Jake Westbrook, a candidate to be traded this year, says he'd consider re-signing with the Indians at the end of the season.
Jake Westbrook could appeal to a team in need of starting pitching down the stretch this season, but the right-hander wouldn't mind staying an Indian after this season.INDIANS CHATTER
Clubhouse confidential: The Indians aren't waiting for Friday to start signing international free agents. John Mirabelli, assistant general manager and director of scouting operations, says the Indians have already signed “10 to 15” international players since November.
The Indians believe Friday, the days teams usually start signing international free agent, is artificial date that serves only to inflate the cost of signing players. The Indians feel by not being governed by Friday's signing date they can sign players at a value and timetable determined by them.
International free agents can be signed when they turn 16.
Patience: Manager Manny Acta is not surprised by the patience rookie Carlos Santana has shown at the plate.
“We know that this was going to continue here and even get better,” said Acta. “When a guy is that patient in the minor leagues and has success, it only gets better up here because the strike zone is better up here with the major league umpires.”
Santana, in 17 games, has 13 walks and seven strikeouts in 54 at-bats. He has an OPS of 1.160, .704 slugging and .456 on-base percentage.
Stat of the day: The Indians rotation has the fewest strikeouts (264) and the third-most walks (181) in the AL entering Wednesday's game.
— Paul Hoynes
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The scouts are gathering, checking out the Indians' roster to see if there's anyone who can help their teams reach the postseason. Wednesday was the last day of June. The deadline for making a deal without waivers is July 31.
Jake Westbrook fits the profile. He's in the last year of his contract and is eligible for free agency at the end of the season. On Monday, he pitched six innings as the Indians beat Toronto, 2-1.
The Indians already traded Russell Branyan after Saturday night's game in Cincinnati. Like Westbrook, Branyan was eligible for free agency at the end of the season. The same can be said for Austin Kearns, Kerry Wood, Jhonny Peralta and Mike Redmond.
So that's the Indians' inventory. A few more players could be added, but it would not be a surprise if Westbrook isn't traded. The Indians feel they have a decent chance of signing him after this season and they definitely need starting pitching.
Westbrook says he's open to returning.
"Other than my six days I spent in New York, this is where I feel most comfortable," said Westbrook.
After Monday's victory, Westbrook, in response to a question, said, "I like winning baseball. That's what I like."
If Westbrook re-signed with the Indians, there would be no doubt he'd be headed into his second year of rebuilding. His quest for winning baseball might be better served with another team.
"Winning would be a factor I'd think about," said Westbrook. "I'd love for it to be here. Like I said, this is where I've always been. I'd definitely like to win here."
Let's talk: The Indians minor-league field coordinators are in town to meet with GM Mark Shapiro and his staff to discuss the farm system.
One of the topics for discussion will be Michael Brantley, and when he could get called up from Class AAA Columbus. Brantley is hitting .310 (72-for-232) with 45 runs, eight doubles, two triples, three homers and 25 RBI in 56 games. He's stolen 10 bases in 14 attempts.
Third baseman Jared Goedert has also put himself in line for a big-league look. He's hitting .326 (28-for-86) with seven doubles, 10 homers and 22 RBI in less than a month at Columbus. He was the Indians' ninth-round pick in 2006.
ImpACTA Kid: Manager Manny Acta's ImpACTA Kids Foundation, along with the Indians, awarded $2,500 college scholarships to three high school seniors from the greater Cleveland area. Ryan Kelly, St. Ignatius, Doneisha Kinney, James Ford Rhodes and Sean Stark, John Marshall, received the scholarships.
The mission of Acta's foundation is to provide opportunities for students to achieve their dreams, both in the Dominican Republic and United States, by emphasizing the importance of education, health and athletics.
Mystery pitch: Acta seemed intrigued when he read about the mystery pitch closer Kerry Wood is working on.
"I just found that out," said Acta. "I'm happy with that mid-90s fastball, curveball, change up and slider that he has now. I'm waiting for him to unveil it."
Improvement: Relievers Rafael Perez and Joe Smith have shown signs of improvement.
Perez hasn't allowed an earned run in 10 2/3 innings. Smith, since returning from Columbus, has increased his velocity to a consistent 92 mph.
"Raffie has been throwing more quality strikes," said Acta. "Smitty did some tinkering with his delivery in Columbus and went back to what he was doing a few years ago in New York [Mets]. He's throwing a couple of miles an hour harder."
Finally: Dr. Thomas Graham examined shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera's broken left forearm on Wednesday. He'll continue to field ground balls for the next few days until the training staff decides when Cabrera can start swinging the bat. ... Acta on catcher Carlos Santana as a hitter, "He's got some special attributes, guys."