Video: Daisuke Matsuzaka Injured....again

Video from MiLB.tv Daisuke Matsuzaka had to leave his start against the Pawtucket PawSox on Sunday afternoon. He had retired the first nine men he faced including two strikeouts but after delivering one pitch in the top of the 4th inning he grabbed his left side in pain.
The training staff came out to the mound and he briefly attempted to stretch hoping it was just a cramp but Dice-K didn't react as if it were just a cramp:

Dugout Seeds: What Type Of Manager Will Sandy Alomar Be?

Today the Indians fired manager Manny Acta and put the interim tag on Sandy Alomar Jr. at the helm. The Indians will continue to interview others over the winter (Terry Francona, Dave Martinez, Sandy Alomar Jr.) etc.  I touched on why I'd support Alomar's hiring over at Wahoos On First:

Why Sandy Alomar Jr. Should Be The Indians Next Manager

What kind of manager will Alomar be? After interviewing with the Boston Red Sox last winter he met with the media to answer a few questions about his thoughts on managing. The video is iincluded below.

Dugout Seeds: Drew Pomeranz - The Rockies Project & Indians Draft Process

Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post scribed about the Rockies worst season ever in an article titled Colorado Rockies' worst season ever breeds 10 key questions in which he discusses former Indians pitcher Drew Pomeranz and asks:

Will Drew Pomeranz blossom? The young left-hander seems to have it all — size, a 94 mph fastball, a sharp curveball. But he's pitched terribly in the second half, and the Rockies can't seem to get their message through to him. Namely, throw strikes! He remains a huge project.

The Rockies obtained Pomeranz, Alex White, Joe Gardner, and Matt McBride from the Indians at the trade deadline in 2011 in exchange for Ubaldo Jimenez. Pomeranz has had a rough first full season with the Rockies posting a 1-9 record with a 5.30/4.78 ERA/FIP. His big problem has been the ability to get right handed hitters out (.892 OPS against) and his inability to command the strike zone issuing 4.26 walks per nine innings of work and has walked 10.4% of the batters he's faced.
Do the stuggles of both Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, both former first round draft picks by Indians, reflect poorly on the Indians philosophy for drafting or is it a reflection of the inability for the Rockies to develop pitchers (especially in Coors Field)? Did the Rockies error and rush Pomeranz to the majors? Or, are Drew Pomeranz and Alex White two more missed prospects drafted by the Tribe?

All tough questions.

Dugout Seeds: Indians Need To Deal Asdrubal Cabrera Not Focus On A Backup Shortstop

Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer writes that the Indians need to find a reliable backup for Asdrubal Cabrera as Brent Lillibridge and Jason Donald have been ineffective in the role.

He quotes Manny Acta as saying:

"We really need somebody, when we give Cabby a day off or he goes down, who can step in help us out. It's been an issue. . .It's been an issue."

The words from Manny Acta seem rather odd to me as he had ample opportunity to bring up Jason Donald to give Asdrubal Cabrera an occasional day off early in the year. There was the time that Jack Hannahan missed 12 games and was out for 13 days while Jason Donald sat in Columbus and Cabrera played everyday.

Point being: An organization on the verge of losing close to 100 games need not worry about the backup shortstop rather they should focus on collecting talent.

I'd recommend shopping Asdrubal Cabrera, who is signed for two more years, to the San  Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Arizona Diamondbacks, or Seattle Mariners. An example of a trade that could help both teams is a with the Braves. The deal would be centered around pitching prospect Julio Tehran who struggled in 2012 and top prospect shortstop Julio Andrelton.

If the Indians want a backup shortstop for the 2013 season their will be plenty of opportunities with guys like Reid Brignac and Elliot Johnson of the Rays that could step in and fill that role.

Dugout Seeds: Jim Bowden List Indians As Possible Managerial Vacancy

Jim Bowden discusses the Astros early search to fill their managerial vacancy and discusses some other possible managerial openings.

He notes Bobby Valentine of the Red Sox, Ned Yost of the Royals, Ozzie Guillen of the Miami Marlins, Jim Tracy of the Colorado Rockies, and Manny Acta of the Cleveland Indians.

The rumor mill should pick up on who may be the next Indians manager and the list should include Terry Francona, Sandy Alomar Jr., and Dave Martinez.

Dave Martinez currently is a Rays bench coach and has worked directly with Joe Maddon since he was hired in October of 2007.

