Wednesday, July 30, 2014

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.

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