How the 2013 Cleveland Indians Roster was Assembled

The Cleveland Indians had themselves quite an offseason and the makeup of the 2013 roster looks very different from that of the 2012 team. Gone from the 2012 Opening Day roster are Tony Sipp, Rafael Perez, Jairo Asencio, Dan Wheeler, Jeanmar Gomez, Josh Tomlin, Derek Lowe, Travis Hafner, Shin-Soo Choo, Casey Kotchman, Shelley Duncan, Aaron Cunningham, Jose Lopez, and Jack Hannahan.

The Cleveland Indians compiled their 2013 Opening Day roster through a variety of different means and as they open play against the Toronto Blue Jays their roster will be a man short in order to accommodate Carlos Carrasco‘s six-game suspension. After the home opener against the New York Yankees on April 8 the final 25-man roster will be set and will be comprised of four players drafted by the Tribe, four minor-league free agents, four major league free agents, and 13 players who were acquired in trades.

This offseason seemed to have one exciting move after the other starting with the announcement on October 6, 2012 that the team had hired Terry Francona as their manager. From that point forward a systematic approach to filling the team’s voids was undertaken and the result was a flurry of moves that made the normally arduous off-season a wee bit more tolerable. Here’s a mapping of all the deals and connections that helped to build the 2013 Tribe.

David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Homegrown Players:

• Vinnie Pestano: drafted in the 20th round (No. 611 overall) of the 2006 draft
• Jason Kipnis: drafted in the 2nd round (No. 63 overall) of the 2009 draft
• Lonnie Chisenhall: drafted in the first round (No. 29 overall) of the 2008 draft
• Cody Allen: drafted in the 23rd round (No. 689 overall) of the 2011 draft

Free Agent Signings:

• Mark Reynolds signed as a major league free agent on December 18, 2012
• Nick Swisher signed as a major league free agent on January 3, 2013
• Brett Myers signed as a major league free agent on January 4, 2013
• Scott Kazmir signed as a minor league free agent on January 8, 2013
• Ryan Raburn signed as a minor league free agent on January 21, 2013
• Rich Hill signed as a minor league free agent on February 7, 2013
• Jason Giambi signed as a minor league free agent on February 9, 2013
• Michael Bourn signed as a major league free agent on February 15, 2013

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Standard Trades: (Short Trade Strings)

• Asdrubal Cabrera was acquired from the Seattle Mariners on June 30, 2006 for Eduardo Perez.
• Michael Brantley was acquired along with Matt LaPorta, Rob Bryson, and Zach Jackson from the Milwaukee Brewers on July 7, 2008 in exchange for CC Sabathia (1998: first round, No. 20). Brantley was the player to be named later in the deal and was sent to the Indians on October 3, 2008.
• Carlos Santana was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers along with Jon Meloan on July 26, 2008 in exchange for Casey Blake (Indians paid the remaining $3 million on Blake’s 2008 contract).
• Justin Masterson and Nick Hagadone (along with Bryan Price) were acquired from the Boston Red Sox on July 31, 2009 for Victor Martinez (international free agent signed July 15, 1996).
• Ubaldo Jimenez was acquired from the Colorado Rockies on July 31, 2011 in exchange for for Drew Pomeranz (2010: first round, No. 5), Alex White (2009: first round, No. 15), Joe Gardner (2009: 3rd round, No. 94), and Matt McBride (2006: second round, No. 75; supplemental pick for loss of free agent Scott Elarton).
• Mike Aviles along with Yan Gomes were acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays on November 3, 2012 in exchange for Esmil Rogers (purchased from Colorado Rockies on June 12, 2012.)
• Drew Stubbs (along with Didi Gregorious) was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds on December 11, 2012 for outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Donald, and cash. Choo was acquired from the Seattle Mariners along with reliever Shawn Nottingham on July 26, 2006 in exchange for first baseman Ben Broussard. The Indians acquired Broussard from the Cincinnati Reds on July 7, 2002 in exchange for Russell Branyan (1994: 5th round, No. 185).
• Bryan Shaw, Matt Albers, and Trevor Bauer were acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on December 11, 2012 in exchange for Didi Gregorious (see above), Tony Sipp (2004 45th round) , and Lars Anderson. Anderson had been acquired from the Boston Red Sox on July 31, 2012 in exchange for Steven Wright (2006: second round, No. 56; supplemental pick for loss of free agent Kevin Millwood).

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Complex Trades: (Longer Trade Strings)

• Chris Perez (along with Jess Todd were acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals on July 27, 2009 in exchange for Mark Derosa. The trade string for Chris Perez goes back quite a long way. DeRosa was acquired from the Chicago Cubs on December 31, 2008 for Chris Archer (2006: fifth round, No. 161), John Gaub (2006: 21st round, No. 641), and Jeff Stevens. Stevens was acquired from the Cincinnati Reds on June 13, 2006 as the player to be named later for infielder Brandon Phillips, who had been traded to the Reds on April 7, 2006. Phillips was acquired along with Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Lee Stevens from the Montreal Expos on June 27, 2002 in exchange for Bartolo Colon (international free agent signed on June 26, 1993) and Tim Drew (1997: first round, No. 28).
• Lou Marson and Jason Donald’s roots can be traced back the same way. The Philadelphia Phillies sent both to Cleveland along with Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp on July 29, 2009 in exchange for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco (2002: fifth round, No. 164). Lee was acquired from the Expos along with Sizemore, Phillips, and Stevens in exchange for Colon and Drew.
• Finally, the doozy: Joe Smith came to Cleveland as part of a 12-player, three-team deal on December 11, 2008 (trade details here). Smith was traded to Cleveland from the New York Mets along with Luis Valbuena (from the Mariners) in exchange for Franklin Gutierrez. Gutierrez had been acquired from the Dodgers on April 3, 2004 along with Andrew Brown in exchange for Milton Bradley. Bradley had been acquired from the Expos on July 31, 2001 in exchange for Zach Day. Day had been acquired from the New York Yankees on June 29, 2000 along with Ricky Ledee and Jake Westbrook for David Justice. Justice came to Cleveland from the Braves on March 25, 1997 along with Marquis Grissom in exchange for Kenny Lofton and Alan Embree (1989: fifth round, No. 125). Lofton had been acquired from the Houston Astros on December 10, 1991 along with Dave Rhode in exchange for Willie Blair and Ed Taubensee. Blair was dealt to the Indians by the Toronto Blue Jays on November 6, 1990 in exchange for Alex Sanchez and Taubensee had been selected off waivers from the Oakland A’s on April 4, 1991. Sanchez had been acquired from the Blue Jays on September 24, 1990 along with Mauro Gozzo in exchange for Bud Black (original deal was completed on September 16, 1990). Black had been acquired from the Kansas City Royals on June 3, 1988 for Pat Tabler. Finally, Tabler had acquired from the Chicago White Sox on April 1, 1983 in exchange for Jerry Dybzinski (1977: 15th round, No. 375).