Cleveland Sports Forum

I can't wait for his return. Just the offensive spark the team needs to make its playoff run.

Yes, his GIDPs were valuable!!

Another Carrasco situation? Finding life in the bullpen.

Todd Paquette ‏@IndiansAccounts 37s37 seconds ago

#Indians RHP Zach McAllister @ZMac34 over his last 13 appearances:

- 1SV 13.0(IP) 6H 1R 1ER 3BB 18SO 0.69 ERA (12.46 K/9 IP)

TFIR wrote:

I can't wait for his return. Just the offensive spark the team needs to make its playoff run.

Yes, his GIDPs were valuable!!

Hey, now let's not forget that he is also very good at striking out, esp with men on base!

he is also very good at striking out, esp with men on base

I think yesterday's game reminded us that we are well-equipped with players with that talent already. One more is not necessary.

Trade deadline is fast approaching

I reckon that this year we are going to be sellers.

I don't think even Terry can try to eek out any better than the sub .500 performance we have from this bunch.

Rayburn, Moss, Santana, Urshula, and probably one of our starters and a releiver or two will be delt in one way shape or form to include Swisher and Bourn. (cause face it, as caustic and abrasive and douchbagish as Cali was about the deal and contracts, he was right that they would be albatross contracts

We'll end up with a couple misfit castoffs and a "Can't Miss" prospect or two a la Andy Marte. And maybe someone that will turn into something 2 or 3 years from now.

What we really need is a guy that can actually hit (not just talk a big game about hitting), that will be on the roster for a couple years.

Indians say they have received calls about Mike Aviles but are not going to trade him while his daughter is fighting her cancer.

She receives treatment at Cleveland Clinic twice a week.

I'm no fan of Aviles but this is a classy move.

Indians also say they are not going to trade any of their SP's they are receiving calls about.

Chisenhall is getting some interest too. He can be had.

Oh, here is a run down of the Tweets I read.

Indians Unlikely To Trade Moss, Aviles; Listening On Chisenhall

By Jeff Todd [July 23, 2015 at 11:47am CDT]

The 2015 Indians have not yet made good on their evident promise, in spite of quality performances from many of the team’s better long-term pieces. That frames them as a possible seller, though a late run is not out of the question. Reflecting recent comments from GM Chris Antonetti, however, the latest rumors suggest that a large-scale sell-off is unlikely, with the club perhaps looking instead to re-tool for 2016.

Cleveland is “unlikely” to deal outfielder Brandon Moss, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports tweets. The 31-year-old would undoubtedly draw interest, though he’s produced a somewhat tepid .220/.293/.424 batting line. Moss does have 15 home runs, has suffered from a .261 BABIP despite a ton of hard contact, and is earning only $6.5MM with one year of arbitration control remaining. He’s also looked better in the field in the eyes of advanced metrics. All of those factors leave the Indians motivated to keep him in the fold for next season.

An entirely different set of considerations will likely keep Mike Aviles in Cleveland, Rosenthal reports (Twitter links). The veteran utilityman is dealing with a terribly unfortunate family situation, as his four-year-old daughter is being treated for leukemia at the Cleveland Clinic. Despite receiving some interest, the Indians have (admirably) determined not to trade Aviles in light of those circumstances.

The Indians are, however, willing to move third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. He’s currently playing in Triple-A after scuffling to start the year and only comes with two more years of control (his salary this year is $2.25MM). But the 26-year-old has shown more in the past and is putting up solid, if unspectacular, numbers at Columbus. Olney suggests he could be a bench piece for a team like the Mets, and the former top-fifty prospect carries some upside down the line.

Not so fast ...

Indians Listening On Starters; Discussed Carrasco With Blue Jays

By Jeff Todd [July 23, 2015 at 1:36pm CDT]

The Indians may be more willing to listen to trade scenarios regarding their controllable pitching than they have indicated publicly, according to a report from Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). In particular, they’ve spoken with the Blue Jays regarding righty Carlos Carrasco.

There are other arms under team control in Cleveland — Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, and Trevor Bauer most notable among them. But the report indicates that the Indians are most willing to consider a deal involving Carrasco. The 28-year-old carries only a 3.94 ERA this season after last year’s breakout, but his peripherals (10.1 K/9, 1.9 BB/9, 49.0% groundball rate) suggest he’s rather an elite performer. And ERA estimators all value his work this season at a sub-3.00 level.

Expanding Carrasco’s value is the fact that he’s only just started playing under a four-year, $22MM extension inked over the winter. That deal includes two option years (both of which include escalators) that could boost its total value to $48MM. Even at that price, though, it looks to be quite a bargain. And the flexibility at the back end limits the already-reasonable risk.

With the Tigers still debating whether to market David Price and the White Sox still waiting to decide on Jeff Samardzija, the AL Central suddenly seems to hold the key to the starting pitching market. It remains to be seen whether some or all of those players will seriously be marketed, though at least Samardzija seems a good bet to change hands.

Carrasco, though, would be a much more palatable target for Toronto since he comes with plenty of affordable future control. As Passan notes in his report, the Jays have a number of notable young talents that would certainly hold appeal to Cleveland — he mentions Jeff Hoffman, Daniel Norris, Dalton Pompey, and Anthony Alford — and it would be much easier to part with one or more for a non-rental.

On today’s MLBTR podcast, Steve Adams and I discussed the possibility of Cleveland moving an asset such as Carrasco — possibly as a means of offloading some of the big salaries owed to players like Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn. It’s unclear what kind of deal might conceivably be structured between the two clubs, but it’s notable (as Steve and I also covered) that Toronto has significantly more open payroll capacity in the future than they do at present. Taking on some later-in-time money could in theory offer a route to acquiring a controllable arm while limiting the damage to the club’s talent pipeline.

I just took a quick peek at the Toronto minor leaguers mentioned in the rumors and none of them has me doing cartwheels. Pompey is a CF with some speed and a little pop that is kind of interesting.

If they are including Carrasco just to get Swisher and/or Bourn's salary off the books, don't expect anyone in return.

Jordan Bastian ‏@MLBastian · 3 minutes ago
Indians: Hagadone underwent "internal fixation of his left elbow medial epicondyle" today. Dr. Andrews estimates 6-9 month recovery.


August Fagerstrom ‏@AugustF_MLB · 2 minutes ago
Nick Hagadone has a fractured medial epicondyle. That's the same gruesome injury Jarrod Parker sustained recently. Recovery time: 6-9 months

The Indians are, however, willing to move third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter.

This kills me. Change "willing" to "begging". How generous of them to listen to offers for this guy.

The Indians may be more willing to listen to trade scenarios regarding their controllable pitching than they have indicated publicly

It's a GM's job to listen to any and all offers. Toronto could always surprise you with a great offer.

To me, only iconic players could be considered untouchable. Guys who are identified with a team.

Jeter, Big Papi, that kind of thing. Everyone else has a price tag. It may be high, but still has a price tag.

Uh oh, Bart Swain is about to get mad again...

Todd Paquette @IndiansAccounts: Source - "Indians have promoted AAA Columbus 1st Baseman Jesus Aguilar. Aguilar will be in Cleveland tomorrow in time for the Game" #Indians

Swisher sadly doesn't even have warning track power anymore. He got two good swings tonight, both were fly outs just short of the warning track.

Of course they'll try to unload Chisenhall. Why does anyone expect them to deal Urshela?