Cleveland Sports Forum

15 Old MLB Free Agents Who May Not Be Over The Hill Yet


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What sets Cleveland Indians' Terry Francona apart in a bad offseason for veteran managers?


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - In the big leagues managers get paid to win. It's supposed to be the biggest part of their job.

But sometimes winning isn't enough. Boston fired John Farrell after the Red Sox won the AL East for the second straight season. His team went 93-69, but was beaten in the AL Division Series by Houston.

The Yankees fired Joe Girardi after his rebuilding team won 91 games in the regular season to earn a wild card berth. Girardi steered the Yankees past the Indians in the ALDS, despite being down 2-0 in the best of five series. Then he led New York to Game 7 of the ALCS before losing to Houston.

In Washington, D.C., the Nationals won 97 games and the NL East under Dusty Baker. In 2016, Baker's Nationals won the division with 95 wins, but after being knocked out of the ALDS for the second straight year in five games, he was fired.

Three successful managers in charge of three talented and highly-paid teams that won 90 or more games last season, but it wasn't enough to keep them employed. Who's missing from that picture?

It could easily be Terry Francona, manager of the Indians. They won 102 games this year, running away with their second straight AL Central title. They were favored to reach the World Series, if not win it, but the Yankees had other ideas. Yet when the Indians season ended much sooner than anyone anticipated, there were no rumors of Francona's demise.

Different strokes for different teams

There are 30 teams in the big leagues and they all operate differently based on chain of command and relationships. This much is clear, the job of managing a big-league team is no longer strictly about wins and losses.

Don't get the wrong idea, wins certainly help. The Indians have the best record in the American League under Francona over the last five years. A .562 (454-354) winning percentage will keep the paychecks coming.

But what is to be made of Farrell, Girardi and Baker?

Farrell went 432-378 (.533) in his five-year stay with Boston. He won three AL East titles and the World Series in 2013.

Girardi went 910-710 (.562) in 10 years managing the Yankees. He won the World Series in 2009, three AL East titles and his teams made six postseason appearances.

Baker's Nationals went 192-132 (.593) in his two years as manager. That obviously was not enough to offset two losses in NLDS in the minds of Washington's decision makes.

The reasons behind the reasons

So why are Farrell, Girardi and Baker gone, while Francona remains bulletproof?

Boston's Dave Dombrowski, president of baseball operations, didn't give a lot of reasons for firing Farrell shortly after the Red Sox were eliminated from the postseason. But he inherited Farrell as manager when Boston hired him to run their baseball operations. Perhaps he wanted his own guy, which is what he got hiring first-year manager Alex Cora.
Dave Dombrowski discusses his decision to fire John Farrell as manager of the Boston Red Sox


Yankee GM Brian Cashman said he made the decision to fire Girardi because he lost "connectivity" with his players. He is still looking for Girardi's replacement.

The Nationals have become MLB's managerial graveyard. Since the Montreal Expos became the Nationals in 2005, they've gone through six managers in 13 years. Basic math says that they go through a manager every two years or so. Maybe that's why Dave Martinez, another first-year manager, signed a three-year deal.

Francona, meanwhile, could be named AL Manager of the Year on Tuesday night for the third time in five years by the Baseball Writers Association of America. He is a finalist along with Minnesota's Paul Molitor and Houston's A.J. Hinch.

What makes Francona bulletproof?

What's Francona's secret?

"Tito builds extraordinary relationships with everyone throughout the building from players, coaches and staff," said Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations. "He cares deeply about people and finds a way to connect with them. Relationships are the foundation of everything that he does.

"He tries to think of how to put players and people in positions to be successful and make the biggest impact possible. And he uses all avenues of information - subjective information, objective information, whatever information is available - to try to form those decisions."

Francona, 58, came to managing the old way. He went to the minors and managed Class AA Birmingham for the White Sox for four years before taking over the Phillies in 1997. He just finished his 17th season as a big-league manager and his last 13 teams have posted winning records.

