Notable Final Cuts

In my previous post I discussed the official active roster for opening day. In that roster a few familiar names were missing. Two of those are Jayson Nix and Luis Valbuena.

Both Nix and Valbuena were hurt by the success of Jack Hannahan and Adam Everett this spring. Along with the signing of Orlando Cabrera, that leaves no open spots for these two. they both had a chance to prove themselves on the Tribe but failed to impress.

Valbuena spent two years on the Tribe and spent most of his time at second base. He struggled at the plate which resulted in him not gaining a starting role. He hit .250 in 2009 with 31 RBI’s but only hit .193 last season with 24 RBI’s. He will start the season in Columbus along with pitcher Jess Todd who was also cut.

Jayson Nix had a short stint with the Tribe, but he made a difference. After being acquired from the White Sox he hit 13 home runs and had 29 RBI’s in only 78 games. His struggles were the opposite of Valbuena’s, as his were on defense. He was put at third base after spending a majority of his career playing second base. In only 56 games at third, he had 16 errors.

With the acquistion of Orlando Cabrera, Nix’s only chance at making the roster was at third base. The recent success of Jack Hannahan took away the possibility of Nix playing at third.

The Indians front office has great respect for Nix and traded him to Toronto so he can be on a major league roster this season. The Indians receive cash in return.