MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince opened up his reader mailbag to answer a number of questions about the Tribe and other AL Central topics…
- Jermaine Dye's right-handed bat "would have been a better fit in this lineup" than Russell Branyan, Castrovince notes, but Cleveland needed a first baseman and Dye is a defensive liability in the outfield.
- The trade for, and subsequent DFA of, Brian Bixler is described as "wasted energy" by Castrovince. However, he notes that Jesus Brito (who the Tribe dealt to Pittsburgh for Bixler) is "a little old" to still be in the low minors, in spite of his strong numbers last season.
- Castrovince discusses Joe Mauer's contract extension and says that it "was a special circumstance" given Mauer's Minnesota roots and the fact that the Twins could afford the deal thanks to their new ballpark. He also warns that the deal might not look so good when Target Field stops being a major revenue stream, such as what happened to the Indians after the novelty of Progressive Field (then Jacobs Field) wore off.
- Along those same lines, Castrovince notes that the Tribe didn't have the benefit of a new ballpark to generate revenue when they attempted to re-sign C.C. Sabathia to a long-term deal before the 2008 season.
- Castrovince reports the Tribe didn't re-sign LHP Juan Lara, as they have the last two springs to minor-league deals. The team did allow Lara to train at their Dominican Republic facilities over the winter. Lara hasn't pitched in the majors since 2007 due to a car accident suffered in November of that year, but he returned to appear in 15 games for Cleveland's Arizona Rookie League team in 2009.
I think when it’s all said and done, the Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley for C.C. Sabathia trade was a win for the Indians.
I always wonder if CC would still be an Indian had they won the 2007 ALCS, even though he himself was partly responsible for losing that series
“Cleveland needed a first baseman and Dye is a defensive liability in the outfield.”
But by choosing Branyan, they block LaPorta, who is either a first baseman or a defensive liability in the outfield.
I don’t understand the Branyan signing at all. If they had signed Dye, he could also platoon at DH with Travis Hafner. Matt LaPorta is a future star for the Cleveland Indians.
Regarding Mauer: Sounds like sour grapes coming from a division rivals POV. The Twins know what they are doing and are one of the best run franchises in all of baseball. As for the “Special Circumstance” statement. Sure it was a special circumstance (not everyday you get to sign a player that is the BEST at his position) but it was by no means the only time the Twins shelled out money on a player worth giving money to. Kirby Puckett signed Major Baseball’s richest contract when he got his extension back in the day. So nice try on trying to make it sound like the Twins have 0 precendent for such a signing.
Gotta agree with Brian here. The only other “best at their position” player the Twins have had between Puckett and Mauer is Santana. Santana had zero interest in staying in Minnesota, otherwise I’m sure something would have been done there too (and it’s not like they didn’t try!)
It looks like Dye is going to regret turning down that $3 million offer from the Cubs.
I actually take issue with the assertion that the Indians attendance dried up forcing them to put a lesser product on the field. If you look at attendance/wins you’ll see a direct correlation. And to be fair if you’d also have to say it took a decade for the newness to wear off if you claim THAT was the biggest draw rather than the talent on the field.