While the Browns go all over the country in search of a coach and/or General Manager – yes, Mike Shanahan will be investigated – the Indians made another one of those very quiet, intelligent moves that produce winning teams.
The acquisition of Mark DeRosa fills a need at third base, gives the Indians an option at second base and provides depth in the outfield. He's Casey Blake, but better. DeRosa is not a superstar, but he is a very good, solid player. He hit 21 home runs last season, drove in 87 and scored more than 100. His presence rounds out an infield that will keep Jhonny Peralta at short – which is good – and Asdrubal Cabrera at second base.
GM Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge will speak on this later, and Sheldon Ocker will write tomorrow's story for the Beacon Journal, but this is a very good trade. It keeps Peralta at short, where he belongs. Peralta is not a great defensive shortstop, no, but he also does not have the quickness and instincts a third baseman needs. He's better where he is, but now the Indians have the wherewithal to make a move if need be. And they have Luis Valbuena and Josh Barfield in the mix as well.
DeRosa could be a free agent after the season, but an extension is not unrealistic. Too, the Indians have Wes Hodges in the minor leagues. If he's ready, DeRosa would be a one-year move. If DeRosa likes it here — and what former Penn quarterback would want to leave? — the Indians can re-sign him. The best thing: The Indians gave up three prospects to acquire DeRosa. They did not have to give up anyone in the major leagues.
This offseaon Mark Shapiro has signed a free agent closer, further strengthened the bullpen with Joe Smith and now added DeRosa. The only major leaguer lost was Franklin Gutierrez, who can't hit a breaking ball.
Makes a guy wonder: How the heck does Shapiro pull this stuff off?
Regarding the Browns …
Eric Mangini has emerged as a more-than-viable candidate to take over as coach. I believe that Randy Lerner and the team's new GM – likely Scott Pioli – will have to do a real "sell job" to convince the fans that Mangini is a clear and exciting step forward.
Now … he may be. There are many people I've talked to who say that Mangini deserves the kudos he gets behind the scenes. That he is smart, organized, efficient and a very good coach. That he articulates a long-term plan well, that he would be a much different coach than Romeo Crennel.
This may be true, but the public perception at the moment is that Mangini is "Romeo Light." That is to say another member of the Bill Belichick tree, a former Belichick assistant who rose to be defensive coordinator under Belichick before leaving. Sort of like Crennel.
Too, the Belichick tree has not exactly set the world on fire, so folks wonder if Mangini will be any different. I've heard many people ask: What's the difference between Pioli-Mangini and Savage-Crennel?
Personalities, for one, but that has to be explained. Scott Pioli is not Phil Savage, and Mangini has been described as a far different personality and communicator than Crennel. Still, people wonder. Mangini may be a very good coach, but he doesn't seem to have the fan base excited. Thus, the "sell job."
Mangini had two winning seasons in three in New York, though in the first he had a very easy schedule. This season the team fell apart down the stretch when a playoff spot was well within reach.
Though Mangini continues to be a viable candidate, the Browns will look into Mike Shanahan. How can they pass him up? Shanahan, though, might fall in the Bill Cowher-mold of a guy who wants a lot of power and responsibility, which might not mesh well with a Scott Pioli.
Then again, the Jets role in turning the Patriots in to the league office for "Spygate" remains one of the great unanswered questions in this chess game. That is, is Pioli still angry with the Jets and Mangini for turning in the Patriots?
The status of Rich McKay as a possible front office hire is a bit uncertain. The Browns were interested, but Pioli remains the preferred choice.
All these permutations could cause a headache. The Browns will continue to interview candidates, including a couple minority coaches as well as Steve Spagnulo of the Giants and Jim Schwartz of the Titans. Both are defensive coordinators. Things could move fast, but at this point it seems like the team will take more time investigating its candidates.
Shanahan could emerge, but personally I'd be surprised. Right now, at the first turn, Mangini seems to have a lead. But the race is far from over.