Terry Francona has the rings and the experience but he may not want to go through the rebuilding process. If Francona doesn't find his way into a major league dugout in 2013 he should, at the minimum, brought in to fill an advisory role similar to the role Davey Johnson had with the Nationals prior to taking over for Jim Riggleman.

In the end the Indians should turn the future over to Sandy Alomar Jr.

Dugout Seeds: Shapiro Tweets & Offseason Spending

Major League Trade Rumors featured a tweet from Mark Shapiro who is back on the Twittersphere after a two month hiatus due to what he called harrassment toward him and his family - his Tweet messages (strung together)

"Want to reconnect with all of you Tribe fans," Shapiro wrote on his account. "Sorry for my absence, been a rough time for all & I stepped back to focus on leading the [organization]. We're as disappointed in this season as you are and can't thank you enough for the dedication you show every day toward our team. "We are lucky to have fans with your passion and are working tirelessly to bring you that championship you deserve. The reason I joined Twitter though is to connect directly with you all, so I want to refocus my efforts with that goal in mind." - clevelandindians.com

 Another of his tweets indicated that the Indians will have money to spend in the offseason but is concerned with the depth of the free agent class:

.@joycekeo I think we will have the ability to spend.Just concerned about depth of FA mket this offseason
— Mark Shapiro (@MarkShapiro) September 18, 2012

MLB Trade Rumors suggests the Tribe may be interested in outfielders and believes this may be an area of strength in the free agent market this winter. Below is the list of available free agent outfielders provided by MLBTR.

Dugout Seeds: Good News For Indians On Carlos Santana

As reported on MLB Trade Rumors the 2012 Super-Two cutoff now projects at two years and 139 days of service time (CAA Sports Twitter Link).  Players who are classified as Super Two will be eligible for 4 years of arbitration as opposed to the 3 years afforded to other players.

A fourth year of arbitration can often lead to escalated salaries for players. Although these players remain under team control they can become too expensive to keep. Carlos Santana fits the mold of a player who through better performance over the next several seasons could reap a big arbitration payoff if classified as Super Two. Luckily, at the current projection of Super Two status Carlos Santana will finish the season with less than 2 years 139 days of service thus missing the cutoff for Super Two.

Finally, having Carlos Santana eligible for Super Two would have brought back all the pain of watching Mike Redmond toil behind the dish for the Tribe while Santana crushed the ball in AAA all in an attempt to avoid the Super Two label.

Dugout Seeds: Acta Resigned To Losing?

Over the weekend Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal stated that the Indians were leaning toward bringing Manny Acta back in 2013. Today he reports that (as highlighted on MLB Trade Rumors):

Scouts following the team in recent days, however, say that Acta is displaying poor body language, almost as if he is resigned to the team’s fate. Not a good sign.

Of course, it isn't a good sign when a teams manager is displaying poor body language - if that is noticeable to scouts who are around the game everyday - it is a sign that the writing is on the wall for the manager.

The problem with bringing Acta back would be the inability to overhaul the coaching staff (which is needed) and convincing any free agent to join a team with a lame duck manager. In his time in the Indians dugout Manny Acta has done nothing to establish himself as the type of manager that you an organization can lose with while allowing his brand of baseball to develop.

The logic here is clear - Manny Acta will be replaced at the end of the 2012 season. The short list of my candidates to replace Acta include Sandy Alomar Jr., Mike Maddux, Travis Fryman, and Terry Francona.

Dugout Seeds: Indians Leaning Toward Keeping Acta

From Ken Rosenthal (Fox Sports) Video Link and MLB Trade Rumors:

Indians officials are leaning towards retaining manager Manny Acta as they know that a new manager won't make all that much of a difference. They also don't have to worry about placating their fans as they already rank 28th in MLB in home attendance. Of course, a poor finish to the season could change their minds about Acta.

A new manager may not make all that much of a difference but a change in philosophy, roster management, and talent utilization is required in the Indians dugout. Placating fans should never be the cause of replacing a manager.

Dugout Seeds: Indians Might Fire Acta - In print..

Ken Rosenthal is one of the first to put the Indians Might Fire Manny Acta into an article about managerial openings next season:

The Cleveland Indians might fire Manny Acta; Francona was a special assistant with the Indians in 2001, and remains close with team president Mark Shapiro and GM Chris Antonetti. Better positions could open, too — Atlanta? Detroit? The Los Angeles Angels? — depending upon which teams’ seasons end in disappointment.

