Eric Wedge Signs Contract Extension with Tribe
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Perhaps rewarding him for having what is arguably his best season at the helm, the Indians have extended manager Eric Wedge’s contract through 2010. While some are puzzled by this move, it comes at a time when the Indians are battling for first place in the toughest division in baseball, the American League Central. Wedge has helped the team rebound quite well from what was a very disappointing 78-win season in 2006.
The Indians have done plenty of things right so far in 2007, but what is more impressive is what the team has been able to accomplish in the face of adversity. Eric Wedge has kept this team competitive all season, despite the four-game snow-out in April, injuries to Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee, and the lack of production from free agent signings David Dellucci and Trot Nixon. Also, the offense has been clicking well all season, even as Travis Hafner has had his issues.
So, while some may ask “why are they doing it now?”, I would say “why not?” The team is performing well, possibly even above expectations in some people’s minds. GM Mark Shapiro constantly reiterates that he is intent on keeping the core group of players around, so why shouldn’t he keep the coach around as well? The players respond well to him and Wedge’s never-give-up mentality has certainly struck a chord in the clubhouse.
It’s a good move for the team, and yet another example of how Larry Dolan and Mark Shapiro kept their word about keeping key personnel.
The July 17, 2007 edition of The Plain Dealer (Cleveland) ran responses from readers about the extension of Eric Wedge. Naturally, there were positive reactions, but here are three of the more – interesting ones, followed by my reaction:
Mrtk31: “Another joke played on the fans! Maybe we should sell out a few games to show the Dolans how we feel. Do they not see empty seats? Do they not see constant baseball errors? Can anyone bunt? Wedge and GM Mark Shapiro can both go – but who to replace them?”
- Exactly, who would replace these guys? Do you know how valuable it is to have a GM and a coach who are on the exact same page? Would you rather have a coach who could not care less what the GM or anyone in the front office thinks, thus causing needless confrontations and headaches? And the empty seats? That’s not because fans are protesting against the team; it’s because the fan base for the Tribe is slowly dipping to an embarrassing level. After all, here is a winning team that we can all get behind and yet, no one is coming. The Indians are not the best defensive team, but they are serviceable and, if you have not noticed, the bunting has actually improved. It’s not like they sit on their thumbs all day wondering what to do – they work on this stuff, trust me.
Kapustnik: “…Agree with comments about Wedge’s mishandling of Fausto Carmona, not only this year, but last year, sticking him in the closer’s role after the Bob Wickman trade. Lucky he didn’t destroy the kid’s psyche completely. Nearly did the same thing with Ryan Garko after he had 36 RBI in 37 games last season: tried to bury him at Buffalo this spring, so his patron Shapiro could play Andy Marte in order to justify the trade. Not a particularly smart or fair manager if you ask me.”
- Okay, so Fausto Carmona as the closer was a failed experiment. That doesn’t mean he was mishandled this season. At the start of the year, the Tribe had five starters that they were set on: C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee, Paul Byrd, and Jeremy Sowers. Carmona got his chance after the injury bug hit the rotation and he took advantage of it. Everyone with the Indians knew he was capable of pitching this well; it’s just that they did not have room for him at the time. Besides, with Jeremy Sowers pitching so poorly, Fausto would have gotten his chance anyway.
As for Ryan Garko, so what if he had 36 RBI in 37 games? See that? It’s only 37 games. That is a very miniscule part of the season, so it was impossible to gauge what Garko was capable of at that point. Sure, it was a good sign, but the Indians were not willing to just give Garko a roster spot without further evaluation. Again, the Indians gave a guy a chance and he took advantage of it. Would you be complaining about how the Tribe handled him if Garko was hitting .220?
mac15665: “I guess the Tribe forgot about Wedge pushing Shapiro about to jettison Brandon Phillips, who is playing like an All-Star in Cincinnati…”
- Brandon Phillips is a good player and there is no doubt about that. However, he never would have succeeded in Cleveland. In order for him to develop into an All-Star caliber player, he needed a change of scenery. He got his chance here and ran out of options. By the way, just how many All-Star games has Phillips played in?
One thing is for sure: Cleveland fans are passionate. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion about the contract extension of Eric Wedge, but it was the right move. Believe it or not, this is still a young team – how many teams get to stay together for this long? Rest assured, it will pay off in the long run.