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
i'm going to go out on a limb and call the upcoming tribe season a bust. derosa does not inspire me at all. i'm hoping kerry wood works out but no one would be shocked if he collected much of his ten mil on the dl. aside from cliff lee who is going to show up as a starter? also, i'm very skeptical of how hafner will do this year. and why does no one mention him as a possible steroid user? it seems that barry bonds' big melon head is damning proof of his use but the basketball that sits on trav's shoulders is just a cute accessory. and how does a guys shoulder mysteriously turn to mush like that? my uneducated guess is that trav took the juice and the fat deal so he can ride out the rest of his career in comfort.
i've been re-reading pluto's "the curse of rocky colavito". the 90's almost shook the curse but the shapiro/wedge years could be tacked on as an addendum that fits right in with joe gordon, alvin dark, gabe paul and dave garcia. how joel skinner kept his job i'll never guess. i'm looking forward to another year of "grinding it out" to .500.
i'd like the see the browns get a g.m. who can work with shanahan. i think it's a long shot but it is the best mix currently available. i don't want to see mangini come and (god forbid) keep romeo on the staff. romeo needs to get as far away from cleveland as he can. if gruden gets fired as some people suspect i wouldn't mind having him either. this team needs a tough coach with a ring as an h.c. if that can't happen mangini will have to do but- no rac! no first timers and no college coaches either.
terje speaks he truth in regard to the Tribe. Pat, I don't know what you're smoking but I guess you're getting it from the Indians front office.
How on earth is keeping Peralta at shortstop good news? In fact, what are the Indians thinking, trading 3 prospects for an average, 33-year-old second baseman then moving him to third so a poor-fielding shortstop doesn't have to switch positions?
I can only think you're either being sarcastic or those sabermetric nutjobs have gotten to you.
I like the DeRosa acquisition. Better version of Casey Blake. Cubs dumping salary and seemed willing to take marginal prospects. But Pat, I agree with the previous posters…why the fascination with keeping Peralta at SS? OMG, if Cabrera can hit his weight, play the man at SS and give JP 100 games at third. DeRosa provides flexibility, but he is much more of a 2B than 3B.
As for the Browns, if Mikey S will come to town as coach only, and be content doing so, that has to be #1 option for Browns, as long as GM du jour can work with someone who has a an ego and a past of calling all the shots.
Speaking of the juice, that photo leads me to believe that DeRosa may be a candidate for the Undetectable HGH User of the Year Award.
Nobody will ever accuse Hafner of ever taking anything if that media guy happens to be writing in the Northeast Ohio area. As a general rule, "blue-collar" white guys are their pets. Nothing new, it's been this way since the first newspaper set up a printing press near Lake Erie. I wouldn't be at all surprised if Hafner and Terry Pluto occasionally share a bunk bed together while wearing their favorite pajamas. That's assuming Zydrunas Ilgauskas isn't simultaneously hogging Pluto's covers.
http://littlurl.com/r1nv1
DeRosa can play 3b, so long as Peralta is at 2b. JP'd have the requisite time to position himself, which the hot corner would not provide, plus more time to recover the balls he might merely knock down, as the throw would be shorter. Can he turn the DP with his back to the runner? Might his arm be wasted there? Who knows? But he doesn't hit so well that he's tolerable at SS.
Overall, DeRosa's offensive numbers are better than Peralta's, by the way. Credit Shapiro for getting the athletic, top-third-of-the-order, table-setter he needed for his infield. Now he's got to feature his best glove at SS and assemble around him—not some overgrown, cement-footed imitator with a not-so-sensational bat.
As for the Browns, let's quit toying with maybes—or a GM who might warrant compensation. Hire Floyd Reese and re-install Marty. These vets will show the way and can be assigned the tasks of grooming their own replacements. These two will also bring aboard the quality assistants that are so critical to success and so often lacking on recent Browns' clubs.
Floyd and Marty may be older and old-school, but professional football is still a basic sport about blocking and tackling. They get that. We'd win with them. That, more than anything else, is an assurance this franchise most needs currently. Winning brings credibility, respect, acclaim, better feelings and stability.
Here's voting for a victory of substance over flash.
Fact number one: Wedge is the only manager out of the thirty mangers in the big leagues who would not only keep Peralta at SS, but bat him clean-up…..what a joke with a staff loaded with ground ball pitchers. Fact number two: Cowher would have been a huge mistake, and Pioli will be a huge mistake. Fact number three: don't let Crennel anywhere near this new staff….it would be like having two parents on opposite sides so the players can run to someone else when they don't have things go their way. And fact number four: Terje is an idiot…..please don't read his musings! Hafner has a bad shoulder, just like 80% of the male population…….he'll put up big numbers again.
