Cleveland Sports Forum

Nagy says he's out as D-backs pitching coach
By Steve Gilbert / MLB.com | 10/7/2013 11:07 P.M. ET
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Charles Nagy (left) was Arizona's pitching coach for three seasons. (Ross D. Franklin/AP)
PHOENIX -- Charles Nagy confirmed Monday night that he has been dismissed as the D-backs' pitching coach.

The team declined to confirm Nagy's dismissal or whether there have been other changes on the coaching staff. D-backs general manager Kevin Towers said last Thursday that he expected to announce the status of the coaching staff within a week.

Nagy joined manager Kirk Gibson's staff in 2011, when the D-backs won the National League West before falling to the Brewers in the NL Division Series.

"It's been a great three years with the Diamondbacks," Nagy said. "On behalf of me and my family, I'd like to thank the fans in Arizona for their support and the Diamondbacks organization for the opportunity."

Nagy pitched for 14 seasons in the big leagues with Cleveland and San Diego, compiling a 129-105 record with a 4.51 ERA.

The D-backs job was his first big league pitching-coach position. He was the pitching coach for Triple-A Columbus in 2010 and held a similar position for Triple-A Salt Lake from 2005-06.

After retiring as a player following the 2003 season, he was a special assistant to baseball operations for the Indians.

Steve Gilbert is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Inside the D-backs, and follow him on Twitter @SteveGilbertMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Sheldon Ocker: Good young Indians pitchers are reason for optimism in 2014 but run producer is biggest need

By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer

For the first time since at least 2007, Indians fans can look forward to next season with legitimate optimism.

And earning a wild-card berth this year is the least of the reasons to be confident the Tribe can (should?) play for higher stakes in 2014.

The team’s biggest asset going into the winter is a rotation comprised of young pitchers with live arms, most of whom have been around just long enough to learn how to become mature starters.

Justin Masterson is the leader of the group, followed by Zach McAllister and Corey Kluber. The starter with the highest ceiling is Danny Salazar, who as a rookie this season made 11 starts, his last in the ill-fated wild-card game against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Salazar lights up a radar gun and possesses a befuddling change-up. He needs polish. But while he learns his craft, he still can be a winner. But it would be a mistake for the sporting public to expect Salazar to carry the rotation. That’s seldom the way it works.

Scott Kazmir and Ubaldo Jimenez have become the X-factors in the rotation. Both can become free agents, and ideally both should remain in Cleveland.

After making a run at the title of the Most Ineffective Starter in the American League last season, Jimenez turned his career around (with a big assist from pitching coach Mickey Callaway) in 2013. By the time the schedule had run its course, Jimenez was the equal of any starter in the league.

But now what? He might be the No. 1 starter in this class of free agents. If so, clubs will throw money at him. The question will not be whether he is overpaid, but by how much.

Speculation already has placed his value at about $42 million on a three-year deal. If that turns out to be accurate, it’s unlikely that General Manager Chris Antonetti will take part in the bidding.

And not only because it’s $42 million, but also because for a change, Antonetti has options. In addition to Masterson, Kluber, McAllister and Salazar, Josh Tomlin will have an opportunity to return to the rotation after undergoing elbow reconstruction surgery.

Trevor Bauer also will have a chance to compete as a starter. It speaks volumes that Antonetti doesn’t have to count on Bauer, who besides Salazar, is the most talented pitcher under the Indians’ control.

Bauer also has a precise, almost mystical approach to his craft. So much so that he seems to have mystified himself with esoteric drills and theories that so far have not served him well.

It remains to be seen whether Bauer’s self-described overhaul of his mechanics will bear fruit. If not, Antonetti will just move on to the next guy.

Kazmir, on the other hand, spent two years in limbo, trying to figure out what had gone wrong after a meteoric rise. When the Tribe gave him a chance in spring training, he hung on to it for dear life and proved at times to be almost as lethal as he was before the roof fell in on him in 2010.

Not surprisingly, his problem was a lack of consistency, which became less of an obstacle as the season progressed.

What will he do over the winter? Kazmir will not command the kind of dollars that Jimenez can attract. If the Tribe were to sign him for, say, three years, it probably would cost in the $22 million range. If so, Antonetti should pull the trigger on keeping his only left-handed starter.