Interesting that Rosenthal brings up the name of Terry Francona.

Indians Trade Deadline Message From The Past

When F.J. "Steve" O'Neil and Gabe Paul returned to the Indians ownership in 1978 Gabe Paul made reference to the Cleveland Sports fan as the "Sleeping Giant". His words were scoffed at through the hard years and finally came to fruition in the perfect storm of the mid to late 1990's.

It is often suggested that voices from the past speak to us but we are often not willing to listen. I hope Chris Antonetti, Mark Shapiro, and Paul Dolan can take a moment to reflect on the words of Gabe Paul:

"It [sleeping giant] only needs to be reawakened, that won't come with words, only action. But give the fans what they want, a winning team, and they will react like no other city."

"And if we don't succeed, we can't blame it on the people, only ourselves"

Is the front office willing to listen?

Memorial Day Miracle: Tribe Rallies to Defeat Rays With 7 Run Ninth

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If you are a Tribe fan, Memorial Day 2009 is best referenced as the Memorial Day Miracle, if you are a fan of the Rays, it is best known as the Memorial Day Massacre.  The Rays held a 10-0 lead with David Price on the mound.  The Rays would hold a 10-4 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning only to watch the Cleveland Indians mount a 7 run uprising, finished off by a walk off 2-run single by Rays nemesis Victor Martinez, to win 11-10 (boxscore).

WATCH THE COMEBACK HERE (VIDEO)



MORE GAME DETAILS

Memorial Day marks the first benchmark of the baseball season.   The Rays and Indians would meet on Memorial Day 2009 to play the first game of a four game series.  The season had started out slow for the Rays following their surprising appearance in the World Series in 2008. The Rays record stood at 16-20 after a disappointing loss to the Cleveland Indians at Tropicana Field on May 14th.  The Rays, led by BJ Upton, would go onto win the next three games in a series that frustrated the Indians and culminated with a benches clearing brawl in the series finale (recap series video here).  The Rays seemed to right the ship over the next week or so as they came into Progressive Field winners of 7 of their last 10 to even their record at 23-23.  The Rays were now playing with the energy of a team ready to defend its American League Title and to make that push the Rays recalled left handed pitcher David Price from Durham to join their rotation.  

Price would face a Cleveland Indians team that had mild expectations of competing for the AL Central  after finishing the last eight weeks of the 2008 campaign with the second best record in the American League at 35-21.  Over the offseason, the Indians added versatile Mark DeRosa in a New Years Eve trade and signed closer Kerry Wood as a free agent contract.  The season hadn't worked out as the Indians or their fans had hoped.  On Memorial Day, the Indians entered play at 17-28 and in last place in the AL Central. 

The Rays were entering their private house of horrors as they had a record of 12-34 at Progressive Field and had lost 13 straight games.  The last victory in Cleveland was a nightmare game for the Indians as the Tribe was trying to keep pace with the Chicago White Sox for the Division Crown and the staving off the Red Sox and Yankees for the AL Wild Card.  Seth McClung, "Big Red" would pitch the game of his life throwing 8 shutout innings before turning the game over to former Indian Danys Baez to save the 1-0 victory (boxscore) for the Rays.  The Indians would fall short of the playoffs in 2005, despite 93 wins, and many fans point to the Rays series (Rays won 2 of 3) as a big reason why they failed to advance to the playoffs.

Indians starter Fausto Carmona would work a perfect top of the first including two strikeouts.  The second inning would see Carmona lose home plate.  He would walk the first four hitters (Carlos Pena, Willy Aybar, Ben Zobrist, and Gabe Gross) to force in a run before striking out catcher Dioner Navarro.  Carmona would find the strike zone only to have Reid Brignac, BJ Upton, and Carl Crawford all deliver run scoring singles.  Crawford would steal second base and Evan Longoria would draw a walk, and Carmona's day was finished.  Jensen Lewis would relieve Carmona with the Indians trailing 5-0 and retire Carlos Pena and Willy Aybar to end the inning.   The Rays would add two more runs against Jensen Lewis thanks to a two-run home run by Gabe Gross in the top of the third to extend their lead to 7-0.

