Morning Update: Cleaning Up the Business

I've got some stuff to clean-up from the past few days, hell past week really.

I could have done it yesterday, but I was in my usual post-work day laziness.

With the All-Star break happening tomorrow, the blog will be very calm for the next three-four days. I'll be subject to using twitter a lot.

Good news is that excel finally cooperated with me long enough to update the boards and that is now done.

Unfortunately, while my laptop is being fixed, I couldn't get Photoshop on this computer so editing Rafael Betancourt's cap counter is going to be impossible until next week, if I can even get Photoshop on it, if they have to reformat.

So this is sad news.

But I can still type, so that's what's going to happen.

Let's start with last night's game and get all the good news out of the way first.

Carl Pavano was rockin' for eight innings against the Tigers. A refreshing win to have, despite Kerry Wood's near meltdown.

The debate will now begin, trade Pavano while the price is high, or keep him and sign him to a decent deal? And before you ask, the media already did and Pavano knows.

"I understand it's a business. I understand at this time of year, things might be out there. I still have to get ready every fifth day to pitch and win ballgames regardless of where I am."

And Pavano is starting to get used to this whole pitching more often thing. With those injuries, it's safe to say his conditioning wasn't quite used to all this work. Lately, he's been feeling better and the break coming up here should help that too.

"I've got a lot of innings for the volume I've had over the [four] years," said Pavano. "Those extra days have definitely helped me. . .my volume is getting up there and they're, in a way, protecting me."

"Skip made that decision," said Pavano. "I wanted to finish the ballgame, but I think it was the wise decision. We've got a closer down there that throws 98 mph with some of the best stuff in the league. So give him the ball."

So what do I do with Pavano? I'm still not sure. I like the guy. He's pretty cool and he does a good job out there. He pitches the way I want all my pitchers to pitch. He doesn't dilly-dally and last night he worked that strategy to a T the way he threw first pitch strikes to just about everyone.

What would you get for the guy anyway?

I would also assume that when the season ends and he's still on this team and the Indians want to re-sign him, that he would go easy as far as the money is concerned considering this team took a chance on him when no one else would.

Plus that whole injury concern thing, it's still there.

Another name to float out there in possible trades, is surprisngly, to me at least, is Jhonny Peralta.

At the start of the year, I exclaimed that Peralta was a huge key to success, because he carried this team last year, offensively, and he's one of the more clutch hitters we have.

However I've been searching for a word for Peralta's 2009...and Terry Pluto has hit it.

Slogging.

I'm not sure, but it fits. Disappointing isn't the right word because we've seen this performance from Peralta before, but we haven't seen him do it for the reasons he has been.

While I agree the Indians mis-handled the move to third, that is no excuse for Peralta to pout like this.

Would you trade JP?

The value isn't right, so no, and we don't have any better answer for third for next year, unless Andy Marte comes up in place of Peralta and continues to hit the cover off the ball.

But remember the last time we did that?

I did forget Wes Hodges, but his injury has slowed that boat down, and Lonnie Chisenhall looks more like the future third baseman at this point the way he's been swinging the bat. Hodges glove leaves much to be desired and he looks more like a trading chip than a possible option to me. What he looks to the Indians, I'm unaware.

Back to Marte though...

Pluto says it would be crazy to not give him a shot.

Marte is crushing righties, something he had an issue with at the big league level. He's also continued his solid defensive play and to me, it looks like the fact that 29 teams passed on him has sort of motivated him to get himself right.

Part of me wants to give him a shot, and that part also says that whatever value he has worked up, still ultimately isn't worth the same amount if Marte were to make it in the majors and hit very well. I'd much rather take the latter than whatever scrub we get in return for him. While he has increased his value, how much has really increased it? Would we really get much in return?

The other part of me worries more for Wedge actually playing him rather than the trade value decreasing. I mean if we call him up and give him four-games a week, I just remember Wedge doing that with LaPorta.

