Cleveland Indians (2013 Season)

[Zippercat]

LaBusta and Lillibridge were outrighted from the ML roster to AAA Columbus yesterday. Lillibridge has the option to elect to become a free agent (please, Please, PLEASE do so Brent!) while LaBusta must stick around as he recovers from hip surgury. LaBusta: the Eveready Bunny of FAIL ....he just keeps going and going, but he's still here.

 

[Bucklion]

LaBusta and Lillibridge were outrighted from the ML roster to AAA Columbus yesterday. Lillibridge has the option to elect to become a free agent (please, Please, PLEASE do so Brent!) while LaBusta must stick around as he recovers from hip surgury. LaBusta: the Eveready Bunny of FAIL ....he just keeps going and going, but he's still here.

I am hoping Francona finally cuts the string to LaBusta (outrighted is a good start), which Acta either never did or never convinced Shapironneti to do. If he has change the channel heat from Francona, maybe the front office will finally admit to themselves what a colossal fuckup that trade was and start from scratch. At this point the fans don't want to see him, other Indians don't want to see him...no one wants to see him.

 

[TheStoicPaisano]

Hunter is the type of player they should be bringing in on a flyer, which means Carson will probably make the team. I realize Hunter has about a 2% shot of a real career but that's more than Carson or Lillibridge.

 

[LitlBuck]

This guy must be joking

Rumblings

Seeing free-agent outfielders Torii Hunter and Melky Cabrera sign with Detroit and Toronto respectively has some wondering if and when the Cleveland Indians are going to make a big splash.

The past two years of free agency offer something of a guide:
In 2011, the Tribe fetched Orlando Cabrera, Chad Durbin and Jack Hannahan out of the bargain bin. Last year, they gambled $5 million on their own Grady Sizemore and lost, signed Casey Kotchman for $3 million and probably didn?t get their money?s worth and signed right-hander Dan Wheeler for $900,000, another clunker of a move.

In other words, look for the Indians to try to get lucky with more low-priced free agents, even though they?ve already declined options on Travis Hafner ($13 million) and Roberto Hernandez ($6 million) that would seem to indicate they have money to spend.

 

[Zippercat]

Most likely type of "big splash" that the Indians will make:

 

[buckeyemania11]

Big Spalsh!

The Indians have signed infielder Nate Spears to a minor league contract, reports MLB.com's Jordan Bastian (on Twitter). The 27-year-old hit .240/.329/.396 with ten homers in 395 Triple-A plate appearances this season. Spears has made two brief cameos with the Red Sox in each of the last two years and has experience at all four infield spots as well as in the corner outfield.
Read more at http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/cleveland_indians/index.html#Q9cFwyuFcH5myt63.99

 

[LitlBuck]

The BTN has stolen Katie Witham from the Indians She was reporting from the Ohio State basketball game this past Friday evening which was broadcast by BTN. At least she was pleasant to the eyes when the Indians were stinking up the joint this past season.

 

[Bucklion]

The BTN has stolen Katie Witham from the Indians She was reporting from the Ohio State basketball game this past Friday evening which was broadcast by BTN. At least she was pleasant to the eyes when the Indians were stinking up the joint this past season.

blonde + halfway attractive + fluff sidestories = bigger job after 1-2 years. Happens every time (Charissa Thompson was another).

 

[LitlBuck]

blonde + halfway attractive + fluff sidestories = bigger job after 1-2 years. Happens every time (Charissa Thompson was another).

I think she is more knowledgeable and certainly more attractive than most of the other female announcers out there now.

 

[Zippercat]

The BTN has stolen Katie Witham from the Indians She was reporting from the Ohio State basketball game this past Friday evening which was broadcast by BTN. At least she was pleasant to the eyes when the Indians were stinking up the joint this past season.

 

[Bucklion]

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2012/11/cleveland_indians_add_nick_hag.html#incart_river

Hagadone on the 40...hopefully he didn't punch a wall in celebration. Rafael Perez and his 79 mph fastball dropped.

 

[LitlBuck]

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2012/11/cleveland_indians_add_nick_hag.html#incart_river

Hagadone on the 40...hopefully he didn't punch a wall in celebration. Rafael Perez and his 79 mph fastball dropped.

This is all part of a master plan to trade Perez for another field prospect and then bundle the outfield prospects we have accumulated for two starting pitchers.

 

[Zippercat]

This is all part of a master plan to trade Perez for another washed up utility infielder and then bundle the 27 utility infielders we have accumulated for two buckets of beer at a Browns game.

FIFY

 

[LitlBuck]

Here We Go

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians signed right-hander Fernando Nieve to a minor league deal and invited him to big league camp.

Nieve, 30, went 7-9 with a 5.96 ERA at Class AAA Albuquerque last season for the Dodgers. He made 24 starts in 25 appearances, striking out 107, walking 38 and allowing 91 runs in 119 1/3 innings.

He has spent time in the big leagues with Houston and the Mets. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2010, going 2-4 with a 6.00 ERA in 40 appearances, including one start, with the Mets. The opposition hit .234 against him.

Nieve is 61-57 with a 4.02 ERA in 223 minor league games, including 172 starts. He's 8-11 with a 4.61 ERA in 99 big league games, including 19 starts.

The Indians have already invited right-hander Hector Rondon, infielders Luis Hernandez and Nate Spears and outfielders Matt Carson and Cedric Hunter to big league camp. Pitchers and
catchers report on Feb. 10.

Indians

 

[y0yoyoin]

http://espncleveland.com/common/more.php?m=49&action=blog&r=20&post_id=8671

Levine, a long-time Cleveland sports broadcaster, taped an interview with Shapiro which aired on Nov. 20. Typically, the program features live calls from viewers, but on this occasion Shapiro only fielded emails sent to Levine when he promoted the interview the day before.
Time Warner declined to make available Shapiro?s initial comments, but there is no dispute from anyone involved about Shapiro?s answer to a critical emailer, who asked why they should renew their season tickets for 2013.
Shapiro told the emailer that if their only reason for purchasing was to see the Indians win, ?Don?t come.?
No business owner, or executive, should ever approach telling their customers to stay away. The Indians certainly can?t afford that dismissive attitude given their dismal home attendance last season.
Shapiro, when contacted yesterday, clarified his stance, but largely defended his comment to the disgruntled season-ticket holder.
?I told him if the sole reason, the only reason, for renewing is predicated on us winning, then they shouldn?t come,? Shapiro said. ?I stand by that. Baseball has to mean more than just being a fan when you win.
?No where are we spending more of our time, more of our energy or more money in trying to win. We all understand that the single-most important thing in baseball is winning and losing. But we are always going to have cycles to when we can win.?
This is a familiar refrain, tiresome to Indians? fans.
Call it the, Small-Market, Can?t-Sign-or-Retain-Marquee-Free-Agent Blues, and no one sings it with more regularity than Shapiro, the Dolan ownership?s articulate front man.
The Indians grouse privately about fans? allegiance to the Browns, and how the Tribe has won more recently and more prolifically than the comedy act which has played out for 14 seasons down on the Lakefront.
While that double standard might be unfair, it nevertheless exists, and no amount of Indians? whining will change it.
Ever.

cont..