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http://mlb.sbnation.com/2012/1/20/2721758/kevin-slowey-trade-rockies-indians-zach-putnam

Jan 20, 2012 - On Thursday, the Cleveland Indians learned that starter Fausto Carmona was really named Roberto Hernandez Heredia and might be three years older than originally thought.

Could that be related to this trade reported by Jon Morosi?

If the Tribe is seeking pitching depth for the possible absence of Carmona/Heredia, then acquiring an additional starter is the way to go. Slowey was hurt much of last year and posted a 0-8 record in 14 appearances (eight starts) for the Twins with a 6.67 ERA. That got him traded to the Rockies on Dec. 8 for minor league pitcher Daniel Turpen.

Putnam is a 23-year-old righthander who made eight relief appearances for the Indians in 2011, posting a 6.14 ERA. So that makes this about even, ERA-wise, at least.

Depth is about all this provides; Slowey's overall numbers have never been great and as Jeff Sullivan wrote on Thursday, he has the highest K/BB ratio (minimum 500 innings) in MLB history at 4.70.

Still, he's more likely to have success in Cleveland than in Colorado. And it's one less starter in camp for the Rockies, which puts Jamie Moyer one step closer to making the Colorado rotation.

Prince to Detroit, maybe.

Hey Larry Dolan, kiss your "building" toward a championship, goodbye, cheapskate.

They can have that contract.....it will cripple them. There's a reason why only 2-3 teams were willing to spend that kind of cash.

And Fielder is only replacing VMart.

I'm not too worried. The pressure on Prince will be crazy high.

Miguel Cabrera with Prince batting behind him?

Yikes.

well, we have to hope Prince has his customary "even" year dip. never an OPS+ above 135 in an even year. never an OPS+ below 157 in an odd year (full season). strange but true.

and that OPS+ around 130 or so puts him at about equal to V-Mart (132 last year).

where does detroit get all of this money? they're in a small market like cleveland. I am aware they draw really well, but this is shocking they could afford this guy, and the indians can't even get anybody remotely close to fielder's talent. If dolan can't get fans at the park, it's time to sell. I've supported this guy plenty, but if you're own fan base is alienated, right or wrong, it's time for you to go.

Detroit has great attendance and signed a huge TV contract in 2008.

Well then shame on Larry Dolan for not being the business man Detroit has running their organization.

only $40mil/year on their TV contract though. compared to Anaheim, Texas, Boston, and NY (both Yanks and Mets) it's piddly but more than what we get.
http://www.forbes.com/2009/04/22/cable-television-baseball-values-09-business-sports-cable.html

right on about attendance. attendance per game the past five years (2011 on left)

DET 32K, 30, 31, 39, 37
CLE 22K, 17, 22, 27, 28

better breakdown of Tigers vs. Indians financial situations:

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/33/baseball-valuations-11_Detroit-Tigers_332729.html

http://www.forbes.com/lists/2011/33/baseball-valuations-11_Cleveland-Indians_333426.html


The big number is the revenue per fan. $47 for Cleveland, $31 for Detroit. They have a metro area 2X ours, so they still have the bigger payroll. Forbes has them operating at a loss as well, not sure how accurate that is (Boston, NYM also have that claim, but they funnel money through some other companies to offset).

j/c

I really, really, hope that Dan Gilbert ends up owning the Indians someday.

yup, NESN gave them a fat deal. They might as well call them the New England Red Sox.

I think guys would be in for a rude awakening with Gilbert or Cuban ... both of them have the rules on their side in the NBA, where other teams can't get to crazy over the salary cap. They both also have the benefit of sold out arenas, so an extra $10 million a year on luxary tax isn't going to even dent their wallet.

Miggy is officially moving to 3B

http://espn.go.com/mlb/hotstove11/story/...erful-3-4-punch

If I am a hitting coach in the AL, I am training my guys to hit hard grounders against the Tigers. Miggy at 3B, Peralta at SS, and Fielder at 1B? Santiago is going to look like a midget at 2B.