In an era when general managers and ownership show no hesitation in hiring managers who have never managed a game, Francona qualifies as old school. But it would be wrong to assume he is limited by that term.

He has embraced analytics. Before every game he tapes spread sheets of stats onto nearby dugout walls as a resource that he can turn to during games.

"There's so much information available now that you'd be foolish not to take advantage of it," he has said many times.

Said Antonetti, "Tito cares deeply about doing what's best for the organization and how do we find a way to succeed. In order to do that, he's exceedingly open minded. He clearly has some unbelievable experiences and knowledge from what he's learned over the course of his career, but he'd be the first to tell you that I can always learn. I can always get more information.

"I think that mindset of being willing to constantly learn from the people around him is what differentiates him. That could be a scouting opinion on a player that differs from his or analytical information. . .Tito is always looking to learn and grow."

Getting back to normal

On every trip, a member of the front office travels with the Indians. Some managers may be threatened by that, thinking that they have a spy in their midst. Francona is just the opposite. In fact, he suggested the move so there would be better communication with the front office.

No manager sees eye-to-eye with every player, but it would be hard to imagine Francona losing connectivity with the clubhouse. He plays cribbage with players before almost every game. He's not a constant presence in the clubhouse, but he's in the dugout about 30 to 40 minutes before every game, talking to players, listening to their opinions.

Francona leans heavily on his coaching staff, particularly bench coach Brad Mills. When players leave the clubhouse after a game, they almost always know if they're going to be in the lineup the next day because Mills tells them. Mills and the rest of the staff are also good at getting a handle on any clubhouse problem before it reaches Francona's desk.

This past season was especially trying for Francona as he underwent a heart procedure in July for an irregular heartbeat. He did not get a chance to manage the AL All-Star team as he recovered from the procedure, but he joined the Indians for the start of the second half and didn't miss another game. After the Indians were eliminated by the Yankees, he told reporters that he was "physically wiped out."

A couple of days ago, Francona was back home in Tucson. He just got done swimming laps and was sitting in the Arizona sun. It was 80 degrees without a breeze.

He said he was almost back to normal, feeling good, and preparing for next season where wins, and a lot of other things, can still make or break a manager.

Wow!

Hoynes wrote that puff piece on Tito?

Thought it might be Mrs Francona or TFIR

Cleveland Indians are doing a lot of things right -- Terry Pluto


By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

terrypluto2003@yahoo.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Chris Antonetti is the Major League Executive of the Year.

Terry Francona finished second in the American League Manager of the Year voting to Paul Molitor of the Minnesota Twins.

The Indians won an American League-best 102 games last season.

Over the last five years, no American League team has won more games than the Tribe.

I mention all of this because it's worth mentioning.

I mention all of this because I believe the Indians not only are the best-run franchise in town, they are the most under appreciated.

I mention all this because the Indians did have an awful ending to a wonderful season -- losing the final three games of the American League Division Series to the New York Yankees.

That stunk.

When the Tribe was up 2-0 in that best-of-five series, I remember hoping the Houston Astros would win the other AL Division Series bracket. I thought the Astros and Tribe would not only be a fun series to watch, but it also would be a celebration of two franchises who did it right.

They were not built with huge payrolls and massive free-agents investments.

They became winners through savvy trades, solid drafting and a few wise free agent acquisitions. They have smart front offices and excellent field managers.

Whenever Antonetti is praised, he immediately shines the light of good feeling on general manager Mike Chernoff, the other members of the front office -- along with Francona and his coaching staff.

Francona has been the American League Manager of the Year in 2013 and 2016.

Since he arrived five years ago, the Indians have never had a losing season.

From 2009-12, the Indians average record was 71-91.

So it's been a dramatic turnaround.

And the winning should continue.

Yes, there is angst and gnashing of teeth about the Tribe very likely losing Jay Bruce to free agency. The same with Carlos Santana.

But the Indians remain well-positioned to win the Central Division once again.

Antonetti and his staff didn't just throw together some players who will win for a year or two.

In the last two seasons, they had records of 94-67 and 102-60.

