"I feel like, if the season opened tomorrow, we could field a competitive starting staff," Antonetti said. "With respect to trades, that's a very difficult question to answer. We have to be open-minded in how we build our team. I think our goal will be to build a team that we feel is capable of making the postseason and winning the World Series."

OK, that was sure a waste of print space somewhere.

Q and A with Jordan Bastian.

How do you see Cody Anderson doing next season? He finished great, but I'm skeptical. I think being surrounded by flamethrowers helped.
-- @bhall216 (via Twitter)
As we sit here today, Anderson would be a candidate, but not necessarily a lock, for the fifth spot in the rotation. Obviously, his place on the staff depends on a few things. Cleveland could trade a starter to help its offseason push or add some back-end depth starters, and veteran Josh Tomlin is also in the mix for a job either in the rotation or bullpen.

And, I agree, while Anderson posted a 1.66 ERA over his final seven outings, there are reasons to be skeptical. The big right-hander doesn't blow hitters away, as he relies on control, and his breaking ball still has plenty of room for development. That said, Anderson featured a highly-rated fastball and above-average changeup, and he found a formula that worked for 15 starts (3.05 ERA).

According to Fangraphs, Anderson's fastball had a rating of 6.6, which ranked 12th overall among American League pitchers with at least 90 innings. His changeup had a 1.5 rating, ranking 23rd in the AL (just behind teammate Corey Kluber's 1.7). Anderson did so while averaging 92.2 mph on his fastball and 83.6 mph on his change.

Being surrounded by the likes of Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer surely helped Anderson's learning curve. It also helped having someone like Tomlin around. The veteran Tomlin is also a command-oriented pitcher, so he had a lot of dialogue with Anderson throughout the second half. Anderson looks like a solid fifth starter right now.

Given his back and shoulder injuries in 2015, might Michael Brantley work as the designated hitter more in '16? Does this broaden the offseason outfield search?
-- @SethAdamC (via Twitter)


The good news is that the injury does not involve Brantley's left (throwing) shoulder. The bad news is that his recent surgery involved the most important shoulder for his swing. Once he is back, I don't anticipate Brantley being used much as a DH, except in the standard way of giving him a break here and there. The fact that he'll be out for much or all of April certainly makes adding to the outfield crucial. Cleveland is examining options for both center field and the corners.

What do you think of a Carlos Carrasco-A.J. Pollock trade?
-- @AustenRuwe (via Twitter)

That was an idea proposed by MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince and I think it's one of the more interesting suggestions we've seen for solving what Cleveland needs. Giving up Carrasco would be tough, but Pollock is a plus defender, bats right handed, has hit .311/.363/.498 over the past two years combined and is under team control through 2018. This makes loads of sense as the foundation of a deal, especially given Arizona's need for pitching. That said, the D-backs might be more willing to explore a deal for outfielder Ender Inciarte than Pollock.


Are there any other players who will be posted from overseas that the Indians may bid on?
-- @TheRobMilota (via Twitter)

Since the club bid on Korean slugger Byung Ho Park, it's clear that Cleveland is willing to look toward that market. Another Korean outfielder, Ah-seop Son of the Lotte Giants, is expected to be posted and up for bidding on Monday. He's a corner outfielder with good on-base ability and has been compared to Nori Aoki. Cleveland has also reportedly shown interest in Korean right-hander Seung-Hwan Oh, though he can be signed as a free agent without the posting process.

Here's a dumb question:
Do you think a high-profile athlete like LeBron James could help influence free agents to come to Cleveland?
-- Antonio G., Long Beach, Calif.

Before the 2013 season, the Indians rolled out the red carpet for Nick Swisher, who was a premier free agent that winter. Urban Meyer, Jim Tressel and others all joined in the pitch and Swisher signed the biggest free-agent pact in Indians history. I'm not sure how much they helped, though. In the end, the money does the talking. Right now, the Tribe simply isn't in a position to outbid other teams for the top free agents. Not even King James can change that.

Kind of dumb question: With the injury to Brantley, is there any chance outfield prospect Bradley Zimmer is the stating center fielder on Opening Day?
-- @JdotBrady13 (via Twitter)

And ...

Will outfield prospect Tyler Naquin be given a shot in Spring Training to win an outfield job with the big league team? If not, when do we see him?
-- @mistahjamess (via Twitter)

Let's knock these two out at once. Zimmer (Cleveland's top Draft pick in 2014) hasn't played above Double-A (49 games). Naquin (a top pick in '12) has logged only 50 games at Triple-A. Don't expect either to be on the Opening Day roster. Right now, just expect to see Naquin added to the 40-man roster next week to avoid having him exposed to the Rule 5 Draft in December. Both outfielders are rising fast and could hit the bigs in '16, but I'd be shocked if either broke camp with the Tribe.

I watched this guy play against New Britain in a different century:

Russell Branyan Arrested For Allegedly Breaking Into Ex-Wife's House, Stealing Stuff, Turning Down The Thermostat
8,837
1
Kevin Draper
Filed to: russell branyan11/17/15 5:22pm

Russell Branyan Arrested For Allegedly Breaking Into Ex-Wife's House, Stealing Stuff, Turning Down The Thermostat

Former Major League Baseball player Russell Branyan was arrested last night in Nashville, Tenn., on a charge of felony aggravated burglary, allegedly of his ex-wife’s home. Russell, who has long owned a home in nearby Franklin, allegedly committed the burglary on Oct. 30. He was released on a $2,500 bond.

