Jim Thome Traded to the Baltimore Orioles

With so much talk about loyalty in sports and players not staying on one team for their entire career nothing is ever said for when teams ship out players like cargo across the pacific.

Well, Jim Thome who signed with the Philadelphia Phillies in the off season, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles according to an ESPN report. The Phillies acquire right-hander Kyle Simon and catcher Gabriel Lino, while the Orioles hope to obtain a needed jolt to their offense that has been lacking as of late.

Jim Thome who is one who claims he is all about loyalty, was traded from the team he thought he’d end his career with, kind of fitting for a guy who left his initial team the Cleveland Indians after he said he was ‘loyal’ to them.

Assessing how the trade will help the Orioles; he should add a needed power threat, and considering Camden Yards is a hitter friendly park I can see why the Orioles were intrigued. Thome also being a great locker room guy can provide some stability to the locker room and be a big brother type that the younger guys in the locker room can look to. I don’t think it will put them over the top to win the division, however they should have a good shot at the wildcard spot.

Travis Hafner Sent to the Disabled List

As reported by Cleveland.com Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner has been placed on the 15 day disabled list due to an injury to his right knee.

This should come as no surprise as in the last 4 years he’s been on the disabled list 6 times. We should not only be used to him being injured at this point, expect him to be injured. I don’t mean to be a Debbie downer on Hafner; however his production the last few years has been very low to nonexistent. Though his production has provided a nice jolt in the middle of the lineup if you can’t rely on him to play every day what good is he to you?

Related: Josh Beckett Missed Game from Golf Injury

This season he’s hit 6 homeruns and 23 RBI, not bad for the first month of the season, and considering his power numbers has been down in previous season, this would rank as phenomenal for him.

Hopefully it’s nothing more than just a bruise and a after a couple weeks off and rehab he’ll be able to return to play and produce at the rate he was prior to the injury. The only concern I have is, while he is out, the Indians won’t have enough offense to maintain their current position.

Red Sox Josh Beckett Missed Game Due to Playing Golf?

You would think for as many issues the Red Sox players had last year with bad press they would try to keep a low profile. However, that didn’t stop Josh Beckett from playing golf two days before he was to pitch during his next start.

According to an ESPN report Beckett hurt his back during his golf round and was unable to play due to stiffness in his right lat.

Manager Bobby Valentine had this to say about Beckett missing his start;

“I haven’t talked to Josh about this yet, so I’m not sure I can really comment on it other than I can say physical issues, I guess, he had a sore lat, he wasn’t an injured player. I know that. And we’ll take it from there. But I’m sure Josh wouldn’t do anything that’s going to jeopardize his team or his season. I know that.”

Now I’m not one that says players can’t participate in other activities beyond their day job, I only caution that you don’t injure yourself. The backlash from fans and media will be ridiculous. Especially when some are looking for a reason to attack you.

Beckett has enough to deal with, and this just makes him looks bad. This situation combined with their chicken and beer pow wow last year, on to of the push back they’ve given new manager Bobby Valentine makes the Red Sox look like a big blow up waiting to happen.

Cleveland Indians Sign Johnny Damon

Then Indians looking to add a jolt of energy to their lack luster offense have signed free agent Johnny Damon to a one year deal, full of incentives that could bolster his pay from 1.25 to 1.4 million dollars.

Last year with the Tampa Bay Rays Damon played well and provided a veteran bat that helped keep the Rays in playoff contention. Though his batting average was a slender .261 he did hit 16 home runs and 73 runs batted in along with swiping 19 stolen bases last season. The Indians looking to turn around a 1-4 start to the season hope that Damon can match that same production from last season. Damon who is a career .286 batter, has never had an on base percentage lower than .313 which should provide plenty of opportunities for the Tribe to drive in more runs. Also with the health of Grady Sizemore unknown it’s very possible that Damon will get plenty of chances to contribute.

Related: Indians Slow Start Nothing to Panic Over

However, it will be a few weeks before we see Damon join the club, as he will head to the minor leagues to get in ‘game shape’ before he’s with the team. No one knows how long it will before but the speculation is anywhere from 10 days to 3 weeks, which would put him on the Indians 25 man roster sometime in May.