I understand the hunger of Tribe fans for a World Series victory.

I was born in 1955.

I never saw the Tribe play a postseason game until 1995 -- when I was 40.

After losing to the Chicago Cubs in the 2016 World Series, the Indians are now the baseball franchise that has existed for the longest without winning the World Series.

Very few fans can remember 1948, the last time the Tribe celebrated a World Series title.


But I can say the Indians have been wonderfully entertaining and a very good team since 2013.

And there is more excellent baseball to come.

No Thank You on Napoli. '

One position only for Diaz. His lack of power does not play well at 1st. Or maybe not 3rd either, but let's see if he can meet Tito's defensive standards at the hot corner. I know many of you like Yandy quite a lot, and I recognize his high on base pct is attractive. But little long ball power and no basestealing ability make him less than ideal; reminds me The Human Rain Delay who worked out OK leading off despite his lack of speed. But Mike was considered a top defender at his position.

No way Kluber does not sail to his 2nd Cy Young award. Results come in 2 and a half hours.

Cy Young winner Corey Kluber still tap dancing about health in ALDS starts for Cleveland Indians

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Into every season a little rain must fall. It fell on Corey Kluber at the wrong time.

Kluber won his second AL Cy Young award in four years on Wednesday night from the Baseball Writers Association of America. Here's betting he could have done without it if he'd pitched like himself in Games 2 and 5 of the ALDS to put the Indians in the ALCS against Houston last month.

It didn't happen as Kluber went 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA against the wild-card Yankees. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered. The Astros beat the Yankees in seven games to win the AL pennant and beat the Dodgers in seven games to win the World Series.

But this much is clear, the Kluber who pitched in the ALDS was not the same Kluber who came off the disabled list on June 1 and finished the season by going 15-2 in 23 starts. Along the way he was named AL Pitcher of the Month in June, August and September. He wasn't that bad in July either, going 5-1 with a 1.96 ERA.


Just what went wrong with Kluber in October has never been fully explained. He was asked again about it against Wednesday night.

"After 162-game regular season, I don't think you're going to find anyone who is 100 percent by the time the postseason rolls around," said Kluber. "The only thing we can do is to look forward to next season and try to have a better finish."

Kluber received 28 of a possible 30 first place votes to win the Cy Young in a landslide. Boston's Chris Sale and New York's Luis Severino, the other finalists, were a distant second and third, respectively. In a conference call with Cleveland reporters, it was clear Kluber was dealing with some physical issues last season because he spent a lot of time thanking the team's trainers and strength coaches.

"I got hurt throughout the course of the season," said Kluber. "The training staff, the strength staff, people like that, worked their butts off to get me back to a point where I felt I was able to pitch the way I felt I was capable of instead of going out there and hurting my team the way I did the first month of the year."

Kluber missed all but one start in May because of a lower back strain. He injured it in his second start of the season and worked hard to stay on top of it for the rest of the season.


"This year I dealt with a little more physically than I have in the past," said Kluber. "You kind of learn how to deal with those different ups and down during the course of the year. There are things that pop up for every player, every pitcher, during the course of the year and you're always trying to learn from those experiences."

What to learn from 2017? How about having something pop up in August instead of Oct. 6 when Kluber allowed six runs on seven hits in 2 2/3 innings in Game 2 against the Yankees. The Indians rallied to win that game, 9-8, in 13 innings, but it was their last win of the year as the Yankees won three straight to advance to the ALCS.


On Oct. 11, in the winner-take-all Game 5, Kluber started and allowed three runs on five hits in 3 2/3 innings. The pitcher who went 5-0 with a 0.84 in six September starts was not the same guy who went 0-1 with a 12.73 ERA against the Yankees in the ALDS.

Kluber finished the regular season at 18-4 with a 2.25 ERA. He finished second in the AL in strikeouts with 265 in 203 2/3 innings. He has struck out 227 or more batters in four straight years and ranks seventh in franchise history with 1,201.

He is one of 19 pitchers to win two or more Cy Young awards. Max Scherzer, the NL winner, was awarded his third on Wednesday night.

