. Wood got Ramon Santiago to fly out to left to preserve a Wahoo winner.
They deserved it too, especially Jake Westbrook who will undoubtadly be mentioned in trade rumors until the July 31st deadline. “I feel like I’m back, health-wise,” he said. “I just need to be more consistent with each start to get back to where I was. Hopefully, this will be a building block toward being more consistent.”
The Tribe goes for tow in a row tonight at Comerica Park as they send Fausto Carmona (4-3, 3.69 ERA) to the hill against Armando Gallaraga (1-1, 4.50 ERA)
AP photo/Payl Sancya
14 Comments
Oh great! Can’t wait to see the middle relief we exchange him for in August! Or maybe a (do I dare even dream?) UTILITY INFIELDER!?!?!
Good to see Jake getting back to his old self. Just think, If he can keep this up, he will be traded for prosepcts who will hopefully one day provide dividends at the big league level only to be traded away for more prospects. The more things change…
Roosevelt- HAHA
We could probably get some decent prospects for Westbrook if we trade him to a desperate contending team. Maybe the NATINALS would be willing to part with some players to attempt to stay competitive in the NL East. If not, I’m sure Philly or St. Louis will be contacting Shapiro and you have to expect the NL West teams to call as well.
Could the Indians string together a winning streak tonight? Fausto, or as I usually call him Fatso (though he’s not really fat), has been our most consistent pitcher all season. Watch out Minnesota, that little black dot in your rear view mirror is the Cleveland Indians!!
@ Roosevelt and SIC: Why wouldn’t the Indians try to trade Westbrook? If he continues to pitch well, his trade value will continue to rise. In a year where the Tribe is going nowhere, trading part of Westy’s 11 million salary makes sense.
Hafner has the third highest OPS on the team – I realize he sucked for two years but I think it is time to realize he is still one of our better hitters. Is he worth the contract? No. But he’s hardly our biggest problem right now.
Man, what kind of staff are we going to throw out there without Westbrook? I am serious. There is no one to call up from AAA. The best prospects there have been terrible. Is the idea of re-signing Westbrook that far fetched that it is a given we will trade him? Yikes, not looking good.
If we win this game, it’ll be called a winning streak. It has been done before!
/ Major league’d
@ Mark (and everyone else),
We’ve got a Westbrook trade piece coming up this afternoon that addresses a lot of these issues. Check back.
The thing I loved about Jake’s pitching last night is that new changeup he’s worked in. There was one at-bat with Guillen (I think it was Jake’s only K, but just go with me) where he worked him 2-seamer/2-seamer/2-seamer and set it up. He threw the change, the bottom literally fell out, and Guillen almost toppled over forward swinging at it. It was beautiful. Kerry Wood needs to learn a pitch like that.
Kerry Wood has pitches like that, probably even more devastating. He just needs to get the minor detail down of being able to throw them for strikes when the batters don’t swing.
I turned it off after Branyan booted that grounder. I had enjoyed the game and didn’t want to ruin it.
@Narm – he may be one of our better hitters but a guy who was going 40/110 for three straight years essentially now will be lucky to hit 25 homers and drive in 80. You cannot have that for $14 million in this market.
@ Destribe – In our market & current state of the indians, it makes sense to trade him. The main point of my earlier post was the prospects we get for him will hopefully have a significant impact at the major league level only to be traded away for more prospects. The never ending cycle until Dolan figures out a way to increase the payroll much higher in order to be competitive. Getting rid of part of his $11 mil only helps Dolan. Its not like Dolan will take the savings and upgrade at another position or reach out this winter and go after a decent free agent.
@TD No arguments about needing more for that contract. But at the same time, a lot of hyperbole and hatred is thrown his way. He isn’t playing poorly – so a lot of this negative attitude is misguided. I think there are instances like this where expectations are so high that “good” is suddenly deemed “terrible”.
(Admittedly this is more of a response to hearing the entire park boo Hafner at a game a few weeks ago. Old Hafner isn’t coming back and no amount of booing will change that. Fans scream that we need to sign our FAs and then boo Hafner. It is frustrating.)