Cleveland Sports Forum

This just made all kinds of sense all along. High upside and really not risking much.

If it doesn't work out at least they gave this a shot.

Meisel: Josh Donaldson trade makes September more compelling and complicated for the Indians
By Zack Meisel 7h ago 8

Jason​ Kipnis tied​ his shoes,​ answered a few questions and​ exited the Indians’​ clubhouse at Progressive​ Field​ on Friday​ night, unsure​​ about his future placement on the diamond.

Shortly before midnight, nearly 11 hours after talks commenced between the Indians and Blue Jays, the teams completed an exchange that landed Josh Donaldson in a No. 27 Tribe uniform.

From a financial standpoint, it’s a low-risk maneuver for the Indians. They’ll send a player to be named later to Toronto by the agreed-upon Jan. 30 deadline. The Blue Jays will cover $2.7 million of the nearly $4 million still owed to Donaldson, sources told The Athletic.

Donaldson will play third base for the Indians. Chris Antonetti left no doubt about that.

The Indians don’t quite know, however, when Donaldson will knock off the rust, round into form and contribute to the big-league club. They don’t know how productive he’ll be at the plate or in the field. And they haven’t yet finalized exactly how Donaldson’s arrival will shake up the club’s defensive arrangements.

Terry Francona scoffed at the ideas of moving José Ramírez to second base and Jason Kipnis to center field in recent weeks, but that might precisely be the plan moving forward. Antonetti and Francona will convene with Kipnis and Ramírez on Saturday. It’s evident that Ramírez will shift to second base — but how soon? Donaldson is scheduled to report to Cleveland on Saturday, and the Indians will map out a plan for his gradual return to regular action at that time.

The Indians have one month to prepare for the postseason, to cure their ailments and to fit together the proper puzzle pieces. They need answers on Cody Allen (who took a step forward with a clean eighth inning Friday) and Andrew Miller (who could initiate his throwing program later this holiday weekend) and Trevor Bauer (who has walked around the clubhouse and field sans boot or scooter this week).

Donaldson adds another riddle to the position-player side of the roster. A left calf strain has sidelined him since May 28. He has played twice on his recently started rehab assignment, and the Indians observed his rehab work in Dunedin, Florida, this week.

But he isn’t quite ready to form a daily daunting top five in Francona’s lineup, alongside Ramírez, Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley and Donaldson’s former Toronto teammate, Edwin Encarnacion.

“Everybody’s gonna be excited to see him here,” Encarnacion said.

The Indians could deliberately bring him up to speed at the major-league level, with rosters flexible enough to accommodate 40 players in September. With Ramírez clearly bound for second base at some point, should the MVP candidate immediately shift across the infield? Would the club trust Yandy Díaz or Erik González to man third base while Donaldson inches closer to full strength?

The Indians have the luxury of the massive crater that sits between them and their competition in the AL Central. They can experiment and survive growing pains, as long as everything trends in the right direction when the calendar flips to October.

So, it might be wise for the Indians to allow Ramírez, Kipnis or anyone else affected by Donaldson’s arrival to log a full month’s worth of repetitions at their new spots. Because he was returning from an injury, Kipnis appeared in only 11 games in center field in late September last year before he manned the position during the ALDS.

As for Donaldson, from 2015-17, he posted a .285/.387/.559 slash line, with an average of 37 home runs per season. He captured the 2015 AL MVP award after he tallied 41 homers and 41 doubles to go along with a .939 OPS.

Before suffering the calf injury this year, he registered a .234/.333/.423 clip, with five home runs in 36 games.

There’s some uncertainty involved with the deal, and it complicates matters in September. But what once figured to be a humdrum final month has morphed into a compelling appetizer for the main postseason course.

“Which Josh Donaldson are you going to get?” Kipnis said. “The good one, there’s not much you can deny. He’s one of the more impactful bats there is around the league. Hopefully he’s healthy and ready to come in and fit in here and make a good impact on us. We’re coming into September now. This is a playoff team. We don’t have time to mess around or goof around. We want him to be locked in if he’s ready and go out there and do what he can do.”

