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Move to save Indians almost $2 million
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Wednesday, Aug 13, 2008
CLEVELAND: C.C. Sabathia: gone. Casey Blake: gone. Paul Byrd: gone. The Indians' house has been cleaned.
General Manager Mark Shapiro has traded every viable player (players on the way out who have value to an opponent) on the roster, which means tryouts for next year can continue without the distraction of further deal making.
''I got to the ballpark at about 2:30 and was walking around the clubhouse at a quarter to three,'' Byrd said. ''[Pitching coach] Carl Willis said, 'Put your shirt back on and go see [manager] Eric [Wedge].'
''I felt kind of ambushed, because I hadn't heard that anybody wanted me, nothing about the Red Sox. It's kind of an emotional moment.''
The benefit to the Tribe is not the player to be named, which doesn't have to be announced until Jan. 15, 2009. In fact, the Indians might take a token amount of cash from the Red Sox instead.
''It's not really about the player we get back,'' Shapiro said. ''It's about allowing us to make decisions concerning next season by seeing additional guys. It's also about getting Paul to a contender.''
Most important to Shapiro is the cash he will save, money that can be used to pay players next year or offset what was spent in the June draft, which apparently went over budget. The Red Sox will pay the remainder of Byrd's $7.5 million salary, about $1.98 million.
Reportedly, three teams were interested in acquiring Byrd because of recent injuries to their starters. Red Sox knuckleball-specialist Tim Wakefield is on the disabled list with tightness in his shoulder; the Chicago White Sox lost Jose Contreras for the season, and the New York Yankees don't know when Joba Chamberlin will pitch again because of a shoulder injury.
None of these clubs were willing to offer more than a marginal prospect for Byrd, and the White Sox and Yankees insisted the Tribe pay Byrd's salary. That made it an easy decision for Shapiro to opt for the deal that delivered the most dollars.
In his past five starts, Byrd has turned around his season by compiling a 1.80 ERA. Overall, he is 7-10 with a 4.43 ERA.
''Paul has done a good job for us the past three years,'' Wedge said. ''He won some big games, including in the postseason last year. He's had his ups and downs, but he turned it on lately. That's what allowed us to trade him and save a little bit of money.''
Byrd seemed comfortable in the Tribe clubhouse and often thrived after signing with the Indians before the 2006 season. Last year, he compiled a 15-8 record and was 2-0 in the postseason, beating the Yankees and Red Sox, who earned a berth in the World Series by taking the American League Championship Series four games to three.
''It's a little ironic,'' he said. ''This is the team that beat us. I wasn't a big fan of the Red Sox in the offseason. It might take me a minute to put on that jersey.
''But since I was a little boy, I always wanted to win a World Series. Now that I can't do it here, I'll have a chance in Boston. I'm 37, and you only get so many chances. It will be nice to play for a team that has a shot.''
Byrd's first start will be Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, a team he defeated 4-2 Saturday.
Too early
Shapiro was quizzed about the possibility of Rafael Perez being awarded the job of closer next year.
''The type of performance he's given indicates that he can pitch late in games against the best hitters,'' he said. ''But you never know how a pitcher will be as a closer until he blows a save.''
It's clear that no decision on a closer will be made until well into the offseason. Several closers probably will be on the free-agent market, and a few might be available in a trade.
''One of our highest priorities is to find a closer in the offseason, if we can do it,'' said Shapiro, referring to a free-agent signing or a trade.
September callups
Shapiro said he and Wedge have begun talking about bringing up players from Triple-A Buffalo in September, but that no short list has been made.
One player likely to be invited to the party is a left-hander who has flown below the fans' radar. Rich Rundles, who was in big-league spring training camp, is 5-4 with four saves and a 3.13 ERA and has been lethal against Triple-A lefties.
Matt LaPorta probably won't be called up, nor is anyone else on the Aeros' roster likely to be summoned to the Indians.
Rotating rotation
Now that Byrd has been traded, the Tribe needs a starter for Thursday and beyond.
Most likely, Aaron Laffey will be called up from Buffalo, though Wedge won't announce his choice until today. There is a chance David Huff might make his big-league debut this week, but probably not.
Believe it
Since June 1, the Indians are sixth in runs scored among all major-league teams. The list: Texas Rangers (367), Baltimore Orioles (359), White Sox (344), Detroit Tigers (336), Minnesota Twins (330), Tribe 328.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: C.C. Sabathia: gone. Casey Blake: gone. Paul Byrd: gone. The Indians' house has been cleaned.
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