Photo: Dispatch.com

Yesterday morning, young Victor Jose Martinez asked his father Victor when he woke up if they were still Indians. When the then-Tribe catcher told his son that they in fact were, he was excited. That shouldn't surprise you though, because that's the kind of family values and loyalty Martinez would instill in his own son, the one we've come so accustomed to seeing around the Indians on a regular basis, including when he joined his dad at The All-Star Game (pictured above in 2007) and also in last month's contest.

Mark Shapiro yesterday completed the initial process of rebuilding when he sent Victor Martinez to the Red Sox for RHP Justin Masterson, LHP Nick Hagadone, and RHP Bryan Price. In just a few short weeks, the team has parted ways with Mark DeRosa, Rafael Betancourt, Ryan Garko, Ben Francisco, Cliff Lee, and now Martinez. In return, they've received 11 players, nine of them pitchers and most of them being big, power arms in the hopes of re-infusing the player development system.

Masterson was a member of the Red Sox bullpen for most of this season, but he has been used as both a starter and reliever at the big league level for Boston. He is 24 and listed at 6'6" and 250 pounds. He was rated the #4 prospect in Boston's minor leagues at the start of the 2008 season and listed at #64 in Baseball America's Top 100 Prospects the same year. Masterson posted a 6-5 record with a 3.16 ERA in 88 1/3 innings and 36 appearances (9 starts) last season. He had nine appearances for the Red Sox in the 2008 postseason as well. This season, he is 3-3 with a 4.50 ERA in 72 innings (31 appearances, 6 starts). The Tribe will have Masterson in the starting rotation before the '09 season ends, but he needs to be stretched out first.

Hagadone is just 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery, but he has already been throwing for two months with solid success. The 6'5" 230 pound 23-year-old lefty at Single-A is 0-2 in 25 innings with a 2.52 ERA with 32 strikeouts and 14 walks. Hagadone has been clocked at 98 mph on his fastball and has an above average slider. He was the #3 prospect in Boston's system this year. He'll report to Lake County.

Price is a 6'4" 210 lb. righty who is at Single-A as well. At 22 years old, he is the 20th ranked prospect in Boston's organization. This year, he is 4-8 with a 4.67 ERA in 19 starts and 96 1/3 innings between Single-A and advanced Single-A. He will be reporting to Kinston.

From an objective standpoint, this deal was absolutely necessary, and in my opinion, the Indians probably got a pretty good return for Martinez. From an emotional standpoint, it absolutely sucks, and it ends most likely the hardest week of my Indian fanhood.

The economic turmoil is very real for the Indians right now. With their current penny-pinching owner, the Tribe was not going to able to improve on a team that was underperforming and hanging around the basement this season as well as last season. They have now saved $16 million dollars guaranteed off of next year's payroll by saying goodbye to Martinez and Lee, and they in effect saved more by trading away an option on Betancourt and control of Francisco and Garko's rights. Victor is 30 now, and by the time the Tribe is ready to compete again, he would probably be at least 32 or 33, and his production would begin to slope downward during their potential run.

The reason this is even more hard to swallow is because of the man that Victor Martinez is; not just as a ballplayer, but as a leader, as a family man, as a representative loyal to and proud of his franchise, and as a human being. J.V. and I were discussing last night that it is very fair to compare Martinez and Sandy Alomar Jr. in terms of the footprint that each of the backstops left in their time with the Indians. While neither was likely the biggest star on the team, they were strong leaders and fan favorites. The hole created when Alomar left the Tribe in 2000 cut a lot of Tribe fans deeply, as I know this one already has. Both of them were multiple-time All-Stars who were considered fixtures of their respective eras. Martinez was more offensively gifted, but Alomar had more postseason moments and was a better defensive player. Both were unforgettable as Indians.

In the hardest press conference I've ever had to and ever hope to watch, Victor sported oversized sunglasses to hide his red eyes and spoke in a very slow, quiet, monotone voice. He stayed true to the organization that signed him before he turned 18 years old. Victor stated that after some seasoning, he thought this team would be competitive again and that they would be a solid team once again. Vic also thanked the fans for all their support throughout everything and said, "This is my house. I'm leaving my house."

In today's game, it's refreshing to have a guy like Victor Martinez who was an incredible human being to the core. He WANTED to stay an Indian for his entire career; he didn't hide that desire either. In so many stories, we talk about guys wanting out of Cleveland or choosing to not come to Cleveland via free agency. But this guy, this ALL-STAR, WANTED TO STAY IN CLEVELAND!

But that doesn't matter in Major League Baseball's flawed, broken, piece of CRAP structure. Until they fix it, as much as they want to, guys like Victor Martinez and the Cleveland Indians won't be able to stay together.

What I'll always remember about V-Mart is his ability to come out with the same positive, hardworking attitude every single day of a 162-game schedule. His funloving personality was a thrill to watch, but he was also serious when necessary.

No one enjoyed that 2007 AL Central crown more than Victor Martinez. He looked joyful and euphoric when that last swing and miss occurred against Oakland in September of 2007.

Much like his little Victor, in that moment, he was just happy to be a Cleveland Indian.

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