— Reported from Cleveland

Rosenthal: Josh Donaldson might not be ready, but the Indians are the contender that can most afford the gamble
By Ken Rosenthal Sep 1, 2018 36

Baseball​ people were​ buzzing Friday​ that Josh Donaldson, for​ some reason, did​ not want to be​ traded.​ The better​ way to​​ put it, a source said, was that Donaldson was not ready to be traded. Not ready physically, or emotionally.

The emotional aspect might prove to be a non-issue — Donaldson wanted closure with the Toronto Blue Jays, a final opportunity to play before their fans, and his new team, the Cleveland Indians will visit Toronto for four games starting Thursday.

The bigger concern, the wild card in Friday night’s trade, is whether Donaldson will be healthy. Not necessarily by Thursday; as long as Donaldson is present at Rogers Centre, he can take his final bows. But by the postseason, when the Indians will need him most.

The Indians — leading the AL Central by 14 1/2 games, preparing to use September as a working laboratory for injured and under-performing players — were the contender that could most afford to wait.

Manager Terry Francona expressed reservations this week about moving MVP candidate José Ramírez from third base to second, a position he has not even worked out at this season after appearing in 71 games at that spot in 2017. But the Indians need not make such a switch — and an accompanying move of second baseman Jason Kipnis to the outfield — until they gain greater clarity on Donaldson’s status.

Donaldson, recovering from a strained left calf, has not played in a major-league game since May 28. He has appeared in only two games on a rehabilitation assignment at Class A, one for five innings, the other for six. He probably needs more time in the minors to shake off his rust and ensure that his calf is sound; the Indians will activate him Saturday, then decide whether he will complete his buildup on their expanded major-league roster or begin another rehabilitation assignment in the minors. Either way, who knows if Donaldson can even approximate his 2015 MVP form?

Donaldson, 32, did not perform all that well when healthy this season, producing a .757 OPS in 36 games, well below his career .873 mark, and experiencing throwing issues that forced him to the disabled list from April 13 to May 3 with right shoulder inflammation. The presumption among baseball people is that 80 percent of Donaldson would be enough to make a significant difference, perhaps even enough to help the Indians win their first World Series since 1948. But at this point, seeing will be believing.

The good news for Donaldson is that the trade will enable him to avoid a qualifying offer under baseball’s collective-bargaining agreement, making him an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Yet, only a spectacular finish would help him restore his value to close to the nine-figure level he envisioned. Donaldson will be 33 next season, coming off two injury-marred campaigns. The way teams value players today, that is not a big-money profile.

It is almost difficult to believe Donaldson’s career in Toronto is ending so awkwardly, with such little fanfare. His tenure with the Jays started with back-to-back trips to the American League Championship Series and Donaldson joining 1987 winner George Bell as the only league MVPs in team history. But everything changed last season, when Donaldson hurt his right calf in spring training, then re-aggravated the injury and was out from April 14 to May 26, growing disenchanted — according to sources — with the care he received from the club.

Donaldson also felt pressured to return in recent days, sources say; the Jays needed him to begin a rehabilitation assignment by Wednesday to ensure he could go through the waiver process and become eligible for the postseason with a new team by midnight Friday. He declined to discuss his relationship with the Jays in an interview with the Toronto Sun but left little doubt he was less than content.

“There’s a lot I can say about that, but I choose not to say anything about it right now,” Donaldson told The Sun on Thursday when asked about the perceived rift between him and management. “I don’t feel now is the time or the place. It’s one of those things that, as an athlete, I can only control what I can control. To do that I have to stay positive and focused on what I have to do.

“When it comes down to it, there’s going to be a time that we can talk about it.”

Jays president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins might as well brace themselves for the criticism, knowing Donaldson is not one to hide his emotions. Then again, Donaldson’s frustration is understandable, and it goes beyond his injuries, and even the mammoth payday for which he once seemed destined.