Manager Eric Wedge would try to extend Jensen Lewis for a third inning of work, but Lewis was unable to respond.  In the top of the fourth, Lewis would walk Carl Crawford and Evan Longoria before yielding a run scoring hit to Carlos Pena before being relieved by Rich Rundles who would make his only appearance of 2009.  Rundles would retire Willy Aybar for the first out before giving up a run scoring double to Evan Longoria, issuing a walk to Gabe Gross, and hitting Dioner Navarro with the bases loaded and forcing in a run.  Rundles would strike out Reid Brignac and get BJ Upton to ground out to end the inning.  The Rays would enter the bottom of the fourth with a 10-0 lead.

David Price, making his 2009 debut, had struggled with his control and inability to efficiently finish Indian hitters off through the first three innings of play.  Although Price enjoyed a 10-0 lead, Rays manager Joe Maddon would not allow Price to overextend himself past the 100 pitch count.  Price would give up a lead off single to Mark DeRosa and Ryan Garko would hit a two run homer to put the Indians on the board.  Price would then strikeout Indians rookie Matt LaPorta before issuing back to back walks to Ben Francisco and Jamey Carroll.  The last pitch to Jamey Carroll was David Price's 100th pitch of the game, and as expected Joe Maddon went and made the pitching change, summoning Lance Cormier to the mound.  Cormier would retire Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez to end the Indians half of the fourth inning.

Thayer.  Thayer would give up consecutive singles to Shin-Soo Choo,  Mark DeRosa, and Ryan Garko before inducing a 5-4-3 double play off the bat of Matt LaPorta.  Ben Francisco would deliver a two out run scoring single to make the score 10-4.  Jamey Caroll would fly out to end the inning.

The Indians would enter the home half of the ninth inning trailing 10-4.  Rays manager Joe Maddon would allow Dale Thayer to finish the game and give the rest of his bullpen the night off.  Dale Thayer would do nothing to inspire confidence in his manager by walking Grady Sizemore to leadoff the inning.  Thayer would rebound by getting Victor Martinez out on an infield pop fly for the first out.   Johnny Peralta would line a single to put Indian runners at 1st and 2nd with one out and Joe Maddon would remove Dale Thayer from the game and bring in Randy Choate to face Shin-Soo Choo.  Choate would get a ground ball to short that would at least get the force out at second, but young shortstop Reid Brignac threw the ball wildly to second for the error which allowed Grady Sizemor to race around to score making the score 10-5.  Maddon would again head to the mount to replace Randy Choate with Grant Balfour.

Balfour entered the game with a comfortable 5 run lead and runners at 2nd and 3rd with one out.  Balfour would get Mark DeRosa to line out for the second out in the inning before Ryan Garko would hit a three run homer to tighten the game up 10-8.  With nobody on and 2-out the chances for an Indian rally were still slim.  Balfour increased the odds by walking pinch hitter Asdrubal Cabrera bringing the tying run to the plate.  Again, Joe Maddon would go to the mound and make a pitching change, this time bringing in Jason Insringhausen. 

The recently activated Isringhausen was making only his fourth appearance on the year and was unscored on upon in his previous three appearances.  Isringhausen would walk the first three batters he faced., Ben Francisco, Jamey Carroll, and Grady Sizemore, to force in a run and make it a 10-9 game.  The Indians had the bases loaded, only trailed by a run, and had Rays nemesis Victor Martinez at the plate.  Martinez would line the 2-2 pitch right back up the middle, scoring two runs and give the Indians the walk off 11-10 victory in one of the most improbable comebacks in Indians history.  The Indians would score their 7 runs on only 3 hits.  The Rays pitching staff would issue 5 walks and Reid Brignac would commit an error which allowed the Indians to piece together the ninth inning comeback.

The Indians would extend the Rays losing streak in Cleveland to 17 straight games by defeating the Rays in each of the next three games.  The Rays would lose their 18th straight game in Cleveland on July 23, 2010 before finally winning a 6-3 game, won by David Price, on July 24, 2010 (boxscore).

Flashback: The Mark DeRosa Trade Revisited



New Years Eve  is usually not a big day for transactions in major league baseball but the Cleveland Indians and Chicago Cubs completed a Decemeber 31st trade in 2008.  The Indians sent three pitching propsects, Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub to the Cubs for infielder Mark DeRosa.  The Indians were receiving a versatile player who played six different positions in 2007 (95 games at 2b, 38 games in RF, 27 games in LF, 22 games at 3b, 10 games at 1b, and 10 games at ss) and had a slash line of .293/.371/.420 with 21 HR, 87 RBI, and scored 103 runs. 

