Cleveland Sports Forum

We played in October, an hour or so.

Sorry, I forgot I was on AZ time.

free agents:

Carlos Hernandez would they pay $6.25 M again after a season with no income?
Oliver Perez
Sandy Leon

Expect more activity in salary dumps:
Santana but his $20M salary will be hard to dump;
Lindor we'll get takers despite a rotten year;
Brad Hand one year on his contract he should be tradeable, although I'd prefer to keep him
DeShields, someone might not have watched his key play in yesterday's game and think he's an adequate 4th outfielder


And just plain out DFAs, well maybe that's what happens to DeShields along with Cimber and Naquin

Unfortunately our minor league talent is overwhelmingly at the lower levels and of course little of it had an opportunity for development this year. And no annual explosion of talent out of the Dominican league. That plugging up the pipeline really works against the Indians' model.
2021 might have to be a step back and save money year. Although it could also finally give Bobby Bradley Daniel Johnson and Yu Chang a chance to show what they've got. Even Jake Bauers?

Aren't Santana and Hand on club option years? Can't see picking up either option?

I didn't know to read that; one place I listed stay they were FA in 2021 and one in 2022. You're right.

Carlos is gone for sure.. Hand probably but I'd keep him if I could afford $10M

So, Santana's option is $20M.

Indians can exercise the option and pay him $20M.

Or

Indians can decline the option making him a FA. Tribe gets nothing.

If Santana doesn't get an acceptable offer from another team, he may offer to re-sign with the Indians for a lot less money. Indians may think he's done and not offer anything.

Or

Indians may sniff around for a team willing to trade for Santana but not at $20M. Indians would have to include lots of cash in any sign and trade deal. Carlos is a nice guy. This may be the best for him because he still gets his $20 M just split between the buyer and the seller. How much cash would depend on the players in return.

Same goes for Hand.

seagull wrote:So, Santana's option is $20M.

Indians can exercise the option and pay him $20M.

Or

Indians can decline the option making him a FA. Tribe gets nothing.

If Santana doesn't get an acceptable offer from another team, he may offer to re-sign with the Indians for a lot less money. Indians may think he's done and not offer anything.

Or

Indians may sniff around for a team willing to trade for Santana but not at $20M. Indians would have to include lots of cash in any sign and trade deal. Carlos is a nice guy. This may be the best for him because he still gets his $20 M just split between the buyer and the seller. How much cash would depend on the players in return.

Same goes for Hand.

Yeah really good stream of posts seagull.

My take is that Santana is toast unless they offer him a discount deal and he takes it. Personally I'd like to see that. Say a one year deal for $5 million.

On the other HAND (cough cough) I totally see them picking up Hand's $10 million option because he would have real value in a deal. More than Kluber had, for example, and that's what they did for him.

A one year deal at $10 mill. is quite reasonable for an established closer that had the year he had. Plus he is left handed, even better. For half the teams at least that's a deal. (The Tampas, Clevelands, etc not as much obviously.)

For example that contract would be a steal for the Dodgers and they have talent to trade back.

So Santana probably released and a FA, but not Hand.

I really don't care whether Hand makes $8, 10 or 12 M. All I care about his ability to get good hitters out. I don't think he is getting better. He might be getting worse. His fastball doesn't scare anybody and his slider location is inconsistent.

For get the stats. Saves are one of the most bogus stats going.

Reminds me of Jose Mesa. Great stats. Chokes in the clutch.

Have to disagree there.

In 2020 Brad Hand:

1. Went 22 innings with 13 hits
2. Struck out 29 in 22 innings
3. Had a WHIP of 0.773
4. Saves can be overrated, we all agree, but was 16 for 16 and we saw many of those in tough situations

His stats were much better than 2019.


It's all a moot point - he won't be on the team next season but he absolutely has trade value.

Really with likely Lindor, Santana and Hand all gone next year it's going to be a new era of Tribe baseball. (And of course Clevinger, Kluber and Bauer gone earlier.)

Their excellent young pitching will keep them from dropping too far but they are likely done as an actual title threat.

In retrospect that 2016 run that came so close was the high point.

Think Tito will be back?

Might hang 'em up.

I don't expect him
That's a big part of it being a new era
Lot of young talent in 3-5 years Saving cash in the next couple

Let one of their young management guys take over. Alomar was not good !

Clippers manager for 2020 was scheduled to be Andy Tracy age 46. That would have been his second year in our organization. Doesn't sound likely a choice.

Brad Mills was to be Tito's bench coach but the 63 year old sat out at least in part because of the death of a grandchild. He's 63. Qualified, 2 years old than Francona.

We could steal Matt Blake back from the Yankees where's now pitching coach and give him the job but he's a pitching only expert.

Torey Lovullo came up through our farm system in the managing ranks but is there any reason he'd want to switch over from his role with the D'backs?

Some day management will get smart and realize that there is only one way that Cleveland has ever proven its ability to win a World Series and that's with a player manager. They haven't had one of them since Frank Robinson and I don't know if any team has in a few decades. But the past is a guide to the future and some of us are getting to the point where if they don't win it soon we will live our lives without a championship. So the relevant question has to be:

What current Indian player would make a successful manager? Or what player/manager should we trade for? Somehow the current roster does not cry out with managerial candidates. But how about Carlos Hernandez: he's a young veteran and seems well grounded. Give him the job and the World Championship is ours in 2021

Managing is infinitely more complex than it used to be. Even for full time ones.

My vote is that Tito will be back. He's a lifer.