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:

Trevor Bauer's Nasty Curveball

Trevor Bauer with a nasty 79 mph curve ball to strike out John Lindsey

A 96 mph heater to end the 6th inning:

 (Videos From Milb.TV)

Shin Soo-Choo and Joe Carter?

Work A Trade & Sign

Say what? This isn't the NBA! Besides didn't you just say that odds were long that Choo would sign an extension anywhere? Yes, I know this isn't the NBA and yes I did say that the odds were long....but not impossible. Trade and sign deals don't happen often in major league baseball but they do happen and should be explored as history shows benefits can be advantageous for the Indians.

The player was Joe Carter and then Indians GM Hank Peters wanted desperately to sign him to a long term contract. He made several proposals to Carter's agent Jim Turner and each one was rejected and Turner made at least one counter proposal which Peters rejected. After the 1989 season Peters made one last offer to Carter for 3 years at $10M and after Carter rejected the offer Peters released a statement to the press announcing that the negotiations had ended and Carter would be traded by the end of the year.

Since Carter, like Choo, was entering the final year of his contract the team acquiring him would want to sign him to a long term extension before finalizing the deal with the Indians. This didn't seem to be much of a deterrent until Turner alerted Peters that Carter would only sign extension with 5 teams (Padres, Dodgers, Angels, Royals, or Cardinals).

Luckily, Jack McKeon was running the Padres who had finished 2nd to the Dodgers in 1989 a mere 3 games behind the San Francisco Giants and had a loaded farm system. The Indians and Padres reached a deal that would send  Carter to the Padres in exchange for Sandy Alomar Jr., Chris James, and Carlos Baerga and the next day the Padres and Carter reached an agreement on a 3-year $9.2M contract. The trade became official on December 6, 1989.

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.