MVN: Most Valuable Network

Would the Cleveland Indians be willing to trade catcher and team leader Victor Martinez if the return could net the Tribe with the biggest gain?

First off, let me just get this off my chest...I'm not insane.  Understand that I am aware that most people who are insane quite often say they aren't.  I can't deny that it's not a possibility.  The reality is that I'm just sick of talking about the same ole' same ole every weekend.  Instead, let's speculate a bit, and take a look at the possibility of dealing VMart, why, and what it could net us in return.  Don't worry Tribe Fan, I'll get to the realities of the situation in a bit.

The Indians have numerous documented needs as Mark Shapiro wades through the offseason free agent and trade market.  Depending on who you listen to, the Tribe is right in the middle of several rumors involving players we have been discussing here at Tribe Report for the better part of a year.  The buzz is centering around infield help (Hank Blalock, Garrett Atkins, Dan Uggla, Brian Roberts and Mark Teahan), starting rotation assistance (Scott Olsen, Braden Looper, Mark Mulder and Jon Garland) and aid in the bullpen (Kevin Gregg, Huston Street and Jason Isringhausen).  Unfortunately, the Indians have millions of offseason desires, but not nearly the equal millions in the terms of dollars to go out and get the players they need, unless they can work out a trade.

With nearly everyone mentioning Kelly Shoppach as the player most likely to be dealt by the Indians for a high return, could Victor Martinez bring in an even bigger haul?  The real question is could the Indians remain a viable playoff threat by dealing away Martinez instead of Shoppach?

There are two cases that could be made (I'm sure a lot more for and against) that Martinez is the better option to trade, as opposed to Kelly Shoppach.


What's to say about Victor Martinez?  When healthy, he can easily make a case for being one of the top catchers in the league.  I don't have to spell out his offensive talents.  He's a middle-of-the-order juggernaut, who's good for 20 homers and over 100 RBI.  Defensively, nobody has worked harder over the past three years to transform from a below average catcher to something much better than average in both calling a game and throwing out runners.  He still has a questionable arm, but with better planning and footwork, has begun throwing runners out.  Victor Martinez also brings several intangibles to the table that can't be measured here.  There's no doubt that VMart has become the clubhouse leader.

Kelly Shoppach started off as just another name in the Andy Marte for Coco Crisp deal.  The funny thing about Shoppach was that he was a top five prospect for the Sox at the time of the trade.  Boston didn't see the need in having a catching prospect so ready for the majors with Jason Varitek manning the position with the big league club, so he was an easy throw in to get the deal done (ironic that the Indians were in a similar position with VMart at the time, and the Sox are now one of the teams likely to call on the Indians for a catcher).

Shoppach has always shown better-than-average leadership skills in calling a game, an above-average arm, and has good footwork behind the dish.  That's what made him a top prospect for Boston.  No, Shoppach isn't likely to turn into a .300 hitter any time soon, but he has always shown better-than-average power when he's been given opportunity to swing the bat.  He hit 21 dingers in only 352 at bats last year for the Indians when Martinez went down with injury.  Sure, he's always struck out a bit too much, but along with his power numbers in the minors, Shoppach seems to have 30-40 home runs-a-year written all over him if given the at bats.  He's most certainly a commodity not many teams have as a starter, let alone as a backup.

The Indians also have two guys that will be playing in Columbus who could both provide solid backstop skills in the short term should the Indians need it.  Wyatt Toregas has above average defensive skills.  He's one of those tenacious guys that could become a lifelong backup, and could start in spots.  Chris Gimenez may be slightly higher up on the charts than Toregas offensively, but is certainly less as a defensive player.  Gimenez will likely find himself as a utility guy somewhere, as he can play both third, first and the outfield as well.

The guy that everybody is waiting for is Carlos Santana (how long until we are sick of hearing guitar references every time someone outside Cleveland mentions his name).  Santana was the guy that the Indians stole away from the Dodgers in the Casey Blake deal.  Santana has one of those seasons in the minors that legends are made from.  Santana hit .326 with 21 homers and 117 RBI for the season, walked 89 times with only 86 K's, and an impressive .999 OPS.  His defense is lacking, but all the scouts project him to become an adequate catcher at the very least.  Think Victor Martinez.  He's likely more than a year away from playing in the majors, but he's certainly the future of the position.

Even though it's not entirely unreasonable to think that the Indians can't replace Victor Martinez behind the plate as both a catcher and a leader.  Obviously, there would be a drop off offensively in several ways.  Shoppach is a classic #5 or below hitter, while VMart can fill in the holes anywhere from 2nd to 5th in the order.  Martinez has also been one of the most clutch hitters in baseball over the past five seasons.

I've heard some folks make the argument about Martinez turning 30, and that being the beginning of the end for many catchers.  I actually don't disagree with that line of thinking for most catchers, but 30 being the 'Children of the Corn" number for catchers is a bit of a myth at this point.  With catchers such as Ivan Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Mike Piazza being effective long after they turned 30, it's hard to think that a guy like Martinez wouldn't be able to continue being productive for the next several years.

It becomes even less of a factor when you consider the fact that Shoppach will turn 29 in April.

At the end of the day, I wouldn't NOT look at any deal.  Shoppach would be the guy I would shop around.  If someone called me up and asked for VMart, I certainly would listen.  Who knows what rewards a bigger deal could reap.

There's not really much to mention in the rags this week.  Hoynes did address the catcher position this week.  I don't know that it's anything that any of us haven't heard today.

Congrats goes out to Grady Sizemore this week, for winning his second gold glove in a row.

Watch out for fat lefties in the rearviewmirror, you might get run over on his way out of town.