Cleveland Sports Forum

... yup, just like 2012.

WE GOT A RIGHT HANDED BAT!!!

maybe not a good one, and he's one of those "Versitile Utility" guys that we have a plethora of..

But he's a RIGHTY!!

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2012/11/0 ... o.facebook

Baron wrote:WE GOT A RIGHT HANDED BAT!!!

maybe not a good one, and he's one of those "Versitile Utility" guys that we have a plethora of..

But he's a RIGHTY!!

http://cleveland.cbslocal.com/2012/11/0 ... o.facebook

Here is Hoynes take:


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have traded Esmil Rogers, a reliever who paid big dividends for them this year, to Toronto for a pair of much-needed right-handed hitters in Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes.

Aviles, 31, was Boston's starting shortstop this year. He hit .250 (128-for-512) with 28 doubles, 13 homers and 60 RBI in 136 games. The Red Sox traded him to Toronto as compensation for new manager John Farrell.

In 2008, Aviles hit .325 with 10 homers and 51 RBI for the Royals. Kansas City drafted him in the seventh round in 2007.

Gomes, 25, spent most of the 2012 season at Class AAA Las Vegas where he hit .328 (100-for-305) with 44 runs, 29 doubles, 13 homers and 59 RBI in 79 games. He appeared in 43 games with the Blues Jays, making starts at first base, catcher, third base, left field and DH.

He hit .204 (20-for-98) with four homers and 13 RBI for the Jays. He's the first Brazilian-born player to reach the big leagues. The Blue Jays drafted him in the 10th round in 2009.

The Indians purchased Rogers from the Rockies for $150,000. Rogers, whose control faltered in Colorado, found his control with the Indians. He went 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA in 44 appearances. He struck out 54, walked 12 and allowed 18 earned runs and 47 hits in 53 innings. The opposition hit .237 against him.

Aviles finished the 2011 season with the Red Sox, so new Tribe manager Terry Francona is familiar with him. He made $1.2 million this year and is eligible for arbitration.

I smell a trade of Asdrubal. Aviles can be the fill in until the untested phenom is ready.

I smell a trade of Asdrubal. Aviles can be the fill in until the untested phenom is ready.

I agree, UD.

Too bad about Rogers. Tribe stole him and fixed him but the guy that fixed him has been replaced by some other guy that says he can fix pitchers.

Congratulations tribe. You hired another weak hitting utility infielder. Goodness knows you cant win without those. The best thing is he had his best year in 2007. That was less than a decade ago.

It also seems to me that as reluctant as this management team is to trade anyone of seemingly any value, they let Rogers go relatively easily. A change in thinking, or perhaps there is something else about Rogers that we do not know.

Uncle Dennis wrote:It also seems to me that as reluctant as this management team is to trade anyone of seemingly any value, they let Rogers go relatively easily. A change in thinking, or perhaps there is something else about Rogers that we do not know.

I think it's mostly just that unless he develops into a closer or something, he's just another bullpen arm. If we got him for nothing, we can always do the same with someone else.

Best thing about Aviles being here: no more Lillibridge.

Not sure what to think about Gomes. I didn't even realize there was a Brazilian player in the major leagues.

Hey! I'm all about upgrades. I'll put my stamp of approval on the deal. I think the deal was less about Aviles but more about Gomes. I'm really not concerned about the superstar, I'm more concerned with getting players here better than the one's we already have. I wouldn't doubt that Gomes makes the squad out of spring training.

How could it be a bad deal ?

The Toronto Blue Jays picked Gomes in the 10th round of the 2009 amateur draft. He was signed by scout Carlos Rodriguez and went 5 for 14 for the GCL Blue Jays then batted .296/.363/.444 for the Auburn Doubledays with 23 doubles and 44 RBI in 60 games. He led the New York-Penn League in RBI and doubles. He played only 75 games in 2010, split between the Lansing Lugnuts of the Midwest League and the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League. He hit .270/.309/.471 between the two teams, with 23 doubles and 9 homers, splitting time at catcher with top prospect Travis d'Arnaud in the FSL. Both were promoted to the AA Eastern League in 2011, with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. D'Arnaud was named the league's MVP, but Yan also held his own, batting .250/.317/.464 with 18 doubles and 13 homers in 79 games. He also played 20 games at first base that year, as well as 4 games in AAA with the Las Vegas 51s.

He was invited to the Jays' spring training in 2012, and made an excellent impression. With the team rich in catching talent, with Arencibia now holding the starting job in Toronto, and d'Arnaud about to join him, the Jays decided to convert Gomes into a utility player, giving him playing time at first base and third base in addition to occasionally spelling d'Arnaud behind the plate at Las Vegas. He got off to a very good start and after 33 games, was hitting .359/.391/.565. With starting 1B Adam Lind in a huge slump in Toronto, where he was batting .186 and slugging .314, the Jays decided to make a radical move. They sent the veteran Lind down to Las Vegas to try to right his swing, and called up Gomes on May 17th.