Now, though I’m not a fan of this particular move, I don’t blame them for making it. They felt they need to show some urgency and so they made a move. I think they should’ve tried to acquire an offensive threat in the off season, someone younger than Damon who is 38, either a speedster or a power bat. However, it would hypocritical to complain of them making no moves, than whine when they do. I’m willing to give it a chance to see how it goes before I laud or crush it.

For the Indians sake, hopefully it works out.

 

Indians Off to Slow Start, No Reason to Panic

With one week of baseball in the books, the Indians have gotten off to a 1-4 start. Not necessarily the blazing beginning fans were looking for. But let’s keep this in mind, it’s only been five games. FIVE! Are we really going to start stoning the team before they’ve even played a month of baseball? From growing up playing baseball as a kid, to know writing about it on this site, I’ve held true to one standard that was taught to me by my dad. In baseball, you make your first concrete judgment on a team after the first 40 games. Theory, after 40 games you have a big enough sample size to make an estimation of what the team will become is has turned into.

So why are so many people losing their minds after the first two series, when we’ve gotten relatively good starting pitching? Yes, I know the offense has struggled and ranks in the bottom 20 in runs scored (25^th) batting average (30^th) on base percentage (21^st) and slugging percentage (26^th). And this should be a concern… just not today and five games doesn’t make or break a team, especially the first five of the season.

Too many times we rush to judgment and want a team to look like world beaters for the entire season. Slumps happen, and yes considering the Indians offensive woes last season this slow definitely doesn’t give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, however, I’m just not down with saying this team sucks and they’ll never hit when the sample size we have is so small.

Now if this trend continues through the beginning of June and middle of May, then yes, be concerned all you like. But for now, at least let them play more games than you can count on your hands before we’re ready to trade everybody away and bring up 15 players from minor leagues.

Indians Must Weigh their Options

After the end of the World Series the Indians will have 3 days to decide whether they’ll pick up the option of two players that they once considered a big piece of their core. Centerfielder Grady Sizemore and pitcher Fausto Carmona both have options the team has to decide to pick up or not. Fausto is due $7 million and in a game where pitching is premium you may just want to hold on to him. Yes he’s been inconsistent and has not turned out the production you’ve wanted. However, you’d hate to give him away and then he blossoms and you have nothing left to show. Fausto when he’s on has the ability to be a top of the rotation guy and can make an impact. For the salary he’s due to make, it’s worth bringing him back and maybe offering him some incentives that would put a little more dough in his pocket. Since his hang up seems to be focus why not try to motivate him with money. If he can’t harness his emotions with extra money on the line then you may have your answer on his future with the team. As for Grady, the circumstances get more complicated. When he’s healthy he has All-Star capabilities and a potential 20 homerun, 20 steals kind of player. Only thing is the last 3 years he’s been hampered by injuries. I would say bring him back as well, because if you let him go then who would you bring in to replace him? You never quit a job before you have another one, and you don’t fire someone until you have your replacement. So before you get all prepared to kick him to the curb you might want to consider that at $8 million a year if you can get just average production from him, he’ll be worth the money. Now with all that said, if they see something they don’t like with his health, then let him walk. But I don’t think it would be a bad move to keep him and Fausto, considering their salaries, the production they can provide and the fact that you may not be able to find legitimate replacements.

Tribe & Jim Thome Come Full Circle

They say you can never go home again… That seems not to be true for Jim Thome as he comes back to Cleveland where his career started. The Indians claimed him off waivers and completed a trade with the Minnesota Twins sending a player to be named later to the twin cities. Now, this wasn’t the bat I thought the Tribe needed, however, with Travis Hafner out for who knows how long you need somebody that could provide some pop. Thome will help, but is it too late, you’re 6 games out of first place, the ace you traded for hasn’t performed to expectations and you’ve had the worst week of the season at the wrong time. Hopefully Thome can bring back some of that late 90’s magic win he steps into the box at Progressive Field. Now, how will fans receive Thome in his first game back, he unlike other Indian greats didn’t leave on the best of terms, and the quote  “my wife is my rock” still resonates on fans minds when thinking of Thome. I believe for the most part Thome will be cheered, considering we need him to play well and he’s one of ours again the fans won’t bash him, however I think the ratio of fans cheering to jeering will be 60-65% to 40-35%. Hopefully this works out, because up until two weeks ago the Indians season had been very exciting and I would hate to see it all go to waste.