Kluber won his first Cy Young in 2014. He was 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA in 34 starts. He finished third in the voting in 2016 when he went 18-9 with a 3.14 ERA.

"I don't think it's fair to say this one means more than the first," said Kluber. "To me the second one, personally, validates the first one so to speak. It's just another way to find that reassurance that when you go to the park when you're struggling, or when you're trying to work your way through things, you're always going to have that self-belief that even though at the time it seems like things might be going pretty poorly, you can work your way out of it."

Carlos Carrasco, Kluber's teammate, finished fourth in the voting. Carrasco went 18-6 with a 3.29 ERA in 32 starts. He struck out 226 batters and pitched 200 innings for the first time in his career.

"I'm very proud of him," said Kluber. "I think he would probably be the first to tell you he hasn't had the smoothest road to get to where he wanted to or maybe he thought he would be. But he's overcome a lot and turned out to be one of the premier pitchers in major league baseball. To finish fourth in nothing to brush aside.

"We feel incredibly good going into a game every time he takes the ball."

October or no October, the Indians feel the same about Kluber. Maybe he should bring an umbrella next October.

Sign Hosmer!

Let the bidding begin: Carlos Santana rejects Cleveland Indians' $17.4 million qualifying offer
Updated Nov 17, 3:31 PM; Posted Nov 16


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Free agent Carlos Santana made it official on Thursday. He walked away from the $17.4 million qualifying offer the Indians made him on Nov. 6.

Think about that. Santana just left $17.4 million on the table.

There's nothing normal about that, but there's nothing normal about the money involved in the big leagues.

Santana's action means three things:

1. He has a confident agent.

2. He has a lot of money in the bank.

3. He is getting a lot of love from the 29 other teams in the big leagues.

The GM meetings ended Thursday in Orlando, Fla., and Santana received a lot of attention from teams looking for first basemen and DHs with power. The Mets and Boston are reportedly interested in the Indians' franchise record-holder for homers and RBI by a switch-hitter.

Seattle was interested as well, but GM Jerry Dipoto acquired Ryon Healey on Wednesday from the A's to play first base. So that removes one obstacle from the Indians attempt to re-sign Santana.

The Indians will continue to negotiate with Santana. Earlier in the week GM Mike Chernoff told reporters at the meetings that the team hopes to re-sign Santana and right fielder Jay Bruce. The Indians have seven free agents, but Santana is the only one to receive a qualifying offer.

Santana, 31, spent the last 71/2 years with the Indians. Last season he hit .259 (148-for-571) with 37 doubles, 23 homers and 79 RBI. He played in 154 games, scored 90 runs and posted a .818 OPS.

By rejecting the Indians' qualifying offer, Santana has draft pick compensation tied to him.

The eight other free agents who received qualifying offers from their teams also rejected them. The players are Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain from the Royals, Jake Arrieta and Wade Davis from the Cubs, Lance Lynn of St. Louis, Alex Cobb of Tampa Bay and Greg Holland of Colorado.

What could the Cleveland Indians get for Francisco Mejia in a trade? Hey, Hoynsie
Posted November 18, 2017 at 01:18 PM | Updated November 18, 2017 at 02:02 PM



CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Do you have a question that you'd like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here or Tweet him at @hoynsie.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

Hey, Hoynsie: I read an article online that said the Indians could get a lot in return for Francisco Mejia, suggesting that they could get Chris Archer and Corey Dickerson from Tampa Bay. Is he really worth that much? People tell me he’ll never be a solid catcher, but he hits well. Is third base his best position? – Kyle Fertig, Akron.

Hey, Kyle: I like Mejia’s potential, but I find it hard to believe that the Indians could get two All-Stars in Archer and Dickerson for him unless the deal included more players from the Indians. Archer, as you know, was originally drafted by the Indians. He’s pitched over 200 innings the last three years and is signed to a club friendly contract with club options for 2020 and 2021. Dickerson hit .282 with 27 homers last season. He won’t be eligible for free agency until 2020.