Gomes was inserted into the starting line-up at third base against the New York Yankees in his first day with the Blue Jays, thus becoming the first Brazilian to play in the major leagues. He had a very solid debut, going 2 for 3 in a 4-1 win. With 3B Brett Lawrie still having three days to serve on a suspension incured for slamming his batting helmet to the ground and hitting umpire Bill Miller with it as a result, Gomes had a small opportunity to state his case for a full-time job on the Jays' big league roster. The next day, he homered off Jonathon Niese for his first long ball in The Show.

Cleveland Indians acquire Mike Aviles, Yan Gomes from Jays for Esmil Rogers
Published: Saturday, November 03, 2012, 2:10 PM Updated: Saturday, November 03, 2012, 5:50 PM
By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Nice to see that the Indians aren't allergic to right-handed hitters, which seemed to be the case for much of last season.
On Saturday GM Chris Antonetti acquired utility man Mike Aviles and C/INF/OF Yan Gomes from Toronto, who both hit right-handed. The price was promising reliever Esmil Rogers.
First things first, the acquisition of Aviles does not mean the Indians are going to trade Asdrubal Cabrera. Aviles, 31, did play 136 games at shortstop for Boston this year, but the Indians see him more as a utility player.
"Asdrubal Cabrera is our starting shortstop," said Antonetti.
Toronto acquired Aviles on Oct. 21 as compensation for sending Boston its new manager, John Farrell.
The Indians tried Juan Diaz, Jason Donald, Jack Hannahan, Brent Lillibridge and Cord Phelps at short this year when Cabrera was injured or needed a rest. They were not overwhelmed. Aviles, 31, hit .250 (128-for-512) with 28 doubles, 13 homers and 60 RBI in 136 games for Boston. He finished the 2011 season in Boston, so Tribe manager Terry Francona has a good read on him.
He made $1.2 million this year and is eligible for arbitration.
Gomes, 25, spent most of the 2012 season at Class AAA Las Vegas, where he hit .328 (100-for-305) with 44 runs, 29 doubles, 13 homers and 59 RBI in 79 games. He appeared in 43 games with the Blues Jays, making starts at first base, catcher, third base, left field and DH.
He hit .204 (20-for-98) with four homers and 13 RBI for the Jays. He's the first Brazilian-born player to reach the big leagues.
Antonetti said Gomes will go to spring training with a chance to make the team either as a second or third catcher. Francona's new bullpen coach, Kevin Cash, gave Antonetti a thumbs up on Gomes. Cash played with the Blue Jays in 2011 and scouted the American League for them this year.
What Gomes won't do is force Carlos Santana to move from behind the plate to full-time duty at first base. The Indians talent evaluators see Gomes mainly as a catcher, an organizational weakness. They say he has a strong throwing arm, soft hands and power.
Antonetti purchased Rogers for $150,000 from the Rockies on June 12. Rogers, who ran out of chances in Colorado because he couldn't control his 96 mph fastball, went 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA in 44 appearances with the Tribe. He struck out 54, walked 12 and allowed 47 hits and 18 earned runs in 53 innings.
"Esmil did a great job for us," said Antonetti. "We weren't looking to trade him, but both teams dealt from a position of strength to help a weakness."

Cabrera 270/338/423/762
Aviles 250/282/381/663 He doesn't walk (23 in 2012). 14/20 in steals. Like Asdrubal he slumped in the second half: 232/286/330-616. He would be a signficant offensive downgrade.

The Indians' farm system's only strength is at SS. Top prospect Lindor is rated a terrific defender who hit better than expected at age 19 in Low A. He is the kind of talent that is sometimes jumped up several steps and allowed to develop his bat at the big league level. [Well maybe not that often; I see Omar and Furcal both reached the majors at age 22.] Ronny Rodriguez is a good SS who finished High A ball. Tony Wolters was at the same level and Dorsyss Paulino was a gem of a hitter in low A at age 17.

So we know Asdrubal is a good bet to be traded in the near future, since he can both bring something in return and can actually be replaced internally. Aviles as a place holder for the next generation SS perhaps is an OK strategy. Although I didn't expect the Cabrera trade for at least another year.

On the other hand this could just be another means of keeping the payroll at bargain basement levels. Last year Aviles was at $1.2M, Cabrera at $4.5M.

I don't think Aviles was the key to this trade. I think Gomes was the key to this trade and future moves. Not that Gomes is going to be a star but the Indians expect him to contribute.

Once again, an underwhelming moment.

Tell that to the Oakland A's. Step in the right direction. Trade high on erratic middle relievers.