Mark Shapiro
Mark Shapiro
area gray
We are a small-market team, ... There's no gray area there.
attributes caliber ellis indians instill pleased represents seeking values
We are very pleased to have Ellis rejoin the Indians organization. A professional of his caliber represents the values and attributes that the organization is seeking to instill in its young players.
backward boston depth extremely farm good impressive period pitching players point productive run short small step system
Boston is positioned extremely well for the future. They have a good farm system with upper-level players and a depth of pitching talent. They've rebuilt the farm system from a dilapidated system to a productive one. If they take a small step backward this year, at some point they will go on a run that will be an impressive run. They're a short period away.
good question
Brandon Phillips is going to be a good major-leaguer. The question is when and where.
company key media people thus value
We've had a lot of conversations with a lot of people thus far. The key to this company is I think leveraging the media value of this company.
complement good player point serious
We've had serious discussions. We like the player and think he'd be a good complement to our club. It's not a done deal, but at this point we're optimistic.
ability guys versatile
We have a lot of versatile players. We have the ability to adjust. We have a lot of guys who could play a lot of positions.
aaron almost batting bunch care fell guys huge titles trying victor won
We have a bunch of young guys who really care about each other, and they were trying too hard, ... Victor Martinez won two batting titles (in the minors). He was going to hit. Aaron Boone fell into a huge hole. He's almost out of it.
building committed game help lead players sustaining talented team today
We are committed to building and sustaining a championship team and Grady -- as one of the most talented young players in the game today -- is the kind of player and person that can help lead us to that goal.
call came heads opportunity three white
I got the opportunity to call two flips. The White Sox called the other and all three times it came up heads for us.
negotiate spring
If we can't get something done by the end of spring training, we'll stop. We will not negotiate during the season.
claimed players pool small
Most players were claimed on waivers, so there was a very small pool of players available,
evaluate goal third
One third of this season's goal is to be more competitive. Two thirds is to evaluate and develop.
add bat creative forced impact preferred sign team
I would have preferred to sign another impact bat to add to this team somewhere. Sometimes we're forced to be creative in the way we look at things.