Pronk Needs You!

The Indians ended the year by adding Cubs uber-utility guy Mark DeRosa to the roster for the low, low price of minor league pitchers Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub.  

DeRosa immediately becomes the starting third baseman, most likely meaning that Pronk Needs You!’s pet project, Andy Marte, will not likely break camp with the team.  At any rate, it will likely come down to Marte vs. Barfield for the last roster spot, and my money is on Barfield for two reasons – Barfield can pinch-run and the Tribe will likely want Valbuena to play every day at Columbus.

DeRosa last year put up the best numbers of his career, .285/.376/.481 with 21 home runs.  The power may be Wrigley-aided, but that OBP is going to look really good in the two slot in behind Grady and ahead of Victor.  DeRosa’s ability to also play the outfield gives the Indians some flexibility.

DeRosa is signed for one year at $5.5. million, which gives the Indians some flexibility at the end of the season, given that Wes Hodges may be ready by then (or not).  At any rate, if DeRosa walks at the end of the year, he will likely be a Class A free agent, netting high draft picks for the Tribe.

As for the players sent away by the Indians, only Stevens was near-ready.  He would likely have been one of the live arms stashed in Columbus and one of the first in line to get the call to Cleveland to replace someone in the bullpen who was injured or ineffective.   Neither Gaub nor Archer has yet pitched above low Class A Lake County yet, so any impact that either of those pitchers might have had in Cleveland was several years away.  Stevens immediately becomes a contender for a slot in the Cubs’ bullpen.

But wait, there’s more!  Now, how much would you pay for oft-injured FEDBU whipping boy Carl Pavano?  If you’re Mark Shapiro, the answer is somewhere between $1.5 million and $6.8 million.  Pavano was probably the most attractive of the pitcher reclamation projects available given his past success and age (33).  Pavano came back from Tommy John surgery last year to pitch respectably for the FEDBU down the stretch, and will likely benefit from a change of scenery.  Pavano suffered from a series of injuries during his four years with the FEDBU, including a buttocks injury and an automobile accident, neither of which endeared him to FEDBU fans. 

The good news is that he doesn’t really need the money, since the FEDBU paid him $40 million over the last 4 years.  He just needs someone to give him a shot to get his career back on track.  This truly is that Kevin Millwood Type Signing (KMTS) that Indians’ fans have been clamoring for.  If Pavano stays healthy and pitches like a #3 starter, than he’ll get paid.  If not, the Indians are only out $1.5 million.  The fact that the FEDBU fans all hate him is just a sweet, sweet bonus, especially if he performs well.

Here’s a list for you:

• Pedro Martinez (2)
• Curt Schilling
• Randy Johnson (2)
• Derek Lowe
• Barry Zito
• Roy Halladay (2)
• Tom Glavine
• Esteban Loiaza
• Mark Prior
• Johan Santana (2)
• Carl Pavano
• Roger Clemens
• Dontrelle Willis
• Chris Carpenter
• Jake Peavy
• Cliff Lee
• Daisuke Matsuzaka
• Tim Lincecum

No, they are not the pitchers who have dated Alyssa Milano.  Rather, they are the pitchers who, since 2000, have put up a season with 18 or more wins and an ERA of 3.00 or below.  Pavano posted an 18-win, 3.00 ERA season with the Marlins in 2004, setting up his big payday with the FEDBU.

Word is that he’s lost a couple MPH off his fastball, which is not surprising given his age and his recent TJ surgery.  We’ll see if he can either gain back his pitch speed or compensate with his other pitches.  His first comp according to B-ref? Jake Westbrook.

To make room, the Indians DFA’d Michael Aubrey.   Aubrey is another one of those guys who had great potential but was never really healthy enough to put it all together.  The Indians have a glut of 1b/DH types (Garko, Hafner, LaPorta, Jordan Brown) even before you consider the likelihood that Victor will see time at 1b.