Indians call about Yankees’ Nick Swisher

By Mark J. Miller Yahoo! Sports

As of now, Nick Swisher is scheduled to be one of the starting three outfielders for the New York Yankees when the season kicks off. But a few other teams would like to see him pull on their jerseys on opening day.

Fox Sports reports that the Cleveland Indians are one of several clubs that have called the Yanks about trying to make a deal for the 31-year-old who has hit 185 homers since joining the big leagues with the Oakland Athletics back in 2004.

The Yankees, though, aren't likely to trade Swisher, who is set to make $10.25 million next season, Fox notes, because the team doesn't have a major-league ready outfield prospect right now.

The Indians, club officials tell Fox, are pursuing every hitter on the market who is not named Prince Fielder.

Hard to believe they offered anywhere near $25M. Where would they get the money....win the Powerball? Maybe they had a sucker for most of Hafner's contract .

rusty2 wrote:The Indians know that the fans will never come flocking back to Progressive Field. They pretty much understand that, but a lot of fans do not. There seems to be a belief in this town that if the Indians win again or they go gaga in free agency and spend on some big time free agents that the stands will fill up again. That is simply not happening.

It does not matter if the Indians were to win a World Series in 2012 or if they went crazy this offseason with spending on players along the lines of the Marlins and Angels. The days of this team fielding sellouts on a nightly basis are a thing of the past. A one hit wonder. The population is dwindling, corporations have been leaving the Cleveland area in herds over the past decade, and interest in the team is just not the same as it was in the 90s.

Anyone that actually lives in the Cleveland area and does not understand and agree with the above statements is just not facing reality.

Sorry, I think there are still plenty enough people and baseball Fans in Northeastern Ohio to fill 43,000 seats many of the 81 home games a season with a good product and prudently priced tickets.

I think part of the marketing problem of The Indians involve the name "Progressive Field."

Going to "The Jake" was far more attractive.

I've often joked with my wife that it would be a great day if Progressive's "Flo" ate and choked and went away after swallowing the Geico gecko lizard.

Insurance companies using their revenues dominating the commercial airwaves does not inspire me to invest my $$ in their services.

Pretty obvious you do not live in Cleveland. Without companies like Progressive the Indians would be gone.

CALI: You are the only one I've ever heard of who bases a decision on whether to attend a game on the name of the stadium!

I have a friend who wouldn't attend games at Cafaro Field in Niles for politcal reasons. Of course when they renamed it Eastwood Field, he didn't change its determination.

J.R.:

If interested I replied in politics folder.

Pluto:

ABOUT THE INDIANS . . .

1. The Indians made what they thought was a serious offer to Carlos Beltran -- about the same as the two-year, $26 million deal he signed with St. Louis. I'm figuring Beltran's agent used the Indians to find a better offer from another team. Beltran turned down a chance to be traded to the Tribe in July, so it made little sense that he suddenly would have an urge to spend the last few seasons of his career in Cleveland.

2. Not sure how the Indians planned to pay Beltran, assuming he had taken the deal. Supposedly, they can make some trades to free up cash. Now, I hear they are looking at Cody Ross, an outfielder and right-handed hitter. Ross, 31, had a discouraging 2011 in San Francisco, hitting .240 (.730 OPS) with 14 homers and 52 RBI. He is a career .282 (.912 OPS) hitter against lefties. He had wanted a three-year contract, and now supposedly is looking for two years. In 2010, he was a .269 hitter (.735 OPS) with 14 homers and 65 RBI.

3. I received a few emails from fans who were discouraged that the Tribe couldn't "match" the two-year, $15 million deal Jason Kubel received from Arizona. Think about it for a moment -- it's not about matching. Or even being slightly more lucrative. You are Kubel. You have a chance to play in Arizona for a playoff team, or for the Tribe in Cleveland -- where you have visited for years with the Twins. Where are you going to sign? Once again, I believe the Indians were used to raise the price -- and the Indians are not about to outrageously overpay for these guys.