At the time of the deal many Indian fans believed that DeRosa would play 2b for the Tribe.  A move that would allow  Jhonny Peralta, who was playing 3b in winter ball, to finally make the move to thrid base.  Additionally, Asdrubal Cabrera  would be able to assume his natural position at shortstop.  The Indians braintrust had other ideas and were quick to say that although DeRosa had spent most of his 2007 season at 2b for the Cubs, the Indians would play him at 3b since playing him there would cause the least disruption and cited that 3b was his best defensive position.  

WHAT THE INDIANS GAVE UP:
In order to acquire Mark DeRosa, the Indians gave up three pitching prospects, Jeff Stevens (25 years old), Chris Archer (20 years old), and John Gaub (23 years old).  Jeff Stevens was the most known name at the time. Mostly, Stevens progress had been tracked since he was the player received from the Reds for Brandon Phillips.   Although, never appearing for the Indians time of the trade, Stevens had pitched well through the Indians minor league system and was deemed major league ready at the time of the trade.

JEFF STEVENS STATISTICS (12/31/08):

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	ERA	SV	IP	WHIP	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2007	23	Kinston	CARL	A+	CLE	3	2	2.31	0	35.0	0.771	0.5	2.3	9.5	4.11
2007	23	Akron	EL	AA	CLE	3	1	3.17	2	48.1	1.159	0.7	3.0	12.1	4.06
2008	24	2 Teams	2 Lgs	AAA-AA	CLE	5	4	3.24	6	58.1	1.114	0.8	4.2	12.5	3.00
2008	24	Akron	EL	AA	CLE	5	1	2.51	1	28.2	1.047	0.6	3.5	11.6	3.36
2008	24	Buffalo	IL	AAA	CLE	0	3	3.94	5	29.2	1.180	0.9	4.9	13.3	2.75

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/1/2011.

Chris Archer, a right handed pitcher, was selected by the Cleveland Indians with the 25th pick in the 5th round of the 2006 June Amatuer Draft out of Clatyton, High School in Clayton, North Carolina.  At the time of the trade, Archer had completed his first full season at Low A Lake County and was regarded by Baseball America as a pitcher "who has a low-90s fastball, a solid-average curveball and a changeup that could become an average offering. He needs to straighten out a few things in his delivery, such as his timing and finding a consistent release point, to become a more prolific strike thrower."

CHRIS ARCHER STATISTICS (12/31/08):

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	ERA	G	GS	SV	IP	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2006	17	2 Teams	2 Lgs	Rk	CLE	0	3	7.71	8	6	0	21.0	1.762	8.1	0.9	7.7	9.4	1.22
2006	17	Indians	GULF	Rk	CLE	0	3	7.45	7	6	0	19.1	1.759	7.9	0.5	7.9	9.8	1.24
2006	17	Burlington	APPY	Rk	CLE	0	0	10.80	1	0	0	1.2	1.800	10.8	5.4	5.4	5.4	1.00
2007	18	2 Teams	2 Lgs	Rk-A	CLE	1	7	5.88	13	11	0	56.2	1.500	9.7	0.6	3.8	8.4	2.21
2007	18	Indians	GULF	Rk	CLE	1	7	5.64	12	11	0	52.2	1.462	9.6	0.7	3.6	8.2	2.29
2007	18	Lake County	SALL	A	CLE	0	0	9.00	1	0	0	4.0	2.000	11.2	0.0	6.8	11.2	1.67
2008	19	Lake County	SALL	A	CLE	4	8	4.29	27	27	0	115.1	1.526	7.2	0.6	6.6	8.3	1.26

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/1/2011.

John Gaub, a left handed pitcher, was selected by the Indians 25th pick of the 21st round of the 2006 June Amatuer Draft out of the University of Minnesota.  Gaub had been a dominant sophmore at the University of Minnesota where his fastball would be clocked at up to 96 mph.  He had arthoscopic shoulder surgery following the season and his velocity had dipped to 81-84 mph as a junior. After he was drafted by the Indians Gaub had another shoulder surgery which limited him to only 4 innings in 2007.  Gaub was able to return to the mound in 2008, notching 64 innings out of the High A Lake County bullpen and struck out 100 batters in 64 innings pitched, while reaching 90-91 mph on his fastball.

