But there’s another deal that might actually have been the best of all, and today is its day-versary. Two thousand days ago this week, the Indians sent Ben Broussard to Seattle for Shin-Soo Choo and a player to be named later. (more…)

In trading Russell Branyan to the Seattle Mariners, the Indians corrected probably their dumbest mistake of the offseason, which was signing Russell Branyan. The Indians received Triple-A centerfielder Ezequiel Carrera and shortstop Juan Diaz, who is in Single A ball right now. Given recent history of trades of Tribe first basemen to Seattle, it’s hard to dismiss this trade as a salary dump. And while Mark Shapiro says he likes both players, commenting that Carrera is a speedy slap hitter (read: no power) who can play defense, and Diaz is more of a project player that helps pad the lack of depth at the middle infield position in the organization, the big reason this trade was made was to give big league playing time to Matt LaPorta. LaPorta becomes the everyday first baseman, with Austin Kearns entrenched in left (at least until he is traded too).

While there’s no evidence that the players received from Seattle are going to be as dynamic as Shin-Soo Choo (acquired from Seattle in 2006 for Ben Broussard) or Asdrubal Cabrera (2006, Seattle, for Eduardo Perez), neither player was a heralded prospect when they were acquired by Cleveland. But both are excellent examples of Shapiro and his crew doing their homework and stunning examples of Seattle not doing theirs. Do I think Cleveland struck gold again? No, in fact I think there’s a good chance neither will be an impact player for the Indians. Griffin Cooper at fansided’s Seattle Mariners site, Sodo Mojo, seems thrilled at the idea of Branyan returning. The move strikes me as curious, because while Branyan is actually an improvement in Seattle, it makes you wonder why the Mariners didn’t just re-sign him in the first place. The Indians will either pay for Branyan’s buyout on his $5 mutual option, or send the Mariners a PTBN.

But for the Indians, this move is all about clearing space for Matt LaPorta. The fact the Indians had to sign him in the first place is a little silly – at the time it seemed like a half-assed attempt at contending, and while Branyan performed far better than I expected, it was still a dumb signing. Hopefully LaPorta can settle down and produce without anyone breathing down his neck. It also guarantees Austin Kearns (who has performed better than I think anyone expected) a spot in the lineup in left, at least until the trade deadline.  LaPorta was crushing the ball at Triple A and really he had nothing left to prove down there last year, so it’s make or break time for Matt. He either starts to get it done and produce or he’ll go the way of Andy Marte, and just become a spare body. Given the hefty cost to acquire LaPorta, and how much the Tribe brass has pinned their rebuilding efforts on his becoming an offensive force, the time is now to see if the Indians were right about LaPorta.

UPDATE: It pays to check Call to the Pen. Nathaniel Stoltz loves the trade for the Indians, saying that Diaz and Carrera are underrated prospects who both play very good defense.  Diaz has a bit of a red flag in that he played in a hitter’s park, but Stoltz says that at Diaz’s age (21) he still has room to grow. Sounds like the Tribe did more than just grab names out of a hat.

It hasn’t all been bubblegum and daffodils though, as Grady Sizemore is now day-to-day with a right knee contusion. He injured it diving back to first after a single. The Indians will take a wait-and-see approach with Sizemore and will asses the situation tomorrow at Tampa Bay.

This makes the recent call-up of Trevor Crowe wonderfully convenient, as you don’t need to make a snap judgement on Sizemore as you have an extra outfielder hanging around. (By the way, the Indians are not allowed to release why Andy Marte is on the DL, but all signs point to it not being serious. You can breathe again.) Crowe connected on a two-run homer during the 8-run ninth inning on Saturday, and also made two baserunning errors. Go figure.

And while there were a lot of things in that inning to make you smile as a Tribe fan (that huge Austin Kearns 3-run blast, Hafner and Peralta not getting out), let’s not forget that the Immortal Mitch T kept this thing close.  Talbot has been a godsend for this team as a fourth starter, with a 3.23 ERA and usually keeping the game close. It’s hard to believe the Indians got this guy for just the arbitration-eligible Kelly Shoppach (who many insiders figured the Indians would just end up releasing).

In today’s game, Jake Westbrook came within an out of a shutout, his only real blemish was a solo homer to Luke Scott in the 9th. He definitely was Jake the Snake, scattering nine hits and just one (ONE!) walk. (Good things happen when you don’t walk people.) It’s great to see Westbrook start to come around, even if this does hasten his eventual departure from the Tribe. If Westbrook is pitching well, he could easily net a valuable player in a trade, and I fully expect the Indians to explore this option with Westbrook.

Another guy the Indians could deal this season is Russell Branyan, who continues to go yard, hitting his 4th homer in five games. If Branyan proves he’s healthy (and usable), he also could land the Indians a decent prospect. You may laugh at me, but remember who the Indians got for Eduardo Perez and Ben Broussard (both were sent to Seattle in separate deals)? Arguably two of the best players on the team in Asdrubal Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo. Now, Mark Shapiro fleeced Seattle in those deals, so it’s not likely the team will get such an impact player in return for Branyan, but you never know.

Oh yeah, and Matt LaPorta FINALLY hit a home run today, a two run shot that was his first of the season. The Indians desperately need LaPorta to become the player they thought they’d get when the Indians traded CC Sabathia. He’s been pathetic this year but hopefully this home run is the first of things to come.

I said at the start of the road trip that this stretch versus Kansas City and Baltimore would be a great opportunity for the Tribe to get some wins and some confidence. They did that, and they will need it when they roll into Tampa Bay tomorrow for a two-game set with the Rays.