Mitch Talbot's ERA jumped from 1.46 to 5.87 today as the Red Sox welcomed him back from the disabled list with an eight-run attack. Boston won 14-2, but the 30-17 Indians still have the game's best record. Here's the latest on the Tribe:
- Former Indians GM Mark Shapiro and former Mariners GM Bill Bavasi reflect on two of their 2006 deals with ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick. Five years ago, the Mariners sent Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera to the Indians in a pair of trades for Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez. They’re now seen as steals for the Indians, something Bavasi readily admits, but Shapiro wasn’t expecting one-sided deals. “You're not looking to steal players and win trades. You like trades to be a foundation for a future trade," Shapiro said. Now the Indians’ president, Shapiro says the Indians “identified [Choo] as a potential big leaguer, but not as one of the best all-around players in the big leagues. Not one scout and no objective analysis said that."
- Indians manager Manny Acta told Yahoo’s Jeff Passan that he has believed in his team's ability since Spring Training. “Just because you have a low payroll and you’re young doesn’t mean you’re rebuilding,” Acta said. “It just means you don’t have the resources and that you’re young.”
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post hears that former GM Omar Minaya can have a job as a super scout with the Indians at any time (Twitter links). Minaya, who is still being paid by the Mets, has ties to Acta and Indians president Mark Shapiro. Earlier today, Jon Heyman of SI.com reported that a few teams are interested in Minaya’s services.
