Cleveland Sports Forum

Maybe not Santana from THIS year! But a 20-80 type guy who gets on base I mean.

Did the Indians fail to unlock hitting talents of Yandy Diaz, Gio Urshela?

Hey, Hoynsie: Alex Rodriguez made the comment during the wild card game between Tampa Bay and the Yankees about Yandy Diaz going to Tampa Bay and being shown how to lift the ball. Also what about Gio Urshela ending up in the New York pressure cooker and becoming a quality hitter to go along with his defense? This seems to be poor choices by the Tribe's front office for getting rid of two players who really didn't show much here under the still current hitting coaches. – Earl Molnar.

Hey, Earl: Not exactly a light-bulb moment for A-Rod. The Indians had been trying to get Diaz to do that for years.

I’m happy for the success Diaz and Urshela have had this year. They’ve worked hard to attain it. But if you’re saying the Indians hitting coaches didn’t work with Diaz and Urshela, you’d be wrong.

They constantly worked with Diaz to try and lift the ball. At least once they sent him to the minors to work exclusively on that. Urshela could always play defense, but he was aggressive at the plate and swung and missed a lot.

Playing time was an issue as well. Who are going to play at third – Jose Ramirez, Diaz or Urshela? Who are you going to play at first -- Carlos Santana, Edwin Encarnacon or Diaz?

This year Diaz slashed .267/.340/.476 with 14 homers and 38 RBI. He had a decent year, but played only 79 games because of two trips to the injured list.

Jake Bauers, the player the Indians acquired for Diaz from Tampa Bay, slashed .226/.312/.371. While Diaz posted a 1.7 WAR, Bauers posted a -0.6 WAR and struck out 115 times in 372 at-bats. Bauers did play in 117 games and hit 12 homers and 43 RBI, but he has a work to do to balance the scales on this trade.

Urshela was in the Tribe's organization from 2009 until he was to Toronto in May of 2018. If anyone tells you they felt he had this kind of season in him -- .314 (139-for-442) with 21 homers and 74 RBI – the next thing they'll do is try to sell you some swampland in Florida. Urshela got a chance when the Yankees were decimated by injuries and took advantage of it. The question is can he do it again next year?

Cleveland Indians: Terry’s Talkin’ Yandy Diaz trade, off-season outlook

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Talking to myself about the Tribe as they end the season with a 93-69 record:

QUESTION: Why did the Indians trade Yandy Diaz to the Tampa Bay Rays for Jake Bauers?

ANSWER: Sigh.

Q: What kind of answer is that?

A: Are you one of the people who has been emailing me with that question?

Q: It’s a legitimate question. Why did they trade Yandy?

A: Because they wanted Carlos Santana. He was their target. And they had to figure out how to make that happen.

Q: But Santana came from the Seattle Mariners, right?


A: Here’s how the trade began. The Indians wanted Santana. They wanted to trade Edwin Encarnacion for him. Seattle wanted some cash in the deal.

Q: I’m lost already.

A: Stay with me. The Indians wanted Santana. Tampa Bay wanted Yandy Diaz. Not much of anyone wanted Encarnacion, at least not for the $25 million he had left on his contract.

Q: Go ahead.

A: The Indians were in a payroll cutting phase. But they also were convinced Santana would have a bounce-back season if he returned “home,” as he calls Cleveland. Manager Terry Francona loves Santana, a switch-hitting first baseman who plays every day. He made that clear several times in 2018 when Santana was with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Q: Then what?

A: Tampa Bay offered $5 million and a prospect for Diaz. The Indians knew they could use that money as part of a complicated deal with Seattle, sending Encarnacion there and bringing Santana back home.

Q: Why didn’t they offer someone besides Diaz?


A: Tampa Bay has the lowest payroll and lowest attendance in baseball. They were so enamored with Diaz to actually offer money. Meanwhile, the Indians were fixed on the Encarnacion/Santana part of the deal. Tampa Bay wanted Diaz. The Indians wanted Santana. They went to work on making that happen with Seattle.

Q: So what happened?

