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Alomar trade marks a new era for Tribe baseball
by: Shawn Griffin from SportsTerminal.com
Pg 1 of 1
 



Spring training has arrived. 

For the first time in the Jacobs Field era, the Cleveland Indians will attempt to transform themselves from a team relying on bashing the ball as far as possible to a club based on pitching and defense. The man in charge of this transformation? Mark Shapiro. 

Out of all of the trades made during the past baseball offseason, the one with the most passionate views on both sides was the Roberto Alomar trade. Conventional wisdom said the trade was a horrible one for the Tribe. Many Indians' fans agree with that assessment. Meanwhile, Mets fans rejoiced at the fact that a future Hall-of-Fame second baseman was added to their lineup. 

A closer look at this trade paints a more positive picture for the Tribe than first thought, in my opinion. 

Mark Shapiro's legacy will be based on the blockbuster trade of Robbie Alomar, Danny Peoples and Mike Bacsik to the Mets for Matt Lawton, Alex Escobar, right-hander Jerrod Riggan, left-hander Billy Traber and first baseman Earl Snyder.

Is this the beginning of the second phase of the new era for Indians baseball? Or will the Indians soon return to the days of Jerry "the Dibber" Dybzinski, Sid Monge, Tom Veryzer, Alan Bannister, Bill Nahoradny, Mike Fischlin, Rick Waits, Dan Spillner…the names fall of my tongue like cow brains off the mouths of Fear Factor contestants. Yuck. 

I think this deal will be looked at in the future as the signature move that put the Tribe on the road to what the fans of Cleveland crave so badly -- a World Series Championship. 

Shapiro showed the baseball world that he will not sit on the sidelines and let a somewhat frugal owner turn this team into a mediocre has-been. And Charles Dolan, whom I have criticized in the past, showed that although there will be some type of budgetary restrictions on this team, he will let his baseball people run the team without meddling into the affairs of something he doesn't know much about. This bodes very well for the future of this team. 

Count me on board this bandwagon before anything has been proven on the field. 

Why? To start off, let's take a closer look at the players in this deal and what they mean not just for the first few months of the 2002 season, but what they should mean for the next few years. 

Matt Lawton -- This veteran RF is a very patient hitter (something the Tribe lineup has not had in a long time) with gap power to all fields. He is effective against both left-handed and right-handed pitching and is considered a clutch-hitter. His high on-base percentage and speed would be fitting for the leadoff spot, but he can also bat second or third. Lawton's defense is above average and his speed allows him to play all of the outfield positions. Besides what he can do on the field, it is well-known that Lawton brings a great presence to the clubhouse -- again, something that the Tribe has been sorely lacking in the past. It's a good bet that Lawton won't have an entourage with him in the clubhouse, he won't break any thermostats, and he won't sulk when others on the team are getting credit. Overall, a solid guy to have on your team who does all of the little things necessary to put the team in the best position to win. He was signed to a four-year extension, so he's not going anywhere soon. 

Alex Escobar -- This young CF was on the top of the Mets' prospect list for the last few years. Why? Because has all the tools -- five of them, to be exact -- to be a superstar. Injuries have slowed his progress as he missed the 1999 season due to a back injury. When healthy, he has displayed above average power and speed. In 1998, with Single-A Capital City, he hit .310 with 27 homers, 91 RBI and 49 SB. At Double-A Binghamton in 2000, he hit .288 with 16 HR, 67 RBI and 24 SB. He already plays defense at an above-average major league level, according to most scouts. What does he need to learn? Patience at the plate. He's only 23 years old at this point. Half a season or a full season at Triple-A this year should help him take the talent he possesses and turn him into a big leaguer with tremendous ability. 

Billy Traber -- This young lefty was the Mets' first round pick in the 2000 draft. The Tribe would have taken him over Corey Smith had he still been on the board when they picked. He has a fastball in the 89-92 MPH range with a decent changeup and a good splitter. He moved up the Mets' system quickly, progressing at every level. Combining starts at Single-, Double-, and Triple-A, Traber was 10-9 with a 3.09 ERA in 151 and 1/3 innings. Scouts say he has good control and "mound presence." The latter cannot be taught. He will most likely start the season in Triple-A, but should progress to the big league rotation as a number two or three starter in the next couple years. Traber is considered a major upgrade over lefty Mike Bacsik, who the Tribe gave up in the deal. 

Jerrod Riggan -- It has been said that this 27-year-old relief pitcher was the hardest for the Mets to let go due to the fact that he was a key set-up man in their bullpen. Last season, in 47 and 2/3 innings, he had an ERA of 3.40 with 41 Ks and four holds. Due to the fact that Danys Baez is leaving the bullpen to be a starter, the Tribe needed an above-average bullpen arm to take his place. Riggan fills this role nicely. 

Earl Snyder -- This 25 year old hit .281 with 20 homers, 75 RBI, and 35 doubles in 2001 with Double A Binghamton. It was the third year in a row in which he hit at least 20 HR in the minor league system. He can play 1B, 3B or either of the corner OF positions. While he doesn't have the raw athletic talent that Escobar possesses, he is an upgrade over the guy the Tribe gave up in the deal, Danny Peoples.

Now let's look at the main person in the deal. 

We all know Robbie Alomar is a great player. You can't argue with that. But no matter how you spin it, he dogged it in last year's playoff series against the Mariners. The supposed "catalyst" of the Tribe offense batted .190 with five Ks. You have to question his competitiveness after such a sorry display. Also, during the past two offseasons, his brother Sandy and his buddy Juan Gonzalez were let go. This did not help his attitude in the clubhouse. With a couple years left on his contract, you can bet that he would either demand an extension or take it easy this year before playing for a contract next season. Let's face it -- Alomar was not going to single-handedly put this team on his back and bring a title home -- no matter how great a talent he is. 

Some fans thought that Omar Vizquel should have been traded instead of Alomar. Let's be honest here, he has been less than a hustler since 1997. But should they have traded him? I doubt it. There is no way they would have gotten the type of talent they received for Alomar in a Vizquel deal. 

Personally, my only problem with Shapiro thus far was his lack of foresight in allowing Gonzo to leave for a very medium-market friendly salary of 24 million for two years. As anybody would conclude, the current lineup with Gonzalez still in it would have been much more formidable. 

The Alomar deal had to be made, and Shapiro had the balls to do it. I congratulate him on this. It's about time that the Indians had a general manager on this team who made deals getting the best prospects from another team, rather than giving up top prospects for one guy. Is it just me or did John Hart make his last good trade in like 1993 or 1994? I mean, I have to give him credit for putting in place his vision to make this a winning team these last seven or eight years, but he wore out his welcome quickly in a string of horrid trades in the mid-1990s. Giles for Rincon. Casey for Burba. Karsay for Rocker. Those deals hurt. Badly. 

Bottom line? 

This was a bold move by a young, aggressive GM. If the rest of baseball thought that the Indians were through, Mark Shapiro has them reconsidering that notion. 

I can see it now…It's 2004, Escobar leads off and hits .300 with 25 homers and 55 SB…wins a gold glove…Matt Lawton bats second, is a team captain, hits .325…Snyder gets 300 ABs and hits 18 HR, Traber wins 15 games and has a sub 4.00 ERA as the number four starter…and Riggan is the set up man with an unhittable splitter…meanwhile, Robbie Alomar is 36 years old, demanding a 20 million dollar a year deal, then bolts the Mets, who made the playoffs but never advanced to the Series in 2002 or 2003….

Pipe dream? Maybe, but don't laugh. It definitely could happen.


See more of Shawn's columns at SportsTerminal.com!


Other Columns By Shawn Griffin

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