Author Archives: James Mastrucci

About James Mastrucci

James Mastrucci covers the Browns, Cavaliers, Guardians, Monsters, Hornets, Packers, Bengals, Steelers, and Ravens. Find written work at This Is Believeland, Away Back Gone, Lombardi Ave, Swarm and Sting, and Full Press Coverage.

Three players assigned to Monsters

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Columbus Blue Jackets have assigned Matiss Kivlenieks, Andrew Peeke, and Jakob Lilja to the Cleveland Monsters.

Some familiar faces are making a return to the Cleveland Monsters. Goaltender Matiss Kivlenieks, defenseman Andrew Peeke, and left winger Jakob Lilja.

The return of Matiss Kivlenieks provides a bit more clarity when it comes to who will start in net over their next four games. Four games in seven days would have been a tough ask for Veini Vehvilainen. Kivlenieks can easily come in and split goaltending duties over their next four games at home before their tough road trip next week. The impending return of Joonas Korpisalo may have made this move possible. Korpisalo seems to be returning sooner rather than later allowing this move to happen.

Defenseman Andrew Peeke returns after being called up to Columbus on February 1st. Peeke did not appear in any games for the Blue Jackets during this recent stint with Columbus. Peeke has 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) in 28 games with Cleveland this season.

Jakob Lilja returns to the Monsters after spending 27 games in Columbus. The 26-year old left winger totaled 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) while with the Blue Jackets. Lilja did appear in 18 games for Monsters prior to being recalled and had 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists).

With Matiss Kivlenieks, Andrew Peeke, and Jakob Lilja in the mix, Cleveland head coach Mike Eaves will have plenty options available to him as they begin a crucial stretch of games.

Tristan Thompson wants out of Cleveland

Posted on by
Advertisements

Tristan Thompson wants out. After the news came out earlier that the Cavaliers were shopping their longest tenured player, it is not all that shocking that he has told the team he wants to be traded. 

Tristan Thompson could be intriguing for a contending team in need of a big man. Thompson is an absolute rebounding machine. The ability to keep possessions alive on the offensive end can make the difference between winning and losing a game. Teams who miss out on Andre Drummond may end up turning their attention to the Cavaliers big man. 

According to reports, Cleveland is seeking a 1st round pick in return for Thompson. The Cavs are team that really don’t seem willing to back down from their demands. Whether or not they stay firm on their desired return is the question. Potential suitors for Thompson may not be willing to give up a 1st round pick for less than half a season. 

Tristan Thompson was held out of Monday’s game due to quad soreness. It is also possible that Thompson misses Wednesday’s game against the Thunder. The seriousness of the injury is up for debate. Most assumed that Thompson was held out Monday to preserve trade value. Missing Wednesday’s game in Oklahoma City could lead to more assumptions of this type. If Cleveland really wants to trade Tristan Thompson, making sure he doesn’t suffer an injury before the deadline is the right move. 

The NBA trade deadline is Thursday and it seems more than likely that Tristan Thompson will be on a different team sooner rather than later.

The Indians should look into acquiring Brian Goodwin

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Indians should look into trading for outfielder Brian Goodwin. Goodwin could be on hs way out of Los Angeles after a series of trades.

Brian Goodwin may be on his way out of town after the Los Angeles Angels acquired Joc Pederson from the Dodgers. Pederson was traded across town after the Dodgers agreed to a deal that brought Mookie Betts to Los Angeles.  Goodwin is now in an outfield that has Pederson, Mike Trout, Justin Upton, and Jo Adell. Assuming Adell makes the team out of Spring Training, Goodwin will be hard pressed for playing time which could open the door for a trade and the Cleveland Indians should be interested. 

The Cleveland outfield  is not an inspiring group. Oscar Mercado in center is the only full time lock at the moment, Jordan Luplow is a platoon player, and Franmil Reyes seems more likely to DH than play in the field on a regular basis. The rest of their options seem like more rolls of the dice than anything. Bradley Zimmer, Jake Bauers, Delino DeShields, Greg Allen, and Tyler Naquin are the description of uncertainty. Relying on this group is not exactly the best idea. Adding another bat in the mix gives Cleveland options that they desperately need.

Looking at Brian Goodwin and his contract it makes a ton sense from Cleveland’s point of view. Goodwin is under control until 2022.  While he is on the older side of the things, he is a lot less expensive than options in free agency. This is an aspect that certainly appeals to the Indians. Cost controlled players for multiple seasons. 

