Deals leave Cleveland Indians, New York Yankees reaching for antacid: Major League Baseball Insider
Time has proved that the Indians were burned to a crisp in the Cliff Lee trade. The Yankees, to date, have merely had their fingers singed in the acquisition of Michael Pineda from Seattle. Burned is burned, but the pain comes in degrees.
During the winter, Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman sent Jesus Montero, a promising young hitter and so-so catcher, to Seattle for Pineda, a monster starting pitcher. On the same day, Cashman signed free-agent right-hander Hiroki Kuroda. It looked as if New York's fragile starting rotation had been given a shot of spinach.
Last week, it was announced that Pineda, who hasn't thrown a pitch for the Yankees in the regular season, will miss the year with a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
For perspective, there are Indians fans still complaining about the return their team received when Lee was traded to the Phillies in 2009 for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Lou Marson and Jason Knapp a year after he won the American League Cy Young Award. Carrasco will miss most, if not all, of this year following Tommy John surgery. Donald and Marson are reserve big leaguers, while Knapp's career could be over.
Knapp, the key to the deal from the Indians' perspective, has already had two operations on his right shoulder since the trade. He didn't pitch last year and he may not pitch again. The Indians expected him to come to spring training in February ready to go, but he's been doing his rehab work in New York under Dr. David Altchek, who performed last year's surgery.
The 6-5, 242-pound Knapp won't be 22 until Aug. 31, but he has yet to advance past Class A ball. The chances of him reviving his career don't look good.
So while Yankees fans are grumbling that Cashman received damaged goods in Pineda, imagine what they'd be saying if they had to deal with the returns for Lee?
Cashman doesn't think Seattle GM Jack Zduriencik slipped him a mickey.
Pineda went through a physical, including an MRI exam, right after the trade and passed. When his velocity dropped in spring training, he had an MRI exam and no tear in the labrum was found.
The tear was discovered last weekend, when Pineda cut short a rehab start because of pain in his shoulder.
The Indians couldn't say the same about Knapp. They made the deal knowing that Knapp was on the disabled list with biceps tendinitis. Knapp made four starts at Class A Lake County after the trade before he needed his first operation.
No one with the Indians ever publicly said the Phillies stiffed them, but the relationship between the two teams has cooled considerably.
Cashman has been the Yankees' GM for 15 years. He knows what awaits him.
"This is a massive decision gone wrong right now. So all scrutiny is fair," he told
What about Pineda being damaged goods?
"How can you not ask a question like that?" Cashman said. "It's a fair question, but I can tell you, we did everything possible to be sure Michael Pineda was healthy."
The two trades share a common thread. After the Indians traded Lee to the Phillies, Philadelphia shipped him to Seattle after reaching its second straight World Series so it could have enough money to work a deal for Roy Halladay.
When the Mariners faded in 2010, they put Lee on the market. Cashman thought he had a deal in place for Lee, but at the last minute, Zduriencik sent Lee to Texas. Montero was a key part of the package the Yankees were offering, but Zduriencik liked Texas first baseman Justin Smoak more.
After Lee helped the Rangers reach the World Series in 2010, he became a free agent. He turned down a bigger offer from the Yankees to return to the Phillies.
Pineda, 23, went 9-10 last year with a 3.74 ERA in 28 starts for the Mariners. If all goes well, he's expected to pitch for the Yankees sometime next year.
Carrasco could rejoin the Indians sometime late this year. Donald and Marson are decent spare parts. Knapp, however, will probably never make it to the big leagues with the Indians.
All trades are built on risk. When pitchers are the key components, the risk multiplies because anything can happen.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Joe Smith
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The road to the future is rarely smooth. There are ruts and potholes. A detour here, a run in with a psycho-vampire motorcycle gang there.
All right, maybe there are no such things as hog-riding vampires, but every now and then, you're going to have a blowout.
It's all part of the journey, the test to get from Point A to Point B. Ballplayers such as Joe Smith understand this.
In 2007, Smith made his big-league debut with the Mets. He pitched in 54 games. The next year, he made 82 appearances. Along the way, then-Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson changed his delivery. What had always been a fairly simple motion to the plate grew more complicated, but Smith adjusted and continued to pitch well.
The Indians acquired Smith and Luis Valbuena in December 2008 in a three-team deal with the Mets and Mariners. He made 34 appearances in 2009 and opened the 2010 season with the Tribe. The balloon burst when Smith was sent to Columbus on April 30 with a 7.71 ERA.