I wonder how many more heaters Leland can go through with Miggy playing 3rd.

Like i said, i don't think he will play much at 3rd....especially after late April and Leyland tries to appease the guy.


With Vmart out, he has a perfect fall back option.


By the end of the season both Cabrrera and Fielder will play 150 games with a load as a DH....assuming nobody gets hurt.


Inge is a pretty good defensive player and not a bad hitter. Leyland is going to decide Inge needs to be in there 130-140 games a year.

The Tigers' groundskeeper will probably grow the infield to knee-high.

Indians put Carmona on restricted list
January 26, 2012 2:35 pm

The Indians announced Thursday that they have put "Fausto Carmona" on the restricted list.

And yes, that's what they called him.

Carmona, as we found out last week, is actually Roberto Hernandez Heredia. He was arrested by Dominican Republic police and charged with using a fake identity.

Because of that, the Indians don't yet know when Carmona (or Hernandez) is going to be able to come to the United States. By putting him on the restricted list, they won't have him count against their roster limit and won't have to pay him.

It's the same move that the Marlins made with Leo Nunez/Juan Carlos Oviedo, who was charged last September with using a fake identity. Oviedo is still on the restricted list, with no certainty yet on when he'll be able to leave the Dominican Republic.

Carmona is signed for $7 million for 2012. He can be taken off the restricted list at any time, and the Indians plan to do that one he is able to get into the country.

So from what it sounds like, it's not really about if the Indians want him back, it comes down to when he'll be allowed to leave the DR. And that might not be soon. Ouch.

Indians are in the low $60 million range this season, I believe.

everything I have read have put the Indians right at $70mil with all the arb-eligible players added. that includes Carmona-Hernandez though.

http://www.indiansprospectinsider.com/2011/10/2012-cleveland-indians-payroll-chart.html

it's at $59mil right now there but doesn't include Asdrubel (projected $6-8mil) and Raffy Perez (projected $2-4mil) in their arbitration hearings.

I thought I heard it was something like $62-64, but I'd be inclined to trust your numbers over my less-than-stellar recollections.

that number is about right if you subtract Carmona-Hernandez ($7mil). not sure when or if he comes back over which means there's no way of knowing right now if or how much of his contract to count.

Baseball's worst contracts
By Matt Snyder

This past weekend I posted a blog about Joe Mauer feeling healthy so far this offseason and in the comments section a small discussion about bad contracts broke out. So, I figured, why not sort through all the contracts in baseball and come up with some of the worst? We're still more than two weeks from pitchers and catchers reporting, but it would be shocking to see a free agent sign for a contract that would rank among the worst in baseball -- considering the players left unsigned. So the timing works well. Let's check it out and discuss, shall we? If there's one thing baseball fans love, it's arguing.

We'll go at this in three different parts. First (now) is infielders and catchers, Thursday we'll look at the outfielders and designated hitters while Friday is pitchers.

One last note before we proceed. The way baseball's salary structure is set up, the overwhelming majority of the players can't make big bucks -- relatively speaking, of course -- until they've been in the league for about three years. Then there is arbitration, so they aren't free agents for another few years. So, most of the time, the overpaid players were underpaid -- again, relatively speaking -- when they were young studs. So you could argue it evens out. And I would in many cases. I also don't begrudge any of them for making gobs of money to play a game. They have a special talent that people pay to watch. They deserve a huge cut. So let's just try to stay on topic here, OK? Great. Let's dive in.

Catcher

Worst: Joe Mauer, Twins
Remaining contract: 7 years, $161 million

Mauer is obviously coming off a disastrous season and should improve greatly in the next few years. That being said, his health issues throughout 2011 were a bit of a wakeup call on how bad that contract will likely prove to be. He has to remain behind the plate to be worth anywhere close to $23 million per season, and what are the chances that he stays productive and healthy as a full-time catcher for the next seven years? If he moves to first base, he's a well-below average power hitter at the position and that harms the offense as a whole. While Mauer is certainly a stand-up guy and a hometown hero, it's hard to see this contract coming close to paying off for Minnesota in the end.