Brian Goodwin may not be the most exciting player but he could provide some stability to a group of outfielders that need it in the worst way.

Kevin Love to the Los Angeles Clippers?

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly interested in Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love. Will the Cavaliers backtrack and trade Love?

The Los Angeles Clippers have expressed interest in acquiring Kevin Love.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been hesitant to deal the five-time All-Star during this season, having said so fairly recently. 

The Cavs prefer to hold on to Kevin Love for the time being. Cleveland is willing to wait until the season is over before evaluating a trade for Love. That’s what they are saying at least. This could all be posturing on Cleveland’s part. Attempting to artificially inflate his value by saying he’s not available. It’s really the only way to increase the value of player that is not related to on-court performance. 

Love is averaging just under a double-double this season. It is entirely possible that in the right situation that his rebounding numbers see a slight increase, leading to a potential double-double average. Health is always a concern when it comes to Love. His injury history can be a cause of concern for potential suitors. The Cavaliers big man only appeared in 22 games last season. Although he has appeared in 44 out of a possible 51 games so far this season.

It is not know what the Clippers are willing to offer to acquire Kevin Love. Unless it is a mind-blowing offer it does not seem to be all that likely that Love ends up in Los Angeles. Of course things could always change before Thursday’s trade deadline. 

Cavaliers travel to Oklahoma City in search of win

Posted on by
Advertisements

Losers of four straight games, the Cleveland Cavaliers travel to Oklahoma City to take on the Thunder and get an elusive win.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have only won once in their last 12 games and are taking on a team that has only lost once in their past eight games in the Oklahoma City Thunder. With trade rumors surrounding Tristan Thompson and John Henson, things may be a bit more difficult for the Cavs. Being in a transitional phase generally makes things more difficult than usual. Add in playing a team with a winning record and it’s certainly an unenviable situation.

The Thunder are averaging 116.5 points per game while only giving up 107. Oklahoma City has failed to score 110+ points only once in their past eight games. A 107-97 loss to Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Surprisingly, Cleveland has more wins on the road than at home. The Cavaliers are 7-17 away from Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse this season, while they are 6.-21 at home. Even though they are better on the road record-wise, it is far from a guarantee that they will win Wednesday night. The Thunder are currently the seventh team in the Western Conference and are fighting for a playoff spot. Even though many believed they would tank after sending Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets this past offseason.

Cleveland is going to have their hands full and could possibly end up on the wrong side of a lopsided score in Oklahoma City.

Tristan Wirfs to Browns in Dane Brugler’s 3rd mock

Posted on by
Advertisements

In Dane Brugler’s latest mock draft the Cleveland Browns are addressing an area of need with the 10th overall pick, offensive tackle.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler decided to go with a different pick at 10 for the Cleveland Browns. Brugler had Cleveland taking Andrew Thomas out of Georgia in his second mock draft. This time around it is Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs. Brugler is just the latest draft expert to mock Wirfs to Cleveland. Matt Miller also had the Browns selecting the offensive tackle out of Iowa in his latest mock draft.

Dane Brugler had projected trades in his mock, which can be a bit annoying. Often times they are completely out of left field and non-sensical. Overall it really impacts how a mock draft goes and can be irritating to go through. Brugler had Cleveland staying still, although there are some who believe the Browns could trade down. This is mostly due to the last analytically driven front office trading down multiple times. Whether this front office does the same is a complete mystery.

There are two tackles taken ahead of Wirfs in this mock. Jedrick Wills is taken by the Giants fourth overall and Mekhi Becton goes to the Jets at seventh overall (Brugler has the Jets and Panthers agreeing to a trade). The other highly regarded tackle prospect Andrew Thomas goes to Tampa Bay at 14. There are two other tackles being selected in the 1st round. Austin Jackson to Miami at 21 and Josh Jones to Minnesota at 25. One thing is clear, if the Browns are going to draft a tackle they better do it at 10. Multiple teams are looking to upgrade their offensive lines and if Cleveland waits to address the position they could end up missing out on one of the better options in the upcoming draft.

USA Today projects Indians to finish 2nd in AL Central

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Indians are projected to finish in second place in the American League Central according to USA Today Sports.

