He will be Wednesday night against Phil Humber and he’ll be hitting leadoff.

When asked what went into the decision to hit Damon in the leadoff spot, manager Manny Acta said, “Other than the fact that he has a .355 lifetime onbase percentage in the leadoff spot, he’s close to 3,000 hits and the fact that over the last three years he’s hit lefties better than righties? What else do you want me to give you?

“He’s been very effective doing that in his career.” (Paul Hoynes – Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Manny Acta’s reasoning holds a lot of merit. Damon has primarily hit out of the leadoff spot 1,573 of his 2,426 career games, has always hit well from there and still has some speed to make things happen on the basepaths.

Acta also added that Damon is NOT an everyday player, at least not yet, so don’t get used to seeing him hit leadoff.

“We’re going to map this out from series to series because we don’t want to risk an injury,” said Acta, regarding Damon’s playing time. (Paul Hoynes – Cleveland Plain Dealer)

Manny said he’s not ready yet to play five or six games a week, so he’ll play here and there till he gets his legs underneath him. Once he does AND proves he can still be effective then he’ll become a regular.

Should be interesting to see how all of it plays out as Johnny chases his 3,000th hit, 277 more to go.

@CaminoTribe: Hearing that OF Grady Sizemore officially coming back to the #Indians will happen by tonight or tomorrow.

Even after the Indians declined his $8 million option I thought he’d wind up back in Cleveland. He’s always been a favorite and he’s definitely enjoyed playing there over the years. Despite his injuries and all the time he’s missed the fans still show him love whenever he steps on the field. He’s a guy trying to get his career back on track and wouldn’t it be easier to do so in a place you feel the most comfortable?

Sizemore had plenty of teams interested and I’m sure he could have received a decent sized deal, probably similar to what his contract would have been. All based on talent not recent performance of course. Instead he’ll probably return to Cleveland on a very incentive laden contract.

Cleveland fans can rejoice they’ll have a fan favorite on the field with something to prove. Now can he stay healthy?

Wallach had a solid career as a player and has been pretty impressive so far as a coach / manager.

- Over 17 seasons, he batted .257 with 260 homers and 1125 rbis, he also had 432 doubles. His numbers would have been better but he played for about six seasons longer then he should have, as he had a steep drop in production after the age of 32.
- He’s won two gold glove awards, two silver sluggers and finished top 10 in MVP voting twice (once finishing fourth).
- He was the 2010 Pacific Coast League Manager of the Year after coaching the Albuquerque Dodgers (Los Angeles Triple-A affiliate)
- In 2011, he was the Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach.

Sounds like a guy who knows what he’s doing, much more then the guy the Chicago White Sox just hired to fill their position.

The Red Sox are also considering others, they include:
Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin
Tampa Bay Rays bench coach Dave Martinez
Cleveland Indians third base coach Sandy Alomar Jr
Milwaukee Brewers hitting coach Dale Sveum

While there are no big names amongst the group it is a solid group of candidates as they’re all former big league ball players who had mild success. They’ve also got solid coaching experience with teams that have been in pressure situations.

If I had to choose one out of the group I’d go with Alomar Jr, even with the success Wallach has had as a manager. He’s a baseball lifer thanks to his bloodlines and with him being a catcher he’s seen the game from a perspective no other candidate has. He in my opinion was also the most successful of the group as a player.

@SI_JonHeyman: #yankees still in contact with millwood. does this mean they’re growing more worried about pettitte’s decision?

Heyman brings up a great point about this possibly meaning the Yankees are getting more worried about Andy Pettitte’s retirement decision. Me? I’m not so sure if it really shows that. It truly feels like every 20 minutes we hear something different about Andy’s mine set. No one really knows what he’s thinking; even Heyman himself said yesterday that the Yankees were hearing Andy would return.

@SI_JonHeyman: #yankees people keep hearing from friends of pettitte they think he will pitch this year. still no word from andy, tho.