Honorable Mention
Victor Martinez, Tigers: This one is mitigated by the fact that the Tigers have insurance (that will reportedly pay almost half), but he's still owed $38 million over the next three seasons. In fairness to the Tigers, though, this wasn't really a bad deal when signed. They didn't know he'd get badly hurt and they'd then sign Prince Fielder to a gargantuan contract. It's just that there aren't really any other bad catcher contracts. I'm even cheating by putting Martinez here because he's predominantly a DH. I just had to list someone here.

First Base

Worst: Ryan Howard, Phillies
Remaining contract: 5 years, $125 million

The achillies injury wasn't taken significantly into account because there's no way the Phillies knew that was coming. Still, this deal was signed in April of 2010 but is just now kicking in for the start of the 2012 season. We're talking about a guy who hit .253 and only had a .488 slugging percentage last season. Jose Reyes and Shane Victorino had higher marks in slugging, which is a power stat. The 33 home runs and 116 RBI look good, but Howard is set to make $25 million per season for the next five years. He also hit just .105 with a .263 slugging percentage in the 2011 NLDS, where the Phillies lost in five games to the Cardinals due predominantly to a lack of offense. When Howard is 36 and making $25 million, it'll be an albatross of a contract.

Honorable Mention
Albert Pujols, Angels: It's actually a huge bargain for the next two seasons, when Pujols will make a combined $28 million, but by the time you get to age 42 and $30 million per year, it's pretty rough. The Angels are counting on having already made their money by then. And they very well might do so, which is why he's only in "Honorable Mention." We'll see.

Prince Fielder, Tigers: Similar to Pujols, the nine-year, $214 million deal doesn't look bad until several years down the road. We'll see, part two.

Mark Teixeira, Yankees: Teixiera is similar to Howard in several ways. He is actually coming off back-to-back seasons of sub-.500 slugging percentages (Howard was only below in '11) while getting most of his value from home runs and RBI, the latter of which is a team stat. The difference is Teixeira is a great defender and is owed slightly less ($115 million and change in five years). And he is completely healthy, which bodes better in his chances to right the ship these next few years.

Second Base

Worst: Dan Uggla
Remaining contract: 4 years, $52.8 million

Uggla salvaged what could have been an awful 2011 season by getting insanely hot in the second half. He ended with a career-high 36 homers, but that's about all that looks good, on the whole. He hit .233/.311/.453 with 156 strikeouts, poor defense and a career-low 22 doubles. He'll be 35 in the final year of his contract.

Honorable Mention
Chase Utley, Phillies: Past performance means he's probably earned this, but $30.575 million for the next two seasons seems awfully high for a 33-year-old coming off a .259/.344/.425 season.

Brian Roberts, Orioles: Let's just hope he finds a way to recover from all the post-concussion symptoms for the sake of his quality of life. The Orioles have far bigger problems than the $20 million Roberts will make the next two seasons.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Twins: OK, so $6 million for two seasons isn't much money to any team in the majors, but Nishioka was probably the worst position player in baseball last year and it's hard to see any improvement.

Shortstop

Worst: Jose Reyes, Marlins
Remaining contract: 6 years, $106 million

I don't think this was an awful signing at all, from a certain point of view. The Marlins wanted to make a splash and Reyes is the type of player that can single-handedly energize an entire lineup ... when he's in it. Yep, there's that qualifier and that's why he's here. Leg injuries -- on a player who relies on speed -- have limited Reyes to 295 games the past three seasons. Can he stay healthy for the next six? That's a tall order. Again, though, I don't think this one is egregious, and it's possible he ends up well worth the money. It's just that there aren't many bad contracts at shortstop and this represents a huge risk.

Honorable Mention
Derek Jeter, Yankees: What he means to the franchise -- in addition to how much money the Yankees can afford to spend -- says this deal isn't hurting anyone at all. But if you look at what he's likely to provide in the next two seasons, there's no way it's worth the $33 million Jeter is owed. Again, though, Jeter has earned the "pension," if you will, by this point in his legendary career.

