A question for the Indians
Why is Andy Marte not playing every day? He'll only get better with at-bats at the Major league level. And yet, Wedge is resisting, as if playing Aaron Boone three times a week is:
A) An upgrade
B) A chance to give Marte a much needed break. How does someone recover from three straight games anyway?
Of course, this is a guy who believes the world will end if Travis Hafner even looks at a baseball glove, as if Hafner could be any worse at first as Victor Martinez is at catcher.
posted by Zach @ 9:31 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
I'm thinking that, since they apparently couldn't move Boone at the deadline, they are currently trying to get their (wasted) money's worth.
If all else fails, Boone will probably be designated for assignment this month. Ideally, the Indians would like to move him in a waiver deal, even if it's for peanuts. Boone's not great, but he's not horrible either. Teams will be interested, but I'm imagining they'd want the Indians to retain a portion of his salary. That might hang up a deal.
I also still think the Indians are fretting over what Marte does. If he even starts to look like a bust, Shapiro's reputation is a stake. He stuck his neck out in trading Coco Crisp, and Marte was the reason. So they are trying to curb anticipation by pretending Marte is just getting his feet wet right now, even though he played 20-odd games for the Braves last year.
As far as Hafner goes, it's pretty widely circulated that he has an arthritic elbow that prevents him from throwing the ball well. I don't think it's a case of Hafner chomping at the bit to play first and Wedge keeps saying "no." I just don't think Hafner's that interested in playing first. He is a rare guy who likes the DH role.
Besides, I'd rather play Martinez at first, where his defensive deficiencies can better be masked, and play the far more defensively competent Kelly Shoppach behind the plate. If Shoppach can even hit .270, I'd have no problem with that as an everyday arrangement next season.
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