Some Indians tidbits courtesy of MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince..
- The Indians believe that they have the long-term financial flexibility to investigate long-term deals for their emerging core players such as Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo. Both players will be arbitration-eligible at season's end and eligible for free agency after the 2013 season.
- In other Choo news, the South Korea native is facing a deadline from his country to enlist in the military. The 27-year-old is hoping to receive an exemption but has a backup plan in case he is denied, writes Castrovince.
- The Tribe's interest in Edward Salcedo appears to have been overstated. To Castrovince's knowledge, they have not been linked to him since two years ago, when a Dominican newspaper reported that they signed the shortstop.
- The promotions of Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti are "unsurprising" to Castrovince. He writes that while some fans are upset with the promotion, one must consider the financial constraints the two men have had to work with in recent years.
Is it bad that I can’t hear Choo’s name without thinking “bless you”?
I really hope Shin Soo Choo can stay with us in America. His career is really starting to take off.
If Edward Salcedo is 17 or 19 or 20.. it really doesn’t matter.. If he can play, then he can play!. Acquiring talent at this stage of his emerging career is what teams like the Indians need to do.. let’s hope this comes to pass…
It absolutely matters. A shortstop prospect that’s 18 still has substantially more projection and upside, because there’s still significant physical maturation and multiple additional years of developmental time.
If he’s younger, he’s more impressive, a better prospect and therefore more valuable.
While age does matter.. it is still the talent of the prospect that matters most. If he can play.. he can play.. be that at age 20 or age 18.