Indians payroll
Quick name the top five on the Indians payroll.
Did you forget Casey Blake or Paul Byrd?
The answer: C.C. Sabathia at $11 million, Jake Westbrook at $10M (with $21M more to come in the next two years), Travis Hafner at $8.05M (with $51.75M more to come over the next four seasons … he better not hit .250 ever again), Byrd at $7.5M and Blake $6.1M.
The total, according to numbers published in USA Today, is $78,970,066. Not bad for a team that could win the World Series.
The biggest bargain is a toss-up between Jensen Lewis ($393,000) and Asdrubal Cabrera ($393,300).
It also was reported that the Indians have committed more than $124M in future deals through 2013. The bulk of that being Hafner's crazy contract.
The rest of the AL Central:
Tigers at $137.7M
White Sox at $121.1M
Royals at $58.2M
Twins at $56.9M
April 2nd, 2008 at 4:44 pm
It's hard to criticize the Indians front office but it is a mystery to me why the team resigned Byrd for $7.5 million.
They didn't overpay, but they could have replaced Byrd with Sowers or Laffey without too much fall off, then put that money in the C.C. kitty.
And why are Delucci and Michaels still around? That's probably another $6 million in players who could be replaced with more promising youngsters.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:29 am
Agreed, Larry….Byrd won 15 games with smoke-and-mirrors, and the Tribe is stunting the development of their young arms. By the time they reach the majors, they're 26 and out of options, ready for arbitration, and we're screwed.
Shapiro was suckered into another "Matt Lawton" useless player when that idiot Showalter recommended Delucci. Nice guy, but he's finished. Michaels would not start for any other MLB team.
This payroll SHOULD and COULD have been below $60-million. The players we're talking about jettising will have NO bearing on the Tribe winning or losing the World Series. In fact, Ben Francisco could've actually HELPED the team, rather than forcing us to watch out after out lofted to medium-deep OF with the two platooners.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 pm
Dead-on, both of you. At the expense of "seasoning" our prospects, we waste valuable time and the opportunity to bolster the roster in an economically friendly way. Complete foolishness, kind of like that old NCAA rule where freshmen couldnt dress varsity.
As for Ron, on the other hand, I'm confused by this characterization of Hafner's contract (crazy?). I think if one were to look up the career stats of the DH/1B types in the American League, guys like Ortiz, Konerko, Thome, Sheffield, Giambi, and even an old-timer like Edgar Martinez, Hafner would fit right in, if not match up favorably, correct?
Not only that, but Pronk is still fairly young by comparison to most of those guys, and people forget his job is not to be a singles, batting average type hitter. He is paid what he is paid to mash the ball and drive in runs, preferably in high volume. He was brought here to hit at least 25-30 HR's, and drive in 100 RBI (although, supposedly that's a "down" year to some?).
Now, at 4 years and $57 million, I would think Hafner would bottom out on the list as far as his pay per year goes. I also know Thome makes over $15 mil this year, as an example. Who would you rather have right now, Thome or Hafner? Actually, other than one of the Ortiz/Manny combo, who would you rather have in all of baseball? I think Hafner's contract is more than reasonable, and he's due for a monster season.
To call Hafner's contract "crazy" is just misguided. Strike one, Ron.
April 4th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I don't know, Josh. I tend to agree with the "crazy" assessment for Hafner. Whether folks want to believe it or not, he "LOST IT" a year ago in spring training, barely hitting his weight….and he was a LIABILITY for most of the season in the lineup with his strikeouts and absolutely NO clutch hits. He continued his downward spiral this spring training, and has done nothing to start the year.
I'm seriously afraid that Travis has suffered one of those rare, but real, career-nosedives that will make him the most overpaid DH in baseball history. He is paid to HIT, period. Not .250, not singles, not strikeout. Four at-bats per game, make hard contact. I was uneasy when the deal was offered to him, and I feel it's an utter disaster now.
April 5th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Wow, tough crowd. The dude has one bad year and it's bail time? The guy hit 12 grand slams the year before. He's big as a truck, and he's a lefty masher. Those dont fall off trees. I'm not ready to dive off the bandwagon just yet.
One more thing… Cleveland fans have a knack for tacking that dreaded "washed up" label on guys, only to watch them leave and find the juvenation machine. I think a lot of fans thought Joe Carter was out of gas, and look at how that turned out.
April 5th, 2008 at 7:08 pm
Huh? Joe Carter??? Who thought Joe Carter was out of gas? In his last season with the Indians, the guy hit more homers in that season than in any season in his entire career. Nobody thought Joe Carter was out of gas.
Hafner had what was literally the largest one-season drop in slugging percentage in the ENTIRE HISTORY of professional baseball, and you're comparing the dude to Joe Carter? Well, at least in the entire history of the white leagues. The Elias Sports Bureau didn't include the Negro League.
Josh, if you're gonna reach, at least reach for something on the shelf. Joe Carter?
There is only one rational explanation for Hafner pronking his way into the record books. The faded syringe punctures in the keisters of Luis Gonzalez and Brady Anderson have a lot more in common with Travis Hafner than Joe Carter ever will.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:21 pm
The Tribe has the same 2 problems it endured last season, and Shapiro continues to gloss over them with rose-colored glasses:
1) This team cannot hit. There is no easier team in MLB to no-hit (other than possibly the Marlins). No consistency, no pop. Ugh…it's unbearable to watch. Whoever keeps fanning this ruse that the Indians are some kind of offensive juggernaut could sell snow to an eskimo. It's simply NOT TRUE.
1-a) Travis Hafner is done, boys. Anyone who thinks he's gonna suddenly "find his swing" after 1-1/2 years of whiffing is delusional.
2) We all recognize this one: Borowski as the "closer" is the biggest joke since Banya and Ovaltine. Worse than Wickman.
Cleveland is imploding, and we're not past the first week. Please tell me why Eric Wedge constantly has to call out his players for having "no plan at the plate." How many freakin' years have these guys listened to him drone, and yet the mediocre results are the same.
Folks, if C.C. and Fausto had not had Cy Young career years in 2007, does anyone truly believe we'd have made the playoffs? Not with this offense or closer. And now C.C. is showing his true colors, the C.C. we've all ripped for years as being too soft and non-clutch. A choker. Watch it play out…