Cleveland Sports Forum

Rusty, J.R., et al ... I owe you an apology. There has been a clarification on the Braves trade and turns out Rusty was correct.

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Hey, Hoynsie: While I understand Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher had worn out their welcome in Cleveland and have seen better days, were the Indians hasty in trading the pair? The Tribe didn't save any money and Chris Johnson was held in the same regard as Bourn/Swisher (i.e. aging player, diminishing skills) at the time of the trade. Granted hindsight is 20/20, but wouldn't Bourn have at least provided some occasional passable outfield play with Michael Brantley out, and as late inning pinch-hitter wouldn't Swisher, being a switch-hitter, with a bit of power, and ability to get on base, fulfilled that role perfectly? – Arturo DiFiore, Detroit.

Hey, Arturo: So does this mean you're betting on the Tigers?

I can guarantee you that if Chris Antonetti didn't trade Swisher and Bourn when he did, at least one of them would have been released before the start of the 2016 season. Finding someone to take Swisher and Bourn in one deal was a masterstroke that wasn't going to present itself a second time.

Yes, the Indians had to take Johnson's bad contract and send $15 million to the Braves to help offset Swisher and Bourn's contracts, but that's the price of business. I'm not clear on the math, but the Indians said they came out $4 million ahead on the deal.

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Brian Montgomery
@hoynsie in your latest you say the Indians sent 15 mill to the Braves. At the time of deal it was reported to be 10 mill. You sure on 15?

Paul Hoynes @hoynsie
@Montana_Monty I said it was $11 m originally. Been able to confirm it was close to $15 m.

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Sorry guys, at time of deal I read we sent 10 mill, that's how I got my figure. But turns out we sent 15 so the actual number we saved is 4+ mill.

By the way, it was widely reported to be 10 mill on the day of the trade so don't beat me up too bad. If the reports were true my math would have been very close. I did a quick search on Twitter and this is just a few of the stories posted there the day of the trade....

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From the Plain Dealer ...

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ss ... ick_s.html

"On Friday, the Indians dealt both Swisher and Bourn -- and a pocketful of cash, reportedly a sum of $10 million -- to the Atlanta Braves. In return, Cleveland received infielder Chris Johnson. "

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From Jon Heyman and CBS Sports ...

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-bas ... -to-braves

"The Cleveland Indians have traded outfielder Michael Bourn and outfielder/first baseman Nick Swisher to the Braves in exchange for third baseman Chris Johnson. The Indians are sending money to the Braves as part of the trade. Jon Heyman reports that $10 million is the figure going to Atlanta."

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MLB.com ...

http://m.braves.mlb.com/news/article/141754708

"But the Braves had reached a point where they were willing to jump at any opportunity to rid themselves of the contract Johnson signed during the early portion of the 2014 season, when Frank Wren was still the club's general manager. The opportunity finally arose this week, when the Indians agreed to provide $10 million to help offset the costs of Swisher and Bourn."

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The Sporting News ...

http://www.sportingnews.com/mlb-news/46 ... is-johnson

"The Braves on Friday acquired outfielders Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher and $10 million from the Indians for third baseman Chris Johnson, the team announced. "

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The ABJ ...

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/cleveland-ind ... n-1.614142

"The trade, which reportedly includes around $10 million going from the Indians to the Braves, was able to be completed because all three players cleared waivers. The July 31 trade deadline is for non-waiver deals."

After I hit the billion dollar Powerball tonight, I might be able to spot you 5 million or so.

You hit the powerball tonight you should buy the Tribe.

Rusty, J.R., et al ... I owe you an apology. There has been a clarification on the Braves trade and turns out Rusty was correct.

No need to apologize to me. As you said, you were basing your remarks on what was published at the time.
Water under the bridge now. I just wish they would have traded prospects/suspects for Todd Frazier. I'm not sold on Napoli being the answer.

Windy pretty: Chicago dominates upgrade list

[ Gotta like those Cubs !
For a team that made the league championship series,
they certainly didn't sit on their hands upgrading 3 positions for 2016.
Not just upgrades, SERIOUS upgrades! ]

10. Denard Span, OF, Giants
Projected 2016 WAR: 2.6
Upgrade over Nori Aoki: +1.6

9. Jordan Zimmermann, SP, Tigers
Projected 2016 WAR: 2.4
Upgrade over Alfredo Simon: +1.7

8. Ben Zobrist, 2B, Cubs
Projected 2016 WAR: 3.3
Upgrade over Starlin Castro: +1.8

7. Andrelton Simmons, SS, Angels
Projected 2016 WAR: 3.5
Upgrade over Erick Aybar: +2.0

6. Jeff Samardzija, SP, Giants
Projected 2016 WAR: 2.7
Upgrade over Ryan Vogelsong: +2.1

T4. Zack Greinke, SP, D-backs
Projected 2016 WAR: 4.2
Upgrade over Jeremy Hellickson: +2.5

T4. John Lackey, SP, Cubs
Projected 2016 WAR: 2.9
Upgrade over Travis Wood: +2.5

3. David Price, SP, Red Sox
Projected 2016 WAR: 4.9
Upgrade over Wade Miley: +3.0

2. Jason Heyward, CF, Cubs
Projected 2016 WAR: 4.8
Upgrade over Dexter Fowler: +3.1
1. Todd Frazier, 3B, White Sox
Projected 2016 WAR: 3.3
Upgrade over Gordon Beckham: +3.5

[ That projected upgrade for 2016 would have looked good on the Indian's side of the ledger.
I have to think that those numbers would be equal to or greater than that Sox upgrade.
There are times when a team has to bite the bullet and do some gambling.
I have to agree with JR, I am not completely sold on Napoli either or for that matter, Davis.
Frazier would have been a significant upgrade and there are two free agents out there
worth gambling on, one in particularly if they are serious about winning this year. I would
throw out some bait and see if the fish are biting ! ]

Hillbilly wrote:You hit the powerball tonight you should buy the Tribe.

Why would Dolan sell? As a cheap team he is making too much money. I used to own this team. Dolan made me sell when he bought the team. Team has been going down hill since.

Powerball is only for 1.3 billion. You only get 800k or there abouts in a 1 sum payment. Not nearly enough for Dolan to bite.

Powerball is only for 1.3 billion. You only get 800k or there abouts in a 1 sum payment. Not nearly enough for Dolan to bite.

800k?
Try 800 MILLION!

yes you are correct. Dolan still isnt biting.

Commentary

Failure to go after stars like Gordon is keeping Tribe mired in mediocrity

Paul Hoynes

phoynes@cleveland.com

Baseball seasons aren't decided during the winter. The games have to be played.

Look what happened to the White Sox and Padres last year. They ruled in December and January with a flurry of trades and free agent signings. Then the season started and there was only disappointment and defeat. The White Sox lost 86 games, the Padres 88.

So the Indians have that going for them.

Until last week I thought they had a lot more than the calendar working in their favor in terms of winning the AL Central in 2016. Then the Royals re-signed left fielder Alex Gordon and the lights dimmed.

This is just the kind of move I've been waiting for the Indians to make since they appeared in the 2013 wild-card game. I'm still waiting.

The Royals have been to the World Series for the last two years. They lost to the Giants in seven games in 2014 and blitzed the Mets in five games last season. But they appeared vulnerable headed into 2016.

First, they've proved their point. Some people said that the Royals reaching Game 7 of the World Series in 2014 was a fluke. I'm not sure if those people really took a long look at Kansas City to see just how talented a team it was and still is, but that was the prevailing thought.

So last season the Royals showed the nonbelievers that the fluke was on them. They delivered that message from the first day of spring training.

But now what? Where does the motivation come from to be the first repeat World Series champion since the Yankees won three straight from 1998 through 2000?

Re-signing Gordon could do it. He completes a deep and talented lineup that scores runs when needed and plays Gold Glove defense at almost every spot on the diamond. The rotation is pedestrian, but it is protected by the lineup's ability to score and play defense, along with Wade Davis and the rest of the power arms in the bullpen.

This winter, however, Johnny Cueto and Ben Zobrist, who helped fuel Kansas City's October run, signed with the Giants and Cubs, respectively. Ryan Madsen, who did some good work in the bullpen, signed with Oakland. Franklin Morales, another reliever, is still a free agent. As is right-hander Jeremy Guthrie and outfielder Alex Rios.

Then there was the approach of free agency. Davis, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain and Danny Duffy will be eligible for free agency after the 2017 season. That can be a distraction and divide a locker room.

No doubt the Royals were still a strong team, but there was fraying around the edges. Then they spent $72 million to re-sign Gordon, 32 in February, to a four-year deal and another $21 million to sign Joakim Soria, just so no one got the idea that the bullpen had gone soft.

It's true teams can't book a trip to the postseason in January, but they can certainly make a good case for it. The Royals have made their case.

The Indians could have made a run at Gordon. Their biggest need is a run-producing outfielder.

It would have cost them their No. 1 pick in the June draft and a lot more cash than Gordon settled for to return to Kansas City. But that's the kind of player they need to become a real contender instead of a gutsy little team that gets sent home with a pat on the back once before the big boys start playing for keeps.

The Indians have the top starting rotation in the division if not the American League. The bullpen had the second-best ERA in the AL last year and the defense went from worst to first in fielding percentage. But instead of going all in, the Indians have mastered the art of working baseball's back channels. They've signed veterans Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis to one-year deals and will bring another 20 or so desperate non-roster free agents to spring training to see if there is a Scott Kazmir or Ryan Raburn lurking among them.

It's understandable that ownership is skittish after the free-agent flops of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, but this isn't the way division titles are won. This is how teams finish 81-80.

Tribe keeps buying one ticket and hope they hit the Powerball.

Looks like Hoynseee has finally wized up!

I am staying out of this one

USA TODAY Sports

Biggest question marks facing the Cleveland Indians in 2016

Graydon Fox

With just under a month left before Tribe pitchers and catchers report to Goodyear, Arizona for Spring Training, the IBI's Graydon Fox examines a number of big questions facing the club heading into 2016.

As Spring Training inches closer, here are some of the biggest question marks concerning the Cleveland Indians for the 2016 season.

Question #1: Is Mike Napoli the right-handed power bat that Indians fans have long been clamoring for?

Realistic Expectation: No, but he does provide an upgrade offensively and defensively.

Analysis: The 34-year-old Napoli split his 2015 season with the Boston Red Sox and the Texas Rangers. Napoli battled a slew of injuries early in the season with the Red Sox and really struggled. In 98 games with Boston, he hit .207 with 18 doubles, 13 homers, 40 RBI and a .693 OPS. After being traded to Texas, Napoli hit .295 with two doubles, five homers, 10 RBI and a .908 OPS. So who is the real Mike Napoli? It’s somewhere in the middle of those splits. Napoli is a career .253 hitter and has hit at least 17 homers in his last eight seasons. Last season, Carlos Santana led the Indians with 19 home runs and no other Tribe player had over 15. Napoli also finished as one of the top three Gold Glove finalists at first base and will be a clear upgrade over Santana defensively. Interestingly, Fangraphs rated him as a negative WAR player offensively and defensively last season.

Question #2: Will Giovanny Urshela hit well enough to be the everyday third baseman?

Realistic Expectation: Yes, he will improve from his rookie season but will continue to perform at a below average level (for the position) with the bat.

Analysis: Urshela, in his age 23 season, finally made the jump to the big leagues in 2015. In 81 games with the Tribe, he hit just .225 with eight doubles, six homers, 21 RBI and .608 OPS. He owns a career OPS of .710 in the minor leagues, so he is capable of performing better. Urshela’s minor league numbers indicate he is the type of hitter who doesn’t strike out or walk a lot. As he gains experience, he will learn to be more selective because making contact is not his problem. Urshela didn’t have enough games to qualify, but Fangraphs would have ranked him 21st in offensive WAR and 10th in defensive WAR among third baseman. I love his Gold Glove caliber defense at the hot corner. I expect that in 2016 he climbs the list in both of those categories.

Question #3: Is Corey Kluber still a number one starter?

Realistic Expectation: Yes, the advanced statistics prove that Kluber remains among the elite starting pitchers in all of baseball.

Analysis: Corey Kluber’s 9-16 record is not indicative of how dominant he remained in the 2015 season. According to Fangraphs, Kluber had the eighth highest WAR among all starting pitchers. Kluber ranked sixth in innings pitched, sixth in K/9, 11th in BB/9 and 14th in FIP. It was expected that he would regress from his Cy Young campaign in 2014, but for the most part, he suffered from bad luck. Kluber received the third worst run support in all of baseball (3.31). I expect him to bounce back and anchor perhaps the best rotation in the league.

Question #4: Is Abraham Almonte a viable option in center field?

Realistic Expectation: No, he is more likely a fourth outfielder or organizational depth in AAA.

Analysis: Almonte was acquired midseason from the San Diego Padres in the Marc Rzepczynski trade. In 31 games with the Padres, Almonte hit .204 with three doubles, no homers, four RBI and a .530 OPS. After getting traded to the Indians, he hit .264 with nine doubles, five triples, five homers, 20 RBI and a .776 OPS in 51 games. Almonte is only 26, so it’s possible he could be spiking in performance. The more likely scenario is that he plays more like the career .244 (.675 OPS) hitter that he has shown to be. This is the one position I would like to see the Indians upgrade before the season starts. I have little confidence that Almonte can even repeat his 2015 performance with the Tribe.

Question #5: Do the Indians have prospects that are ready to contribute in the first half of the season?

Realistic Expectation: Yes, but don’t expect to see top outfield prospects Bradley Zimmer or Clint Frazier in Cleveland this season.

Analysis: In my estimation, the three prospects that are most ready to help the Indians early in the season are Jesus Aguilar, Tyler Naquin and Mike Clevinger. Aguilar hit .316 in seven games with the Tribe in 2015. The organization does not appear to be fond of Aguilar given his limited opportunities with the big league club. In Columbus last season, Aguilar hit .267 with 29 doubles, 19 homers, 93 RBI and .771 OPS. Naquin played 34 games for Akron, hitting .348 with 12 doubles, one homer, 10 RBI, seven stolen bases, .419 OBP and .887 OPS, then in 50 games with Columbus hit .263 with 13 doubles, six homers, 17 RBI, six stolen bases, .353 OPB and a .784 OPS. Clevinger spent the 2015 season with Akron and compiled a 9-8 record with a 2.73 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. He struck out 145 batters in 158 innings while only allowing 40 walks.

Question #6: Will Francisco Lindor regress offensively after his stellar rookie campaign?

Realistic Expectation: Yes, and that’s fine because he was performing at such an elite level last season.

Analysis: MLB Network’s “Shredder” recently ranked Lindor as the top shortstop in all of baseball already. In 99 games with the Indians, Lindor hit .313 with 22 doubles, four triples, 12 homers, 12 stolen bases, .353 OBP and .835 OPS. He also led the majors in sacrifice hits with 13. Lindor ranked fourth in Defensive Runs Saved (10) and fifth in UZR (10.5). Fangraphs ranked Lindor second among all shortstops with a 4.6 WAR. I don’t expect Lindor to perform like an elite offensive shortstop in 2016. The beauty of his game is that he affects the game in so many different ways that he will be a major impact performer regardless of any regression he may have.

Question #7: Will Yan Gomes bounce back after a rough 2015 campaign?

Realistic expectation: Yes, he should contend for an All-Star spot among a weak AL catcher class.

Analysis: Coming off a Silver Slugger Award in 2014, there were high expectations for Gomes heading into the 2015 season. Unfortunately, his season would be derailed right from the start when he suffered an ugly knee injury just a few games in. The Tribe really struggled without Gomes, and it appeared he was playing catch up at the plate for the rest of the year. In 2015, Gomes hit just .231 with 22 doubles, 12 homers, 45 RBI and .659 OPS. Gomes threw out 33% of would be base stealers, which is a very solid percentage. In 2016, I expect Gomes to bounce back in a big way.

Question #8: Will the Indians get off to a better start in 2016?

Realistic expectation: I would hope so because it can’t get much worse.

Analysis: In 2015, the Indians went 7-14 in April and were just 12-21 on May 14 before they finally started to turn things around. Staff ace Corey Kluber failed to record a win in five April starts. Having a healthy Yan Gomes should help not only the pitching staff but also the offense. Fangraphs ranked the Indians as the third best defensive team in baseball. Indians fans remember they began last season with Jose Ramirez at short and Lonnie Chisenhall at third. Chisenhall has since taken to right field and played at a very high level defensively. The drastically improved defense should help with run prevention. The additions of Rajai Davis and Francisco Lindor should provide a new element of speed atop the lineup that will help early in the season when their bats are often as cold as the weather. The X-factor is of course the shoulder injury to star left fielder Michael Brantley. Brantley is not only the team’s best hitter but also its most clutch performer. Brantley’s absence will be a huge loss, but I’m hoping the team can hover around .500 until he returns (hopefully) sometime in May.

Terry Pluto

About the budget

It's understandably frustrating for fans to see the Cleveland Indians doing so little in free agency.

Their two significant moves were signing a pair of veteran free agents — Rajai Davis and Mike Napoli. Napoli is 34, Davis is 35. Both signed one-year contracts. They should be good, veteran role players. Both are right-handed batters with a history of success against lefty pitchers.

But it's not something that excites the fan base.

There is another story, and it's something General Manager Chris Antonetti and his staff have worked hard to make happen. Owner Paul Dolan also had a major role.

It's signing their own players to long-term deals.

It wasn't that long ago that the Tribe went into a season with the free-agent stopwatch ticking down. Would they be ''buyers or sellers'' at midseason? Would they trade one of their key veterans in late July before that player had a chance to leave via free agency.

It happened with C.C. Sabathia in 2008 ... with Cliff Lee and Victor Martinez in 2009. Those are the major examples.

With the signing of Josh Tomlin to a two-year, $5 million deal and a $3 million team option ($750,000 guaranteed) for 2018, the Tribe has control of its core players for years.

Consider the following:

1. Carlos Carrasco signed through 2018, team options for 2019-20.

2. Corey Kluber signed through 2019, team options for 2020-21.

3. Tomlin signed through 2017, team option for 2018.

4. Yan Gomes signed through 2019, team options 2020-21.

5. Jason Kipnis signed through 2019, team options 2020-21.

6. Michael Brantley signed through 2017, team option for 2018.

7. Carlos Santana signed through 2016, team option for 2017.

8. Cody Allen can't be a free agent until 2018.

9. Danny Salazar can't be a free agent until 2021.

10. Trevor Bauer can't be a free agent until 2021.

11. Cody Anderson can't be a free agent until 2022.

12. Francisco Lindor can't be a free agent until 2022.

This is very important because having younger, key players tied to long-term contracts helps in several ways:

■ The Indians aren't forced to trade a player just to receive something in return before he leaves after the season.

■ They can do some longterm budgeting because they know what the key players will be earning for several years.

■ If they do decide to trade one of the players on a longterm deal, it probably will enhance their value. That's especially true for the starting pitchers as the price tag for even mediocre starters has exploded.

■ You can argue the team should spend more for other players, etc. But the Tribe front office is functioning under the limits that have been set for it by ownership. And they have wisely worked on keeping those important players tied to the team, much as the John Hart/Dan O'Dowd front office did with the Tribe in the early and middle 1990s.