Even though the GM has the numbers to put a full rotation in place without Kazmir or Jimenez, a team can never have too much pitching. It’s a tired axiom, because it’s true.

If there is no hole to fill in the rotation, what do the Indians need? Obviously, a hitter who can drive in 100 runs and can fill the cleanup spot.

Manager Terry Francona had no cleanup batter for virtually the entire season, piecing together a lineup that never quite blossomed.

Granted, Francona had a lot of guys who hit 10-20 home runs and drove in 60-80 runs but no big bat in the middle of the lineup to make others around him more productive and make pitchers nervous.

Finding such a hitter, either by a trade or free agency, should be Antonetti’s first priority. Maybe his only priority.

Usually, the market for premium run-producers is thin, which means it will cost a ton, either in players given up, cash or both.

Where would the money come from to pay for such a hitter? With Mark Reynolds and Brett Myers already gone and Chris Perez on his way out, the Tribe will save $21.3 million. The Indians’ most attractive trading piece is Asdrubal Cabrera. If he does not return, the available cash rises to almost $28 million.

But built-in raises for Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and Carlos Santana will add $14 million to the payroll, leaving less than $14 million to spend. However, it’s likely that Jimenez will go elsewhere. It’s also possible that Drew Stubbs and Joe Smith (another prospective free agent) will flee, adding almost $12 million more to Antonetti’s cache of dollars.

Why Smith? There are reports he will ask for a three-year deal, and it’s unlikely that Antonetti will agree to pay a non-closer at least $12 million.

One other major issue remains. If Perez is traded or non-tendered, who will be the Indians’ closer?

At the moment, there is no favorite to win the role, but I would be surprised if Francona and Antonetti don’t find at least one reliever on the current roster who can make the job his own.

It might be Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw or Vinnie Pestano. Maybe Antonetti will bring in someone else and for far less than the $9 million or more that Perez can command because he is eligible for arbitration.

Next season, Yan Gomes almost surely will be the everyday catcher, and Santana will move to designated hitter and sometimes to first to give Swisher a break. That will open up the backup job for Lou Marson, who has good hands and a good head.

The Indians don’t need a lot more to challenge the Detroit Tigers for the Central Division championship, but they do have to get it right in the offseason.

Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/SheldonOckerABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

Cleveland Indians looking ahead to 2014, knowing it will be hard to duplicate 2013: Terry Pluto



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- For the Indians, it won't be this easy next season.

That seems strange to say, given that the Tribe needed a 10-game winning streak and a 21-6 record in September to earn a wild-card spot in the playoffs.

Not sure if he will win the award, but I do have a vote and Terry Francona received it for American League Manager of the Year. Taking a team from a 68-94 record to 92-70 isn't all due to Francona, but it's obvious the new manager made a major impact.

So why will next season be harder? Start with expectations.

As General Manager Chris Antonetti said at Monday's season-wrap press conference, the team had the goals of "re-establishing a winning culture and getting back to the postseason." That turned out to be one game, a 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay at sold-out Progressive Field last week.

"Those people were dying to do that, they were loud!" said Francona, still impressed by the playoff crowd.

Francona and Antonetti didn't dwell on the Tribe ranking 28th out of 30 teams in attendance. Rather, Francona said, "The people who came were so into it, we wanted to make them proud."

Which the team did with its strong finish, needing every one of those final 10 victories to make the playoffs. Antonetti called the fans "passionate, vocal, intense… the entire city enjoyed (the playoff) ride."

Now what?

Can it happen again? That's the question. The sheer novelty of Francona arriving with two World Series rings won't exist next spring. Unless ownership surprises us, it's doubtful the team will make two more huge free-agent investments -- as the Dolans did by signing Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn to $104 million worth of contracts.

Consider that Swisher's salary rises from $11 million to $15 million in 2014. Bourn goes up from $7 million to $13.5 million. That $10.5 million increase almost eats up the $13 million coming off the books in free agents Brett Myers and Mark Reynolds.

There are many other contract considerations that can be dealt with later. But the point is even Francona admitted that the first factor in signing free agents is "Money."