So basically, no one knows anything, the Yankees included. What I think is that the Yankees are just covering their butts by keeping in contact with Kevin Millwood. There aren’t any prizes left on the free agent market, so what they’re doing is keeping in contact with them all, sign what they can cheap while hoping one of them surprises them.

Now would Millwood help them? I highly doubt it; I doubt they’ll get any surprise success from him, not after his 4-16 record and 5.10 ERA in 2010. Yea, that came with the Baltimore Orioles but he hasn’t been productive in many years.

Over the past five seasons, he’s only had one with a sub four era and that was in his contract year of 2009. So yea, I’d take that season and toss it. Outside of that he’s been a hit magnet, especially when it comes to the long ball. During that span, hitters have averaged 23 a season against him.

That number ballooned to 30 in 2010 while playing in the American League East. Looking deeper into that number you’ll see that 17 of those came against divisional opponents. That’s not a number you want to see if you’re a Yankees fan.

I can’t blame the Yankees for keeping in contact. They have to do what they can in case Pettitte doesn’t return. Personally thou I feel they have much better options for the fifth slot in the rotation then Millwood. Shit, I’d even got with Sergio Meatre over him. Let the bottom feeders like the Orioles, Kansas City Royals or Cleveland Indians take him, he’ll fit better.

(per Jason Beck of MLB.com) – “We’re making some progress on some trade talks at this point,” Dombrowski said. “Not quite sufficient to make any announcements, but I would think by the middle of next week we would be in a position where we would make a deal.”

Asked then if a trade is likely, Dombrowski said, “Yes, I think it’s likely.”

Many teams have rotation needs, they include the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, Cleveland Indians and quite a few others. Surprisingly none of those teams are the ones pushing for Armando.

Cleveland Indians – Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com says that the Indians aren’t interested in Galarraga because of his price. Armando’s contract calls for him to make $2.5 million in 2011 and that would be too expensive for the Tribe. Hoynes tweet goes along with a recent post where I mentioned that the Indians would be bargain shopping this winter.

@hoynsie: Don’t look for #Indians to work a deal with Armando Galarraga. He’s making $2.3 million and that’s too rich for Tribe. Which is too bad.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Rob Biertempfel of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the Pirates do have interest in Galarraga but it’s not likely that a deal happens. He mentions that it shouldn’t be because of money so I wonder what that reasoning is.

@RobBiertempfel:#Pirates have some interest in rhp Armando Galarraga. Considering they made serious offer to Pavano, I’d say they have the $$ for Galaragga.

@RobBiertempfel: Regarding galarraga to #pirates, trusted source just told me, “I don’t see it happening”

Washington Nationals – Bill Ladson of MLB.com says that the Nationals aren’t interested in Galarraga as they don’t see him as an upgrade. That is somewhat surprising to me as they’ve been scouring the free agent market all winter for a pitcher. Personally, I’m not sure how he wouldn’t be an upgrade but whatever there loss, he should of came cheap.

@washingnats: I was informed that the #Nats are not interested in #Tigers RHP Armando Galarraga. The #Nats don’t consider Galarraga an upgrade to what they already have in their rotation.

Now time for the surprise team, at least in my opinion. The Arizona Diamondbacks. Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic says that the D-Backs are in this heavy and making a strong push to acquire Galarraga. So much so that the two sides have already started discussing names. If Arizona did make the deal he’d likely compete for the fifth spot in the rotation to start, I’m sure a switch to the National League would help his performance.

The clubs are said to be exchanging names in trade talks; minor league right-hander Kevin Eichhorn has been discussed. A source said a deal isn’t expected to occur until sometime next week. (per Arizona Republic)

With all the various tweets and reports today, I’d have to say things are looking promising for the Diamondbacks. They obviously look like as the favorite as they’re the only team that is known to have exchanged names. Although, I’d have to say watch out for a dark horse team. There’s always a chance another team could creep in with the Tigers waiting till next week to make it happen.