Only the Indians could convince the local writers that third base is more difficult to play then shortstop.
If a guy doesn't have the reflexes and abilities to play third, then he definitely doesn't have what it takes to play short.
The Tribe has lopped 35 million off last season's payroll (Blake, Borowski, Byrd–the Killer B's—Michaels, Julio and CC), yet they have added less than half that in off season moves and now say they are financially exhausted, despite lossing their #1 and #3 starters (Westbrook may be back after the break, but does anyone think he's coming out of the gate at full speed???).
So, yeah, we have improved the pen. No doubt. And, yeah, DeRosa is a small step up from Blake at third. No Doubt. But our rotation is a big step down from last year. A much bigger step down.
Oh, but wait, we can't afford to outspend the Brewers or the A's. I never realized that Cleveland was a smaller market than Peoria.
Just keep swallowing what the Tribe is shoveling, Pat. Keep up the excellent work.
stay away from mangini, the knock on him with the jets was he showed
no emotion on the sidelines, poor clock management, unable to make
adjustments during a game, did not utilize his best players to their potential
( leon washington ) does this all sound familiar !! he is just a younger version of crennel and another browns disaster waiting to happen
Floyd Reese as GM and the D Coord. from Tenn.[Schwartz?]
I haven't seen where it's been pointed out that DeRosa actually had the best numbers of his career last year, at age 33. Who knows how much a step up from Blake he'll be at third.
The more I think about the Browns the more I like the idea of Marty returning. The Browns need a coach who can develop a young qb and Marty's record in that regard is excellent–Kosar, Brees and Rivers. Those guys don't have Elway talents (much like Quinn) but became very good to borderline great NFL quarterbacks under Schottenheimer.
Marty will also build a defense around the talent available, rather than forcing players into the flavor of the day defensive system Pioli, Mangini and Crennel represent.
sure dennis, keep deluding yourself that hafner wasn't a juicer. did you hear how much weight he has lost? supposedly, it is to increase his bat speed. and if you believe that i have a friend named madoff who can help you make some great investments.
Really, Hafner has lost a lot of weight? I didn't know that. Old Rectangle Head must be enrolled in the Pudge Rodriguez School of Zany Coincidences. Fortunately there's always going to be a GM willing to turn a blind eye to pay the tuition.
yeah, hoynes reported about hafner's new look. here is an excerpt of the article:
Cleveland Indians DH Hafner working hard to get back into the swing
by Paul Hoynes/Plain Dealer Reporter
Tuesday December 09, 2008, 2:14 PM
LAS VEGAS — Travis Hafner is putting his body through some changes.
Lonnie Soloff, the Indians' head athletic trainer, says Hafner has been working out five days a week, five hours a day at Progressive Field after an injury-shortened season led to surgery on his right shoulder on Oct. 14. Hafner, who usually weighs between 240 and 260 pounds, has reportedly lost a lot of weight.
"I'll let you make up your mind when you see him," said Soloff, attending the winter meetings at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino. "He realizes that this is his No.1 off-season priority to get his career back on track."
Fans who have seen Hafner in public have commented on how thin he looks.
News of Hafner's sore shoulder didn't surface until early last season, but the Indians' designated hitter hasn't swung the bat like "Pronk" since April of 2007.
"He's at a juncture in his career where he has to examine every avenue to improve," said Soloff. "One avenue is his body structure and shape."
Soloff said Hafner is at least four weeks away from swinging a bat. He'll be examined by Dr. James Andrews, who did the surgery on his shoulder, before that happens.
"Travis feels great," said Soloff.
Hafner will make $11.5 million a year in 2009 and 2010. He'll make $13 million a year in 2011 and 2012 as part of the six-year, $65 million contract he signed in 2007.
Last season, Hafner hit .197 (39-for-198) with five homers and 24 RBI. He spent most of the season on the disabled list because of pain in his right shoulder.
