Choo-Choo gone?

Could Choo be on his way out of Cleveland?
I think that might be the Indians best option.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons 

If the right deal comes along, the Indians should trade Shin-Soo Choo.

I honestly didn't think this would even be on the table back in March or April, but the time has come and I'll tell you why.

After defeating Justin Verlander on Thursday, the Indians fell flat on their faces, getting swept in their three game series in Minnesota.

And that's putting it politely.

The Twins outscored the Indians 28-6. For those of you who don't like subtraction, that's a "diff" of -22. Numbers like that in a three game series are nothing short of pathetic.

Of course, that means the starters' ERA for this series was an abhorrent 11.81. Josh Tomlin has been downright awful in his last eight outings with a 2-5 record and a 7.02 ERA, and he was dismal in game one giving up eight runs (all earned) on 10 hits in 4.0 innings. Ouch.

Derek Lowe didn't pitch in this series, but he's been just as bad over his last 12 starts, going 2-8 with a 7.59 ERA. Justin Masterson came on and crapped out in game two, and Ubaldo Jimenez had a forgettable performance in game three.

And then the offense... The Indians scored three meaningful runs all weekend—one in each game. Sure, they scored five runs in Saturday's contest, but four of those were scored in the eighth and ninth innings when the game had long been decided—what I like to call Garbage Time.

And manager Manny Acta also had a terrible series, leaving his players out to dry by refusing to argue at least three blown calls. What frustrated me the most about Acta, though, is that he had the nerve to say that the calls were blown after the game on Saturday (not to mention the bad call on Sunday with Asdrubal Cabrera tagging out a would-be base stealer that wasn't called out).

Look, if the calls were blown, the manager should at least go out there and have a conversation with the umpire. I don't need a guy to kick dirt, or make a spectacle out of the whole thing, but if you think the umps blew the call, go tell them. Immediately! Don't wait till the half-inning, or when you're talking to the press to air your grievances.

But I digress. The real question with all this is how in the wide, wide world of sports did the Indians play so poorly after such a nice solid against Detroit?

Well, the answer lies in the numbers. At the end of the game today, STO presented these stats in a graphic and I hope you all don't mind if I hit you with them now.

The Indians since the All-Star break...
Games: 17
Record: 6-11
Runs Per Game: 3.0
Games of 3 runs or less: 13
Batting Average: .229
Starters ERA: 6.33
Runs Scored: 51 (Worst in AL)

Had enough yet?

I know I've been as loud as anyone about the team scoring three runs or less, but the problem is that this is not just a second half trend. The Indians overall record is 50-52. They're just 27-25 at home, 23-27 on the road. Their run differential is -66—an alarming stat for any team trying to contend. And now they've fallen to six games out of the AL Central, and 5.5 games out of the second Wild Card spot.

Not to mention that in 49 of their 102 games overall, they've scored three runs or less.

Think about that, in nearly half of their games, the Indians have not scored more than three runs! And this is supposed to be an AL team! I've been an Chris Antonetti/Mark Shapiro apologist for years, but the way they put this team together with shoe strings and gum is absurd.

And that is why at this point in the season, with the team playing as poorly as it is, it's time to sell. Obviously, veterans like Lowe and Johnny Damon should go. Casey Kotchman is expendable as well—same with Jose Lopez and Shelly Duncan. But here's where we come back to the beginning of this here post with the idea of trading Shin-Soo Choo.

I'm a big Choo fan, and I honestly think the Indians should do their damnedest to re-sign him after the 2013 season. But, based on the team's track record, I have absolute no faith that they'll even try. Thus, it's time for the Indians to do what they do best and fleece other teams out of their quality prospects.

The rumor circulated today that the Pirates are interested in Choo, but would have to deal Starling Marte to make the deal work. If the Pirates call up the Indians willing to make that deal, the Indians have got to seriously consider it.

Marte is 23, bats right handed,  and is a pretty electric player in the outfield. He was called up on Thursday and immediately made an impact, drilling the first pitch he saw in Houston out of the park. If the Indians can get this guy, they'd be foolish not to explore the possibility.

But because Choo wouldn't just be a rental, I don't think it would be unreasonable for the Indians to want a pitcher out of the deal as well. And it can't just be some far away prospect, I'm talking about a good AAA pitcher. Yes, 2011 No. 1 overall pick Garret Cole is also in the Pirates system, but I don't think Choo is worth all that much. I'd be plenty happy with Jeff Locke, and I could settle for Justin Williams. Both of those guys are 24, and have continued to show progress throughout their minor league careers. One of them must be included in any deal with the Pirates for Choo, and I'd expect Antonetti to stipulate that.

I keep saying this team was put together with shoe strings and gum, and I really do believe it. The inconsistency has turned into Garbage Baseball, and after getting swept by the Twins, it seems the season is all but over. As unfortunate as it is, it's time to sing a little Goodnight Irene and get a good deal for a very good player.

~MAS