That brings us to free agents Kevin Millwood and Bruce Chen. The Indians have talked to agent Scott Boras about both starters. (The Plain Dealer)

Does anyone really think these two would sign minor league deals? Especially when their agents are Scott Boras? I don’t.

If I had to put my money on either player doing so it would be Millwood. Reason being, he’s 36 and had an atrocious season with the Baltimore Orioles. In 2010, Kevin went 4-16 with a 5.10 ERA, allowing 30 homers.

Now, Chen on the other hand had an exceptional season for the Kansas City Royals. Wait, did I really say Chen had an exceptional season?? Well, exceptional by his standards. In 2010, he went 12-7 with a 4.17 ERA. His other numbers, 3.7 BB and 8.7 hits per nine innings weren’t the greatest but he overcame that. I have my doubts that he can do it again but with Boras in charge and those numbers, I don’t see how a minor league deal happens.

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So let’s see the Indians are shopping smart they’re trying to get their monies worth. With their financial situation they need to do so BUT they’re doing so with the wrong guys and the wrong agent. What they need to do is find players that really want to reside in Cleveland, Ohio. If they find any pitchers like that then they’ll get guys who would take a minor league deal.

I really don’t like the Indians but I honestly feel bad for the guy. Grady was just starting to entire the prime of his career (turns 28 in August) and he’s been hampered by injuries for the past two seasons. Prior to 2007 he was starting to look like a player who could become a major star for the Indians. Instead he’s had to battle injuries and now is fighting an injury that could really damage the career of a once speedy and very gifted center fielder.

The surgery was performed today by Dr. Richard Steadman and took about ninety minutes. The doctor says he should be back in time for Spring Training 2011 if things go well. In my opinion, Cleveland fans should worry some.

The name Dr. Steadman probably doesn’t ring a bell to them but he’s the doctor who performed the same surgery on New York Mets’ center fielder Carlos Beltran. And um yea, a lot of us are starting to say Carlos who?

I really hope his recovery goes a lot better then Beltran’s as Grady was definitely a more exciting player. Not sure if he’ll be able to cover center field like he once did but I sure hope he can, it was pure entertainment.

One popular name since Spring Training has been Cliff Lee. Last years Cy Young Award winner is still a couple years from free agency but all along we’ve known the Indians would not want to pay up when the times comes. If they were willing to dump a true ace in CC Sabathia because of money, you know Lee would follow. The question is will a move come this year?

The Indians have a club option for 2010 for only $8 million, so that’s VERY affordable for a player of that caliber. So with that being said the Indians have a little leverage should they think they can contend next season. If they feel they can then hold off till next year, although at the risk of getting lesser propspects.

I’ll say this now, no matter when they deal him they will NEVER get close to what they got for CC. Even in a contract season a team would pay for him he’s a true ace and worth every penny. Lee has proven he’s a superb pitcher but not quite as good as his numbers in 2008 would indicate.

Other players currently being shopped are Kerry Wood and Carl Pavano. Neither of these come as a surprise.

Pavano is 7-7 even with a bloated ERA of 5.36 but could still provide value to a contender. His ERA would actually be a nice 3.95 if you subtract the two starts where he gave up nine runs, one of which was his first start of the season. For any contender looking for a four or five man could easily come calling and get a player who has proven he’s still got the talent. He’d probably be even more valuable to a National League team like the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies. Or maybe the Milwaukee Brewers come calling again.

Wood could provide valuable bullpen depth to one of the many teams that need it. His season hasn’t been that great, actually not that good at all. He’s got a 5.08 ERA in 32 appearances. Even so he’s a talented pitcher and for a team looking for a solid 7th or 8th inning guy he could probably help, especially if he got his act together being in a playoff race.

Victor Martinez would probably get a nice haul as well if the Indians trade him, but I truly doubt they’d let him go. I think he’d be tougher to acquire then Cliff Lee. He’s also got a club option for next season, at an affordable $7 million. Seven mil for a .300+ and 20 home run hitter is pretty damn good so why would they let that go? Another thing, he’s a fan favorite in Cleveland and I’m sure their fans wouldn’t take a trade kindly. Am I right there Paneech??