If there was a chance that the Indians could get Archer and Dickerson for Mejia, he'd be wearing a Rays' uniform yesterday.

When the Indians talk about Mejia, they say nothing but good things about his catching ability. They sent him to the Arizona Fall League this year to play third base to expand his versatility. The reviews have been mixed.

Will Austin Jackson return to Tribe?

Hey, Hoynsie: I thought Austin Jackson was a great sign by the Indians last season. Could they re-sign him for 2018 to platoon with Bradley Zimmer in center field and give the team another right-handed hitter? – Mark Lasher, Bangor, Pa.

Hey, Mark: Jackson was a great under-the-radar sign, another spring-training invitee who turned in a productive season. The Indians excel at finding those kind of players.

I believe the Indians want him back, but he’s not high on their priority list right now. They’re looking for an everyday right-handed hitter who can play a corner position – left or right field, first or third base. They’d prefer an outfielder.

Jackson's knees prevented him from playing every day last season so he's probably not on the front burner right now.



Looking for a reason

Hey, Hoynsie: Could there have been any connection with Corey Kluber’s struggles in the postseason and the “smoother’ ball used after the end of the regular season? – Stephen Case.

Hey, Stephen: I really didn’t hear complaints about a “smoother’ baseball until Justin Verlander was talking about it during the World Series. I don’t recall any of the Indians or Yankees pitchers saying anything about it in the ALDS.

The Indians hit .171 and the Yankees .201 in the ALDS, so there wasn’t a whole lot of hitting going on in that five-game series. I just think Kluber, for whatever reason, wasn’t Kluber.



Hey, Hoynsie: I wanted to know if you think the Indians would be better to get a solid starting outfielder or a starting first baseman? Which is more important? -- Michael Mazak.

Hey, Michael: It would be nice if the Indians could do both, wouldn't it? Ideally, they'd be able to re-sign Carlos Santana and find a way to get a productive, right-handed hitter to play right field.

If they can't sign Santana, there are a number of first basemen on the open market. They've got a lot of moving pieces in the outfield. Michael Brantley, perhaps, could move to first base, while Jason Kipnis, perhaps, could move to left field. But they would still, ideally, need a right-handed hitter to play right field.

It makes your head swim, doesn't it?

A (Jose) Ramirez of all trades

Hey, Hoynsie: Would Jose Ramirez prefer to concentrate on one position and which one? -- Dave Scott, Copley

Hey, Dave: I'm sure Ramirez, like any player, would like to hone in on one spot. But it doesn't seem to be a big thing with him.

I don't think bouncing between second and third base bothered him in the least this year. He just likes to play -- and he has so much confidence in himself -- that I think he believes he could play anywhere on the diamond.

I think it's clear that manager Terry Francona would like to keep him at second base if at all possible for 2018. That's Ramirez's natural position so it makes sense.

On Omar Vizquel and Robbie Alomar

Why didn’t Robbie and Omar get along? #HeyHoynsie Mark Z- Brunswick
— Mark Zona (@ZoneStar26) November 18, 2017

Hey, Mark: Great artists don't always get along, do they? But that creative tension never got in the way of Omar Vizquel and Roberto Alomar playing great baseball, did it? The three years they played together for the Indians produced some of the best defensive plays I've ever seen. They seemed to make each other better and now there's a chance they could be in the Hall of Fame together. Alomar is already there and Vizquel will appear on the Hall of Fame ballot for the first time when it's released in December.

Will Tribe keep Andrew Miller after 2018?

Hey, Hoynsie: What are the odds that the Indians keep Andrew Miller after 2018? -- Pedro Alvarez, Cleveland.

Hey, Pedro: That's an interesting question. Miller missed time this year because of problems with his right knee so he wasn't as effective as he was in 2016. Still, Miller is a force coming out of the bullpen and the Indians are going to need him in 2018, especially with free agent Bryan Shaw not expected to return.

Still, Miller is going to demand a big contract at the end of the 2018 season. Based on past history -- Joe Smith and Shaw -- I would doubt if the Indians would be able to keep him for the long term.