A: The Indians sent Encarnacion and $5 million to Seattle for Santana. They sent Diaz to Tampa Bay, and they received Jake Bauers.

Q: So they did trade Diaz for Bauers!

A: Here is how it ended up: The Indians traded Diaz, Encarnacion and $5 million from Tampa Bay to Seattle for Santana. I hated trading Diaz and wrote it on the day of the deal – which I otherwise loved.

Q: So they...

A: Furthermore, the way Santana’s contract is structured, he is paid only about $14 million in 2019 and 2020. Don’t look at what is listed on various websites. It’s about $28 million total for 2019-2020. The Indians hold an option on him for 2021 at $17 million.

Q: So you mean...

A: The Indians traded Diaz and Encarnacion for Santana (who became an All-Star) and Bauers. That’s the bottom line. I’d make that trade again, even though Diaz hit two home runs Wednesday in the American League Wild Card game and found his power this season in Tampa Bay.


Q: What happened to Encarnacion?

A: He opened the season in Seattle. He later was traded to the New York Yankees. He had a couple of injuries, but still hit 34 HR with 86 RBI in 109 games, batting .244 (.875 OPS). He’s 36 and a DH heading into free agency. At this point, the 33-year-old Santana is a better fit for the Tribe.

Q: Would the Indians have been better off keeping Diaz?

A: In a word... No. At least not at the expense of Santana, who batted .281 (.911 OPS) with 34 HR and 93 RBI... all career highs. He missed only four games. He was one of the big reasons the Indians stayed in contention all year.

Q: But Yandy...

A: He missed the last two months of the season with a fractured foot. It was amazing that he came back and hit those two HR in the Wild Card game. He suddenly found his power, hitting 14 HR with 38 RBI, batting .267 (.816 OPS). But he played only 79 games due to injuries.

Q: What about Bauers?


A: That’s a good question. He turns 24 on Monday. He has played parts of two big league seasons (695 at bats), hitting .214 (.691 OPS) with 23 HR and 91 RBI. He has some power. He is a good athlete, able to play first base and left field. Heading into 2018, he was considered the No. 45 prospect in baseball by Baseball America.

Q: Can Bauers figure it out?

A: The Indians went shopping for young outfielders. At the July 2018 trade deadline, they traded Conner Capel and Jhon Torres (two low minor league prospects) for Oscar Mercado. For what it’s worth, I’d rather have Mercado than Diaz. Mercado could be a starting center fielder for a long time.

Q: But what about Bauers?

A: After the season, they traded Yan Gomes the the Washington Nationals for pitcher Jefry Rodriguez and outfielder Daniel Johnson, who batted .290 (.868 OPS) with 19 HR and 77 RBI between Class AA and AAA in 2019. He is a legitimate prospect on the edge of the Majors.

Q: But Bauers?

A: They added Jordan Luplow in a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates with the main player headed to Pittsburgh being Erik Gonzalez. Luplow batted .276 (.923 OPS) with 15 HR and 38 RBI in 85 games. The outfielder crushes left-handed pitching and the Indians believe he can also hit some right-handers.

Q: Can you make a point?


A: Here is a list: Bauers, Mercado, Luplow and Johnson. The idea being to collect young, promising outfielders and see who emerges. Add depth and prospects. The odds are against all four of them being viable big leaguers, but perhaps two or three? Patience needed. But the Indians did have a plan for adding Santana and youth in the outfield.

Q: Anything else?

A: The Indians want Franmil Reyes to lose some weight and work to get ready to play some right field. They can go to camp with Mercado in center as the anchor. They still have Greg Allen as a backup outfielder. Tyler Naquin will be out at least part of the year with knee surgery. Then comes the wave of Bauers, Luplow and Johnson. It’s far more young outfield talent than they had a year ago.

