I like National League baseball – I am old school, I admit, but I want the pitcher to hit the ball, or at least stand up there and hold a bat. No matter, and not the point, but it does play into some of my current gripe.
I am not a fan of the Cleveland Indians. They lose. That is not the point either, but what is the point is some of the stupid things they have done this season – the front office must want to lose. Get rid of Cy Young winner Cliff Lee for 3 prospects? And, of course, Lee’s first outing with Philly was superb, leaving me to scratch my head. Lee, along with Ben Francisco to the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Jason Knapp and Lou Marson. Three pitching prospects, one of which (Knapp) looks great on paper and a very young catcher, Marson, with a .235 average in 17 at bats with Philly earlier this year. They had to get a catcher because they dealt Victor Martinez away. What?
I get it, they need pitching; they need young pitching. Cliff Lee is a young star, however, and a star pitcher in your hand is worth at least two in the bush league.
Mark DeRosa – Cleveland traded to St Louis for Chris Perez and Jess Todd. Perez is 1-1, with 1 save, 4.50 ERA. Todd has pitched 1.2 innings, with 2 strike outs, 2 walks, and a 10.8 ERA. I sort of get this – DeRosa, journeyman utility player 10 years into a major career, for 2 solid but underperforming pitchers. It has been a building decade for the Indians; how many more prospects do they need to win some games?
Victor Martinez, arguably the best hitter in the spate of 2009 trades, was traded to Boston for Justin Masterson, Nick Hagadone, and Bryan Price. Masterson is 3-3 with a 4.5 ERA; Hagadone looks ok on paper, with a 2.52 ERA in 2009, but Tommy John surgery in 2008 might give him a short shelf life; Price is a young Texan that looks fair on paper, but will need a year or so to grow.
Cleveland ditched the solid pros for a catcher and a lot of maybes in the bullpen. Nice try, Tribe, but it takes offense, too. Looks like another in a string of bad trades for the Indians front office. Sorry, Cleveland fans.