What about Lonnie Chisenhall and Jason Kipnis?

If Santana doesn't re-sign, does Chisenhall move to 1st and Kipnis to RF? James, North Olmsted
— James Lazarus (@JamesLazarusCPA) November 18, 2017

Hey, James: I doubt the Indians would do that. Lonnie Chisenhall has shown he can play first base, but if he did so, I think it would be in a platoon situation. I think Francona really likes the fact that Chisenhall can play several positions. As for Kipnis, if he's with the Indians next year, and he's playing the outfield, I think the best spot for him would be left field.

ATTENTION UD: What price for Eric Hosmer?

Any chance the Tribe goes after Hosmer??
Bill in Lakewood
— Bill Barak (@BillBarak) November 18, 2017



Hey, Bill: Not if Scott Boras, Eric Hosmer's agent, is asking for a $200 million contract, and that's where the conversation is reportedly going to start. I think the Indians would prefer to bring back Santana before engaging with Hosmer.

How would free agent Jose Bautista look in an Indians' uniform come next spring training? (Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer).
Under the radar

Hey, Hoynsie: Who are some under the radar free agents that our front office may be considering for the bullpen or first base? -Ben, Denver, CO
— Ben Finan (@benfro6) November 18, 2017



Hey, Ben: The Indians always cast a wide net when it comes to free agency. They kick the tires on a lot of players. Some free agents that come to mind are first basemen Yonder Alonzo and Lucas Duda, left-hander Mike Minor, right-hander Brandon Kintzler, utilty man Eduardo Nunez and outfielder Jose Bautista.

RATS!!!!!!!

Sign Hosmer anyway!

Hosmer won't sign til Jan/Feb. Maybe even March if Boras tries to milk every last dollar.

Does the Tribe FO still go on their Winter cruise?

The Indians are not signing Hosmer under any situation.

They got a whole team of first baseman if Santana does not re-sign.

One free agent each team should sign

http://deslide.clusterfake.net/?o=html_ ... ry-team%2F

Does Cleveland Indians expanding front-office tree make it harder to make trades? Hey, Hoynsie
Posted November 16, 2017 at 08:50 AM | Updated November 16, 2017 at 10:52 PM


Hey, Hoynsie: Do you think having so many former Tribe front office and on-field personnel in positions of power with other teams (John Hart in Atlanta, Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins in Toronto, Neal Huntington in Pittsburgh, Derek Falvey in Minnesota, Bud Black in Colorado and Torey Lovullo in Arizona) is an advantage or disadvantage when it comes to making deals? On one hand both parties know what kind of people they’re dealing with. On the other they also have a very specific insight on the Tribe’s strategies. – Rory Wohl, Mountain View, Calif.

Hey, Rory: I believe that dynamic has gotten in the way of a few deals. When executives come up in the same organization, and are taught by the same people when it comes to player evaluation and putting a value on those players, I think it might be hard for those two parties to align.

I don’t think it would be problem so much with Hart, Black or Lovullo. They’ve been gone from the organization for a long time. Hart was running the show in Atlanta when the Indians sent him Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, right?

Where a deal might be harder to reach fruition would be with Falvey and Shapiro and Atkins. Falvey, Shapiro and Atkins aren’t that far removed from the inner workings of the Tribe’s front office and still have a good feel for the talent on the 40-man roster and in the farm system. Huntington has been gone since 2007.

Still, if both parties are committed to making a trade, it will get done.




Hey, Hoynsie: I believe Terry Francona is the best manager the Indians have had in my lifetime. Having said that how did the Tribe let Torey Lovullo get away? Was it a terrible decision to choose Manny Acta over Lovullo as manager after Eric Wedge was fired following the 2009 season? – Bob Kehnast, West Unity.

Hey, Bob: Nothing breeds success like success and Francona certainly has had that in his first five seasons as manager. It’s the best run for a Tribe manager since Mike Hargrove put together six winning seasons from 1994-99.