Antonetti talked about how Francona was a great recruiter, and how the team's success this season should make Cleveland a more attractive location. But it all starts with cash.

At one point, Francona said something about how it would be nice to come back with the same group of guys -- only play longer. But that's unlikely with starters Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir headed to free agency.

Coming back

Antonetti is correct when he said that the key regular players may return. Jason Giambi is a free agent, and both the player and the team are considering one more year in 2014.

The GM mentioned that no one but Yan Gomes (.294, .826 OPS) and Ryan Raburn (.272, .901 OPS) had what would be considered career years. Francona twice called Gomes "a force," and it's obvious he'll return as the starting catcher.

I would add Michael Brantley to that list because he had career-high 73 RBI and an eye-popping .375 batting average with runners in scoring position.

Antonetti and his staff had a career off-season in 2012-13, turning Esmil Rogers into Mike Aviles and Gomes. They signed Kazmir and Raburn to minor-league contracts. They made a nice deal for Shin-Soo Choo (Matt Albers, Bryan Shaw, Drew Stubbs and Trevor Bauer) and picked up a solid lefty reliever in Marc Rzepczynski.

You can argue that Lonnie Chisenhall, Asdrubal Cabrera, Swisher, Bourn and perhaps a few others under-performed.

Antonetti wasn't talking about pitching when he mentioned players exceeding expectations -- but starters Kazmir, Jimenez and Corey Kluber belong in that category. But so much did go so right, and the odds are against the same collection of players duplicating that type of performance.

No surprise this time

Most of the American League didn't seem to take the Tribe seriously for much of the season. Antonetti and Francona have the goal to return to October baseball, and this time make it more than a one-day stay.

In 2007, the Tribe was 96-66 and lost to Francona's Boston Red Sox in the final game of the American League Championship Series. That team made very few changes.

A shaky Joe Borowski returned as closer, and blew up early in the season. The bullpen had a 5.11 ERA, second worst in the American League. Jensen Lewis led the team with 13 saves. Cliff Lee (22-5) was the only starter to win more than eight games. The Tribe went from a pitching staff that had the third-lowest ERA in the American League (4.05) to 10th (4.45). It's amazing that team finished 81-81, although fans had abandoned the team after a 38-53 record at mid-season.

There are lessons to be learned from that winter after the 2007 season. One is the team must stay aggressive in adding talent, something Antonetti said he planned to do.

Because now the playoffs will be considered just the first step, not the end worthy of a celebration as was the case this season.

In 2007, the Tribe was 96-66 and lost to Francona's Boston Red Sox in the final game of the American League Championship Series. That team made very few changes.

A shaky Joe Borowski returned as closer, and blew up early in the season. The bullpen had a 5.11 ERA, second worst in the American League. Jensen Lewis led the team with 13 saves. Cliff Lee (22-5) was the only starter to win more than eight games. The Tribe went from a pitching staff that had the third-lowest ERA in the American League (4.05) to 10th (4.45). It's amazing that team finished 81-81, although fans had abandoned the team after a 38-53 record at mid-season.

There are lessons to be learned from that winter after the 2007 season. One is the team must stay aggressive in adding talent, something Antonetti said he planned to do.


"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

If Mickey Calloway is indeed the "fixer", find some other broken down pitchers to work his magic on.

Ubaldo and Kazmir were wonderful surprises but overpaying for one year wonders is the path to yesterday.

22-5?

That's incorrect. He went 22-3 in '08!

Former Indians GMs had varying success in the draft
John Hart (Photo: AP)

By Jeff Ellis (IBI)

October 9, 2013

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Over the past few years a lot has been made of the Indians draft record of late. I have heard many fans lament the bad drafts and wish for the good old days of John Hart when the organization was loaded with talent and seemed to always produce new players to fill a hole or to be trade bait to fill a need.

This led me down the rabbit hole of drafts and I looked at every draft for a quarter of a century. The problem with just taking raw data - especially for the Mark Shapiro era - is that many of the players are still performing and putting up numbers, so I quickly decided just raw averages would not be fair. I had to find an approach that was based on statistics, projection, and future outcomes.

