Fanshots

If they had kept everybody at least for two more years [after 2007], I think we had a chance of...

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If they had kept everybody at least for two more years [after 2007], I think we had a chance of having a really good team. You look back on Cleveland and the only one that's left is Jake [Westbrook]. It's kind of sad to me.

C.C. Sabathia, idiot and baseball pitcher. The guy who thinks the team should have been kept together for two more years after 2007 is the one who first jumped ship a few months into his imaginary two-year "shoulda-kept-us-togther" time frame with his refusal to sign a contract extension. Am I missing something?

Best Batting Practice: Lonnie Chisenhall, 3b, Indians With a quick, compact stroke, Chisenhall has...

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Best Batting Practice: Lonnie Chisenhall, 3b, Indians With a quick, compact stroke, Chisenhall has one of the best pure swings in the minors. It wasn't a big surprise that he showed an efficient swing in BP and good plate discipline during the game, but one question scouts have had is how much power Chisenhall will have. So while Mike Moustakas (Royals) and Brown crushing balls over the fence in BP wasn't much of a shock, it was more surprising to see Chisenhall doing the same while generating excellent loft and backspin on several balls.

Ben Badler and John Manuel at BA from the Futures Game (free content)

GQ: The Best (and Worst) from MLB's Broadcast Booths

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Underwood/Manning come in as one of the five "worst" duos in MLB. At least they beat the Hawk and Stone.

Midwesterners are "mindless lemmings" simply thankful to have a team

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"Victorino seems confused by the strange way we (Philadelphians) tend to speak our minds. That happens a lot with athletes. [Philadelphia] isn't Green Bay or Milwaukee or some other Midwestern hamlet populated by mindless lemmings thankful that they simply have a pro team to cheer so they can escape another exciting night of cow-tipping. In Philly, life moves at a faster clip and the expectations are high. With that comes a certain edge and attitude, but that seems like a fair trade-off in exchange for genuine passion." -- John Gonzalez, Philadelphia Inquirer

Smoak is probably better than Matt LaPorta was at the time of the Brewers acquisition of CC...

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Smoak is probably better than Matt LaPorta was at the time of the Brewers acquisition of CC Sabathia in 2008, the gold standard of pitcher rental deals.

Jack Moore in an unremarkable analysis of the Lee deal. Quoting because: how schizo is the perception of the Sabathia/Lee deals?

Gimenez Up, Redmond DFA

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Chris Gimenez joins the team, and Redmond is sent packing. More power off the bench. Gimenez is not as bad as he showed last year, and he's no defensive wizard. Still, he'll only be behind the dish once per week. Make the most of it.

He's having a breakout year. You always want to have some real pleasant surprises in the Minors....

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He's having a breakout year. You always want to have some real pleasant surprises in the Minors. He's certainly been an overwhelming surprise of this year. He's been a prospect at times, but injuries have kind of prevented him from getting consistent playing time. It's certainly a breakout year for him offensively. Going forward, his defense is going to need to improve, particularly with us and where we are with our sinkerballers in rotation. But he's put himself on the map and is firmly on our radar.

Shapiro on Goedert (via Castrovince)

Clifton Phifer to NYY?

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It's getting close, apparently. Or is this just more ESPN hype? I really hope this doesn't happen today, at least. CLE fans have been through enough already this week.

Indians left-handed reliever Tony Sipp: "I think he's a young pitcher who has a chance to be more...

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Indians left-handed reliever Tony Sipp: "I think he's a young pitcher who has a chance to be more than a left-on-left guy. He can get right-handed hitters out, too. I could see him developing into a nice set-up man as he gains experience."

From Baseball Prospectus