USA Today Sports has released their standings projections for the upcoming baseball season. The six-person panel has the Cleveland Indians finishing with a record of 86-76, good for second place in the American League Central.

This projection has the Minnesota Twins repeating as division champions. The Chicago White Sox also nearly catch the Tribe at 83-79.

It is easy to understand this projection. Minnesota and Chicago made massive improvements to their rosters while the Indians did not do all that much. Cleveland traded Corey Kluber to Texas for Delino DeShields and Emmanuel Clase and signed Cesar Hernandez to replace Jason Kipnis at second base. These moves are nice, but a far cry from the additions by the Twins and White Sox.

Minnesota added Josh Donaldson, Homer Bailey, Jhoulys Chacin, Alex Avila, and Tyler Clippard.
Chicago added Dallas Keuchel, Yasmani Grandal, Gio Gonzalez, Edwin Encarnacion, Nomar Mazara, and Steve Cishek.

Pretty tame offseason for the Tribe. Plenty of rumors, but overall not much in the improvement department. It is entirely possible that they finish with around the win total projected here. Cleveland did finish with 93 wins in 2019 despite a laundry list of injuries and others underperforming.

There is the possibility that the Indians win 90+ games in 2020. It would have to take some sort of strange voodoo for Cleveland’s pitching staff to be depleted once again and Jose Ramirez batting under .200 in mid-June for a second straight season.

Exactly how many games Cleveland wins this season seems entirely dependent on the outfield. It is a group that overall is rather lackluster. There are some bright spots with Oscar Mercado and Jordan Luplow in his platoon role. Franmil Reyes could also play an integral role, but exactly what position he plays is a mystery. Reyes could easily split time between the outfield and the designated hitter spot.

If Cleveland’s outfield performs better than expected, the Tribe could easily surpass the 86-win projection here, maybe even win the division. If not, things could get ugly and some unpopular trades may be on the horizon.

Browns picks in Matt Miller’s seven round mock draft

Posted on by
Advertisements

Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller has released his seven round mock draft and has some interesting picks for the Cleveland Browns.

10th: Tristan Wirfs, OT Iowa

This seems like a very popular pick at 10. Many have mocked Tristan Wirfs to the Browns at 10. The reason? The Cleveland Browns desperately need offensive line help. Cleveland taking Tristan Wirfs would provide Baker Mayfield with some much needed protection.

41st: Ashtyn Davis, S California 

Another position of need is safety. Damarious Randall is most likely gone and the other options are less than inspiring. Drafting Ashtyn Davis makes a ton of sense. This is another selection that has been gaining traction as of late. Dane Brugler previously had Davis to Cleveland at 41 in an earlier mock.

74th: Curtis Weaver, EDGE Boise State

Even if the Browns starting defensive line remains intact they still need help. There is not a lot once you get past the starting group of Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, Sheldon Richardson, and Olivier Vernon. Vernon may also be on the way out which would create a need for a starter. Curtis Weaver could step in and replace Vernon opposite of Garrett if the team does indeed move on from the eight-year veteran.

90th: Albert Okwuegbunam, TE Missouri 

Cleveland’s new offense needs tight ends and they really don’t have one a the moment. David Njoku is a tight end in name only which puts the Browns in a position to draft a tight end. Albert Okwuegbunam has the ability to block that Njoku simply doesn’t have. Adding Okwuegbunam into the mix at the tight end position should make the offensive transition a bit easier.

112th: Solomon Kindley, OL Georgia

Joel Bitonio and JC Tretter have the left guard and center positions on lock down. With Cleveland addressing the tackle position at 10 with Tristan Wirfs, the Browns look to find someone to line up on the right side of Tretter in Solomon Kindley. Wyatt Teller performed adequately in his limited time, but there is still room for an upgrade.

118th: Carter Coughlin, EDGE Minnesota

Taking Carter Coughlin goes along with needing depth on the defensive line. Cleveland needs depth in the worst way and this should help in that area.

245th: Kamal Martin, LB Minnesota

Kamal Martin could give the Browns depth at the linebacker position. The future of Joe Schobert is unclear, the team may move on from Christian Kirksey and there are a collection of other guys on the roster. Mack Wilson and Sione Takitaki were rookies last season, but bringing in more players to compete for playing time cold bring out the best in everyone.