 JOHN GAUB STATISTICS (12/31/08)

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	ERA	SV	IP	WHIP	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2007	22	Indians	GULF	Rk	CLE	0	0	2.25	0	4.0	2.000	0.0	9.0	9.0	1.00
2008	23	Lake County	SALL	A	CLE	1	1	3.38	2	64.0	1.188	0.4	4.5	14.1	3.13

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/1/2011.

HOW THE TRADE HAS WORKED OUT:

Mark DeRosa had a typical Mark DeRosa trade for the Tribe in 2008.  DeRosa would have a slash line of .270/.342/.457 with 13 HR, 50 RBI, and scored 47 runs.  Unfortunately, on June 28, 2009 the Indians were off to another bad start and had a record of 31-46 and were in last place in the AL Central.  So, after another disappointing 7-3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds the Indians announced they had traded Mark DeRosa to the St.Louis Cardinals in exchange for right handed reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. On July 26, 2009, the Cardinals sent Jess Todd to the Cleveland Indians to complete the trade .  DeRosa would battle back and wrist injuries while with the Cardinals. He would play in 68 games and put up a slash line of .228/.291/.405 with 10 HR, 28 RBI, and scored 31 runs.  Follwoing the 2009 season, DeRosa would sign as a free agent with the San Francisco Giants.  DeRosa would miss the majority of the 2010 season as the wrist surgery after the 2009 season was unsuccessful and had to be performed again.

Entering the 2008 season, Chris Perez was rated as the #97  prospect on Baseball Amercia's Top 100 Prospect list nad moved up to #91 prior to the 2009 season.  He had developed a reputation as a hard throwing reliever with closing potential who had trouble consistently throwing strikes.  In 2009 with the Cardinals, Perez lived up to that reputation as he appeared in 29 games with 23.2 innings pitched and was 1-1 with a 4.18 ERA and had a 11.4 K/9 and a disturbing 5.7 BB/9.  After a more memorable Indians debut  (video), Perez would settle in and finish the year with 32 games and pitched 33.1 innings pitched and was 0-1 with a 4.32 ERA, and  had 10.3 K/9 and a much improved 3.2 BB/9.   In 2010, Chris Perez would assume control as the Indians closer after injuries and subsequent trade of Kerry Wood.  Perez finished 2010 with a record of 2-2 with an ERA of 1.71 and 23 saves.  He had a K/9 rate of 8.7 and a BB/9 rate of 4. 

Jess Todd was selected by the St.Louis Cardinals with the 18th pick of the 2nd round of the 2007 June Amatuer Draft out of Arkansas.  Todd, working as a starter, quickly ascended up through the St.Louis farm system getting to AAA by the end of his 2nd year winning the organizations pitcher of the year award.  In 2009, the Cardinals would transition Todd to the bullpen where he would continue to dominate hitters by going 4-2 with a 2.20 ERA, 24 saves, and a K/9 rate of 10.8 with a very respectible BB/9 of 2.4.  Todd would finish 2009 in the Cleveland bullpen where he would struggle in 19 games and 20.2 innings pitched.  Todd would have a record of 0-1 and an ERA of 7.40 while having a K/9 rate of 7.8 and a BB/9 rate of 3.  Todd would spend the majority of 2010 pitching out of the Columbus Clipper bullpen going 4-2 with an ERA of 3.31 and a K/9 rate of 9.7 and a BB/9 of 3.3.  Although Todd's star has fallen since 2008, he still may be a viable option for the Indians 2011 bullpen.

WHERE ARE THEY TODAY?

Jeff Stevens, Chris Archer, and John Gaub have had two years to develop with the Chicago Cubs organization.  Let's take a look at where each is as we head into the 2011 season.  In both the 2009 and 2010 seasons, Jeff Stevens  spent time with the Cubs AAA affiliate (Iowa) and in the majors with the Cubs.  As seen below, Stevens would peform well in AAA and sturggle at the big league level.

