Not to get ahead of ourselves, but just what does incoming general manager Chris Antonetti have to look forward to when he replaces GM Mark Shapiro at the end of the season?
He's not yet in charge, but as incoming Indians GM Chris Antonetti (with manager Manny Acta) looks to the future of his team, there's no shortage of questions to answer.
HOT CORNER
Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be umpires: Chicago lefty Mark Buehrle was ejected Wednesday against the Indians when umpire Joe West called the second of two balks against him. Buehrle was not happy with West, an aspiring country western singer.
“Once I got tossed I wanted to go say a few words and try to get my money’s worth and just kind of find out what did I do wrong to balk?” Buehrle told the Associated Press. “I think he’s too worried about promoting his CD [West is a country music singer and song writer]) and I think he likes seeing his name in the papers a little bit too much instead of worrying about the rules.”
Shake, shake, shake: Former Tribe catcher Victor Martinez and right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka aren’t getting along in Boston.
On May 17, Matsuzaka gave up five runs in the first inning against the Yankees and hinted he wasn’t happy with Martinez’s pitch selection. In Matsuzaka’s next two starts veteran Jason Varitek was behind the plate.
Matsuzaka, turning into an expensive disappointment for Boston, threw 7 2/3 no-hit innings to beat the Phillies on May 22, but lasted just 4 2/3 innings Thursday in a loss to Kansas City.
Martinez told Boston reporters that if Matsuzaka didn’t like what he was calling, all he had to do was shake him off. “At the end,” said Martinez, “he’s the one who has the ball in his hand.”
New trend: After knocking Detroit’s Justin Verlander out of the game with a tie-breaking RBI single in the eighth inning Tuesday at Safeco Field, mercurial Milton Bradley took the time between the pitching change to run into the Mariners dugout, slap high fives with his teammates before returning to first base in a 5-3 victory.
Bradley, who recently came off the restricted list after two weeks of counseling for personal problems, told the Associated Press, “I’m feeling a lot of joy right now.”
THE RANT
Victory is easy. Smiles and blaring music always fill the locker room when a baseball team is winning.
Losing is harder. It carries a dullness that rarely leaves. It comes from equal parts resignation and desperation.
The Indians feel like that kind of team right now. Nothing was expected coming into the season and they’re playing like it. June doesn’t arrive until Tuesday and they’re already one of the three worst teams in baseball. The chilling thing is there are 115 games left.
It’s one thing to write off a season in the name of future glory, but where is all this leading? The franchise record for losses was set in 1991 with 105. It ushered in a golden age of Cleveland baseball, but the good times didn’t start rolling for another three years in 1994.
Is that what awaits Cleveland baseball fans in the immediate future? It’s easy to say no, but where is the electric talent that fueled the surge from 1994 through 2001? If you bump into it, let me know.
In the meantime maybe somebody could ask comedian Drew Carey for advice. Now that he’s solved the city of Cleveland’s problems, he could go to work on the Indians. At least he could tell a few jokes. Laughter is a must in a season like this.
— Paul Hoynes
STAT-O-MATIC
• No long balls, please: The Twins have only 13 homers in 26 games at new Target Field entering Sunday.
• When did all this happen? Former Indian second baseman Brandon Phillips hit his 100th homer Tuesday, six with the Indians and 94 with the Reds.
• Dog nights: About 650 dogs and their owners sat near the right-field foul pole at PNC Park Wednesday and watched the Pirates lose to the Reds, 4-0.NEW YORK -- When the Indians finally put down the balls and bats following their final out on Oct. 3, this baseball canvas will be in the hands of a new painter. An argument could be made that it's too early to be looking so far ahead, but in just two months time the paint has dried, cracked and peeled on this current season.
We all know where this thing is going and how it will end. Memo to the Progressive Field cleanup crew: stock up on sandpaper, scrapers, paint and putty.
So just what will new GM Chris Antonetti look at after 2010 is dragged from the arena?
He'll probably have a payroll of about $40 million, a 50 percent cut from 2009. Two of the three highest-paid players, Jake Westbrook at $11 million and Kerry Wood at $10.5 million, are coming off the books. The Indians' highest paid player, Travis Hafner at $11.5 million, isn't going anywhere because his contract, negotiated by Antonetti's mentor and predecessor, Mark Shapiro, has turned into an immovable object.
Antonetti is going to have a lot of players making between $400,000 and $500,000. This year over half the roster fell into that category. The major-league minimum is $400,000.
At least he'll begin his tenure as the 15th general manager in franchise history far from the eye of public scrutiny. This year's projected attendance of 1.5 million to 1.6 million is going to look like Times Square on New Year's Eve compared to what the Indians draw next year. The last year the Indians drew fewer than one million fans was 1985.
When a team rebuilds, it does so with young players and a few veterans. The Indians have a lot of young players. The question is how good are they? The sooner Antonetti can answer that question, the better general manager he'll be.
He'll inherit a still-unformed rotation. Fausto Carmona is making strides. Mitch Talbot has been a good addition, but hasn't pitched a full big-league season. David Huff still has much to prove, while the Justin Masterson experiment, to be kind, has not proceeded according to plan.
In the minors, top prospect Carlos Carrasco has been inconsistent and Hector Rondon has been injured. Alex White, their No.1 pick in 2009, was promoted to Class AA Akron recently and may have a chance to compete for a big league job next year. Left-hander Nick Hagadone, a key player in the Victor Martinez trade last year, is expected to join White at Akron in the near future. Young right-hander Jason Knapp, supposedly the key to the Cliff Lee deal, is still recovering from shoulder surgery.
Position wise, without the benefit of seeing Carlos Santana in the big leagues, the young Indians haven't shown a lot of wow factor. OK, there is reliever Chris Perez's 95 to 97 mph fastball, but who else has really opened fans' eyes?
Michael Brantley had a good September. Manager Manny Acta is bringing Matt LaPorta along slowly, but no one seems to know if he's going to be the right-handed run producer they need. The Indians think Lou Marson will be an everyday catcher someday, but not if he keeps hitting .200.
Second baseman Luis Valbuena needs to be in Class AAA Columbus to regain his confidence, but the Indians don't have anyone to replace him at the moment. Jason Donald is playing shortstop in place of injured Asdrubal Cabrera, but spent most of the first two months in Columbus being groomed to replace Valbuena at second. Trevor Crowe has filled in well for injured Grady Sizemore in center field, but is he really an everyday player?
When Antonetti starts the 2011 season, he should have a healthy Cabrera and Sizemore. That will make his job easier, but not by a whole lot.
There's one more thing Antonetti can look forward to when he replaces Shapiro -- arbitration. The Indians haven't gone since 1991, but that could change. Shin-Soo Choo, his top player, is eligible to argue money at the end of this season. Heavyweight agent Scott Boras represents him.
Talk about a dream job.