Monsters: Veini Vehvilainen’s start schedule

Posted on by
Advertisements

Just how frequently will Veini Vehvilainen start in goal as the Cleveland Monsters home schedule has them playing four games in seven days?

Playing four games in a rather short period of time is nothing new for the Cleveland Monsters. More often than not, there is usually a back-to-back involved. This time is a little bit different. Cleveland will play games on an every other day basis over seven days. The only other time this occurs this season is March 29th-April 4th. This presents an interesting situation in regards to how often Veini Vehvilainen will start in net. There are a couple of determining factors at play.

Other available goaltenders

The only other goaltender with Cleveland at this moment in time is Brad Thiessen. Thiessen performed well against Utica on February 1st, but this was only his fourth appearance in goal this season. Thiessen plays very sparingly, if at all. There is another potential option currently up with Columbus, Matiss Kivlenieks. Kivlenieks was called up to the Blue Jackets due to the injury to Joonas Korpisalo. Although, Korpisalo could be returning sooner rather than later. The 25-year old goaltender traveled with the team to Buffalo and Montreal. The fact that Korpisalo was with the team certainly points in the direction of an impending return. If Korpisalo returns that could lead to Kivleneks coming back down to Cleveland. That is unless Columbus keeps three goaltenders on their roster.

Monsters opponents

Cleveland will face Rochester, Binghamton (twice), and Grand Rapids over their next four games. The two games against Binghamton could be an option for Mike Eaves to split up goaltending duties and keep Veini Vehvilainen fresh. It could also prevent Binghamton possibly picking up on some tendencies from Vehvilainen and taking advantage of him, leading to the next point.

Performance of Veini Vehvilainen

Just how Veini Vehvilainen plays is a major factor. If Veini Vehvilainen struggles at any point it could lead to goalie swap for one game. Vehvilainen has allowed 3 goals in the three games against Rochester this season. In his lone start against Binghamton, Vehvilainen allowed five goals, not exactly his best performance. This lines up with splitting things up between Vehvilainen and another goaltender with the Monsters two consecutive games against the Devils. Grand Rapids scored three times against Vehvilainen back in November. These three opponents have proved to be quite problematic for Veini Vehvilainen and if he struggles against any one of them it is possible he sits one game in order to prevent him from losing confidence.

Games following the every other day schedule

After the Monsters have four games in eight days, they have a two-day break before heading out on a grueling three day road trip in three different cities. Cleveland heads to Grand Rapids, Rockford, and Chicago on consecutive days, providing another situation that needs to be navigated. Mike Eaves could opt to start Veini Vehvilainen for the first two games, give him a day off before having him start their final home game before the road trip. After that it could be an every other game situation with their goaltenders, but again this all depends on how Vehvilainen performs. Any sort of struggle in the first game and that could alter things. Planning is great, but adjusting when facing adversity is just as important. It will be crucial for the Monsters and the development of Vehvilainen to make adjustments if needed. If Cleveland is going to move up out of eighth place in the AHL North Division, their goaltender situation must be handled properly and it all starts with this upcoming stretch.

Cavaliers discussed John Henson with Knicks

Posted on by
Advertisements

The Cleveland Cavaliers have held trade discussions with the New York Knicks regarding backup center John Henson. 

It certainly seems that most veteran players on the Cleveland Cavaliers could be on the move. Well, except Kevin Love. Cleveland has already been shopping Tristan Thompson and was held out of Monday’s overtime loss due to an injury. Whether or not it is trade related may be a different story.  Now there is another veteran big man possibly on the move. John Henson. 

The Cavs reportedly have discussed John Henson with their opponent from Monday night, the New York Knicks. While the talks have cooled per Chris Haynes, that doesn’t mean they won’t pick back up before Thursday’s trade deadline. 

Henson is currently in the final year of a four-year $48 million deal that was signed while a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. New York’s interest is a bit interesting due to the fact they are near the bottom of the Eastern Conference like Cleveland. Perhaps they see something they like in Henson and want to try to re-sign him after the contract is up. 

There is also the possibility that this is only part of a much larger deal.  That New York and Cleveland are discussing other players with other teams and Henson may have been mentioned as someone going to New York in order to make the money side of things work. 

John Henson’s future with the Cavaliers certainly appears to be unclear at the moment. It is very possible that Henson ends up in a new uniform before Thursday’s trade deadline. Whether or not that is a Knicks uniform may be a different story entirely.