BASEBALL | INDIANS
Acquiring, developing prospects is business plan
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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Jhonny Peralta arrived at Cleveland Indians camp last spring as an accomplished minor-league player with four career big-league home runs on his resume and the ambitious goal of hitting 20 in his first full season. He finished with 24, the most ever by an Indians shortstop.
"I want to hit 30 this year, so maybe I hit 34," he said with a smile yesterday, as the Indians annual winter caravan stopped in Columbus. "I want to be better than last year, for sure."
It is the evolution of an elite player, and it is necessary if the Indians are to evolve from a playoff contender to a playoff participant. Although they expect to compete with the best clubs in the American League for the foreseeable future, they are not prepared to spend with the richest clubs.
Their fate is tied to how youngsters such as Peralta, Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee follow up their breakthrough seasons, and whether youngsters such as Fernando Cabrera, Ryan Garko and Franklin Gutierrez produce breakthrough seasons.
That point was driven home during the Tribe’s failed pursuit of free agents B.J. Ryan, Brian Giles, Trevor Hoffman and Nomar Garciaparra this winter, and it is at the root of the rumor du jour — the multi-team, multi-player trade that would at least cost the Indians outfielder Coco Crisp and bring them third base prospect Andy Marte.
If it goes through in any of its rumored forms, the Indians would be gambling that they can replace Crisp in the short term and that Marte would be an upgrade in the long run. Which is to say, it is the type of low-financial-risk, high-reward gamble the Indians have relied upon in recent years.
"Anything we do, we want it to be positive for this year and beyond," manager Eric Wedge said. "We’re not going to do anything that affects us in a negative way this year. We’re not looking to take a step back."
The most significant trade scenario — and, according to one Indians official, the most likely — has Crisp, reliever David Riske and backup catcher Josh Bard headed to Boston for Marte, reliever Guillermo Mota and catching prospect Kelly Shoppach. The Indians would then trade reliever Arthur Rhodes to Philadelphia for outfielder Jason Michaels, who would replace Crisp in left field.
The Indians would acquire two prospects at positions where prospects are difficult to find while also unloading two relievers Wedge seemed to lose faith in during the second half of last season.
Marte is the key. He is the rare prospect endorsed by the scout-centric Baseball America and stat-centric Baseball Prospectus, and he fills a position of little depth within the organization. He would be in line to replace Aaron Boone when Boone’s contract expires after the upcoming season.
The wild card is Crisp, who is a proven player but still is four seasons away from free agency and perhaps has not yet peaked.
"I like Andy Marte’s bat a lot," said a scout from an American League team.
"However, he is not Coco Crisp, in that he is not a switch-hitter and plus defender with . . . the power to develop into All-Star status.
"I would keep Crisp at all costs."
Pending physicals, the trades could be completed later this week.
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