JEFF STEVENS MINOR LEAGUE STATISTICS

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	ERA	SV	IP	WHIP	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2005	21	Billings	PION	Rk	CIN	4	4	2.98	0	54.1	1.086	0.7	2.5	9.6	3.87
2006	22	2 Teams	2 Lgs	A	CLE,CIN	9	7	4.42	0	116.0	1.259	0.8	3.0	8.0	2.64
2006	22	Lake County	SALL	A	CLE	7	3	4.42	0	73.1	1.200	0.5	2.8	7.4	2.61
2006	22	Dayton	MIDW	A	CIN	2	4	4.43	0	42.2	1.359	1.3	3.4	9.1	2.69
2007	23	2 Teams	2 Lgs	AA-A+	CLE	6	3	2.81	2	83.1	0.996	0.6	2.7	11.0	4.08
2007	23	Kinston	CARL	A+	CLE	3	2	2.31	0	35.0	0.771	0.5	2.3	9.5	4.11
2007	23	Akron	EL	AA	CLE	3	1	3.17	2	48.1	1.159	0.7	3.0	12.1	4.06
2008	24	2 Teams	2 Lgs	AAA-AA	CLE	5	4	3.24	6	58.1	1.114	0.8	4.2	12.5	3.00
2008	24	Akron	EL	AA	CLE	5	1	2.51	1	28.2	1.047	0.6	3.5	11.6	3.36
2008	24	Buffalo	IL	AAA	CLE	0	3	3.94	5	29.2	1.180	0.9	4.9	13.3	2.75
2009	25	Iowa	PCL	AAA	CHC	1	3	2.03	2	57.2	1.040	0.2	3.9	9.5	2.44
2010	26	Iowa	PCL	AAA	CHC	0	2	3.16	10	42.2	1.336	0.6	5.5	9.1	1.65
6 Seasons						25	23	3.27	20	412.1	1.140	0.6	3.4	9.8	2.85
AAA (3 seasons)						1	8	2.84	17	130.0	1.169	0.5	4.6	10.2	2.21
A (1 season)						9	7	4.42	0	116.0	1.259	0.8	3.0	8.0	2.64
AA (2 seasons)						8	2	2.92	3	77.0	1.117	0.7	3.2	11.9	3.78
Rk (1 season)						4	4	2.98	0	54.1	1.086	0.7	2.5	9.6	3.87
A+ (1 season)						3	2	2.31	0	35.0	0.771	0.5	2.3	9.5	4.11

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/1/2011.

JEFF STEVENS MAJOR LEAUGE STATS:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	W	L	ERA	SV	IP	WHIP	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2009	25	CHC	NL	1	0	7.11	0	12.2	1.737	1.4	5.7	6.4	1.13
2010	26	CHC	NL	0	0	6.11	0	17.2	1.755	2.0	5.1	7.6	1.50
2 Seasons				1	0	6.53	0	30.1	1.747	1.8	5.3	7.1	1.33
162 Game Avg.				2	0	6.53	0	71	1.747	1.8	5.3	7.1	1.33

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/1/2011.

John Gaub had an impressive 2009 season with the AAA affiliate Iowa which earned him a spot on the Baseball Prospectus Top 11 Prospects at the conclusion of the season.  Unfortunately for the Cubs, Gaub would take a step backward in 2010.  He would finish 2010 with a record of 3-4 with an ERA of 6.52 and a staggering loss of control as seen by his 7.8 BB/9 rater.  Gaub will have to regain his control if  he wants to have a shot at working out of the Cubs bullpen in 2011. 

JOHN GAUB MINOR LEAUGE STATS:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	W-L%	ERA	GS	SV	IP	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2007	22	Indians	GULF	Rk	CLE	0	0		2.25	0	0	4.0	2.000	9.0	0.0	9.0	9.0	1.00
2008	23	Lake County	SALL	A	CLE	1	1	.500	3.38	0	2	64.0	1.188	6.2	0.4	4.5	14.1	3.13
2009	24	2 Teams	2 Lgs	AAA-AA	CHC	4	2	.667	2.25	0	5	60.0	1.150	5.4	0.6	5.0	12.0	2.42
2009	24	Tennessee	SOUL	AA	CHC	3	1	.750	2.83	0	4	28.2	1.256	6.0	0.9	5.3	12.6	2.35
2009	24	Iowa	PCL	AAA	CHC	1	1	.500	1.72	0	1	31.1	1.053	4.9	0.3	4.6	11.5	2.50
2010	25	2 Teams	2 Lgs	AAA-Rk	CHC	3	5	.375	7.36	1	3	29.1	1.875	8.6	0.3	8.3	12.0	1.44
2010	25	Cubs	ARIZ	Rk	CHC	0	1	.000	81.00	1	0	0.1	9.000	27.0	0.0	54.0	27.0	0.50
2010	25	Iowa	PCL	AAA	CHC	3	4	.429	6.52	0	3	29.0	1.793	8.4	0.3	7.8	11.8	1.52
4 Seasons						8	8	.500	3.66	1	10	157.1	1.322	6.4	0.5	5.5	12.8	2.32
Rk (2 seasons)						0	1	.000	8.31	1	0	4.1	2.538	10.4	0.0	12.5	10.4	0.83
AAA (2 seasons)						4	5	.444	4.03	0	4	60.1	1.409	6.6	0.3	6.1	11.6	1.90
A (1 season)						1	1	.500	3.38	0	2	64.0	1.188	6.2	0.4	4.5	14.1	3.13
AA (1 season)						3	1	.750	2.83	0	4	28.2	1.256	6.0	0.9	5.3	12.6	2.35

