I spend a good deal of my life complaining to the people around me about the dumb things that Cleveland's sports teams do. I think my girlfriend is getting sick of being the only person that I complain to down here in Dallas, so this is my way of venting without annoying her as much (because i will force her to read most of these).
The tipping point that made me start this was the Ubaldo Jimenez trade that happened last night. Remember when the Browns trades our whole defensive line for two years of Reuben Droughns, that's what this trade reminded me of. Two former college first round pitchers, both drafted in the first half of the draft for a player who has been good for half a season. Alex White and Drew Pomeranz were supposed to both be in the Indians rotation for years to come, but instead, we're going all in with Ubaldo. We will have him for the next two years, and then trade him to the Yankees for a 23 year old Jesus Montero, who will still be a top prospect in Class-AAA.
Positive things the Indians did this week:
Getting rid of Orlando Cabrera. His .277 OBP will not be missed. I also put acquiring Kosuke Fukudome in this category. I think this is a good deal because half of Cleveland will think Shin-Soo Choo is back. We gave away two prospects who most likely won't contribute that much to a major league team, and when he leaves in free agency this winter, the Indians will get a draft pick for him. I'm totally fine with adding to the team this year, but not at the expense of compromising the future. After the blazing 30-15 start that the Indians got off to, they are now 23 and 36 over their last 59 games, and over that span have been outscored by over a run per game. The teams offense isn't strong enough to keep the team competitive at this point. A strong defense and bullpen are great, but i don't think we should ruin what we've been building towards for a flash in the pan.
Other things I dislike about the Indians:
Include Matt LaPorta, and Matt LaPorta getting playing time. As the center piece of the CC Sabathia deal, LaPorta was supposed to be a power hitting, middle of the order bat. We are now about 1000 plate appearances into his major league career, and the 26 year old has an on base percentage of .300 and a slugging percentage of under .400. He is also a below average defender at first base, rounding out his overall terribleness.
Other Things That Are On My Mind:
So i have a few friends that are Cubs fans, and i tend to send them nasty text messages when the Cubs do dumb things, like bat Blake Dewitt or Jeff Baker third in the order, because they have a .300 batting average. When the Cubs signed Carlos Pena this off-season, I thought at the trade deadline, they would eat what was left on the 1year $10million deal. Apparently the Cubs don't feel it necessary to trade Pena, bring in a prospect or two, and give Tyler Colvin playing time, because he might be a part of their future. Cubs are crazy.
No comments:
Post a Comment