Thome Gets 600 HR

Jim Thome has joined the 600 homerun club and now talk of his hall of fame status will increase. Some will argue for saying to get to 600 homeruns you must’ve been consistently good to put up those kinds of numbers. I’ll argue that he’s borderline out. Never have you thought of Jim Thome as one the elite players in the league, just a very good player. Yes you feared him because with one swing he could change a ball game, but he was also prone to strike outs as well. He’s only led the league once in homeruns, but has hit 40 or more homeruns 6 times. All good stats but this doesn’t mean that he belongs in the hall with the best of the best. I get the feeling with Thome that because he’s never been associated with steroids or performance enhancing drugs that he gets a boost. Thome over his entire career has been a very good player, but the hall of fame is reserved for all time greats, game changers, and Thome isn’t that. He’s a very good player that was blessed with good health, and developed to be one of the most statistical consistent players in the league. However, in my book that doesn’t justify hall of fame status. He’ll probably get in because it’ll be hard to deny a guy who will eventually end his career with over 600 homeruns, close to 2300 hits, and an on base percentage close to .400. Hopefully the writers understand that Cooperstown is home of the hall of fame not to be treated as the walk of fame.

In the Thick of it All

The Indians have a chance to close the gap between them and the Tigers down to one game if they can find a way to get to the unhitable Justin Verlander. Just a week ago the Tribe looked to be on a downward slide after only going 3-4 on their road trip losing 3 of those 4 in the final at bat. But they have rebounded strong, taking 2 of the first 3 with a chance for the sweep. Ubaldo Jimenez had one shaky inning out of the eight he pitched,  struck out 6 batters and was in command all night. If they can get that kind of production from him for the rest of the year the Indians will be poised to take the central division. Though the bullpen has been shaky the last week the offense has been exceptional of late and thats with rookies Jason Kipnis and Ezequiel Carrera being inserted into the lineup. I like what Carrera brings at the top of the lineup and wouldn’t mind him staying there when Brantley is healthy and just dropping everybody down one in the lineup. And where was Kipnis earlier in the year, he’s played fantastic in his 16 games he’s scored 13 runs, 18 hits, 6 homeruns and .295 batting average. I won’t deem tonight as a must win because they have 10 more games against the Tigers and and 30 of the remaining 48 against divisional opponents. However tonight would hammer home the point that the Tigers can’t beat us at home and we can beat their ace when no one else can.

Deadline Winners & Losers

Winners

Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates haven’t been in pennant race since NWA had a hit record on the radio went out and acquired Derek Lee and Ryan Ludwick to add some offense to a team that is 26^th in the league in runs scored. We should laud the Pirates for being aggressive and going for it at the deadline, though Lee and Ludwick are both batting under .250, putting them in the middle of a playoff might be the spark that energizes them both.

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox traded very little to get left hander Erik Bedard who has an ERA of 3.45. This also fills a need as Clay Bucholz is likely out for the rest of the season and adding a left hander is always a plus. Decent plan b since they bowed out of the Ubaldo Jimenez sweepstakes.

Atlanta Braves

The Braves were in desperate need of an offensive spark. With Chipper Jones out for a while they could use another bat. So adding Michael Bourn who is batting over .300, has 39 stolen bases and has 26 doubles should definitely give stabilize the top of the lineup, and give them more opportunities to score more runs.

Losers

Cleveland Indians

As the old saying goes, you can never have enough pitching. Yes this is true, but they failed to improve the weakest part of their team which was the offense. Fans should be happy that they went all out and got an established ace in Ubaldo Jimenez, but I’d still be weary of an inconsistent offense.

Chicago Cubs

The Cubs who are saddled with bad contracts, and overpaid players were unable to find anyone to bail them out. A lot of the players they kept on to Soriano, Zambrano, have horrible contracts that no one else wants. I’d look for them in the winter to be very active, however its another fall for Cub fans where watching the ivy grow may be more entertaining than the team itself.

Tampa Bay Rays

Being 10 games out of first place in the A.L. East and 9 games out of the wild card places you in a weird place. Not close enough to make a run at the division, but possibly enough time to chase down a wild card berth. Choosing to stand pat and not doing anything may position them well to make a few moves in the winter to make another run at the playoffs in 2012.