Photo: Cleveland.com

It began with the trade of Rafael Betancourt to the Rockies last week, and the Tribe took another step in trading away competitive parts to replenish their depleted minor league system by saying goodbye to Ryan Garko.

Garko was in his fourth year with the Tribe (not counting one at-bat in 2005), and he was a fan favorite. The firstbaseman/outfielder-at-times was hitting .285 with 11 homers and 39 RBI in 78 games this season. Gark was crucial to the Tribe success in 2007, busting out to hit .289 with 21 homers and 61 RBI. In last season's lost cause, he was the team leader in RBI with 90 to go with 14 homers and a .273 average.

Garko was incredibly consistent in his time with Cleveland. The 2003 3rd round pick of the Tribe was often ridiculed for a lack of power at first base, but he always had a solid average and drove in a respectable number of runs. In addition, he has absolutely crushed left-handed pitching in his career, batting .318 vs. .270 against right-handed pitching. He gets on-base plenty with walks and hits by pitch. He will fit the National League style of ball well, and he will be a solid addition to San Francisco's club.  If the Giants even use him as a platoon/pinch-hitter, he could flourish as well.

In the trade, Cleveland received LHP Scott Barnes, who is currently at advanced-A. At San Jose, Barnes was 12-3 with a 2.85 ERA in 98 innings pitched. He tallied 99 strikeouts, 29 walks, and 82 hits in those 98 innings. Barnes is 21 years old and an 8th round pick of the Giants in last year's draft. He was listed as the team's ninth best prospect at the season's outset. He will report to Single-A Kinston.

As far as the current big league situation, Andy Marte will get one final crack with the Tribe as he will be added to the roster to take Garko's place. He is expected to get a fair amount of Garko's reps at first base, and he of course will see the occasional time at third. Marte's had chance after chance with the Indians, but after a phenomenal campaign at Columbus this season (.330, 18 homers, 66 RBI in 297 at-bats) in which his defense is said to have improved as well, he'll get one more.

In the longterm, I don't really know what message this sends, but I do think we'll find out by Friday night at midnight. If Lee and Martinez are out the door as well (I'll have more on that later), then it is a white flag on contention in 2010 in the hopes of refueling the system and making a stronger push at the 2011 season. If the Tribe holds onto those two, then it is most likely the trade of an asset at or near peak value. Garko has been on a tear recently, and teams were likely looking at him as a great option for a stretch run and someone they could hold onto for a while as well. Garko was arbitration-eligible, and I think the Indians have many organizational options at first (Matt LaPorta, Jordan Brown, Andy Marte, and Victor Martinez (if they keep him)), so it may have been a position of strength in their minds. I'm also certain that money played a role in it, as it does with all things Tribe in the current economic climate.

So, farewell, Ryan Garko! I'll remember Garko as a solid, consistent player who did things the right way for the most part, had the right attitude, and played the game with a smile on his face. However, I don't think he's the last one to get a one-way ticket before Friday night.

Kirk

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