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/1/2011.

As the star on Jeff Stevens and John Gaub may have fallen, the potential of Chris Archer has risen dramatically since the trade.  Currently, Archer was rated #2 Prospect on Baseball America's Top 20 Florida State League.  Archer would go 15-3 with a 2.34 ERA between Daytona and Double-A Tennessee.  Prior to 2010, Archer fastball was clocked at 90-91 mph but 2010 saw a leap in velocity as his fastball is now coming in at up to 97 mph.  By all accounts, Archer's best outing of the year came in Octrober while pitching for Team USA against Cuba in a PAN-AM qualifier.  Archer would throw six innings, giving up 0 runs while striking out 10 as Team USA defeated Cuba 4-1.  Archer will only be 22 years old when the 2011 season begins and the Cubs will be keeping a close eye on him as he continues his path to the major leagues.  Archer appears to have figured out the mental part of pitching as well as making the mechanical adjustments that has allowed him to harness his control and add the extra mph on his fastball and breaking pitches. 

CHRIS ARCHER MINOR LEAGUE STATS:

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	Lev	Aff	W	L	ERA	IP	WHIP	H/9	HR/9	BB/9	SO/9	SO/BB
2006	17	2 Teams	2 Lgs	Rk	CLE	0	3	7.71	21.0	1.762	8.1	0.9	7.7	9.4	1.22
2006	17	Indians	GULF	Rk	CLE	0	3	7.45	19.1	1.759	7.9	0.5	7.9	9.8	1.24
2006	17	Burlington	APPY	Rk	CLE	0	0	10.80	1.2	1.800	10.8	5.4	5.4	5.4	1.00
2007	18	2 Teams	2 Lgs	Rk-A	CLE	1	7	5.88	56.2	1.500	9.7	0.6	3.8	8.4	2.21
2007	18	Indians	GULF	Rk	CLE	1	7	5.64	52.2	1.462	9.6	0.7	3.6	8.2	2.29
2007	18	Lake County	SALL	A	CLE	0	0	9.00	4.0	2.000	11.2	0.0	6.8	11.2	1.67
2008	19	Lake County	SALL	A	CLE	4	8	4.29	115.1	1.526	7.2	0.6	6.6	8.3	1.26
2009	20	Peoria	MIDW	A	CHC	6	4	2.81	109.0	1.321	6.4	0.0	5.4	9.8	1.80
2010	21	2 Teams	2 Lgs	A+-AA	CHC	15	3	2.34	142.1	1.173	6.4	0.4	4.1	9.4	2.29
2010	21	Daytona	FLOR	A+	CHC	7	1	2.86	72.1	1.106	6.7	0.5	3.2	10.2	3.15
2010	21	Tennessee	SOUL	AA	CHC	8	2	1.80	70.0	1.243	6.2	0.3	5.0	8.6	1.72
5 Seasons						26	25	3.67	444.1	1.371	7.1	0.4	5.2	9.1	1.75
A (3 seasons)						10	12	3.67	228.1	1.436	6.9	0.3	6.0	9.1	1.50
Rk (2 seasons)						1	10	6.23	73.2	1.548	9.2	0.7	4.8	8.6	1.79
AA (1 season)						8	2	1.80	70.0	1.243	6.2	0.3	5.0	8.6	1.72
A+ (1 season)						7	1	2.86	72.1	1.106	6.7	0.5	3.2	10.2	3.15

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Generated 1/1/2011.