4. Some fans can dwell on free agency and moan about how the Dolans won't spend big money, etc. It's an old story. But hurting the Tribe even more is their two biggest deals of the decade. When you trade back-to-back Cy Young Award winners (CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee) in back-to-back seasons (2008 and 2009), you need to say more than Michael Brantley is the best player that you have received in return -- and he's a career .265 hitter (.675 OPS). Brantley is 24 and it's far too early to write him off, despite a mediocre 2011 (.266, .702 OPS with seven homers and 46 RBI in 496 plate appearances). Of the eight players obtained in those deals, only Brantley is likely to be a starter next season.

5. Injuries wiped out Carlos Carrasco (elbow surgery) and Jason Knapp (two shoulder surgeries). Those were the top pitching prospects in the Lee trade. Jason Donald is being groomed as a super-utility player who can hit lefties, which he does well. Lou Marson has established himself as one of the league's top defensive catchers, but his hitting may limit him to being a part-time player. That's the Lee deal.

6. Then there's Matt LaPorta, who has 30 HR in 1,008 big-league at-bats, hitting .238 (.701 OPS). He was handed the first base job in 2011, and batted .247 (.711 OPS) with 11 HR and 53 RBI in 352 at-bats. The Indians have not promised him a starting spot. They are sending batting coach Bruce Fields to work with him in January. He will be 27 on Jan. 8, so it's hard to imagine him suddenly figuring it out.

7. The best recent deals the Indians made when trading veterans were for Chris Perez (Mark DeRosa), Carlos Santana (Casey Blake) and Justin Masterson (Victor Martinez). It's possible that another product of the Martinez deal (Nick Hagadone) will make the team as a reliever in 2012. From those trades, the Indians received their closer (Perez), their cleanup hitter (Santana) and a top of the rotation starter (Masterson). So it's not as if they get all the big deals wrong.

8. The problem is unless LaPorta has a sudden revival, the Lee and Sabathia deals are painful to look at. LaPorta has a minor-league option left, but what is accomplished by sending him back to Class AAA? In 416 Class AAA at-bats, he has 23 home runs and 79 RBI while batting .313 (.953 OPS). The Indians are not promising LaPorta much of anything this spring.

9. Rob Bryson was in the Sabathia deal, and he throws in the middle 90s -- but the right-handed reliever can't stay healthy. Between Class A and Class AA last season, Bryson was 2-1 with a 2.29 ERA with 48 strikeouts in 39 1/3 innings. He's only 24 and at some point could be a bullpen option.

10. The fact is that the only way for the Indians to improve this winter is through a significant trade. And when they make a deal, it has to work. And they have to continue to draft and develop prospects such as infielders Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall and pitchers Alex White and Drew Pomeranz. White and Pomeranz were dealt last summer to the Rockies for Ubaldo Jimenez. And yes, the big deal for 2012 has already been made -- the Jimenez trade, and the Indians have to straighten him out.

I liked the name Jake too, but it has no impact on whether I go. Only the quality of team. Jake may have better memories becaus ewe had better teams back then.

Terry Pluto:

http://www.cleveland.com/pluto/blog/ind ... he_44.html

Tribe fans wanted Albert Pujols? If it only were that simple: Hey, Hoynsie!

Hey, Hoynsie: I am sick of the strategy of signing the David Delluccis and Austin Kearns of the baseball world. Seriously, wouldn't it make more baseball and business sense to pay Albert Pujols $26 million instead of Derek Lowe ($5 million), Grady Sizemore ($9 million if he earns all his performance incentives), Fausto Carmona ($7 million) and a free agent to be named the same money? Can you imagine the excitement and millions this would have generated for the team? I'd much rather take our chances with Pujols and the rest of the roster without those other guys. -- Bill Reinke, Keene, Texas

Hey, Bill: I can feel your frustration, but why would Pujols sign here? Not to mention, you seem to be talking about a one-year deal. Pujols signed a 10-year, $254 million deal with the Angels. That means they're paying him an average of $25 million every year from 2012 through 2022.

Without Sizemore, and two of their scheduled top-five starting pitchers, do you think the Indians would be good enough to win the AL Central or the wild card with Pujols? Do you think they'd be good enough to generate enough revenue to pay Pujols for the rest of his contract?