Thanks for the update, Terje, your incisive comments must come from your broad knowledge of the sport, hitting in particular, or from your inside contacts in Major League Baseball. Or maybe, you have inside knowledge of what it's like being a druggie? Anyway, the nosey media has needlessly overturned every rock trying to get steroid dirt on any player, yet, with all the names mentioned over the last two years in this witch hunt……no mention of Hafner. Curious, isn't it?
dennis, maybe you have been living in a cave or just recently came out of a coma. so i'll help you fill in the gaps. the media had nothing to do with many of the recent findings. it was the mitchell report. and senator mitchell said himself that his report was not a conclusive report on all the steroid users in baseball. he also stated that the mlbpa was extremely uncooperative with his report and discouraged players from helping him. clemens would still be considered a baseball god if we were waiting for the media to tell us he was on the roids.
sorry pal for your myopia. but for me and most people with reasonable deduction skills……
massive head plus mysterious breakdown of muscle and an incredible shrinking body equals probable steroid user.
terje, in your statement of the patently obvious 2+2 = formula, you neglected to divide the square root of the Rangers connection. But who's counting.
i forgot all about that. i used to go to rangers training camp every year in the early 2000's in port charlotte because it was near where my parents live. i remember seeing pudge, juan gone and raffy all chatting by first and thinking "wow, that is 3 hall of famers right there". so much for that thought.
I guess we'll just wait and see what the results are this summer……until then, back to the cave. I understand the Mitchell Report, but it's all media-fueled – ever watch ESPN? Wow, now I need to suspect all the big-headed people in the world. You know, Terje, I really don't care. I'd take Bonds right now, and I would take Clemens if he were younger. It's always guys like you, who never played a sport with any distinction, who worry about a guy that might have bent a rule or two. Barry Bonds is the greatest player of my lifetime – it was Mantle before him – and it doesn't matter to me at all about the steroid years. C'mon, you can fess up. You never played anything, did you? And after the real athletes graduated from HS and college sports, we played softball…..and you umpired because you couldn't play! Guys like you are easy to spot….just like the big-headed drug-users! I won't be back on here, but I'll be reading; hopefully, by mid-August, when the big guy is closing in on thirty dingers, you'll admit to your groupies here that you were wrong. That would get my respect. Thanks, enjoyed the debate, have a wonderful New Year.
football was always too homo-erotic for me and i sucked at baseball. hoops for me. when i was younger i skipped all my classes at cleveland state and went to every open gym there was (hence, me paying my own college tuition 8 years later). run in the days with the students and at night with the ballers. played any chance i could until age 30 when i turned one of the fingers on my right hand into a whammy bar. softball? that is for the beer gut crowd.
p.s. alan is the one with the groupies. i'm just a part of the backing band.
responding to the only cogent comment i noticed, i have often wondered why the brain trust has not considered moving peralta to 2B, where the major requirement is the ability to turn the DP.
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now for the less-than cogent comments:
1) for those of you so willing to "go out on a limb" and make a prediction, if you're wrong, do you promise to sterilize yourself – with a dull spoon – so you won't produce similarly stupid kids?
2a) if 3B & SS are so interchangeable, why is it that the last person to make the shift successfully at the major league level was cal ripken?
2b) if peralta could be a capable defender at 3B, don't you think that we would have already moved him there while we still had omar and were playing blake there after fryman retired?
3) peralta got the chance to hit 4th ONLY after hafner and martinez were both injured, AND garko failed miserably. HE WAS THE FOURTH OPTION!!!!!
4) derosa did hit more HRs, but it's hard to credit steroids for drawing more walks while averaging around the same number of K's the last three years.
So Peralta sucks at third too, barry? All the more reason to have him at short!
By the way I believe Fryman was also a shortstop early on with the Tigers. And A-Rod has made a fairly successful transition, too.
"By the way I believe Fryman was also a shortstop early on with the Tigers. And A-Rod has made a fairly successful transition, too."
yep.
i'm going to go out on another limb and guess barry has already had his encounter with the dull spoon.
For the record, a couple of other guys who recently switched from shortstop to third were Matt Williams and Vinny Castilla … they won gold gloves at third, too. Of course, Williams had to borrow some of Hafner's hGH and 'roids to do it, but that's besides the point.