Shin-Soo Choo Traded; Internet Goes Crazy

Can you hear it? Listen closely.

That sound you hear is the sound of the Internet breaking into a million little pieces and it’s all thanks to a recently completed three team, eight player trade that has netted the Indians an impressive influx of talent and centered around Shin-Soo Choo.

Rumors began swirling yesterday afternoon around 5 PM that the Indians were involved in trade talks to send Choo to the Reds in exchange for Drew Stubbs and minor league shortstop Didi Gregorius. As expected, people FREAKED OUT and not just in Cleveland, but also in Cincinnati.

Reds’ fans were praising the proposed deal and envisioning how their already potent lineup would look with a player who was in the AL top 10 in plate appearances and OBP and also top 5 in doubles. Not to mention, Choo adds a fair amount of power that might only be further enhanced by the friendly confines of Great American Ballpark and he can steal bases at an efficient rate. Oh, and then there’s their potential line up.

Meanwhile, Indians fans were as you would expect. This was turning into another case of a quality player being shipped off for less than equal return. After all, Stubbs is a decent player but has lacked consistency at the plate over the past few seasons and Gregorius is yet another shortstop added to what is becoming a crowded position throughout the organization.

The Indians already had Asdrubal Cabrera and Mike Aviles on the 40 man roster. Then, their top three minor league prospects and four out of the top five according to this list, before you even were to factor in Gregorius, are shortstops. Were the Indians aware they can only play one at a time?

And then this happened.

As if the Internet wasn’t already on fire, Hoynes effectively threw a full can of gas onto the raging inferno. Rumors were swirling. Scenarios were being hypothesized. Even our staff was getting in on the fun as player names and destinations were being thrown around like a game of hot potato.

Were the Indians getting Trevor Bauer? Was Justin Upton all of the sudden in play thanks to a potential mega deal? Did the trading for Gregorius mean Lindor was on the block? Were the Indians really keeping Cabrera? What about the possibility of Tyler Skaggs and Trevor Bauer coming to Cleveland? How was this all going to work and what did it mean for the Indians?

It was one of the most exciting 90 minutes I have ever experienced personally on Twitter as direct messages, at-tweets, and re-tweets were flying a mile a minute. Not only was it exciting, but it was also important. It was important because for the first time in a long time the Indians truly mattered in the offseason trade market and were potentially about to add a considerable amount of talent to their organization in a move that everyone was surprisingly on board with. This is a big deal, huge even.

Much like a hurricane, things came to a stand still as we all reached a break in the storm. About 90 minutes of nonstop, pulse pounding action gave way to deathly silence. Was the deal dead? Had the talks fallen apart? Sure, there was the occasional pundit or fan who would chime in, but for the most part early evening looked to be fading quietly the into night.

At least until the final surge of the storm hit.

All of the predictions, all of the arguing, and all of the speculation finally came to a head when news broke around 9 PM that a deal was done. At 8:57 Paul Hoynes Tweeted.

followed 20 minutes later by…

I can tell you personally that the Wahoo’s on First staff was excited by the news. When it was all said and done, the trade went as follows:

• Cleveland Indians receive: RHP Trevor Bauer, RHP Matt Albers, and RHP Bryan Shaw from Arizona and OF Drew Stubbs from Cincinnati
• Cincinnati Reds receive: OF Shin-Soo Choo, INF Jason Donald, and cash ($3.5 mil to offest salaraies) from Cleveland
• Arizona Diamondback receive: SS Didi Gregorius from Cincinnati and LHP Tony Sipp and 1B Lars Anderson from Cleveland

While the trade saw the loss of three major pieces from the 2012 roster in Shin-Soo Choo, Jason Donald, and Tony Sipp, this was a deal the Indians could not pass up. By all accounts, Choo was unlikely to sign an extension and both Donald and Sipp had been disappointments for the team in 2012. Perhaps even more importantly, at least for the Indians’ sake, is the fact that most fans not only understood the trade, but were on board with it. That’s a positive step in the right direction.

This trade also provides the Indians with much needed pitching depth and a quality outfielder with three more seasons of team control for a more than reasonable price. That was a luxury that was not going to be afforded to them had they attempted to hang onto Shin-Soo Choo. Because of their foresight, they were able to get ahead of the curve for a change and at the same time, be the focal point of the baseball offseason for the first time in years.

Throw in the fact that many pundits are declaring this a major win and total fleece job and there’s a lot to like about where the team is headed as Christmas arrives. Speaking of which, for anyone looking for a last minute Christmas present for Wahoo’s on First’s own Ed Carroll, here’s a little tip.

Truth be told, it’s not just Ed who is loving the Trevor Bauer acquisition. We all love it. You could even say Wahoo’s on First is currently running on Bauer Power. Go! Go! Bauer Rangers!

That’s right folks, man crush: ENGAGED!