The difference, to me, is that we watched Hargrove become a good manager because that was his first big-league job. When the Indians hired Francona after the 2012 season, he was already good manager after eight great years in Boston.

I believe the Indians started their managerial search after Wedge was fired in 2009 with a field of about 30 candidates. They narrowed that list and invited the finalists to Cleveland for interviews. Acta, Bobby Valentine and Lovullo were among the finalists. The Indians wanted to interview Don Mattingly, but he never showed.

Lovullo managed several seasons in the Indians minor-league system, but I don’t think Shapiro and Antonetti felt he was ready for a big-league job. Acta had already managed and coached in the big leagues. After getting passed over, Lovullo left the Indians and managed Class AAA Pawtucket for Boston. It was the break he needed.

He managed Pawtucket in 2010 and joined John Farrell’s big league staff in Toronto in 2011. He returned to Boston with Farrell in 2013 and was hired by the Diamondbacks as manager for the 2017 season. On Tuesday night, he was named NL Manager of the Year.



Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians should go get Giancarlo Stanton. I heard he has one year remaining on his contract with the Marlins. With him in the lineup both Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana are replaced. -- Frank Moscioni, Frederick, Colo.

Hey, Frank: Some advice between friends. Whoever told you Stanton has one year left on his contract, never listen to him again.

Stanton has 10 years and $295 million left on his contract.

Tribe needs to make a trade

Hey, Hoynsie: I don’t think the Indians are going to be able to sign Carlos Santana or Jay Bruce. I’m not saying they should spend in a reckless manner, but this pitching staff needs some offensive help. That means the Indians are going to have to make some trades. I think they've been reluctant to do that in the past, but they have to trust their own perception. – Bob Earnest, Manfield.

Hey, Bob: Believe me, the Indians would much rather make a trade because free agency is such risk. It’s just that trades are usually more difficult to make than a free agent signing.

Still that did not stop them from acquiring Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger, Trevor Bauer, Yan Gomes, Abraham Almonte, Michael Brantley, Nick Goody, Brandon Guyer, Andrew Miller and Dan Otero through trades.

I think when a team gets to the point where the Indians are now, it might be easier to add a few finishing touches through free agency rather than giving up prospects or established talent in a trade. Still, I don't think that would stop them from making the right trade.

Is there help down on the farm?

Hey, Hoynsie: What does the Tribe's farm system hold for next season’s big-league roster? Maybe they don’t have to sign free agents and they can afford to let Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce go and replace them with players from Class AAA? – Joshua Bourdrez, Cleveland.

Hey, Joshua: I’d be surprised if the Indians don’t add a good big-league hitter this winter, especially if Santana and Bruce don’t return. It doesn’t look like that kind of player is in the minors right now.

Maybe Yandy Diaz gets a longer look at third base. Francisco Mejia and Bobby Bradley might be able to help, but probably not at the start of the season. One way or the other, they’re going to have to go outside the organization for some offensive help.

Pitching-wise, they have some starting depth with Ryan Merritt, Shawn Morimando and Adam Plutko. They always seem to come up with somebody who can help in the rotation or bullpen as Tyler Olson did this year.



Has Yandy Diaz been forgotten?

Hey, Hoynsie: Has Yandy Diaz fallen out of favor with Terry Francona? He seems to be an afterthought for the third base job next year. Has his lack of power been an unpleasant surprise? -- Marty Gitlin, North Olmsted.

Hey, Marty: I don't think he's fallen out of favor. I think there's a good chance he goes to spring training favored to win the third base job depending on what happens this winter.

When the Indians sent Diaz down to Class AAA Columbus early last season, they did so with instructions to have him try to alter his swing so he could put the ball in the air more. He's strong and hits the ball hard, but he's more of a line-drive hitter than a guy who hits the ball in the air.

I thought he hit much better when he came up in late August, but so far his lack of power is a concern. It sounds like the Indians are going to keep him at third base, instead of bouncing him around the diamond, so that could help his hitting.

They'd also like to see him become more dependable defensively.