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CLEVELAND -- General manager Mark Shapiro flew to the Caribbean to get away for a few days. He came back to the United States on Sunday night to find word of his private trade talks spreading like wildfire. "That was a heck of a time to go on vacation," Shapiro told reporters at Jacobs Field on Monday afternoon.
Indeed, because when Shapiro landed back in Cleveland, his voicemail and e-mail inboxes were flooded with interview requests.
Widespread reports have the Indians sending popular outfielder Coco Crisp and two low-level prospects to the Red Sox for reliever Guillermo Mota and third-base project Andy Marte. Right-hander Manny Delcarmen is also rumored to be in the mix.
The club is also expected to make a second deal with the Phillies by sending a reliever -- possibly Arthur Rhodes, David Riske or Mota -- to Philadelphia for outfielder Jason Michaels.
Though several sources have confirmed the involved clubs have had serious discussions, neither deal is complete or 100 percent certain of happening. Physicals must be completed by any players involved.
So without a firm deal in place, Shapiro made it clear he would not be discussing the situation directly.
"When there's something to announce, I'll speak freely and openly about it," he said. "We're in constant conversations with other clubs about trades. Sometimes [the discussions] leak out, but most times they don't."
Given the private nature with which Shapiro prefers to do his business, his words reflected disappointment that wind of the trade conversations had been picked up nationally.
"It's not efficient to do business that way," Shapiro said, "and it's disrespectful to the players."
With that, Shapiro turned the floor over to manager Eric Wedge, who will be taking part in the team's Winter Caravan all week.
Wedge was equally evasive about the trade rumors, and he refused to speculate how the moves would affect the lineup.
Wedge did, however, refute the notion that the potential trades would seem to benefit the Indians more in the long term than the short.
"Anything we do, we want it to be positive for this year and beyond," he said. "We're not doing anything that will have an ill effect on this year. We're not going to take any steps back."
For the Indians, the trade with the Red Sox would address one of the organization's few areas of weakness in the farm system. The Tribe is without a legitimate third-base prospect, and Aaron Boone is only under contract through 2006, though the club does have a mutual option with Boone for 2007.
The 22-year-old Marte, who hit .275 with 20 home runs and 74 RBIs for Triple-A Richmond and saw 24 games of action with the Braves last season, has been listed by some publications as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, though he's not expected to be Major League ready for the opening of the 2006 season.
In Michaels, the Indians would be getting a player who has never had an everyday job in the big leagues. Michaels, who shared time with Kenny Lofton in center field last year, hit .304 with four homers and 31 RBIs and a .399 on-base percentage in 105 games.
Mota went 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA and two saves for the Marlins last season and missed several weeks of the season with a sore right elbow and sore right shoulder.
Though the Indians had reportedly been talking to Crisp, who is eligible for arbitration, about a multiyear contract, no deal has been made with him for the 2006 season.
As talk of the potential trades continues to filter around town and around the country, the Indians' only official reaction is one of disappointment that their private trade talks had leaked.
"Out of respect to the players, you want to keep things close to the vest," Wedge said. "It's unfortunate that anything is out there."
CLEVELAND -- General manager Mark Shapiro flew to the Caribbean to get away for a few days. He came back to the United States on Sunday night to find word of his private trade talks spreading like wildfire. "That was a heck of a time to go on vacation," Shapiro told reporters at Jacobs Field on Monday afternoon.
Indeed, because when Shapiro landed back in Cleveland, his voicemail and e-mail inboxes were flooded with interview requests.
Widespread reports have the Indians sending popular outfielder Coco Crisp and two low-level prospects to the Red Sox for reliever Guillermo Mota and third-base project Andy Marte. Right-hander Manny Delcarmen is also rumored to be in the mix.
The club is also expected to make a second deal with the Phillies by sending a reliever -- possibly Arthur Rhodes, David Riske or Mota -- to Philadelphia for outfielder Jason Michaels.
Though several sources have confirmed the involved clubs have had serious discussions, neither deal is complete or 100 percent certain of happening. Physicals must be completed by any players involved.
So without a firm deal in place, Shapiro made it clear he would not be discussing the situation directly.
"When there's something to announce, I'll speak freely and openly about it," he said. "We're in constant conversations with other clubs about trades. Sometimes [the discussions] leak out, but most times they don't."
Given the private nature with which Shapiro prefers to do his business, his words reflected disappointment that wind of the trade conversations had been picked up nationally.
"It's not efficient to do business that way," Shapiro said, "and it's disrespectful to the players."
With that, Shapiro turned the floor over to manager Eric Wedge, who will be taking part in the team's Winter Caravan all week.
Wedge was equally evasive about the trade rumors, and he refused to speculate how the moves would affect the lineup.
Wedge did, however, refute the notion that the potential trades would seem to benefit the Indians more in the long term than the short.
"Anything we do, we want it to be positive for this year and beyond," he said. "We're not doing anything that will have an ill effect on this year. We're not going to take any steps back."
For the Indians, the trade with the Red Sox would address one of the organization's few areas of weakness in the farm system. The Tribe is without a legitimate third-base prospect, and Aaron Boone is only under contract through 2006, though the club does have a mutual option with Boone for 2007.
The 22-year-old Marte, who hit .275 with 20 home runs and 74 RBIs for Triple-A Richmond and saw 24 games of action with the Braves last season, has been listed by some publications as one of the top prospects in all of baseball, though he's not expected to be Major League ready for the opening of the 2006 season.
In Michaels, the Indians would be getting a player who has never had an everyday job in the big leagues. Michaels, who shared time with Kenny Lofton in center field last year, hit .304 with four homers and 31 RBIs and a .399 on-base percentage in 105 games.
Mota went 2-2 with a 4.70 ERA and two saves for the Marlins last season and missed several weeks of the season with a sore right elbow and sore right shoulder.
Though the Indians had reportedly been talking to Crisp, who is eligible for arbitration, about a multiyear contract, no deal has been made with him for the 2006 season.
As talk of the potential trades continues to filter around town and around the country, the Indians' only official reaction is one of disappointment that their private trade talks had leaked.
"Out of respect to the players, you want to keep things close to the vest," Wedge said. "It's unfortunate that anything is out there."
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