Third Base

Worst: Alex Rodriguez, Yankees
Remaining contract: 6 years, $149 million

If A-Rod hit the free agent market right now, what would he get ... half that contract? He's 36, he hasn't played in more than 138 games since 2007 and is coming off a season where he hit .276/.362/.461. I have no doubt if he stays healthy he has another two or even three great seasons left in him, but he's set to make at least $20 million during the season in which he turns 42.

Also, there are marketing bonuses in the contract for several home-run milestones from A-Rod's 660th to 763rd home runs (he currently has 629). It's probably not worth getting into in this space, because if A-Rod actually breaks the home run record, the Yankees will be rolling in the promotional dough from the event(s) and aftermath.

Honorable Mention
Brandon Inge, Tigers: When the Tigers signed Fielder and announced Miguel Cabrera was moving to third base, it made Inge a $5.5-million backup for the 2012 season.

On the other hand ...

Evan Longoria, Rays: Even if the Rays pick up all their club options on Longoria -- which they surely will, barring major injury -- the All-Star third baseman is only owed $40.5 million over the next five seasons. He's only 26 years old and already has two Gold Gloves, 113 career homers, an .874 career OPS and three postseason appearances in just four seasons. He's received MVP votes in all four of his seasons at the majors. He'll make $4.5 million in 2012 while A-Rod will make $29 million. Now that is a club-friendly contract, one that is surely the envy of general managers -- and certainly owners -- across the league.

Part 2 of Worst Baseball Contracts
By Matt Snyder

As we continue our look at the most cumbersome contracts in baseball, today we'll look at outfielders and designated hitters. We covered the infield and catchers Wednesday and will look at pitchers Friday. As a reminder, we're looking at what is left on the contract, not what the player has been paid through the duration of the deal.

Left Field

Worst: Vernon Wells, Angels
Remaining contract: 3 years, $74 million

Man, this was a tough call because it's a crowded field (see below), but we'll go with Wells because the average annual value remaining on the contract is insane. He hit .218/.248/.412 last season and had a negative WAR, meaning a replacement-level player was better than a guy making over $25 million for the season. At age 33, he could certainly bounce back, but it's hard to see him all of a sudden becoming worth as much money as he's making.

Honorable Mention

Carl Crawford, Red Sox: There are six years and $128 million left on the deal, and I feel like many will argue that Crawford's remaining contract is worse than Wells'. I'm willing to give the 30-year-old Crawford a mulligan for his catastrophic first season in Boston. Next year at this time we'll know a lot more.

Alfonso Soriano, Cubs: Amazingly, he still has three years and $57 million left. Wow.

Jason Bay, Mets: In two seasons for the Mets, Bay has hit .251/.337/.386 (what an ugly slugging percentage for a supposed power hitter) with just 18 homers in 218 games. He still has two years and $36.25 million left, too, in addition to a $3 million buyout should the Mets not pick up his option year.

Center Field

Worst: Alex Rios, White Sox
Remaining Contract: 3 years, $38.5 million

While his teammate got much of the blame last year in terms of the White Sox's shortfall -- and you'll see him below -- Rios was pretty awful himself. He hit .227/.265/.348, which was good for a 65 OPS-plus (if you don't know what that is, trust me, it's embarrassingly bad). He actually posted a negative 1.5 WAR, meaning -- according to the stat -- that he single-handedly cost the White Sox a win and a half just by being in the lineup when he was. And now, thanks to that contract, he's untradeable.

Honorable Mention

Actually, I've got nothing here. Once one-time center fielders' contracts get too big they are usually shoved to the corners. The big-money guys here (Matt Kemp, Curtis Granderson, etc.) are fairly compensated.

Right Field

Worst: Jayson Werth, Nationals
Remaining contract: 6 years, $116 million

Very easy choice. I fully expect a bounce-back season from Werth this year, as several things didn't go his way last season. That being said, the Nationals are paying Werth like he's a superstar all the way until the season in which he turns 38. He wasn't even a superstar his last year in Philadelphia, when he was 31.