In the end I figured the best way to compare these general managers was on their best picks. I found the ten best picks, for Hart and Hank Peters using a straight WAR total since for both of them the players they drafted have for the most part retired. As stated before, with Shapiro I did use WAR, but also projected too. Jason Kipnis and Chris Archer in particular seem like candidates to really put up some great numbers over the next few years.

Here is the table of the top picks for each GM, only counting those who actually signed with the team.
Hank Peters: Kingmaker?

I have not heard anyone ever reference Peters and his time with Cleveland. Still when you look at that top ten, he had some amazing drafts. He had only four drafts which is half as many as Hart and Shapiro.

The other interesting thing to me from this list, is how many of the players on the list became trade pieces during the Hart years. So not only did Peter’s draft the core of the great teams, but the other players he drafted helped to solidify the team’s future through trades.

The 1989 draft in particular was a draft that might be Peters greatest legacy. They drafted fourteen future major league players. Fourteen of the first thirty three picks made the majors for a total of 42%, a percentage we might never see again from any draft. The Indians first four picks made the majors, in the 13th round they landed future Hall of Famer Jim Thome, and a multi time All Star in the 17th round with Brian Giles. They also took a future GM with Jerry Dipoto in round three. Other familiar names of note would be Jesse Levis, Alan Embree, Curt Leskanic,Kelly Stinnett, and Billy Brewer. Leskanic was later used as a centerpiece to acquire Paul Sorrento.

In general most of the talent that came in during the Peter’s era was thanks to the draft - though trades did bring in some other players.

This review gave me a much greater appreciation for Peters who also traded for Sandy Alomar Jr. and Carlos Baerga. Outside of Albert Belle and Kenny Lofton, every piece of talent that came up through the minors during the 90’s run was thanks to Hank Peters who never got the appreciation he really deserved.

John Hart: Man or Myth?

In the city of Cleveland, sports are almost a religion and to this town Hart is a borderline demigod. He was the boss when the Indians went through the most successful sports stretch this city had seen in 50 years. They never won it all but made the big one on two occasions, and had one of the most entertaining lineups of all time.

Hart gets most of the credit for the 90’s from most fans. While he did make a lot of great free agency additions likeOrel Hershiser, Dennis Martinez, Eddie Murray, Robbie Alomar, Ellis Burks, etc, his draft record was not strong. The stars of the 90’s outside of Alomar and Lofton were largely already in place when he came in.

His first pick was Paul Shuey, number two overall (Derek Jeter was 6h), but far and away the most successful pick was C.C. Sabathia. I think David Riske was the pick that shocked me the most as I would have never expected he had been that valuable. Not bad for a guy taken in round 56th round, which doesn’t even exist anymore.

I think the most interesting thing about this list of Hart’s is that every single player on it was traded by the Indians at some point. Most of them were traded by Hart in his quest to win that elusive title.

Hart was a great general manager. He excelled at finding aging players to help keep the Indians going. If Peter’s strength was his ability to draft, then Hart’s was the ability to find useful players in free agency. Hart’s ability to find those aging veterans was a necessity at the time. The minors leagues failed to produce much help, which was due to the front office’s drafting failure. Still, the drafting at this time was still better than what we would see in the years to come.

Shapiro: The Draft Failures

When it came to the rankings, I had to do some projection here. I figured certain players still have time left in their careers where they still have a lot of good years left to put up numbers. My hardest debate was who should go second, but for now I stuck with Jeremy Guthrie and his established value over the mostly projected value of Chris Archer.

The data for Shapiro is not pretty. When Aaron Laffey is the 10th best player you drafted it is a sure sign that things did not go well. It’s a list full of part time players or players who had really bad careers. Arguably the two best players Shapiro drafted were never signed in Tim Lincecum and Desmond Jennings.

The worst part about this is the Indians not only had a lot of picks but many were high round picks during this era. There was one horrible stretch where the Indians had seven first round picks over two years and managed to land just a single first rounder. That one player was Jeremy Guthrie who never brought any value to the Indians.

There is no way to defend the drafting of the Indians during Shapiro's tenure. It was not very good.. There is no sugar coating it, but it was a systematic failure to scout, draft, and develop. It was bad under Hart, but under Shapiro they would have been better off just using Baseball America’s draft list every year. It would have saved a ton of money on scouts as well.