Still, just to add to your frustration, if you added Pujols' $25 million salary to the $49 million payroll the Indians opened last season with, it would be $74 million. Far behind the $100 million payrolls of the Tigers, Twins and White Sox.

Hey, Hoynsie: I understand why the Indians are bringing Jose Lopez to camp. If he returns to form it is a great move. If he is washed up, then they haven't lost anything. I wonder why they also don't make a similar offer to former Indian and free agent Kevin Kouzmanoff. He is two years removed from being a productive right-handed power bat.

He could potentially split time at third and first and provide power and run production. Have you heard any talk about him being invited to spring training? -- Denny Pinch, Arlington, Va.

Hey, Denny: They've had no contact with the Kouz this winter. Right now Tribe has Lonnie Chisenhall, Jack Hannahan, Jason Donald and Lopez to play third.

Hey, Hoynsie: The Yankees and Red Sox just got billed $17 million for the luxury tax. How much of that will go to Indians owner Larry Dolan? -- Lee Petersen, Medina

Hey, Lee: The luxury tax, from what I can gather, is not tied to revenue sharing. The biggest bite, about 75 percent, goes to player benefits. The majority of the rest goes to MLB's Industry Growth Fund.

Hey, Hoynsie: The fact that the Indians made an offer to Carlos Beltran is a good sign and suggests the team isn't going to stand pat. But now that he turned them down, where can they go from here? Carlos Pena? -- Steven Alex, Gainesville, Fla.

Hey, Steven: Pena is still available, so I guess he's an option. I would imagine the first base market won't really shake loose until someone signs Prince Fielder.

Hey, Hoynsie: What if the Indians asked for Vernon Wells and Kendrys Morales plus money from the Angels for bullpen help and prospects? Wells is owed $62 million over the next three years. Would the Indians make the move if the Angels offered to eat $20 million of Wells' contract? The Angels lose a bad contract and open up a spot for Mike Trout, plus get bullpen help. The Indians get a quality right-handed bat in Wells and a quality switch-hitting first baseman in Morales, if he's healthy. -- Tim Summa, Clarks Summit, Pa.

Hey, Tim: Like the fact that you're turning over every rock, but it's way too much of a gamble for me.
The Indians are one season away from getting out from under Travis Hafner's contract and you want to bury them again with Wells. Loved Wells through much of his career in Toronto, but he's on the downside of his career.

Regarding Morales, it's hard to imagine making a trade for him at this point of the off-season. I think you'd at least want to see him play for part of the 2012 season since he didn't play at all last year because of a broken left leg.

Hey, Hoynsie: Do you or any of your colleagues have any plans to interview one of the Dolans before the season starts? Personally, I'd like to read about their short- and long-term plans if they have any. --
Nancy Furgens-Burns, Cleveland

Hey, Nancy: I'd like to read that as well.

Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians' flirtation with Carlos Beltran that you wrote about, to me, shows nothing more than a public relations move to help save face. They knew that he would never accept the offer. He snubbed them once, they knew he would do it again. If the Indians want to impress me, go sign Prince Fielder. They can always trade him a couple years down the road when their self-imposed window is closed. -- Tim Fisher, Massillon (AKA kenm)

Hey, Tim: After all the slings and arrows the Indians have absorbed over the last decade, why would they be worried about saving face now? How much worse can it get?

The Indians made a legitimate offer to Beltran. Sure, his agent, Dan Lozano, probably used it to squeeze a few more dollars out of St. Louis, but that's how the process works. Why else would they have been willing to make trades to take on Beltran's salary unless they were serious?

Hey, Hoynsie: Either the Plain Dealer accidentally printed last year's winter meeting article ("Winter Meetings -- Was the Tribe there?") or this is two years in a row they have done nothing. Would it not be better if management just stayed home and used the travel savings to buy a decent free agent? -- Marc Levin, Napa, Calif.

Hey, Marc: Somebody such as Felix Pie?

-- Hoynsie

Pena is still available, so I guess he's an option

Or Derrek Lee. And he is a RH bat, might be a better fit.