When he returned in June, it looked like more of the same. After the game against the Reds, he talked with bullpen coach Scott Radinsky, who is now the Indians' pitching coach.
"Rad asked me, 'How did you feel the most comfortable throwing the ball?' " Smith said. "I told him the most comfortable I felt is when I came out of college.' He said, 'OK, let's try it. We'll throw a bullpen tomorrow.' "
Inwardly, Smith groaned because he'd thrown a season-high 37 pitches against the Reds. But he threw a bullpen session the next day and another shorter version a couple of days later.
"I kept saying, 'I can't change in the middle of the season,' " Smith said. "Rad said, 'Let's just see if you can throw strikes.' "
Smith not only threw strikes, but his velocity jumped from 90 mph to between 91 and 94 mph. Thirty-seven of his last 41 appearances were scoreless.
"It allowed him to drop and drive and let the hill [mound] take him to the plate," Radinsky said. "It was a natural thing for him. It's where he felt comfortable. It's a good story."
The story doesn't end there. There was another chapter, disguised as a five-mile stretch of orange barrels, along Smith's highway.
In spring training last year, he strained an oblique muscle and opened the year on the disabled list. In Cleveland, the Bullpen Mafia was just gaining a rep. Lefty Tony Sipp and righty Vinnie Pestano took over as closer Chris Perez's late-inning setup men, a role Smith flirted with in 2010.
When Smith rejoined the team in mid-April, the middle innings were the only ones open to him. Not the best place to be, but it gave the side-arming, right-handed Smith a chance to do something he always believed he could do -- get left-handed hitters out.
"Manny [Acta] was throwing me in there just to get work, to get back up to speed," Smith said. "We could be up a lot, or down a lot. It wasn't like matchup situations. Fortunately, I was able to get left-handers out and gain some confidence as the year went on."
The change was startling. After hitting .342 (13-for-38) against Smith in 2010, lefties hit .152 (12-for-79) against him last year. By the end of the year, Smith and Sipp were sharing the seventh inning to pave the way for Pestano and Perez in the eighth and ninth.
Smith went 3-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 71 appearances. The opposition hit .217 against him. It was a career year that started with a trip to the disabled list.
"Sometimes in this game, you get one chance to show what you can do," Smith said.
This season, Smith has a 1.74 ERA in nine games. Lefties are hitting .214 (3-for-34) and righties .217 (5-for-23) against him. He has allowed one run in his past six games and already has four holds.
Finally: Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall was placed on the seven-day disabled list at Columbus with a strained calf. . . . Matt LaPorta, another Indian waiting at Columbus, was named the International League Hitter of the Week.
All right, maybe there are no such things as hog-riding vampires, but every now and then, you're going to have a blowout.
It's all part of the journey, the test to get from Point A to Point B. Ballplayers such as Joe Smith understand this.
In 2007, Smith made his big-league debut with the Mets. He pitched in 54 games. The next year, he made 82 appearances. Along the way, then-Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson changed his delivery. What had always been a fairly simple motion to the plate grew more complicated, but Smith adjusted and continued to pitch well.
The Indians acquired Smith and Luis Valbuena in December 2008 in a three-team deal with the Mets and Mariners. He made 34 appearances in 2009 and opened the 2010 season with the Tribe. The balloon burst when Smith was sent to Columbus on April 30 with a 7.71 ERA.
When he returned in June, it looked like more of the same. After the game against the Reds, he talked with bullpen coach Scott Radinsky, who is now the Indians' pitching coach.
"Rad asked me, 'How did you feel the most comfortable throwing the ball?' " Smith said. "I told him the most comfortable I felt is when I came out of college.' He said, 'OK, let's try it. We'll throw a bullpen tomorrow.' "
Inwardly, Smith groaned because he'd thrown a season-high 37 pitches against the Reds. But he threw a bullpen session the next day and another shorter version a couple of days later.
"I kept saying, 'I can't change in the middle of the season,' " Smith said. "Rad said, 'Let's just see if you can throw strikes.' "
Smith not only threw strikes, but his velocity jumped from 90 mph to between 91 and 94 mph. Thirty-seven of his last 41 appearances were scoreless.
"It allowed him to drop and drive and let the hill [mound] take him to the plate," Radinsky said. "It was a natural thing for him. It's where he felt comfortable. It's a good story."
The story doesn't end there. There was another chapter, disguised as a five-mile stretch of orange barrels, along Smith's highway.
In spring training last year, he strained an oblique muscle and opened the year on the disabled list. In Cleveland, the Bullpen Mafia was just gaining a rep. Lefty Tony Sipp and righty Vinnie Pestano took over as closer Chris Perez's late-inning setup men, a role Smith flirted with in 2010.
