Trade Cliff Lee Today

After the Tribe dropped another lifeless loss to the Tigers Friday, I have come to the conclusion that Cliff Lee needs to be moved this season. He is getting more frustrated everyday with this team and we all know that he is a hot head. Here are his comments after yesterday's defeat...

Brandon Inge and Magglio Ordonez started the second with singles. Gerald Laird sent a fly toward the right-field corner that Garko dove for and missed. Inge scored, Ordonez went to third and Laird pulled into second for a double.

Asked if he felt the ball should have been caught, Lee said, "Do you? I don't pass judgment on that. I throw the pitches. Where it goes it goes. It's not up to me to move the outfielders or infielders. All I do is pitch.
Duane Burleson/Associated PressA frustrated Travis Hafner reacts to his harmless fly ball to left field in the eighth inning against Detroit reliever Bobby Seay. Trailing 3-1 at the time, Hafner's fly out left three runners on base."It did seem like it was in the air a long time. I don't know if they had him shaded the other way or what. You'd have to ask him or Wedgie."

It isn't Garko's fault that he is being forced to play in the outfield. He should never play out their again, ever. Lee is frustrated, just like everyone else about his run support and this lost season. He needs to keep to himself about his views and not throw his teammates under the bus.

Since 2009 is over and 2010 looks like it won't be much better, I say trade Cliff Lee to the San Francisco Giants. Package Lee with his buddy Garko (Giants always in need for hitting) to the Giants for the no-hit wonder Jonathan Sanchez, their #1 Prospect Madison Bumgarner (who looks like the real deal), and a few more prospects. Sanchez is a bit older (will turn 27 in November) and walks a lot of guys, but he is a pitcher who can be slotted immediately into the rotation. He struck out 11 batters Friday with zero walks, missing out on a perfect game by one error. Bumgarner is a 20 year old stud who's ERA is under 2 and rarely walks anyone, and if you look at the Giants track record, they know a little about starting pitching. If San Francisco acquired Lee, their rotation would be Lincecum/Cain/Lee/Zito/Big Unit, instantly becoming the best in baseball.

Who knows if this is even being discussed, but the Indians should be really targeting the Giants as a potential trade partner. The Bumgarner kid may be a few years away, but he is exactly what the system needs, an ace in the making.

The Beat Goes On

The Indians head to Detroit today for their last three games before the All-Star break. The two teams could not be any more opposite. Both came into 2009 looking to rebound from a disappointing previous season, but the Tigers were able to stabilize their shaky bullpen and have to stud pitchers anchor their rotation, while improving their defense and team chemistry which has led them to first place in the Central Division. The Tribe has had a lousy starting staff and a horrendous bullpen to go along with shaky defense to position themselves last in a mediocre division. There really isn't much left to say about this team that hasn't already been said. I imagine the Indians will go on a bit of a run in the second half as they always do, taunting the fans with solid baseball. Oh, and they also dropped 2 of 3 against the White Sox, playing horribly in the first two games. Until guys like Brantley, LaPorta, Brown, and Rondon are added to the roster, the season has little left to be excited about. It really can put a damper on a summer when your favorite team is out of it by June, but life does go on. On with the randomness...

• Aaron Laffey looked ok in his start Tuesday, I anticipate him getting better as the season slugs along.


• Does anyone really think they will be able to trade Carl Pavano? I don't, even if he strings together more solid starts.


• They better try Sowers in the bullpen at some point this season because he is out of options in 2010.


• Ryan Garko has played the outfield 6 times this season when David Huff pitches. Give Huff a break already.


• Speaking of Garko, I like the guy but he has no place left on this team. I anticipate the Indians moving him sometime this July.


• Wedge needs to let Luis Valbuena bat once in awhile against lefties. We know what Jamey Carroll is, we don't yet know about Valbuena.


• I really like Tony Sipp and believe he will help stabilize the bullpen.

Jeremy Sowers was sent back to Columbus while Rafael Betancourt was brought back. The Indians still have 13 pitchers on the roster, which is amazing because most of them stink. It will be interesting to see if they make any changes at the All-Star break, because the Indians are losing the interest of the diehard fans (including me).

Odds and Ends

The Tribe is 2-2 over the past 4 games, which is actually a slight improvement. They took the three game series against the Oakland A's, which was a nice change of pace. Yesterday's game was more of the same, as new Indians Chris Perez and Winston Abreu helped to give up 9 runs in 2 innings. Random thoughts from a horrible season.

• Eric Wedge and his staff got the dreaded vote of confidence from GM Mark Shapiro Sunday. The team promptly lost the next two games. I don't think Eric will be back in 2010.


• Shin Soo Choo has been on fire the past few days, and has played like an All-Star. Seems to be one of the position players the team can build around.


• Victor Martinez is in a huge slump. Hopefully he it is just one of those baseball things and not him being frustrated with the results of the club this season.


• Trading a 24 year old struggling reliever (John Meloan) for another bullpen retread (Winston Abreu) looks like a horrible trade and makes absolutely no sense at all.


• Putting Chris Perez in a bases loaded situation in only his third game when he plunked two White Sox batters in his first game as an Indian was just a bad idea. Put him in spots where he can gain confidence instead of throwing him into the fire.


• Fausto Carmona and Rafael Betancourt are close to returning to the Indians, probably after the All-Star break. Carmona needs to find his control and help stabilize the rotation. Betancourt will help the pen, but also may be trade bait.


• Jeremy Sowers 5 and fly starting pitching dance is nearing an end. He has proved himself unable to be a consistent major league starter. It is time to try him as a long reliever in the bullpen.

The beat goes on for the beaten Tribe. A few roster moves not posted have happened, as Matt Herges was designated for assignment over the weekend to make room for the amazing Winston Abreu. Also, Rafael Perez and his gas can were sent to Columbus to make room for the return of Aaron Laffey.

Rondon Promoted to Columbus

Not only has pitching been an issue for the Indians this year, it has also been quite awful for their triple A affiliate Columbus Clippers. After reading Scott Leo's Blog, who is the Clippers radio announcer, he commented on the fact that the Clippers starting pitching has tallied only 34 quality starts in 83 games. Furthermore, Columbus has the worst team ERA in the International league which is 4.67. Sound like a chip off the ol' block.

With this being said the Clippers promoted right hander Hector Rondon from Akron over the weekend and they got a quality start from Fausto Carmona last night as the Clippers beat the Mud Hens 8-1. Carmona has made two minor league starts prior to last night, allowing one run in 13.2 IP. He is 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA in the minors. Last night he was mostly strong in his Clippers debut. He went five innings, giving up a run on six hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Rondon, the top pitching prospect in the organization, won each of his first five starts and was 7-5 with a 2.75 ERA for the Aeros. His ERA was the fifth-best in the Eastern League, he was tied for fourth in victories, and tied for fifth with 73 strikeouts in just 72 innings. He was holding Double-A opponents to a .227 batting average. Rondon is expected to start Wednesday against Indianapolis at Huntington Park.