There’s one other player that could be moved this July, Jhonny Peralta. This is the guy I’d think is the most likely to be moved. He’s only an average hitter but could be very valuable for a contender, either starting or off the bench. Any team who needs a short stop would definitely have to consider him. Can someone say the Boston Red Sox?

Yea they’ve got Nick Green starting, but do you really think he’ll hold up over the course of a season? He’s out-hitting Jhonny now, but once again do you think that will carry on? He’s been good so far but there is a reason he is a career bench player. For a team like the Sox, Peralta could bring even more veteran leadership to a perennial contender.

So yea for the Indians and their fans there isn’t much to look forward to. The rest of this year is a wash and possibly even 2010. But all of these guys mentioned could definitely help get this team ready for a future run. A few solid prospects for Lee and Victor, added on to the ones acquired for CC would be pretty sweet.

Unfortunately for the Indians such is life in the American League Central. You get a two or three year window and then its time to retool again.

DeRosa has been a very popular name so far in trade talks, not just with the A’s but around baseball. Because of that the Indians have had a fairly high price tag on the 34-year old. Can’t blame them either he’s a versatile player who can play multiple positions and a pretty damn good hitter to boot. .277 avg, 42 runs, 11 homers and 44 rbis after 53 games this season. Not bad at all.

The only knock is that he’s a free agent after this season and because of that some teams may balk at the asking price. Susan Slusser at the San Francisco Chronicle mentions that price as the reason why talks between the Indians and Athletics haven’t progressed. She reports that the A’s have called the Indians but weren’t happy with their demands.

No surprise there, general manager Billy Beane likes to horde his talent, no matter how untalented they might be. Look at it this way who was the last talented positional player the A’s have brought up. Beane used to be a genius at finding these guys but lately the well has run dry.

Yes, the organization currently ranks third by Baseball America, but when was the last time that system actually produced something? Hmmm, yea thought so.

So if the A’s won’t pull the trigger for DeRosa, what other options are there? Not much. They may be stuck with Hannahan for the rest of the season then have to hit free agency. Possibilities then include Chone Figgins, DeRosa again, and Adrian Beltre. Beltre would most likely be out of their price range.

If there’s one bright spot out of all of this, its former A’s player Mark Kotsay. He’s had two back surgeries and still come back to play center field in the majors, so there is hope for Eric Chavez after all. Thanks to MLB Trade Rumors for that tidbit.

There are still some valuable late inning guys out there but Dombrowski isn’t overly excited about them. Yesterday, we talked about John Smoltz‘s options, one of those was Detroit. I actually said them and the Atlanta Braves were the front runners but that could be changing as the Tigers don’t want to pay $10 million or more for anyone. That budget also cuts out another viable option, Brian Fuentes. Fuentes is going to want more then that, but the Tigers are definitely not going to give it.

Danny Knobler of CBS Sports suggests the team may not even sign a closer this off-season. He mentions the money being a main reasoning, but also the lack of interest in the other options. Trevor Hoffman is still out there, but he says the team also has no interest in him.

Steve Kornacki over at MLive.com breaks down the five main options, with pros and cons for them all. It’s pretty impressive. After reading that article, I could see why Dombrowski might want to pass.

So where could a closer come from? Some options could be the minor leagues, or even former starters. The team currently has Nate Robertson, Dontrelle Willis and Zach Miner battling for the fifth spot. Could either of them handle a late inning role? There is also last year’s top draft pick, Rick Perry. But can he adjust to the professional game quick enough to be a player?

So yea there are still plenty of questions with the Tigers bullpen, much like there was all of last year. Now that this is no longer a priority of the team, one has to think the Tigers will continue to be an over-priced mediocre team. Remember their bullpen was trash last year and a big reason for their struggles.