Personally, I'd like either.

Indians can probably afford to wait for Fielder to sign somewhere before making a decision at 1B. There seems to be more 1st baseman available than teams looking for one.

I know the Lake County Sentinel reported that the Indians were in negotiations with Fielder, no one is giving the source much credibility.

Whoever he signs with most likely makes someone expendable and gives further options to the Indians.

An interesting article on where Fielder might end up.

Prince Fielder’s price is not right for Nationals right now

By Thomas Boswell,

Who wants Prince Fielder? Right now, nobody does, not at Albert Pujols prices anyway. The non-pursuit of the young free agent first baseman who averages 40 homers has been the shock of the baseball offseason.

In an era when true sluggers get more rare every year, Fielder, 27, is on a Hall of Fame path so far. Some team may get a surprisingly decent though dangerous deal soon. Could or even should that club be the Nationals, who offered Mark Teixeira $180 million for eight years just three years ago?

What’s the right price to pay for a 113-RBI-per-year 275-pounder who made 15 errors last year? What’s the risk in a star who had a similarly rotund father who hit 95 homers at ages 26-27 but never had a good year after 32?

For the Nats, is any price the right price when you already have a decent first baseman (Adam LaRoche) and a logical replacement (Michael Morse) and your real and pressing need is actually a leadoff center fielder?

When Pujols signed for $254 million for 10 years, baseball assumed the news was good for Fielder, who was four years younger and one level lower as a hitter. Now, it looks like Prince should’ve stayed in Milwaukee, where he was loved and comfortable and might have gotten as much as he’ll bag now.

The teams rumored as possible destinations for Fielder — because they’re the only ones that may have enough money and no expensive star first baseman already in place — are the Rangers, Mariners, Cubs, Blue Jays, Orioles and Nationals.

How nice. Except all of them say they don’t want Prince, or at least not at the $200-million-plus price that came into play when Pujols signed.

We know when this logjam will break. The Rangers face a Jan. 18 deadline to sign Yu Darvish, presumably for more than $100 million. If they agree to terms (highly likely), that probably takes Texas out of the picture. But if Darvish goes back to Japan, Texas will be all over Fielder to keep pace with the Albert Angels of Los Angeles. Few think Texas will spend $300 million for both Darvish and Fielder; they’ve already been to two World Series.

What’s left? Not much, really. The Cubs and M’s have made it clear that they’re rebuilding, so no thanks. The Cubs are more likely to trade Matt Garza for prospects than sign Fielder. The M’s offense is so awful Prince would get about one pitch to hit per week. Both teams’ GMs have openly ridiculed reports that they would pursue Fielder aggressively.

The Blue Jays (81-81), with new blood, and the O’s may get in the game, but both indicate it won’t be near current $200 million speculation. Besides, royalty doesn’t want to play for Peter Angelos’s little shop of horrors in Baltimore.

Agent Scott Boras had better find one of his famous “mystery teams” soon. The Prince market has softened so quickly that this week’s flash has Fielder, to save face, considering a three-year deal at a Pujols-per-annum, then trying the free agent waters again at age 30. Boras quickly branded that speculation as inaccurate and “delusional.”

The Nats aren’t going to give Boras stalking-horse leverage as they did with Teixeira. The desperate Nats of the Jayson Werthoverpay a year ago are gone, too. After the Gio Gonzalez trade, they project to be solidly above .500. GM Mike Rizzo and Manager Davey Johnson will hit “repeat” any time you want to hear their views on their mob scene at first base. Prince who?

After year of downs, Choo ready to rise in '12

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 01/04/12 1:35 PM EST

CLEVELAND -- It was a concise comment, but one that could loom large for the Indians during the upcoming season. Standing at his locker in Cleveland near the end of September, Shin-Soo Choo finally had his mind right again.

"I know where I am right now," Choo said.

Choo had been lost amidst off-field issues and on-field struggles that had the Indians' star right fielder searching for some sign of his former self. The end result was a forgettable season, but one that Choo believes can serve as a turning point for the rest of his career, beginning with the 2012 campaign.