The victim of the alleged burglary is Branyan’s ex-wife, Jill Branyan. It is unclear when the two divorced, though as of 14 months ago Russell referred to her as his wife. According to a warrant that was issued for Branyan’s arrest on Oct. 31, he broke into Jill’s house while she was sleeping, stole some things, and fucked with the thermostat. He also acknowledged to a witness that he took the items and wants to return them:

The defendant made entry into the residence of the victim without having the legal authority. The defendant and victim are divorced and the victim is the legal resident. The defendant entered while the victim was asleep and removed various items from the home. The defendant also tampered with the thermostat inside of the home, making it extremely cold. The defendant acknowleded [sic] to the witness that he had removed the items from the residence and now wanted to return them. All events took place in Davidson County Tennessee.

This is not the first time Branyan has been arrested for actions allegedly taken towards Jill. In 2008 he was arrested on domestic violence charges in a Cleveland suburb for allegedly striking her in the face, causing a cut lip, during an argument while driving. He pleaded no contest, and after completing a diversion program the charges were dismissed. The two have four kids together.

Branyan played for 10 different teams in a 13-year major league career, most notably spending four-and-a-half years in Cleveland. He last played in the majors for the Angels in 2011, before having minor-league stints with the Yankees, Indians, and Toros de Tijuana in Mexico, before officially retiring in 2014.

Photo via Getty; h/t ja8ed

E-mail: kevin.draper@deadspin.com | PGP key + fingerprint | DM: @kevinmdraper
129Reply

Good point!

If the Tribe does this I may stop being a Tribe Fan:

Well, tonight, rumors have been picked up again as Danny Demillo is saying that the Yankees have moved into discussions around Brett Gardner heading to the state of Ohio. According to their sources they claim that starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar might be heading back to the Bronx in exchange for outfielder Gardner.

Last year, the speedy Yankee outfielder played in 151 games. He hit 16 homeruns and drove in 66. He was a solid left fielder for the team and helped as a backup outfielder to center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Gardner is 32 years old and it appears evident that the Yankees are trying desperately to get his three years, $39.5 million off the books.

No one in their right mind other than a Yankee fan would suggest that Indians deal both of those pitchers for Gardner!

I wouldn't deal Carrasco even up and probably not Salazar

Actually Carrasco is the last pitcher I would get rid of. He's perfectly capable of -- and came close several times last year -- of throwing no-hitter every time out.

Exactly the kind of contract the Indians are unlikely to pick up:

Last year, the speedy Yankee outfielder played in 151 games. He hit 16 homeruns and drove in 66. He was a solid left fielder for the team and helped as a backup outfielder to center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury. Gardner is 32 years old and it appears evident that the Yankees are trying desperately to get his three years, $39.5 million off the books.

Here's some Indians-Fan website commenting:

Trading either player for Brett Gardner would be a mistake. Haven’t the Indians had enough of aging players who rely on speed for the majority of their game? While he’s not as risky as Michael Bourn was, because Gardner is also capable of hitting for power, it’s still a risk. If that power does go away outside of the confines of Yankee Stadium, suddenly, he’s a 32 year-old who needs speed to be valuable.

Unless the Yankees are absorbing a significant portion of his contract or including a top prospect, it would absolutely not be worth it. Once the Indians trade away one of their starters, they have no room for error. A major injury to Kluber or whomever remains of Carrasco/Salazar would be devastating for the rotation, because there isn’t enough quality depth. As good as the Tribe’s pitching is, there’s still a finite amount of it. If the Tribe wants to trade a pitcher, they have to be confident that whoever they get in return can make up for that loss.

Gardner is just not good enough to guarantee that his presence will be worth more than it would cost the team to use someone like T.J. House in the fifth starter role in the event of an injury. House is a capable starter, but he’s no Carrasco. Unless there’s a lot more to the trade than Gardner-for-a-pitcher, the Tribe would be losing out on a deal like this. They can certainly do better than an aging outfielder in their quest to get the maximum value for their pitchers.

and plenty of other posts that belittle the possibility. The first error was the story that turned "Salazar or Carrasco" into "Salazar and Carrasco".

We should be able to get a better player than Gardner for either one. If not we are toast.

Jon Morosi ‏@jonmorosi · 48 minutes ago
#BlueJays, #Dodgers, #Yankees among the teams to have at least preliminary trade talks with #Indians, sources say. (1/2)

Jon Morosi ‏@jonmorosi · 47 minutes ago
For each of 3 teams mentioned, #Indians would obtain everyday OF and part with a starting pitcher. Many scenarios in play for CLE. (2/2)

(Morosi works for Fox Sports and MLB Network)

Blah Blah Blah. Sign a free agent

Hey, the Indians have to do their due diligence on any quality outfielder, and Gardner is one.

That said, especially considering his contract and the Indians' track record any deal along those lines would have to be:

Gardner and other valuable asset, maybe top pitcher prospect PLUS Yankees picking up part of his salary. For perhaps Salazar.

In other words, very small chance of anything happening.

Hey I'd rather do nothing than throw away Salazar for a 32 year old OF who relies on speed.