It helps when I check Twitter BEFORE I post. Tribe fans got two of their biggest wishes today, as according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, Jeremy Sowers has been placed on outright waivers (and sent to Columbus) and Michael Brantley has made the team and will start everyday in left.
It was time to cut ties with Sowers, who was quite simply a huge disappointment of a 1st round pick. Space was needed on the 40-man, Sowers was hurt and out of options, it just all added up to bad news for Sowers. If he can’t make it with the [...]

Sports Illustrated came out with its baseball 2010 preview today, and it’s pretty safe to say the Indians are nowhere to be found in this preview. Other than a quick mention of the Tribe’s starting pitching posting a division-leading 5.30 ERA last year, the Indians are only given a quick gloss-over in the AL Central preview by Joe Posnanski:
Cleveland is only a shell of the team that was one game away from the World Series in 2007. The remaining parts—Fausto Carmona, Travis Hafner, Jhonny Peralta, Grady Sizemore and Jake Westbrook—are all coming off serious injuries, serious slumps or both. The [...]

Haven’t given out some links in awhile, so I’m going to do that while there isn’t much new news to report. And awayyyyyyy we go!
AccuScore predicts the Indians to finish last in the division, possibly with 90+ losses. This really shouldn’t come as a surprise if you’ve been reading this site. Yes, there is some talent on this team but as a whole it’s simply not ready to contend, as the article states.
ESPN.com’s Rob Neyer provides a nice scouting report on Mitch Talbot. He basically tells us to expect anywhere from a 4.50 – 5.00 ERA from Talbot, which [...]

This is old news, but since I was away this weekend I didn’t get a chance to cover it. Mitch Talbot was named the fourth starter, with Aaron Laffey to go to the pen. Now, this normally would mean that David Huff would land the fifth starter’s job, but Carlos Carrasco has vaulted himself into contention for the last rotation spot.
That was, until Sunday.
So now it’s on Huff the Magic Lefty to impress the Indians enough on Wednesday to earn the starting gig. If he falters, it could get real interesting for Manny Acta on Thursday, the deadline Acta has [...]

To no one’s surprise, the Tribe announced today that Big Money Russell Branyan will open the season on the 15-day DL. Branyan has yet to appear in a spring training game, and he took batting practice for the first time on Saturday. If Branyan does not appear in a game this spring, the move to the DL could be retroactive to March 27th, meaning he could be back the second week of the season.
This means Matt LaPorta will take Branyan’s spot at first, and the left field position is open between Michael Brantley, Austin Kearns and Trevor Crowe. Crowe [...]

In one of my first posts on this site, I wrote that a Fausto Carmona comeback would be huge for the Indians’ rebuilding efforts.
I still stand by this statement, and while it’s still spring training, and none of these stats or statistics matter, seeing Carmona pitch 6 innings without issuing a walk is encouraging, to say the least. Even better are Fausto’s spring numbers: 13 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, and only two (TWO!!!) walks.
Who is this pitcher and what has he done with the 2008-2009 version of Fausto Carmona? Because I’d sure like to thank him.
According to Anthony [...]

So when I was on Hotstove.com TV, I was asked about the status of Kerry Wood, and I kind of blew off the question, saying I’ve heard nothing about him not being ready for opening day.
Things have changed. Wood could miss up to two months with a strained latissimus muscle, which apparently is in the rear of one’s armpit.
Wood is on the DL for the 13th time in his 12 year ML career, and this one will prove costly to him, as it almost guarantees (assuming he is out for two months) that he will not get a chance [...]

Hey in case you missed it, here’s the clip of me on Hotstove.com TV yesterday. I made it though with minimal filler and BS so I was quite proud of myself for that. Check it out, we touch on subjects such as the Indians suspect pitching, Grady Sizemore and the arrival of Carlos “Smooth” Santana.

Thanks to Tom Reese and Paul Rubillo for having me on! Next time I’ll give you guys more of a heads up so you can pepper me with questions.

As promised, here’s a quick fantasy primer about the important Indians pitchers to know for fantasy baseball 2010. Let’s start off with the most gruesome part, the starting rotation. Here is my projected starting rotation:

Jake Westbrook
Fausto Carmona
Justin Masterson
David Huff
Mitch Talbot

I chose Talbot because he is out of options and Huff because the Indians seem to be higher on him than on Laffey (who most likely goes to the minors as a starting alternative).
Honestly, if you’re drafting any of these starters, you’re either playing in an AL only league or not very bright. Let’s break down the starters. FYI, Fantasy baseball [...]

Hey, I know it’s late notice but for anyone interested, I’ll be appearing on hotstove.com TODAY at 2 p.m. EST to talk Tribe. I’ll have a full-fledged post up later today but I just wanted to let anyone who reads this know about it.
Here’s a link to the promo for my appearance:
http://www.hotstove.com/2010/03/today-on-hot-stove-tv-padres-writer-daniel-gettinger-and-indians-writer-ed-carroll/
Feel free to ask any questions you want, provided they aren’t too hard Hope to hear from you at 2.