For the first time in his life, Choo discovered rock bottom.

"I was always going up," Choo said. "Everything was going up, and then this year everything went straight down to the bottom. I feel I've learned a lot. I learned about myself, not only baseball, but outside. I've learned from that."

That was Choo's May 2 arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol. It was a regrettable and embarrassing turn for South Korea's poster boy. Choo was already struggling in the batter's box. After his arrest -- complete with an online video detailing that night's events -- his problems soared to new heights.

On May 3 in Oakland, Choo answered questions before apologizing to reporters. He then called a meeting on the field with his teammates, who circled around and listened as he offered them an apology as well. Choo's image in his home country, however, was stained, and that led to more issues for the outfielder.

Choo kept an eye on the news coverage in Korea and it only added to his stress.

Only a few months earlier, Choo was a hero back home after helping South Korea win a gold medal in the Asia Games, earning himself an exemption from his country's required military service in the process. Some critics overseas wondered if such a reward should be revoked in light of his arrest.

With his head spinning, Choo labored through an 0-for-18 slump after the gathering with his teammates in Oakland, and his season average dropped to .213.

"The DUI, that hurt my image in Korea," Choo said. "I learned I can't make everybody happy. I was trying to make everybody happy. My mind, my personality, is to always try to be perfect, perfect. If something is wrong, I go back and start over. That's my personality.

"That was the first big mistake in my life. I was worrying about what people were thinking about me."

Choo decided that enough was enough.

The outfielder started ignoring what was written about him and concentrating solely on baseball. He felt that if he could alleviate that stress, then perhaps the success he was used to having on the field would return.

"I'm not reading anything now," Choo said. "I don't see anything from Korea. I don't see articles about me anymore. I just come to the clubhouse and then I play. When I leave the clubhouse, I spend my time with my family. That's it."

Choo did get his mind in a better place, and his performance did begin to improve. What he could not control, though, were the injuries that derailed the rest of his season.

"I never had an injury in my baseball career," Choo said. "Then, this year, I was on the disabled list three times. But you can't control injuries. That happens in baseball."

Choo was hitting .316 over a 12-game stretch in June before having his left thumb shattered by a pitch from Jonathan Sanchez in San Francisco on June 24. That led to surgery and nearly six weeks on the disabled list. When Choo returned, he hit .348 over his first 12 games before straining his left oblique on Aug. 27.

He never fully recovered and only had one September at-bat following that injury.

"The frustrating thing last year," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said, "was after he got off to that tough start, he got hit on the hand and he had just started playing well. He was coming out of things. Then he came back and was playing well and contributing and then suffered the oblique.

"Just as he started to get things going, he unfortunately suffered those injuries."

There was one special highlight in 2011 for Choo.

On Aug. 22, Choo and his wife, Won Mi Ha, welcomed their third child, a baby daughter named Abigail, to the world. One day later, Choo rejoined the Indians and belted a walk-off home run -- the first of his career -- to lead Cleveland to a 7-5 win over Seattle.

It was a moment that helped erase all the bad that had transpired.

"That was good for me," Choo said, "to come this year."

Choo's season-ending line saw him hit .259 with eight home runs, 11 doubles 36 RBIs and a .344 on-base percentage in 85 games for Cleveland. During the 2009-10 seasons, he combined to hit .300 with 42 homers, 43 stolen bases, 69 doubles and a .397 on-base percentage across 300 games.

That is the type of player the Tribe hopes shows up in 2012.

"My career, every year has been better, better, better," Choo said. "This year, I was at the bottom. So next year, I can only go up. Maybe it won't be stressful. I'll just be able to play. I'll get healthy in the offseason and then next year come back and then just play.

"I'll show them I'm healthy and I can still play."

Cleveland is depending on it.

"Choo was faced with a lot of adversity this year," Antonetti said. "I think he's learned a great deal from that adversity and I think it will benefit him going forward."

In his improved frame of mind, Choo views things the same way.

"If I was older, maybe it'd be harder to come back from this," he said. "I'm still young. I think this all happened to come early and that's good for me. I've learned early -- found out early. That's what I'm thinking."