Jhonny Peralta in all-likelihood will still be on the roster and that's enough for Wedge to not give Marte that shot that the Indians should.

If Peralta wasn't such a fragile mind, I'd use one of his two option years and try and do what they did to Carmona as sort of a reality check. But I know that would just screw Peralta up permanently and there would be no coming back from that.

All in all though, the trade talks will ultimately start and end with Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez. Both are considered to be safe, unless the Indians are overwhelmed, but that doesn't stop fans and media-folk from speculating, especially ones outside of Cleveland.

I don't think I really have to address this again do I?

Kelly Shoppach would be the catcher I deal. He's not worth the nearly 3 million dollars he could earn next year.

Moving swiftly along, someone questioned in that Hey Hoynsie article about Hafner playing so little for being a guy who "just hits 3-4 times a game."

"I want to play as much as I can, but I don't know what to expect," said Hafner before Saturday's game against Detroit. "We'll see how it goes. The more I can play the better, but I can't predict what's going to happen."

"We're hoping to push him through these three games before the break," said manager Eric Wedge. "That would be progress. ... These baby steps will continue to help him move forward."

Be easy with the big Pronk. His mere presence every time he's in the lineup is enough for me. He's starting to get the breaks now as well. Last night's two-RBI single was typically something that got caught the past year or two. He hit the ball right how you want to hit that ball and it landed perfectly.

Last year, it would have been caught, even though he hit it right.

And that type of hit shows the philosophy he's taking, by going the other way like he used to and then pull the balls that are inside. It's working perfectly and the fear of the pitchers is starting to come back and that equals walks and better pitches for other hitters.

What about Rafael Betancourt being traded? I still offer him arbitration at the end of the year and hope he gets draft pick compensation rather than deal him for some middling prospect.

That CastroTurf brings up several more issues I need to poke my head on.

1. Jeremy Sowers: I would have moved him to the bullpen like I've previously said. There's nothing left for him to prove in a Triple-A rotation. He's a twice through the order pitcher at this stage of his career.

2. Rafael Perez: Back to Columbus. He still hasn't turned it around and I'm starting to get concerned. Not long-term, but it's frustrating watching a guy who was once so dominant become the butt of jokes and be called garbage, when he's not.

3. Victor Martinez and Asdrubal Cabrera: Struggling rough lately.. I hope the break is enough for them, but Victor unfortunately has to play.

4. Ryan Garko: Kicking major ass, yes?

5. Hector Rondon: I forgot to mention this, but his debut for C-Bus this week was great. We'll be seeing him before the year is over, either in August or as a September Call-Up.

6. Winston Abreu: If he isn't decent by the end of July, I'm going wild on someone.

Scott Lewis won't need surgery. I'm sure he's relieved... I still don't think we'll see him for awhile though, if we see him at all the rest of this year. It's still going to be a month or so before he makes a rehab start.

Jake Westbrook is a different story, as he threw a bullpen session on Friday and will throw another on Monday. He could be back in a few weeks if things go right.

Finally... Fausto Carmona will make at least one more start at Columbus and he won't be in the Indians plans the first time around their rotation in the second half. That's something that seems to be certain about the Indians rotation, but Wedge won't reveal anything at all.

"He was good his first two innings, pretty good his last two innings and struggled in the middle three," said Wedge. "He came off his delivery a little bit. There were some good things and some things he needs to continue to work on.

"That's why he's down there. After where he's been, we figured he'd have to spend more time at the Triple-A level."

So the Carmona watch continues and I'm with it. Hopefully his next start looks better and we can get him up here. I'm anxious to get him back and get him right because he's still a huge part of this team.

Tomo Ohka finishes up what has been a stupid first half of the year against Justin Verlander. I'm sure the Tigers enjoy having Justin Verlander pitching today, this way he'll avoid the All-Star game and you could even use him twice in like three or four games. Maybe if Verlander can't pitch they'll add someone, maybe like, Cliff Lee, maybe?