The Indians teams under Shapiro were built almost entirely on trades. Fans tend to fixate way too much on the Sabathia and Cliff Lee deals. The fans that do so often have an axe to grind and by doing so they miss the deals for Asdrubal Cabrera, Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, Brandon Phillips, Lee, Carlos Santana, Shin-Soo Choo and others. The value the Indians got in trades during the Shapiro era, ended up being a much better return than what they gave up.

Conclusion

As I dug into this article, I just kept feeling worse and worse as a fan. The Indians haven’t drafted well in over 20 years now. They have had a few nice picks, but overall the results have been subpar when compared to the rest of the league. The first round picks in particular have been disappointing as the top five over the last 25 years are Sabathia, Guthrie, Manny Ramirez, Shuey, and Charles Nagy. If you were curious the 10th best first rounder of the last 25 years is currently Drew Pomeranz. Yes, it’s been that bad.

The other interesting thing is how each GM seemed to have a particular skill; Peter’s was the strongest drafter. Hart did the best in free agency. Shapiro managed to make the best trades.

In the end a team’s life blood is the draft. For the Indians this will be especially true as they have been taking a less active approach in Latin America the past few years. Tampa has not drafted well of late, but it was their ability to draft well for about five years which built the core they have today.

The Indians have failed to produce many major league players from the draft, and that is why they have not been able to compete year in and out. The worst part is that after some changes, the draft is still failing to produce. There has been some improvement, but look no further than the 2010 draft were the Indians picked high in every round and might not get a single major league player for it, or the 2009 draft which produced Kipnis and Preston Guilmet and that’s it.

Next season should be a HUGE draft year as this team could have three first rounders. They cannot afford to fail. They made the playoffs and could still restock their system which could set them up for a bright future.

Follow Jeff on Twitter @jeffmlbdraft, or email him at jellis121@yahoo.com

Until they do a big time housecleaning, like the Browns, nothing is going to change as far as the Indian's draft goes.

But Dolan is good

and you blow !...........

Anyone paying attention knew that Peters set the table for Hart.

Jaret for Pedro straight up?

Giambi HATERS beware - do not read on.



Indians want Giambi to return, and vice versa

By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | 10/10/2013 10:00 A.M. ET


CLEVELAND -- Jason Giambi believes there is still some fuel left in his tank. The Indians gave the veteran slugger a chance to continue his playing career this past season, and he has made it clear that he would like nothing more than to have the same opportunity next year.

The feeling appears to be mutual.

"We would like to continue our relationship with G," Indians manager Terry Francona said, "probably as long as he would like to."

Francona spoke not only for potentially bringing the 42-year-old Giambi back as a player in 2014 -- he is eligible for free agency this winter -- but for possibly retaining him in an organizational role after the designated hitter decides it's time to hang up his spikes. It was only one offseason ago when Giambi was in the running as a managerial candidate with the Rockies.

From the early days of Spring Training, it was obvious why Giambi is praised throughout baseball for his leadership ability. The veteran could often be seen pulling up a chair to talk with younger players in the clubhouse, and he took the initiative to call team meetings throughout the season. With 19 years in the big leagues, Giambi has a wealth of experiences from which to pull.

These are reasons why Francona has referred to Giambi as a "force" in Cleveland's clubhouse.

"When you're a manager and a coach," Francona said, "there are a lot of headaches that come with the job. And when you get a guy like that, sometimes it can be once in a lifetime. I would be crazy not to enjoy and to use his ability throughout the club.

"I think he's changed people in the organization. I think he's made me better. I think he's made everybody he touches better. That's a very special person."

Giambi was brought into Spring Training on a Minor League contract, but it was quickly apparent that the veteran was a planned part of the Opening Day roster. Given his age and limitations as a part-time player, though, Cleveland needed versatile utility players Mike Aviles and Ryan Raburn to secure spots on the bench in order to keep Giambi on the roster.

Throughout the season, during which the Indians won 92 games to earn the American League's top Wild Card spot, Giambi was used sparingly as a DH and put into key situations as a pinch-hitter. His overall stat line left something to be desired -- he hit .183 in 71 games -- but peering deeper into Giambi's numbers reveal his value.

