#justin masterson

Ok, I will keep this short and bitter, much like his starts this year. Justin Masterson has proven nearly completely ineffective and painful to watch this season.

I’m not going to dwell on records, but his velocity has dropped by nearly 4mph (big dip) as has his control. His era is over 5.0, barely ever turns in anything close to a quality start (6 innings pitched, 3 or less earned runs) and he is giving up home runs.

Now, is this an Ace worthy of #1 Starter money? Hardly. Honestly, Trevor Bauer seems to have a higher upside right now.

Is Masterson hurt? Maybe he too needs TJ surgery? That’s at least an honorable excuse for these trashy performances.

But hey, this is a great example of the gamble pitchers in their free agent year take. For Masterson (and sadly the Tribe), it doesn’t look like he is up to the pressure.

Maybe we’ll get to keep him at a discount now. I just wish it wasn’t at the price of winning.

(I am aware that Justin Verlander went through similar struggles last year but let us not forget he had already won an MVP and Cy Young Award and bounced back pretty fast…Masterson is no Verlander.)

The Cleveland Indians are making the right moves in terms of signing Catcher Yan Gomes, LF Michael Brantley, and now Jason Kipnis to long term deals.

Gomes (signed for 6 years) is the first native Brazilian in the Majors and was a complete surprise, considering he was signed as a no-name minor leaguer after coming over in an under-the-radar trade with the Blue Jays last season. Not only did he hit above league average, he threw out slightly over 40% of potential base stealers.

Brantley (signed for 5 years) is a bit of a different story. He came to Cleveland as this seemingly random “player to be named” from the Brewers for Tribe ace CC Sabathia. Brantley’s versatility and simplistic yet extremely effective swing has produced very steady (yet always improving) performance each year. As they say, there is a reason he is called Dr. Smooth. He is also killer in the clutch and with men in scoring position.

Kipnis (signed for 6 years) is by far my favorite signing though. Here is an All Star middle infielder who is hits above average, can run, is defensively solid, and a genuine dirt dog on and off the field. He personifies everything the Tribe wants in its clubhouse and on the field day in and day out.

But why are these signings significant? The answer to that is multifaceted.

First, signing promising young talent long term early on in their careers is a way of life for low or mid market ball clubs; it shows stability and commitment by both players and upper management.

Second, with the arbitration system designed as it is, fewer young players with extreme promise are willing to commit too quickly (a philosophy no doubt influenced by their agents)…simply because a player could go from earning $300k a year to over $10mil just through arbitration; by that time, there is no practical way for teams with financial restrictions to sign them as free agents.

Thirdly, signing the players that are on the field each and every day is how you win. Simply put, you win by grinding every win out…and that is the kind of ball club the Indians are…granted it sometimes feels like I’m getting a heart attack watching it but still.

One player you don’t see me writing about is Justin Masterson. Well, that’s because, for all his talk about how “someway somehow he will be an Indian for years to come,” I don’t believe it. He is a good guy, yes and genuine. But here’s the rub on Masterson: his numbers, when broken down, are league-average and he has largely been inconsistent in output. He is a hugely positive influence on the strive, be him alone won’t draw players to Cleveland and, let’s say the Indians manage to win half the games Masterson starts, that’s what? 16-17 games? Not enough bang for the buck. Time of course will tell if Masterson changes his position.

For now (and years to come), give me the dirt dogs!

Go Tribe!

Alright, so it is clear that A LOT of you have fallen for Justin Masterson and his agent’s PR campaign. I am an Indians fan and I did not.

Masterson is a good guy but he is playing everyone for the same reason so many athletes always do, which is to get a fat paycheck for throwing a ball. For all his talk (and  a great Spring Training), he has forgotten that contract negotiations are exactly that, an exchange. Here is an equation that he seems to think works:

I make an offer = accept my offer because I am a good guy…or I walk.

Well, we saw this with Jim Thome and I LOVED that guy. But no one is going to build a statue for Justin Masterson.  

…Quite frankly this formula of presenting a compromise which is in fact an ultimatum does not work. Get that? IT DOES NOT WORK! 

But before I make a villain out of him (or praise the Tribe’s front office, which I am not doing), I suggest that as Indians fans we take a deep breath and focus on this year. I want a World Series Title. You want a  World Series Title. All these contract rumors be damned. 

I mean, in the end, if we sign Masterson and still lose, I ask you, was it worth all the complaining? 

Obviously not. 

As of today there have been many reports about contract extensions talks between the Indians and ace Justin Masterson being put on hold. Along these reports, lots of reporters are asking why this is the case, with a heavy emphasis on the Tribe being unfair. Well, the reason for their trepidation should be obvious.

First of all, with not a single criticism of Masterson, the contract proposal (around a 3-4 year deal, roughly averaging 17mil to start), is indeed a discount as far as years but not dollars. If you consider the relative worth of draft pick compensation and the financial package associated with it, that’s still a lot if money for a small or mid level team…and he is still one pitcher who starts once a week.

Ignore that if you want. It is easy to argue the Tribe’s frugal nature…lots of examples there…especially when considering the former greats CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee. I will note however that both those players won the Cy Young while with the Indians and therefore had a very solid foundation to request longer and more lucrative contracts.

But consider this…how many important pitchers this Spring alone have had to undergo Tommy John Surgery? I’ve lost count so let’s say at least six. The Indians simply cannot afford to tie up the kind if money in a type of player who doesn’t play every day and might well get injured (despite his stellar health so far). Frankly a 2-3 year deal (what was reported was the Indians’ counter offer) makes sense and I sincerely hope Masterson will consider it.

Because of the smaller market limitations of the Indians, long term decisions must be by necessity very strategic. If given the choice, I would rather that kind of commitment be handed to Jason Kipnis…and those talks are happening. After all, Kipnis plays every day and just keeps getting better. Not a household name yet but he will be.

For all of his high talk regarding the Indians and Terry Francona, Masterson committed a fairly significant mistake by trying to paint the Indians ownership as the bad guys…well, only bad if they refuse his proposal. Negotiations are exactly that…an exchange of dollars and years, a back and forth process. Masterson violated this concept, at least as far as how the Indians conduct business…which is outside the public eye. The talks surrounding Kipnis, however, have been very quiet and from what I gather respectful.

As an Indians fan, I want them to keep Masterson and Kipnis, but if I had to choose, I want the gritty guy who works his ass off on the field and at the plate every day for 9 innings.

So where does that leave Masterson? Same place it should. If he wants to stay, work with the Indians on their terms, at least publicly. And if he signs, he signs, if not, well, we’ve been there before and I believe the Tribe will get along just fine one way or the other.

The Yankees agreement with Tanaka (7 years, $155mil) is insane. Ok, the kid is 25 years old and was undefeated last season in Japan, but guaranteeing anyone over $22.1mil per season when he has never pitched in the major leagues is simply reckless and vaguely desperate (anyone remember Irabu?). NY might well regret this contract. I hope they are prepared for at least two eventualities: 1) growing pains and 2) an increased HR rate and ERA once hitters figure this junk baller out. I don’t use the term negatively, but Tanaka needs to make serious adjustments in terms of consolidating his pitches in order to achieve long term success in MLB. I wish Tanaka well, but there is no doubt this contract is excessive (obviously meant to appease the Japanese league, who feel they are often treated like MLB farm teams) and will put long term deals for players like Justin Masterson out of range for most mid market teams. This is NOT a good day for the game, with all respect to Tanaka.