Bitter much?I guess I should be "proud" that a team from my division is going to the Super Bowl, but fuck that. Really. I know this is going to be entirely sour grapes on my part, but Fuck the Steelers. Seriously. In the pooper, if need be.
I'm so tired of the Steelers. Of Jerome Bettis. Of Fucking Big Ben. Of Bill Cowher's chin. I hate the Steelers so much I actually rooted for the Broncos this weekend! And that's saying something.
Now, I know that deep down, the Steelers are a well-run organization with great fans. They're the one team that didn't vote for Art Modell's plan to move the Browns. They wore patches for the Browns fans when we lost our team. They've done everything to reignite the Browns/Steelers rivalry (including pounding the shit out of us ad nauseum). They run a clean organization. You don't tend to hear about their players on police blotters.
That said, fuck them. Go Seattle.
And while we're on the subject of sports things that really piss me off, the Indians are trading one of their most popular players and an important cog in their young, potent lineup for a prospect. To Boston, of all teams (probably the one team in MLB that I hate more than the Yankees). For a prospect. A prospect. A prospect!
I've had some time to digest this, and despite the optimism of my Tribe colleague Lars, I still am not really happy about this move. And I'll endeavor to tell you why (and then wait for the comments from Lars that explain to all of you why I'm full of shit):
To me, the Indians from 2002-2005 had run a top-notch organization. They laid a plan in 2002 for the 2005-2006 time-frame. They set it up back in June and July of 2002 so that the future would be bright.
And now that the bright future is actually here (93-69, missing a playoff spot by 2 games in '05), they're taking a step backward to plan for the future again. To me, they apparently have no idea how to ride any momentum. They complained that they couldn't spend money until the fans came back. They put a great product on the field, and now the fans are coming back.
So, to reward the fans, they subject them to 162 games of Casey Motherfucking Blake in right field, and a possible platoon of Todd Fucking Hollandsworth and A Guy Who Likes to Get Into Fist-Fights with Cops (see link at bottom) in left field, all the while losing their .300 hitting #2 hitter, *JUST* on the prospect of a 22-year-old third baseman who *might* help them NEXT YEAR (i.e., IN 2007!).
Marte, 22, is the key to the deal for the Indians. They don't consider him a finished player and he'll probably open the season at Class AAA Buffalo. Aaron Boone is expected to open the season at third after the Indians picked up his 2006 option last year. Boone has a mutual option for 2007.
The Indians have a big hole at third base in the organization. They not only believe Marte can fill that hole, but that he could eventually be the right-handed, middle-of-the-order power hitter they've been unable to acquire over the past two years.
Marte hit .275 (107-for-389) with 20 homers and 74 RBI last season for Class AAA Richmond. He played 24 games for the Braves and hit .140 (8-for-57) with no homers and four RBI. (emphasis/itals mine)
Am I crazy, or are those numbers not all that great for "top-10 prospect" material at AAA-ball? And, not only are we sacrificing a .300 hitter in Crisp out of the 2006 lineup, but we still have to put up with Blake and Boone for another year.
I understand that the Tribe is making this deal contingent upon getting Jason Michaels from Philadelphia to fill Crisp's spot in the outfield, and that Andy Marte is ranked as one of the top-10 prospects in baseball, but come on. Alex Escobar (seriously, click the link and look at the gaudy MLB career numbers, including 301 total at-bats!) was once ranked as one of the top-10 prospects in baseball, too.
Furthermore, the pitcher we'd be getting from Boston is apparently worth so little to a free-agency-depleted bullpen that he's going to be turned around for Mr. Cinderella Man Cop Fighter with no recourse. And on top of that, we ALSO have to give Boston two minor league players??
So, to recap, we're going to trade a 26-year-old GOOD fielding outfielder with speed who hits .300 in the #2 hole behind Franchise McSizemore and in front of one of the best 3-6 lineups in baseball, BUT he's not worth more than a 22-year-old guy who hits .275 in AAA and a pitcher who is so worthless that we're going to turn him around for a career-fourth-outfielder who gets into fights with cops and may or may not have to platoon with an over-the-hill-possibly-never-was Todd Hollandsworth, AND we have to give up two minor league players just to get another minor leaguer from Boston? Am I missing something here?
I know Shapiro has made a lot of great trades over the past 3-4 years, and for that I should give him the benefit of the doubt (after all, he did get Crisp back in 2002 for Chuck "Please, Tawny, stop hitting me with your shoe and climb back onto David Coverdale's hood" Finley). But, this one leaves me scratching my head a little bit.
If it goes down, the 2006 Tribe better hit coming out of the gate MUCH better than the 2005 team did the first two months of last year, AND the 2007 Tribe had better run away and hide with the division.
Lest I get into a boxing stance and wrestle someone to the ground.
6 comments:
ha, all this right before we head to a tribe tour event.
anyway, i'm all for the trades and hopefully i can do a little better justifying it on here, in writing, rather than in words.
Marte is a fucking stud. His #s are incredible for a 21 year old at AAA (he just turned 22)... in addition to hitting .270, his OBP was .372 and he slugged .506... quick math gives him an OPS of .878 as a 21 year old in AAA. I think he is ready right now, of course I also think that about Garko, but apparently Shapiro doesn't want to pull a Phillips with either. This is where I disagree with the trade/Shapiro. If you make the fucking trade, play the fucking player. Otherwise you risk a fan revolt over trading one of their favorite (although thourghouly tradeable/slightly above average) players.