Among the 368 Major League hitters with at least 20 plate appearances in the ninth inning, Giambi ranked eighth overall with a 1.181 OPS. Among AL batters with at least 200 plate appearances, Giambi ranked 14th -- right behind Detroit's Prince Fielder -- with an average of one RBI every six at-bats. He hit .271 with a .960 OPS with runners in scoring position and tied a franchise record with three pinch-hit home runs.

Twice, Giambi became the oldest player in Major League history to launch a walk-off home run. Giambi broke the previous record -- set by Hall of Famer Hank Aaron in 1976 -- with a game-winning blast against the White Sox on July 29. Giambi then broke his own record on Sept. 24, when he belted a two-run, pinch-hit walk-off shot against Chicago closer Addison Reed to help the Tribe to its fifth win during a 10-game winning streak.

"I think it's safe to say," Francona said, "if we wouldn't have signed Giambi, we wouldn't [have made the postseason]. I believe that."

Now, the Indians are hoping to keep Giambi in the fold to help build on this past season's strong finish.

"G wants to play again," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said. "He really enjoyed this season this year and made huge contributions to our team beyond just what he did on the field. And I think he'd like to continue doing that."

Following Cleveland's 4-0 loss to Tampa Bay in the AL Wild Card Game, Giambi made it clear he wants to return as a player for a 20th big league season.

"I've enjoyed every minute, watching this ballclub grow and being a part of it," Giambi said. "I feel great. I would love to [play again]. I would love to be a part of this. I love the direction this ballclub is going. We'll see, though. We'll see what the universe has to offer."

Marla Ridenour: Indians have assets to be player in free agency

By Marla Ridenour

Beacon Journal sports columnist

Published: October 7, 2013 - 07:28 PM | Updated: October 8, 2013 - 09:54 AM

CLEVELAND:

As a free-agent destination, the Indians rose dramatically on Oct. 8, 2012, the day they hired Terry Francona as manager.

Making their first playoff appearance since 2007 with a 92-win season in 2013 has improved that status.

Francona changed the culture that came from losing 93 or more games three of the previous four years. He molded what Jason Giambi deemed “an eclectic group of players” into a fun-loving bunch that went 21-6 in September before losing the American League wild-card game to the Tampa Bay Rays. Looking forward, the Tribe has a bevy of young arms, even if free-agent starting pitchers Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir sign elsewhere.

Francona will be the carrot General Manager Chris Antonetti continues to dangle as he upgrades the team, especially as he searches for a power hitter. But even with the Indians’ improving reputation around the league, enviable chemistry and a 24-game turnaround, the carrot knows what counts most.

“I think money speaks,” Francona said.

As Francona and Antonetti spent an hour wrapping up the season Monday in the Indians’ clubhouse, Antonetti said he didn’t know his budget for 2014. The Indians’ payroll of $73,724,300 this year ranked 23rd in the major leagues, according to ESPN.

Antonetti confirmed he’d heard team revenue was up 20 percent over last season. He wouldn’t say whether he’d be hamstrung by an attendance total that ranked 29th out of 30 teams, besting only the Rays.

“I’m confident we’ll have the resources to building a contending team for next year,” Antonetti said. “I think we’ll be aggressive.”

He must find the big-bopper he thought he had in Mark Reynolds, who hit .301 with eight home runs in April and managed only seven more homers before he was released on Aug. 12. Francona used seven different players as his cleanup hitter and none seemed comfortable. Such a signing might require a convincing pitch to owner Paul Dolan. But with their abrupt dismissal in the wild-card game, the Indians learned the negatives of the two wild-card format. They must build to win the division and that means spending for a slugger.

Francona didn’t want to box in his boss with demands in that regard, but he dropped a tiny hint.

“We saw at the beginning of the year when Mark Reynolds was hot, that was a big plus for us. After he went cold and ultimately left, we really didn’t have that very often,” Francona said. “We knew our margin for error was smaller. That doesn’t mean we can’t win.”

Such a signing would force Antonetti to creatively maneuver as players are added and subtracted. There could be plenty of movement. Gone could be Jimenez, Kazmir, relievers Chris Perez and Joe Smith and outfielder Drew Stubbs. Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera could be traded, which seems logical, especially with Mike Aviles ready to take over until top prospect Francisco Lindor is ready.

Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and Carlos Santana will receive salary bumps, but the Indians still should have the money to be a player in free agency.

In a perfect world, Antonetti would be fine with what he has when it comes to position players.

“Other than Giambi, [Jason] Kubel and [Kelly] Shoppach, we have the opportunity to bring back the entire group that was fourth in the American League in runs scored, fifth in all of baseball. That’s a good foundation,” Antonetti said. “With the exception of Yan Gomes and Ryan Raburn, there weren’t that many guys who dramatically outperformed expectations.”

As the season ended, Indians players hoped their success would be a springboard.

“It can get people excited about coming here, that’s the biggest thing,” pitcher Justin Masterson said. “The guys here are already excited. We’ve seen what we can do. There’s a lot of room for us to be even better.”

Ex-Yankee Swisher said he wouldn’t have signed as a free agent if not for the presence of Francona. He hopes more follow his lead.

“Right now with what we have here, the contracts, the guys who are going to be here for a while, hopefully this is the start of something,” Swisher said last week. “[Francona] is so excited every day, always has a positive outlook. It’s easy to fall in love with that.”

Unless there’s an ownership change, the Indians might never rank in the top 10 on the major-league salary list, especially while teams like the Dodgers ($220 million) and Yankees ($203 million) continue to test the stratosphere. But when it comes to being an attractive place to play, the Indians’ stock is rising.

As Monday’s wrap-up concluded, Francona went in search of a container to take home carrots left on the vegetable snack tray. It was an act more likely born by his recent late-night ice cream and gummy bear binges than of frugality.

For the Indians, the days of frugality should be over. The Indians have assets, especially with Francona. It is time to use them.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the her blog at http://www.ohio.com/marla. Follow her on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.

Cleveland Indians trying to decide if they'll make Ubaldo Jimenez a $14 million qualifying offer

Ubaldo Jimenez is headed toward free agency and the Indians are trying to decide if they'll make him a $14 million qualifying offer. (Associated Press)

By Paul Hoynes

on October 24, 2013 at 4:53 PM, updated October 24, 2013 at 5:22 PM

BOSTON, Mass. – The Red Sox and Cardinals will play Game 2 of the World Series on Thursday night. It is the second installment of the culmination of an entire season and most people who make their living in the game will watch for at least a while.

But the business of the game never stops, which brings us to Ubaldo Jimenez and the Indians. The situation about to unfold follows a fairly logical path.

• The Indians will pick up his $8 million club option for 2014 after the completion of the World Series. After the way he pitched in the second half, especially in September, the decision was made for them.

• Jimenez and his agents will decline the option at about the same time, which is their right under the terms of the contract the Indians inherited from the Rockies when the acquired him in July of 2011.

• When Jimenez’s representatives turn the option down, it will save the Indians $1 million, which was ticketed for Jimenez’s buyout.

• The language in the contract isn’t clear as to when Jimenez must decline the option. Whether that leads to any legal maneuvering by the Indians or Jimenez’s agents has yet to be determined, but in the end it’s expected that he will be declared a free agent.

• There is no chance that the Indians offer Jimenez a multiyear deal. All thoughts of that were washed away when the Giants signed Tim Lincecum earlier this week to a two-year, $35 million deal. Jimenez and Lincecum, each 29, would have entered this winter’s free agent class together if the Giants didn’t sign their veteran right-hander.

• The biggest question the Indians face will be whether to offer him a $14 million qualifying offer, which is based on the average of the top 125 contracts in the big leagues.

The deadline for the Indians to make such an offer to Jimenez is 5 p.m. ET on the fifth day after the final game of the World Series. Jimenez would then have seven days to accept or decline. If he accepts, he’ll stay with the Indians on a one-year deal worth $14 million.

If he signs with another team, the Indians will receive a draft pick at the end of the first round in 2014.

• The Indians love high-round draft picks, but they can’t make the qualifying offer just because they want an extra draft pick. If they make the offer, they have to do so with the thought that Jimenez will accept it and that they can fit his salary on the club without hurting the momentum they created this past season.

It’s a tricky question and one that the Indians’ front office will discuss next week during organizational meetings.