It's interesting how the Indians are ripped for trading an established star who is going to be a free agent or who can't be retained and get young prospects in return.
The Indians do it, they're folding the tent, giving up, etc.
People are ready to march on Washington.
Yet when the Browns did the same thing with Braylon Edwards it's OK because he was going to be a free agent.
Cut to the chase: The Indians at least acquired young prospects in their trades. These players have the chance to be good. They might not be, but they have a chance.
The guys the Browns got for Edwards are just guys. They don't have a bullet next to their names on any personnel charts.
Trading Edwards might be addition by subtraction.
But they certainly didn’t get anything for him.
These guys might grow into players, but to pretend the Browns got some real, legitimate, expected-to-be-significant players is ignoring reality.
However, (a) 16 games vs. 162 games and (b) the Indians were dumping salary and playing in a division that they could've easily won.
Oh and (c) the Browns are willing to spend while the Indians can't… they just can't… its tough, really, really tough…
The Indians have always been held to a higher standard than the Browns, for some strange reason. The Indians have some legitimate talent at several spots, and they could possibly contend in a weak division next year if some things go their way. I'm not saying it will happen, but it is possible. The Browns, on the other hand, are several good drafts away from being a good team. They have holes everywhere.
The difference obviously is the fact the Indians had Lee signed for next year,at a bargain price. Edwards’s contract was up at the end of the year.
Lee is a proven Cy Young winner, not a proven whiner . You act like this guy has had a great career,he had one good year and caused more trouble that he was worth. You need to stop the Browns bashing and find another hobby.
Lets admit it: The Browns suck!
What's the difference between Lee and Edwards? There is no difference. The same season Edwards was going to the Pro Bowl, Lee was going to the minor league. Lee is Edwards in reverse.
The Indians received something tangible in return. At least the Indians know the birth names of what they received. The Browns (or, should I say, Mangini) merely received a mechanism to sell his boss in the form of future draft picks. Sell the sizzle, not the steak. Of course, mid and late round picks have all the sizzle of Elvis' fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but if Lerner buys it, then so what?
Information please. I plan to be in downtown Cleveland Sunday night. With the Browns being out of town will I be safe in the warehouse district or will the players go there after their return and attempt to get traded (punch me out)? I'm sure others want to adopt Edward's exit strategy. I am a bit larger than 5ft 6in and 140 lbs. and I fear for my safety.
In response to that last comment, wear bright orange cleats. You'll get the same reaction that Shannon Brown got when he violated the dress code.
The only Indians trade I had a problem with was the Cliff Lee deal. We did not get enough value for one of the best pitchers in the league who we still had under control for an additional year… That said, apparently hanging on to Lee was not an option with the team losing money hand over fist, so I guess that's why we had to jump at any suitable deal for him. Lucky for the Phils.
I'm great with the package we received back for Edwards. He was an underachieving malcontent who couldn't perform up to his talent level and was a cancer in the locker room. I'm sure he'll be great in NY, but he obviously didn't have the desire to put it together here.
(And let me preempt the posts from Alan and Terje telling me how dumb I am. What was that quote Tressel had a couple of weeks back about feeling sorry for miserable people who complained about everything?)
"I'm great with the package we received back for Edwards."
so, you're "great" with mangini turning down a superior offer from the giants a while back to take a lesser deal with the jets?
perhaps you'd be interested in exchanging my quarters for your dollar bills?
dwhit, it's guys like you that give guys like Mangini and Lerner such empowerment. When fans are so easily duped, guys like that can get away with just about anything.
And you're actually quoting this guy? http://xr.com/s3ug
terje,
A better analogy would be that we traded a check for $1 that's going to expire before we're able to cash it for 3 quarters… slightly different. Tell you what, I have some old scratch off lottery tickets for a couple of bucks that I forgot to cash within a year of when I purchased them. I'll happily trade them to you for 3 quarters on the dollar.
Alan,
I'm still waiting to see the first move that someone in a Cleveland front office position makes that you support.
Looks like my attempt to preempt the "you're a moron" brigade was useless. The high and mighty "I know all, you know nothing" that comes from you two is insufferable.
dwhit, I'm still waiting for the first move that someone in a Cleveland front office position makes me want to support. It's been awhile. I think the last one I supported at the time was the Mo Williams trade. Oh, and I also supported the Sabathia trade. Oh, and on a lesser scale, the Garko trade I thought has long-term potential.
But there's really not much to support. Other than the senile Al Davis, there is no front office that has been as consistently incompetent as the Browns. Ferry has spent four years tripping over his own feet more often than Luke Witte at a rave. And Shapiro … well, actually he's done OK, but his minor league people haven't. And there's no Cleveland NHL hockey to complain about. Which is too bad, because the Blue Jackets' Doug MacLean was Danny Ferry South.
Edwards was traded because he's an unproductive doofus who thinks he's Jesus, not because he's going to be a free agent. Lee was traded because of money, same as Sabathia, etc., etc. It's a pretty false comparison.