Only one correction to that:

They added Jordan Luplow in a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates with the main player headed to Pittsburgh being Erik Gonzalez. Luplow batted .276 (.923 OPS) with 15 HR and 38 RBI in 85 games

The Pirates also acquired a very promising young pitcher Tahnaj Thomas, a converted OF with a power arm. 6-4 190. Only pitched in 12 games this year in the Appy League. 48 1/3 IP 40 hits 14 bb 59 K. 1.112 11 K/ip.
Has been in the lower part of top 30 rankings. I'd be surprised if he doesn't move up.
here's what BA said about him in chat last fall before we swapped him:

Another impressive Arizona pitcher: Tahnaj Thomas, 2 questions? How impressive? And how do pronounce that?
Teddy Cahill: I'm terrible at writing pronunciations, but it's TA-nahj. And, yes, he's impressive. He's raw because he came to pitching a little late but the stuff is real. He's got mid 90s fastball, tightened up his breaking ball and is very athletic. He's one to keep an eye on.


[also another young pitcher Dante Mendoza but he has little prospect value]

Confusing as it was, this is now for the record. Without trading Yandy we do not dump the crap EE contract and we do not get Santana.

The Indians wanted Santana. Tampa Bay wanted Yandy Diaz. Not much of anyone wanted Encarnacion, at least not for the $25 million he had left on his contract.

A: Here is how it ended up: The Indians traded Diaz, Encarnacion and $5 million from Tampa Bay to Seattle for Santana. I hated trading Diaz and wrote it on the day of the deal – which I otherwise loved.

A: The Indians traded Diaz and Encarnacion for Santana (who became an All-Star) and Bauers. That’s the bottom line. I’d make that trade again, even though Diaz hit two home runs Wednesday in the American League Wild Card game and found his power this season in Tampa Bay.

For sure it is/was a risk to trade Yandy and he had a nice season, no doubt whatsoever.

But Santana had a great season too, and even that is an understatement. As well, Santana is a warrior who plays every day, almost to absurdity and his clubhouse presence is not measurable.

Bauers is TBD and apparently a head case. He wouldn't be the first head case to figure it out, or to make big improvement. But even not counting on him, I will take Santana all day long. Price of doing business.

Bauers is TBD and apparently a head case

Or perhaps merely immature. Let's hope he realizes what it takes to succeed.

Or perhaps he is on the move again this winter.

Bingo

It just makes some sense.

First off, guys who don't respond to Tito (and damn they are few) tend to end up elsewhere.

But also, they stockpiled those young outfield kids last offseason hoping some panned out. Well, some did. So now they have somewhat of a glut of those types there and especially if you add Daniel Johnson and K'ai Tom from AAA.

I still think with the loss of some big contracts one more big bat to replace Puig may happen - most likely by trade.

But remember, Avisail Garcia is an example of a killer bargain hitter Tampa got last offseason for a one year deal. Bargains for bats these days can be had.

Even Nelson Cruz signed just a one year deal. Damn would I love him to DH and kick Reyes into RF.

But with our track record for trades, probably the most likely.

I think Bauers is going to stay. Sounded like he responded well to the end of the season review. They will give him a chance to show his willingness to change.

Dodgers are out, Houston is sweating. Just get INTO the playoffs and roll the dice.

The matchup we've been anticipating all along. NY and Houston.

In the NL, pretty happy to see Yan Gomes a hero in game one for the Nats. Tough year for him but heck he won't care if the postseason goes well.

Oh...except his contract is up.

So now that trade becomes a total win/win for both teams.

Yandy (fantasy baseball) question from The Athletic:

Do you think Yandy Diaz will return next year to a full time role in Tampa, or will a combination Lowe’s, Wendle, Adames, Choi/Aguilar, and rising prospects push him to the side? — Andy E.

A. I don’t know either, with most teams you’d figure Diaz would be the third baseman and that’s that. With the Rays you’re grateful that he also qualifies at first base, and you hope he doesn’t slump to start. With his newfound power, I think his bat will force the issue, and his fielding improved so that helps too. Figure he will lose a few PA’s to the Rays’ machinations but not enough to hurt.

Roberto Perez underwent arthroscopic surgery Thursday to remove bone spurs from his right ankle.
The procedure was done by Dr. Robert Anderson in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Perez is expected to be fully recovered by the start of spring training next February and should remain the Indians' primary catcher in 2020. He put up a .774 OPS with 24 home runs and 63 RBI over 119 games this year.