Honorable Mention

Nick Markakis, Orioles: There's a reason you only hear about other teams asking for Adam Jones in a trade and not Markakis. The latter is due $43.05 million over the next three seasons while he hit .284 with 15 homers and 73 RBI last season. You need more offense than that from a corner outfielder in order to pay him almost $15 million a year.

Designated Hitter

Worst: Adam Dunn, White Sox.
Remaining contract: 3 years, $44 million

Another easy one. Like Werth, I also expect Dunn to bounce back, but there's no way he can be good enough to earn his full contract over the next three years, especially considering how bad he was last season. He was historically awful with the bat -- there's really no need to rehash the gruesome details at this point -- and that's all he does. And if he does field, his value actually decreases because he's such a butcher with the glove.

Honorable Mention

Travis Hafner, Indians: Nitpicky here, but Pronk will make $13 million this season. He's only averaged 91 games per year the past four seasons. No one else really warrants mention, because Big Papi, for example, is still worth the big bucks.

On the Other Hand ...

Justin Upton, Diamondbacks: Thanks to an early Longoria-type extension, Upton is set to make $46.109 million over the next four seasons. He made just under $4.5 million last season, when he finished fourth in a crowded NL MVP field. Since Upton is only 24, the D-Backs will have to pony up again -- and probably in huge fashion -- to lock him up through his prime, but for now this is a very team-friendly contract.

Special Cases

Bobby Bonilla, Mets: This is both hilarious and sad at the same time. When the Mets bought out Bonilla's $5.9 million contract in 2000, they agreed to repay him with interest starting 11 years later. Beginning July 1, 2011, the Mets are paying Bonilla an annual salary of roughly $1.2 million until 2035. Or around $35 million in all. In 2012, the Mets will pay Bonilla more than the following regulars/rotation members: Daniel Murphy, Ike Davis, Lucas Duda, Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada, Jonathon Niese and Dillon Gee.

Manny Ramirez, Dodgers: We'll ignore that the Red Sox are paying Manny B. Manny $2 million per year until he's 54 because he helped bring them two World Series titles. But the Dodgers are paying Ramirez $8.33 million in 2012 and 2013. Assuming Clayton Kershaw gets more in arbitration, that means Manny will be the Dodgers' sixth highest-paid player this season. Of course, Frank McCourt is still going to make a billion dollar profit, so ...

I saw those two articles and thought it might spark some good discussions on here. A lot of those contracts seemed good or even great at the time only to be proved wrong, very wrong in some cases.

I think these are the examples when the small markets are trading away assets or letting free agents walk. And really, I don't blame them (or us). A team like NY or Philly can eat a bad decision without much thought. A team like the Indians can't do that (using the Werth deal - had they signed that, they would be ruined).

Heck, even the Mauer signing is on here. And there are a ton of people that used the "see, even the Twins can keep their mega stars"....well, it's not going so well for them now and it will probably only get worse too.

Part three of this series will be due out tomorrow. I'll try to remember to paste it.

so, if this was done in 2011 at this time, the Yankees would have had C(Posada - now retired), 1B (Tex), SS (Jeter), and 3B (A-Rod) either as worst or honorable mention?

I think he's going about it wrong. I think he should have analyzed the salaries as a percentage of team total payroll (and what they are or are NOT contributing on the field) to figure things out. Obviously, the Yankees don't care much that they give out those contracts, but it cripples the Twins budget to just appear on his list once.

also, Manny and Bonilla's agents were smart to get those types of deals.

with all the stories about how athletes go through all their money so quickly, why not get a little bit more from teams (or alot in Bonilla's case) and have that money continue to come to you a little at a time over the next 20 years.

basically, forced financial prudence and protection if your investments go bad.

No doubt. The Manny and Bonilla contracts are freaking awesome! Talk about stupid decisions by their owners.

I wanted to post this because it's so easy to spend someone else's money when it's the team you're following and a player you want to keep. There was no way we could have signed CC and Lee with Hafner's deal. That's not to say the Indians FO is without blame, they are a little too thifty, but I understand their uneasiness in this area.

J/K

Heads up Casey Kotchman might be on his way to 1st base.

Arguably, one of the top five 1B FA's available ...

I like it. Hopefully he can do as well as he did last year when he hit .306. He's never been a power guy, but he is a plus glove at 1st, with a plus batting average last year.

I also think that Cabrera stands a good chance of winning his arbitration if they do get that far.

Cleveland Indians sign 1B Casey Kotchman; avoid arbitration with Rafael Perez | cleveland.com
http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2012/02/cleveland_indians_reportedly_s.html#incart_hbx

As spring training gets closer, the Indians' roster seems to change daily.

General Manager Chris Antonetti, in his second year on the job, continued to remake the Tribe on Thursday. He signed free-agent first baseman Casey Kotchman to a one-year, $3 million deal plus incentives. The signing isn't expected to become official until today.

Earlier Thursday, the Indians reached agreement on a one-year deal with left-hander Rafael Perez to avoid arbitration. Perez will receive $2.005 million plus $25,000 in incentives if he appears in 55 games this season. Perez's signing leaves All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera as the only unsigned Indian eligible for arbitration.

Cabrera has an arbitration hearing scheduled this month in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Kotchman's arrival tilts manager Manny Acta's lineup even more to the left side of the plate. If Acta chooses, he could have an all left-handed lineup against certain right-hander starters with CF Grady Sizemore (L), SS Cabrera (S), RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), C Carlos Santana (S), DH Travis Hafner (L), 1B Kotchman (L), 2B Jason Kipnis (L), LF Michael Brantley (L) and 3B Lonnie Chisenhall (L).

The signing means Matt LaPorta, starting first baseman last year, is probably out of a job. He has an option left, so he could be sent to Class AAA Columbus to clear a spot for Kotchman on the 40-man roster. He could also be traded or make the club as a bench player.

Antonetti has been busy since the end of the World Series. He has added six players to the 40-man roster from outside the organization. He signed free agents Sizemore and Kotchman for a combined $8 million, and traded for right-handers Derek Lowe and Kevin Slowey, infielder Russ Canzler and outfielder Aaron Cunningham.

He has invited 20 players, including 11 from outside the organization, to spring training on minor-league deals.

Kotchman, a fine defensive first baseman, is coming off his best season in the big leagues. He hit .306 (153-for-500) with 24 doubles, two triples, 10 homers and 48 RBI with Tampa Bay. Against righties he hit .313 (110-for-351) with eight homers and 35 RBI, and held his own against lefties at .290 (43-for-148) with two homers and 13 RBI.

In camp, Kotchman will compete with LaPorta, Canzler and Santana at first.

The Indians tried all winter to get a first baseman. They missed on Carlos Pena and Derrek Lee.

Kotchman's 2011 season put him in line for a big raise. He signed a minor-league deal with the Rays last year -- the Indians were talking to him as well -- for $750,000. He made $3.5 million in 2010 with Seattle, but his stock fell when he hit just .217 (90-for-414) in 125 games.

Last year, Kotchman credited his improvement to off-season eye surgery.

Seven Indians were eligible for arbitration in January. Six have signed.

Perez, entering his fifth big-league season with the Indians, filed for $2.4 million after making $1.33 million last year. The Indians offered $1.6 million. He signed for just above the midpoint.

Cabrera is seeking $5.2 million and the Indians have offered $3.75 million. He made $2.025 million last year.

Perez, 29, went 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA in 71 appearances last year. He struck out 33, walked 19 and allowed 59 hits in 63 innings. The opposition hit .253 against him with an on-base percentage of .307.

Lefties hit .237 (28-for-118) with one homer off Perez. Righties hit .270 (31-for-115) with one homer against him. He allowed just seven of 44 inherited runners to score.

Perez has made 70 or more appearances in three of his past four seasons. He tied teammate Joe Smith last season for second in the American League with 71 appearances.