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Indian's Notes -
Jake Westbrook
by CSF
Staff
12-17-2006
"I'm willing to look at almost anyone on a single-year contract,
assuming the dollars aren't huge."
Pluto
Do the Indians have us all
trained or what? It was bad enough when the extent of the
emphasis on money in baseball made you wonder about when the big
name players would hit free agency and if the Indians could hang
onto them. It was already known they wouldn't be acquiring any
of their own.
Now, it has gone to the extreme
of not having expectations that the club will assume any
risk. 'Single year contracts, assuming the dollars aren't huge'
are one step up from a minor league invite. I think it is safe
to say that if this is the extent of your acquisition ability $
wise, then you might as well just promote young players from
within.
Which brings me to Jake
Westbrook. There are rumors floating he could be traded, mostly
involving other teams' interest. This scenario is an easy one to
assume of another example of the Indians not being able to
afford quality once a player matures in the bigger money market
in baseball. And on its face that is true. But this would be one
scenario where I could understand losing this player if the
following two conditions are met:
It leads to the longer term
signing of their best pitcher and hitter: CC Sabathia and Travis
Hafner.
Westbrook is traded now, at his
highest value for the best deal, whether that be legitimately
good bullpen help, the same quality of bat, or a haul of near
ready minor league players. The latter could be used soon for
the big league club or used in a trade for more help there.
Otherwise, this sad story of an
owner that paid over $300 million for a MLB team but can only
afford injury rehab projects and other questionable one year
characters is not going to fly.
People are not going to continue
to pay good money to go see more of the Michaels/Delucci and
Casey Blake types, all the while, holding their breath when the
AARP convention comes trotting out of the bullpen. Less
attendance means less revenue. Less interest means lower ratings
and advertising revenue from Sports Time Ohio. And on and on it
goes in a destructive cycle.
I can certainly understand having
some financial issues in this market in comparison to say a
Boston or New York. There has to be tradeoffs sometimes, where a
team like the Indians might not throw big long term money
towards a middle of the rotation starter but pool it together
for their elite talents instead.
But given the money that is being
thrown around, there is no
excuse to not do at least one the options. They can either pay
for mediocrity and keep a team together for a long time or put
it into their big time players and fill in with youth. And
actually, if the Indians would just fill in at a key position or
two with youth, they might still be able to afford a Westbrook
here and there. It is not as if they are investing a lot in
their bullpen.
Here is an example:
Paul Byrd is making $7 million in
2007.
Jake Westbrook had his option
picked up and is making almost $6 million for 2007.
Fausto Carmona & Jason Davis are
making 330K in 2007.
How about dumping Byrd's
contract? Someone will take him I am sure given what's happened
with exploding salaries for bad pitching this off season. KC
gave Gil Meche $55 million! Byrd looks like a huge bargain in
this respect.
Plug Carmona or Davis (who is
probably going to be lost anyway because he's out of options) in
the 5th spot.
Add the difference between Byrd &
Carmona/Davis ($6+ million/year) to Westbrook's current
salary($6 million) and see if you can't extend him for another
three years at around $12 million.
I would even go another 1-2
million to avoid going longer than three years.
This way you keep a stable mid
rotation starter intact and really, what are you going to lose
by having Davis or Carmona in the 5th spot replacing Paul Byrd?
If your young pitching can't take that spot and keep the ERA at
five or under you got some serious problems with the farm system
anyway.
It use to be that teams (at least
the good ones) would develop their own good pitching with the
goal of having a nice 1-3 anchor at the top and work their young
guys in at the 4th & 5th spots. The Orioles did it in the 70's,
Braves in the 90's, and more recently the A's have done it. It
would be nice to see the Indians join the decade long successes
of those other teams.
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