When Smith rejoined the team in mid-April, the middle innings were the only ones open to him. Not the best place to be, but it gave the side-arming, right-handed Smith a chance to do something he always believed he could do -- get left-handed hitters out.
"Manny [Acta] was throwing me in there just to get work, to get back up to speed," Smith said. "We could be up a lot, or down a lot. It wasn't like matchup situations. Fortunately, I was able to get left-handers out and gain some confidence as the year went on."
The change was startling. After hitting .342 (13-for-38) against Smith in 2010, lefties hit .152 (12-for-79) against him last year. By the end of the year, Smith and Sipp were sharing the seventh inning to pave the way for Pestano and Perez in the eighth and ninth.
Smith went 3-3 with a 2.01 ERA in 71 appearances. The opposition hit .217 against him. It was a career year that started with a trip to the disabled list.
"Sometimes in this game, you get one chance to show what you can do," Smith said.
This season, Smith has a 1.74 ERA in nine games. Lefties are hitting .214 (3-for-34) and righties .217 (5-for-23) against him. He has allowed one run in his past six games and already has four holds.
Finally: Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall was placed on the seven-day disabled list at Columbus with a strained calf. . . . Matt LaPorta, another Indian waiting at Columbus, was named the International League Hitter of the Week.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
OAKLAND, Calif. -- Five questions with Bruce Fields, starting his first full year as Indians hitting coach.
1. What is the key to coaching hitters?
A: "There are several keys ... timing, balance, barrel awareness. You have to know where the barrel of your bat is during your swing, but especially during your workout routines. I do a lot of barrel awareness stuff so guys know where their barrel is and their path and angle to the ball. We work on trying to maintain short, compact swings and centering the ball."
2. This is the 40th year that the designated hitter has been used. As a hitting coach, how do you feel about the DH?
A: "People from the National League will tell you that that's a better game because there is more strategy. But I like to see hitting. I like to see guys drive the ball. ... I'm a proponent of the DH."
3. You played 14 years, including 58 games in the big leagues with Detroit and Seattle. What kind of hitter were you?
A: "Typically I was a middle of the field, line drive-type hitter. ... I sprayed the ball around and used the other field. (Fields had a .295 average in 1,381 minor-league games.)
4. How are your sons, Aaron and Daniel, doing in pro ball?
A: "My oldest son, Aaron, is in extended spring training with the Indians waiting for an opportunity. He's a utility infielder who made it to [Class A] Lake County last year. Daniel is playing for Detroit in the Florida State League at [Class A] Lakeland. He was a shortstop coming out of high school. Now he's a center fielder."
5. How difficult was it to replace Jon Nunnally, who was dismissed by the Indians in June, 2011?
A: "That first day was tough. It was a change and, to be honest, people don't like change. But the guys were really professional. The thing that really helped is that the guys knew me because I was in the organization. (Fields was the Indians minor league hitting coordinator from 2007 until his promotion.)
1. What is the key to coaching hitters?
A: "There are several keys ... timing, balance, barrel awareness. You have to know where the barrel of your bat is during your swing, but especially during your workout routines. I do a lot of barrel awareness stuff so guys know where their barrel is and their path and angle to the ball. We work on trying to maintain short, compact swings and centering the ball."
2. This is the 40th year that the designated hitter has been used. As a hitting coach, how do you feel about the DH?
A: "People from the National League will tell you that that's a better game because there is more strategy. But I like to see hitting. I like to see guys drive the ball. ... I'm a proponent of the DH."
3. You played 14 years, including 58 games in the big leagues with Detroit and Seattle. What kind of hitter were you?
A: "Typically I was a middle of the field, line drive-type hitter. ... I sprayed the ball around and used the other field. (Fields had a .295 average in 1,381 minor-league games.)
4. How are your sons, Aaron and Daniel, doing in pro ball?
A: "My oldest son, Aaron, is in extended spring training with the Indians waiting for an opportunity. He's a utility infielder who made it to [Class A] Lake County last year. Daniel is playing for Detroit in the Florida State League at [Class A] Lakeland. He was a shortstop coming out of high school. Now he's a center fielder."
5. How difficult was it to replace Jon Nunnally, who was dismissed by the Indians in June, 2011?
A: "That first day was tough. It was a change and, to be honest, people don't like change. But the guys were really professional. The thing that really helped is that the guys knew me because I was in the organization. (Fields was the Indians minor league hitting coordinator from 2007 until his promotion.)
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