Pronk Needs You!

So, here we are after the trading deadline, and the Indians are not the team they were when they started the season.  How much has the roster turned over?  The following table compares the roster on opening day with the roster now:

Key -
Traded
Now in Columbus due to ineffectiveness
Disabled List
Released
Acquired in trade
Called up from Columbus

Of the active 25-man roster (including two on DL) on Opening Day, 6 players have been traded, 2 have been put on the disabled list (both on the 60-day, and both in the initial five-man starting pitching rotation), 3 are now toiling in Columbus due to ineffectiveness or lack of team need for their services, and two have been released.

Of the current 25-man roster + 3 DL players, 3 players have been acquired in in-season trades, and 9 players have come up from Columbus.  Of the 28 players, 12 (42.8%) have joined the team since the season started.

But wait, there’s more.  Here is a list of players who have passed through the players entrance at Carnegie and Ontario and who have subsequently cleaned out their lockers for relocation:

• Vinnie Chulk (RP) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus due to ineffectiveness
• Rich Rundles (RP) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus due to ineffectiveness
• Matt LaPorta (OF/1B) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus for no reason I can figure
• Tony Graffanino (IF) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus because Jamey Carroll is better
• Matt Herges (RP) – started in Columbus, now not with the team due to ineffectiveness
• Luis Vizcaino (RP) – FA acquisition, now not with the team due to ineffectiveness
• Greg Aquino (RP) – started in Columbus, now back in Columbus due to ineffectiveness
• Mike Gosling (RP) – FA acquisition, now DFAd due to ineffectiveness, currently in limbo
• Jose Veras (RP) – trade acquisition, now DFAd due to ineffectiveness, currently in limbo
• Winston Abreu (RP) trade acquisition, now DFAd due to ineffectiveness, currently in limbo

After looking at this list, I don’t think it requires a jump to conclusions mat to guess that the problem with this team this year has been pitching, both starting and relief pitching.

Let’s start with what’s gone wrong for the starting staff.  Two of the members of the original starting rotation are on the 60-day DL, with Reyes having undergone Tommy John surger.  Jake Westbrook’s return has hit snags.  Three current starters were on the Columbus roster to start the season (Laffey, Sowers, and Huff).  Not surprisingly, Sowers and Huff have both been ineffective.  Sowers generally gets pummeled the third time through the lineup and has not yet figured out how to make adjustments – he may be better suited as a long guy out of the bullpen.  Huff, not surprisingly for a rookie, is inconsistent.   It is likely that Justin Masterson will be in the rotation as soon as he’s stretched out sufficiently.  Carmona was increasingly ineffective as a starter and was sent to Arizona for a complete rebuild and an extended tour of the minor leagues for a few weeks.

And then there’s the Bullpen From Hell.  For the first couple months, pretty much everyone that Wedge brought in was getting lit up like a Molotov cocktail.  Kerry Wood, who was brought in to settle this bunch down and be a shut-down closer, has been anything but.  Due to the ineffectiveness of the starters and middle relievers, Wood’s opportunities to pitch were few and far between, and when he came in, Wood blew several games in demoralizing fashion, most likely due to underuse.   The usually reliable Rafael Perez has been horrible.  Jensen Lewis looks like he’s lost speed on his fastball – again.  Masa Kobayashi – gascan.  Betancourt – bouts of ineffectiveness followed by stint on the DL, followed by effectiveness.  Zachson – the less said the better.  Joe Smith, ROOGY – ineffectiveness followed by DL stint, followed by return to bullpen.  He’s been rather meh.  So, with all the injuries and ineffectiveness, the Indians kept throwing journeyman relief pitchers on the wall like so much spaghetti to see if any would stick.  Vincredible Chulk – seeya.  Greg Aquino – thanks but no thanks.  Matt Herges – not what you once were.  Veras, Abreu, Gosling, Vizcaino – roster filler.

So, by the end of June, the fire sale began in earnest.  On June 28, Mark DeRosa was sent as a rent-a-bat to St. Louis for two major league ready power arms (Chris Perez and, later as a PTBNL, Jess Todd).  Next to go – Rafael Betancourt on July 23 to Colorado for A-league pitcher Connor Graham.   July 27 saw Ryan Garko going back to California to the Giants for A league power arm Scott Barnes.  July 29 – Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco shipped out to Philadelphia for 4 of their top 10 prospects, including A league power arm (sensing a trend?) Jason Knapp, AAA pitcher Carlos Carrasco, SS Jason Donald and C Lou Marson.  July 31 – so long Victor Martinez, you’re going to the FEDBU-Lite for three pitchers – Justin Masterson (now on the active roster) and A league power arms Nick Hagadone and Brian Price.

So what do I think of the trades?  It seems to me that Shapiro is learning from his failure to find arms for the bullpen by accumulating as many of them as possible and hoping that some of them pan out.   This team was not likely to be competitive next year as constructed even with Lee and Martinez, and it is better to cash out now, save the money, and see if the kids can play.  Attendance, given the suckitude of the team and the state of the economy, would not likely meet the payroll with Lee and Martinez on the team – without all the salaries the Indians have dumped, there’s a possibility Shapiro might be able to find a way to add something to the team in the offseason.

For all you Dolan is cheap people, I want you to remember that this is the same Larry Dolan who signed Pronk to a large contract, who added DeRosa and Wood to the team in the impression that they would help make the team contenders.  The Indians have underperformed their $80 million payroll primarily because of the unforeseen collapse of the bullpen.  The Indians started the year with some question marks in the starting rotation but lots of depth in Columbus (Huff, Sowers, Laffey) that was presumed to be major league ready.    It was difficult to foresee that the pitching would collapse to such an extreme and drag the rest of the team down with it.

That’s all I’ve got.  Welcome to Day Care, Cleveland Indians style (from here on out, it’s all about watching the kids).  Oh, and welcome back Andy Marte, after tearing up the IL.  I just hope Wedge actually plays you enough this time.  I’m not holding my breath, but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised.