If you can beat 'em, join 'em: Rajai Davis hoping trends reverse when it comes to Cleveland Ind
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians own a 19-37 record against the Detroit Tigers over the last three years.

Rajai Davis played in the Motor City each of the last two seasons, during which the Tigers have amassed a 22-15 mark against the Tribe.

If you can beat 'em, join 'em. Or something like that.

Davis has been a part of the division-rival demolition. In 2014-15, he posted a .316/.442/.453 slash line in 95 at-bats against Cleveland. Last year, he batted .381 with a 1.028 OPS in 42 at-bats, with six stolen bases against the Indians.

"I hated him the last four or five years," said Tribe manager Terry Francona, "because he's been a thorn in our side. He just has created havoc when he's played against us, and what's nice is he can do it without playing every day. He can do it playing four times a week, five times a week and when [Michael] Brantley comes back healthy, that's probably where he fits in.

"But it's a nice addition for us, because that's what we envisioned with [Michael Bourn] and it didn't necessarily work out that way. But if you can get a guy that can get on base and kind of disturb the game a little bit, that really helps a lot."

Indians sign Rajai Davis to one-year contract

Indians sign Rajai Davis to one-year contract

Rajai Davis is the latest outfielder to join the Indians as they try to fill a gaping hole in the roster. Davis' one-year deal is contingent on him passing a physical.

Even though he -- and many of his teammates -- have torched Tribe pitching in recent years, Davis is encouraged by the staff the Indians will carry into the new season.

"Playing the Indians all year long," Davis said, "you see that pitching staff. We have some good, talented arms."

The Indians added Davis to their bountiful crop of outfielders this winter. The 35-year-old -- who joked that he made up with catcher Yan Gomes, since the two collided at home plate last April and cost Gomes six weeks of action -- can play all three outfield spots. He has averaged 37 stolen bases per year since 2008, but he tallied a career-low 18 last season. He said he was given the green light less frequently because of the power threats batting behind him (Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez).

"I've never stopped running," Davis said. "That's been my M.O. every year. It's my kind of game. That's my game. That's what I do. That's what I make sure I stay on top of and make sure my body is healthy enough to do that."

Davis said he is thrilled he no longer has to face the Indians' starting pitchers.

"[Corey] Kluber is a Cy Young winner," he said. "He has a nasty out pitch. [Carlos] Carrasco, he gets two strikes on you and he has to make a mistake. Otherwise, you're out. [Danny] Salazar and these guys throw hard."

Davis made 54 of his 73 starts last year in the leadoff spot. Overall, the Connecticut native logged a .258/.306/.440 slash line. He said he prefers to hit atop the lineup, though he added that manager Terry Francona "has a grasp of what he has here" and "knows what he's doing."

"I like to set the tone and get on base and score runs and help us," Davis said. "I think I can be most effective at the top of the lineup."

The Indians' offense will enter the season with some questions. Will the pitching staff prove capable of carrying the club, especially against Detroit's annually potent offense?

"You have these younger guys who have another year of experience," Davis said. "Now they're getting older, a little more mature. You would think they would develop a little bit more, get a little smarter. The talent is already there.

"We have power pitchers. This is what this game is about. The Tigers have some offense, but good pitching stops good offense. I think that's what we have."

Offense still a concern as Cleveland Indians mull Juan Uribe and other hitters


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Center fielder Dexter Fowler, shortstop Ian Desmond and infielder Juan Uribe are still free agents looking for a place to hang their hats for the 2016 season.

What are the chances one of them could hang his lid in Cleveland?

Fowler and Desmond are long shots because the Indians would lose their No.1 draft pick if they signed either. Since the Indians have all but removed themselves from the big money side of free agency, that doesn't make a lot of sense unless they could sign Fowler or Desmond to a one-year deal and try to recoup the draft pick by attaching a qualifying offer to them next year.

Of course, that might not be possible should the qualifying offer not survive negotiations on a new basic agreement at the end of the 2016 season. The players association is not a big fan of it.

Still, the Indians have said they would be willing to part with their No.1 pick for the right player. Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said it earlier this winter. GM Mike Chernoff reiterated that Monday during an interview on MLB Network.

''We've done it before. We certainly would consider it if it was the right value,'' said Chernoff. "We value our pick highly -- especially picking 15th. If you're picking 29th, that's a big difference. So it's hard to make that value equation lineup to where we'd consider doing that, but we're always at least open to considering it."

When the Indians signed free agents Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn before the 2013 season, their first-round pick was protected. They did lose their second and third round picks because Swisher and Bourn received and rejected qualifying offers from their former teams, the Yankees and Braves.

This year the Indians have the 15th pick in the first round. Last year the slot value for that pick was $2.7 million. If the Indians forfeit the pick, they would also forfeit the value assigned to that pick. In other words, they would lose money from their allotted bonus pool that each team receives to sign their first 10 picks.

Fowler and Desmond are the only free agents with draft pick compensation tied to them that make sense for the Indians.

The switch-hitting Fowler could offer immediate help in center field where he hit .250 (149-for-596) with 102 runs and 17 homers for the Cubs last season. Fowler, 29, stole 20 bases in 27 attempts and posted a .757 OPS.

While Fowler would fit perfectly, Desmond would require a stretch. A shortstop by trade, would the Indians consider signing Desmond and moving him to third base or the outfield?

Desmond, a right-handed hitter, has spent the last six plus years with Washington. In that time, he's hit 20 or more homers three times. Last year Desmond hit .233 (136-for-583) with 19 homers and 62 RBI. The Indians are set at shortstop with Francisco Lindor, but Giovanny Urshela hardly has a claim on third base. Desmond, however, has never played third in the big leagues.

Uribe and the Indians have been in talks for a while. He has no draft pick compensation tied to him and at 36 the Indians would probably be trying to sign him to a one-year deal similar to what they gave Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis.

Last year Uribe, 36, played for the Dodgers, Braves and Mets. His contributions down the stretch helped the Mets win the NL East.
Juan Uribe played with the Dodgers, Braves and Mets last year. During the stretch drive, Uribe helped the Mets win the NL East.

If the Indians signed Uribe -- out of the three scenarios this seems the most likely -- he could take some pressure off Urshela by playing a couple of games a week at third base, while giving manager Terry Francona an experienced bat off the bench. Or Uribe and utility man Jose Ramirez could handle third while Urshela played every day at Class AAA Columbus.

Uribe, 36, hit .253 (91-for-360) with 14 homers and 43 RBI in 119 games last year. He made $6.5 million last season.

Chernoff said the Indians are still looking to improve the offense and team in general.

"We're looking at what the alternatives are out there," he said. "You can always try to improve your team. There are still guys out there who haven't signed and could help us. So we're actively engaged with those players."

Chernoff wouldn't name names, but said, "When you look at our team, you can see spots where we have some younger guys or have a little bit of uncertainty still. Whether that's on the infield at third base or in the bullpen or potentially complementary bats on the bench. There are a lot of different ways we could upgrade."

Veteran free agent outfielders Marlon Byrd, Shane Victorino and Alex Rios are still unsigned. The Indians, however, have 12 outfielders set for spring training. That includes Michael Brantley and Zach Walters, who are each coming off shoulder surgery for a torn labrum.

Tribe revisiting a Shane Victorino offer?



The Indians offered Shane Victorino a four-year $44 million deal after the 2012 season and he turned it down to sign with Boston. This off-season the Indians are looking for outfielders and Victorino is looking for a team. Could they be match?

"We feel really strongly about the depth we have in the outfield," Chernoff, when asked if the Indians would add another outfielder. "I don't know if any of us know exactly how it's going to play out vetting the team because Brantley is going to be out for some amount of time to start the year and that adds some uncertainty.

"We're never going to stop looking to improve, but I also think we have the pieces in place internally to have a really competitive team right now whether that's in the outfield, third base or whatever."

Most teams report to spring training in about three weeks. While unsigned free agents are probably understandably nervous, they shouldn't panic – even the ones who received qualifying offers. After right-hander Ubaldo Jimenez rejected the Indians' qualifying offer and became a free agent after the 2014 season, he twisted in the wind until Feb. 19 before signing a four-year, $50 million contract with Baltimore.

No matter what time of year it is, if there is a demand for talent, a player is going to

Lots of free agents still available two weeks before camps open. Outfielders still unsigned include Ryan Raburn, David Murphy, Grady Sizemore, Drew Stubbs, if we'd like to bring back some former Clevelanders.

Grady Redux?!?

Raburn went back to hitting well against left handers last year, he'd be my first choice.

Tell you want, with our outfield situation it wouldn't surprise me at all to see one of those guys,

Going to link this Hoynsie article since he uses tweets for questions which won't show if I cut and paste:

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ss ... iver_index

I will do this one separately since I thought it was interesting:

BD @brydesantis

@hoynsie hey hoynsie you think Urshela will hit enough to keep 3b job of not who do they turn to internally? Bryan from Brooklyn hts.
1:16 PM - 3 Feb 2016

Hey, Bryan: If Giovanny Urshela can stay healthy for a full year, I think that will go a long way in determining if can be the starting third baseman. Right now, I think the Indians want to sign someone -- Juan Uribe or David Freeze -- who could fill in for him against a tough pitcher or when he's struggling at the plate.

IMO, if the Tribe signed Freese he would be the starter and Urshela the occasional.

If they sign Uribe then Uribe becomes the occasional with Urshela starting. At least to start off.

I do think, now that it's February, guys like Austin Jackson or other guys who are still unsigned come into play.

To follow up on that - Ken Rosenthal just referred to the Tribe and the Rays on MLBNetwork.

He pointed out that if those teams had had a worse record, their first round picks would be protected in the event of a free agent who got a qualifying offer.

In other words, a guy like Dexter Fowler got a qualifying offer. So, if he gets signed (and he would be damn perfect on the Tribe, centerfielder and all...) then a team loses a first rounder. UNLESS they had one of the top 10 picks (The Tribe and Rays are
#13 and #15 so they would lose their first rounders)

So you would have to pay the salary, and lose the pick. That's why guys like Gallardo and Fowler are still out there.

that's one of the strange things about current FA rules. those compensable signees who are on career downside have the worst shot at getting a deal.

Agreed, but I'm not sure it's strange.

A guy like Fowler, for example, then would have to significantly drop his price in order for a team to sign him.

And that's what the owners had in mind when they attached those picks to free agents.

To take it a step further, this is the first year that free agents (3 of them!) have accepted the qualifying offer which teams have to extend in order to get a pick back when they lose a guy.

So, again using Fowler, perhaps he should have ACCEPTED the qualifying offer because it would have been better than what his market value was WITH the pick attached to him.

So Fowler stays with his original team - and again that's what the owners want. Make it harder for free agents to leave.

Raburn went back to hitting well against left handers last year, he'd be my first choice.

Ah, but he alternates good and bad years. Last year was a good year.

Article on that Compensation system:

Draft pick compensation hurting free agent system

Parameters need to be revised in new labor deal

It was the opportunity Howie Kendrick waited for his entire baseball career.

For the first time, after 10 years in the big leagues, five playoff berths and one All-Star Game, Kendrick became a free agent in November.

He sat back with his family in his Scottsdale, Ariz., home, and waited for the telephone to ring, with offers from coast to coast.

And waited.

And waited.

“Nothing,” Kendrick told USA TODAY Sports. “I figured there would be quite a few suitors for me, and nobody was really calling. Here it is, getting close to spring training, and you keep hearing the same thing over and over.

“Nobody wanted to give up that draft pick. It was a shocker.”

It wasn’t until Thursday — two weeks before major league camps open — that Kendrick finally had a team. The Los Angeles Dodgers announced they had signed Kendrick to a two-year, $20 million contract. The deal, according to a person with direct knowledge of the contract, includes two years of deferrals, paying Kendrick $5 million a year over the next four years.

It’s a huge bargain for the Dodgers, who extended Kendrick a $15.8 million qualifying offer at the end of last season that he rejected. They were the only team that could sign Kendrick without forfeiting a draft pick. Now, they bring back a guy who has produced the third-highest batting average (.293) of any second baseman since 2007 and one who batted .295 with a .336 on-base percentage and .409 slugging percentage last year.

And Kendrick’s case might wind up as Exhibit A for the players union as to why the parameters of free agency must be changed. The union and Major League Baseball will begin negotiations this year on a new collective bargaining agreement.

Any changes will come too late for Kendrick, 32, who is none too pleased with a system that failed him, along with several other players who reached what should have been a point of great freedom in their career only to find their options extremely limited.

“When you get to free agency, you’re supposed to be a free agent,” Kendrick said. “Now, with this qualifying offer, teams are trying to decide: Do I make my major league team better or minor league system better?

“It forces teams to make a choice, and it’s hurting everybody. There are a lot of good players out there who can help teams.

“It’s such a strange market.”

Kendrick and his agent, Larry Reynolds, discussed the risk in rejecting that $15.8 million qualifying offer in November, but it seemed unlikely the attached draft pick would destroy his market.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Reynolds, a 32-year veteran. “Without question, this was the most challenging free agent process I’ve been involved in.

“The teams are placing a very high value on draft picks, and this contributed to the limited market for Howie. And it looks like some of the others are having the same challenges.”

The suppressed market is no different for center fielder Dexter Fowler, shortstop Ian Desmond and starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo, who remain free agents as spring training approaches. Though Desmond struggled in his final season before free agency, the non-market for this trio is ludicrous, considering their talent. Yet they each have that draft pick anchor attached, hurting their value in a free agent world we haven’t seen since the days of collusion.

It’s absurd that Kendrick and Co.’s value plummets simply because qualifying offers are attached. Yet the Toronto Blue Jays couldn’t place a qualifying offer on ace David Price, simply because he wasn’t with them for the entire season.

The Arizona Diamondbacks were the only other team that expressed strong consideration in signing Kendrick, but they backed off simply because they didn’t want to surrender a second- round pick.

Most draft picks — particularly those beyond the first dozen or so — are largely a crapshoot. And the obsession over picks to the point of impacting the current major league roster has gone too far.

The way the collective bargaining agreement is constructed, draft picks are more valuable than ever, particularly since they add money to a team’s allotted draft pool.

“The draft pick has real value,” Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said. “A couple of million dollars worth of pool money. … At some level, you balance the ability to improve this club vs. the long-term impact that losing a pick would have.”

The free agent system needs to be overhauled in the next collective bargaining agreement. If you don’t eliminate the qualifying offer, at least make it tougher for teams to decide whether to extend them. Just three of 54 eligible players have accepted it since the provision was implemented in the CBA four years ago. Make the qualifying offer a two-year guarantee, or at least provide a player option for the second year. Establish a minimum standard in which qualifying offers can be attached to only the truly elite free agents. Stop rewarding teams for losing free agents, particularly those who have no interest in bringing back their player.

Better yet, it’s time to try a novel concept.

How about when a player becomes eligible for free agency, he’s actually free?

Continuing with this theme, MLB Network was just showing the 70 guys still unsigned.

Guys like David Murphy, Ryan Raburn, Pedro Alvarez, Marlin Byrd, Jimmy Rollins, Alex Rios, Will Venable but also Gallardo and higher end guys.

Very unusual to see this many legit major league players going unsigned this late.

There are so many outfielders still out there on this list, I am going to predict the Indians will end up grabbing at least one of them.

It is perfect for what they historically do, wait out the market until the available guys are forced to get more realistic about their contract terms.

I'm going to add, in retrospect, the Indians might actually have jumped the gun on Rajai Davis and, yes, overpaid. There are guys out there certainly in his category whose price will end up being a better bargain than his potentially. Potentially of course because Davis had a bit of a down year and if he rebounds then it all works out.