Goodbye Cabby

today the Indians sent shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and cash to the Washington Nationals for infielder Zach Walters. it's another move that i have no problem with, but again, it is somewhat sad. Cabby was having a rough year, that's no secret. and it came at the worst time for him considering he was to become a free agent at the end of the season. he was making so many errors and struggling at the plate, and there was no way we were going to retain him after the year ended, so it's good that we got something for him now. but the guy was still trying hard every day and was a dedicated player. for that, i have respect.

after Cabrera heard the news he was traded. photo courtesy of Brian Dulik on twitter

Asdrubal had this to say after hearing the news. "i had fun here, you know. this is the team that gave me the opportunity to play at this level. those guys, my teammates, i'm leaving good guys. it's hard, but this is what it's about. that's the game."

i have fond memories of Cabby. i only got his autograph once, and currently have 4 unsigned Cabby baseball cards =( but i have taken tons of photos of him throughout his time in Cleveland when i was at games. i remember so many times when i'd catch Cabby looking into the crowd in between innings before the game would resume, and we definitely had some eye contact on more than one occasion. i like when that kinda thing happens with a player, i'm all about making a little connection lol Cabby's not a bad guy, he's just having a rough stretch, including a bad year this year. i truly believe the potential for him is still there. i've seen it, we all have. i watched him turn a lot of impressive double plays over the years. i was proud of him when he was named to the All Star team in 2011 and 2012, and of course i'll never forget how important of a role he played in getting us to the playoffs in 2007. it wasn't all bad with Cabby, and i'm thankful for the memories.

so good luck to Cabby with the Nats. maybe the change in scenery will help him turn things around and end his year on a high note. i wish him, his wife Lismar, his son Asdrubal Jr, his second son Meyer (he was the cutest kid of all the players' kids btw), and his daughter Ashley nothing but the best. and maybe someday the Indians will be drafting his son and it will be a happy reunion.


Walters is headed to the Columbus Clippers for now. he mostly plays short but he can also play 2nd and 3rd with potential to play the outfield. he's also a switch-hitter, just like Cabby. the plan is for Mike Aviles and Jose Ramirez to fill Cabby's spot at short for the time being. some fans i'm sure will be pissed that Francisco Lindor is not coming up yet, but i don't see any reason to rush the kid. the Indians' plan for him all along was to let him play a little bit in Columbus, and then bring him up in September. that wasn't going to change even if Cabby was traded. but if you know Tribe fans as well as i do, you can guess that there's a group of them who aren't pleased. some people will find anything to complain about even if something good just happened.

we were not going to acquire a top of the rotation starting pitcher for Cabrera after the way he played this year. think about it. at the end of the day, the 2 deals made in the past 2 days were done in order to get something for 2 free agents now, instead of nothing for them at the end of the year. no, these deals are not going to help us surge to the playoffs this season, but that's why there's still the August 31 deadline. chillax people.

Goodbye Nasty Masty

so news broke a little while ago that the Indians traded Justin Masterson to the St. Louis Cardinals and got prospect OF James Ramsey in return. this was a good move by the Indians. Masterson was not going to get re-signed with the Tribe after this season and at least now we got something in return for him. and this Ramsey guy has gotten some good reviews and high praise by baseball media. with the lack of OF depth in our farm system, this is a welcome addition. Ramsey will go to the Columbus Clippers and then if another one of our OFs gets hurt, he could get a call up to the Tribe.

but back to Masty. when Mickey Callaway lead Masterson into an office with the blinds closed and Terry Francona, Chris Antonetti, and Mark Shapiro waiting for him, he knew what was coming. "i said, 'uh oh. either i'm going to get beat, or i'm getting traded somewhere,'" Masterson said. "i was surprised it took place, but i understand and see it. it's bittersweet. i'm forever grateful for all that they've given me the chance to do within my career. i'm sad to leave the fellas and the fight that we're making here in Cleveland, but excited to get to St. Louis and be a part of what they have going on there."

i'm happy with this move, but it's sad at the same time. Masterson did not pitch well this year. we lost a lot of games in the beginning of the season thanks to his non-quality starts. i felt like something was wrong with him for a few months before it finally came out that he had been experiencing a knee problem since the 2nd game of the season. when the team put him on the DL and he did his rehabbing in Columbus, he still wasn't pitching well. despite the fact that he's shown in the past that he can pitch like an ace, i just didn't believe that he would turn things around and pitch well enough for us in the final 2 months of the season. so i don't view this as a loss to the team whatsoever. but it is a loss of a nice human being. he was such a polite person, always smiling no matter the situation. he was very positive, almost to a fault.

Masterson was the best Indians player when it came to fan interaction. he always signed autographs for fans. and he didn't just sign for a few people. he'd sign for every single person who wanted an autograph, no matter how many people were there. he'd go all the way down the fence in the players parking lot and sign, then he'd take more time and pose for photos. he'd go all down the 3rd baseline and sign for everyone who had something for him to sign. he was a great man. i've gotten his autograph several times while he was here and i'm happy that i did.

Nasty Masty was part of a lot of good times for the Tribe and he did do a lot of positive things in the past. so i'm sorry to see Justin go in that regard. but he hasn't been Nasty Masty in a while. he was too inconsistent for the team to keep putting out on the mound every 5 games. and that is unfortunate because i know a lot of fans really wanted him to perform better, but it just didn't happen. so thank you Justin for the memories. and i wish nothing but the best for him, his wife Meryl (the team's DEFINITELY gonna miss her free cookies lol), his daughter Eden Joy, and his baby twins, Nadia and Cruz. good luck in St. Louis!

one thing that Indians fans need to realize is that this trade is not the Indians giving up on the season or being "sellers." all Justin did was hurt the team this season to be frank. and with the way Tito was loyal to him, that didn't help either. so getting a team to trade something to us now instead of just letting him walk at the end of the season was the way to go. losing Masterson does not put our playoff hopes this year to an end. and honestly, i think the Indians would be wise to do the same thing with Asdrubal Cabrera, if any team can offer us anything of use. dealing Masterson and Cabrera now, at this point in time, as odd as it sounds, does not label the team as sellers. this isn't even close to a fire-sale. remember that. this season is far from over, and dropping the dead weight now does no further harm.