Indians Brass Weighs in On Masterson Talks

Aug 1, 2013; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Justin Masterson (63) waits to be taken from the game during the seventh inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Chris Antonetti and Terry Francona Explain Masterson Dilemma

The Indians and Justin Masterson have agreed to put any and all contract extension talks on hold. That would be acceptable if neither side were trying to get a deal done. However, after reports surfaced on Thursday night that both sides had made offers that were subsequently rejected, it’s hard to think they couldn’t have gotten something done.

It become especially more painful when you realize that Justin Masterson attempted to give the Indians a home town discount.

Paul Hoynes and Ken Rosenthal both reported that Masterson had made an offer to the Indians for something around three years and $51-million dollars. That’s a slightly more team friendly deal than the one signed by the Reds’ Homer Bailey. You know, the same Homer Bailey and the same contract that were expected to be the bench marks for Masterson’s future earnings. Instead of taking the discount, the Indians turned down Masterson’ proposal and low balled him with 2 years $28-million.

Naturally, Masterson turned that offer down. That is how we came to find ourselves in this current situation with the ace of the staff now looking to hit free agency at the end of the year. In other words, Masterson is probably headed out-of-town either prior to the trade deadline, or via free agency. That is unless they can reach some sort of agreement on a contract between now and then, something that seems next to impossible.

On Friday, both Chris Antonetti and Terry Francona filled the media in on where things stand and how the situation came to be. A lot of good things were said, particularly about Masterson. Both Antonetti and Francona heaped a ton of praise on the big righty, explaining that they want nothing more than for him to be in Cleveland beyond just the 2014 season. Of course, this then raises the question as to why they aren’t working harder to pin down a deal, but that is a conversation for a different day.

In the meantime, we have an explanation from two of the Indians top men why Masterson has yet to be extended. Hopefully, the next time they talk about Masterson and a contract, it will be to announce a multi-year extension. Until then, you can watch video of both men explaining the situation in the video below (If video player fails to load, refresh page).