Why do I call Crisp slightly above average? Well, for one he has limited value to us a left fielder, and despite his good average/decent pop, he has a terrible OBP for a #2 hitter. We both know how incredibly streaky the Indians were last year and by bringing in a high OBP/low pop guy like Michaels (could... has always been, but in just a part time role... which i'd argue is harder to maintain) should make the Indians much more consistent.
We had one huge, gigantic, gaping hole in our farm system and that was at third base. Marte not only fills it, but gives us (hopefully) the elite third baseman in the AL (Central) for the next 10 years. We are only losing one guy from the offense, this isn't a firesale, it isn't a huge step backwards for even this season (assuming Michaels keeps his OBP% high)... it is a gamble to make it to the next level, one that I'm glad to take and excited to see.
I have wanted us to do anything it took to nab Andy Marte for the past three seasons. I personally cannot believe that all it will take is Coco Crisp (Josh Bard/David Riske) and we also get Mota and Shoppach (Mota can be good, Shoppach... well, he can't be worse than Bard, and really I just expect him to be spun into another OF... kearns? now that cincy has a new GM, it's a possibility). Color me red and blue and let me see the future now.
This isn't Alex Escobar, this isn't Brandon Phillips, this is Andy Marte, a guy who when told needed to work on his plate discipline, had a K/BB ratio of 83/64 (1.3 to 1). Escobar at 22 (played 3 games as a 21 year old) in AA had a ratio of 114/57 (2 to 1) and an OPS of .862 both worse than Marte. Phillips at 21 played in AAA for both Cleveland and Montreal (and was also a September call up)... in the minors he posted a K/BB ratio of 78/32 (2.4 to 1) with an OPS of around .800 (didn't feel like doing the math from the baseball cube). Marte has also been putting up beastly numbers everywhere, as opposed to Phillip's lightning in a bottle half season with Montreal's AAA affiliate.
Two years ago, a player on our roster hit 15 homers with an OPS of .877 and a K/BB ratio of 126/54 (2.3 to 1) at Buffalo. He was 22. Marte's season was arguably better (certainly better when you account for age/power). What Indians player was it? Jhonny Peralta... who single handedly carried the team when Pronk went down. Coco was great, and god bless him, but he is not a game changer. Marte could and should be... and you usually have to give up a stud pitching prospect or estabilshed ace to get a guy like him. Instead, we are giving up a guy who probably would've been traded to make room for Snyder by 07 anyway.
Obviously if the trade backfires, Shapiro will face a lot of heat. But I truly believe that this is a move that must be made to take the final step. I just hope it works out, but given that we're talking about a team from Cleveland, I won't hold my breath.
oh, and hopefully no one poured sugar in your gas tank, i'd prefer to not die on the way to the buckeye hall of fame cafe.
"But I truly believe that this is a move that must be made to take the final step. "
So we are planning on taking that final step in 2007 or will Marte need 77 games followed by a year in the minors to adjust (like jhonny) meaning we are planning for 08 or 09? After a season with 90 some wins? What players are we going to have to dump for salary reasons next year so we can plan for 2008? Unless this team plans on keeping some of its good players then they aren't going to compete every year, they will always be planning on next year. To say that some journeyman from the Phillies can replace and do what coco did is selling coco way short. It's not even fair. If that guy can do what coco did then why would Boston give up Marte when they could have just traded Mota for that dude and had a better player? This front office can eat a dick. Eff them and their "lightning in a bottle" philosophy.
Until that dude steps on the field and produces, this is a bad, bad trade. We had Coco's rights until 2009 or so, he improved every year, and was one of only a couple .300 hitters on the team.
I guess this is what I have to look forward to: trading finished products for prospects. It's like the reverse of John Hart.
i see no reason (other than Marte being sent to AAA if he has a poor spring) why you can't expect Marte to do well this season. He had a better year than Peralta did at AAA in what would be their final years. and as i stated, i would actually be against this trade IF Marte spent the majority of the season in the minors. His numbers show that he is ready now, and another year in AAA isn't going to help anything.
So then no Boone this year? Where does Marte play? Everything I've read has said that the Indians plan on him spending the year in AAA.
He's still a prospect like Phillips and Escobar.
is it a problem if boone goes on the bench? are you suggesting that we keep a killer b in the lineup?
he could always platoon with broussard/spell Marte every now and then.
and considering that Shapiro has had absolutely no comment on the entire Marte situation, I'm not putting too much stock in to what other people (hoynes i think is all i've seen) think we'll do with Marte.
i think that he's a ML ready prospect, and if he has a good spring, he'll find a way onto the team. if it takes a gonzales type injury to boone to get him on there (after a grady like performance in spring), then i'd be glad to make sure Boone's spikes get caught in something on the way to 1st.
Maybe you're right. I just don't really buy it.
I think if this dude was as good as you are saying then A) he wouldn't have been traded straight up for a washed up Renteria and B) the Sox would have moved Lowell for peanuts and ate his salary in order to get this 40 hr guy on the field.
I don't know. Shap's best trades have been the lower level prospects like sizemore and lee not the top level guys like phillips and escobar.
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