This is the third time Donaldson has been traded. The Chicago Cubs sent him to the Oakland Athletics in a package for pitchers Rich Harden and Chad Gaudin in July 2008, a little more than one year after selecting Donaldson with the 48th overall pick of the 2007 draft. The A’s sent him to the Blue Jays for a much-derided package after losing the 2014 wild-card game to the Kansas City Royals. And the Jays, entering a rebuilding phase, seemingly could not wait to get rid of him this season.

Three times rejected. Still not 100 percent physically. And now heading to a club that acquired him to be something resembling his old self as it tries to put an end to its October misery.

Donaldson has a little Kirk Gibson in him — the talent, the toughness, the bravado. Wouldn’t it be something if, 30 years after Gibson’s historic homer off Dennis Eckersley, this fierce baseball competitor had his moment, too?

Now that Josh Donaldson is in the picture, what’s the Indians’ plan for him and others?
By T.J. Zuppe Sep 2, 2018 4

Terry​ Francona used to​ cringe when​ Edwin Encarnacion would extend​ his right arm​ for a trot around​ the​ bases. The​ perch for​​ Encarnacion’s imaginary parrot typically appeared seconds after a game-altering blast.

“Now I love it,” Francona said with a smile.

That feeling wasn’t all that dissimilar from his perspective of past Josh Donaldson at-bats. Francona would turn to his bench coach, Brad Mills, uttering his private desires for each of the slugger’s plate appearances.

“I hope he swings so hard he hurts his back,” he’d joke.

But now, Francona can put away his voodoo dolls. He can stop wishing for pulled muscles or timely days off.

For the rest of this season, he can root for Donaldson to inflict harm upon others. He can put the difficulty of retiring the former MVP on the opposing side. He can just enjoy the destruction he creates.

“He kinda puts a little fear into you when he gets in the batter’s box,” Francona said. “He plays with an edge. He plays hard.”

That is, if he’s healthy.

The Indians took a risk in dealing for Donaldson — and not necessarily in the currently unnamed talent they’ll eventually send back to the Jays to complete the trade or the final bit of the infielder’s salary they’re still responsible for (the Jays kicked in $2.7 million to help pay down what’s left of his $23 million contract).

The danger comes from the unknown — something most contending teams are trying like hell to avoid this time of year. The Indians, on the other hand, are embracing it, all for the chance at a significant payoff.

“We know there’s some risk there, but it’s got a chance to make us better,” Francona said.

But from where does that risk come?

The first unknown is the most glaring: his availability.

Donaldson hasn’t played in major-league games since the end of May due to a left calf injury. He made it into two rehab games at the end of August, hardly enough time to emphatically prove he’s on an inevitable path to considerable playing time in the final month of the season.

Even when he wasn’t limited by shoulder and calf issues this year, his 36 games with the Jays (.757 OPS) didn’t exactly mirror the All-Star-caliber production we’ve seen in the past five years.

But then you reflect on the .901 OPS he’s posted since the start of 2013. You think of the 33 homers he’s averaged in that five-year stretch. You think of the gaudy wins above replacement totals he’s built since becoming one of the league’s most complete and dangerous position players.

Through that lens, it becomes a lot easier to believe he’s still capable of thumping pitchers in the postseason at a rate no other available hitter available could’ve matched.

Clearly, the Indians felt good enough about those odds. They were given time to briefly scout him on rehab. They were able to scan his medicals and get familiar with his situation before completing the deal Friday.

They’ll sit down with him in the next few days to better map out a plan for his eventual return. They’ll place him under the microscope and evaluate how far away he truly is.

Given what making room for Donaldson means to the players already entrenched in their positions, they need to be right about the gamble.

There’s no greater risk than taking baseball’s best third baseman and moving him across the diamond in the middle of another MVP-caliber season. Yet, that’s exactly what José Ramírez will be asked to do, if and when Donaldson is ready to play on a semi-regular basis.

Ramírez won’t immediately slide over to second base, but he’ll begin to take ground balls on the right side of the infield in preparation for Donaldson’s return. Ramírez’s only hesitation was being asked to bounce back and forth between the two positions, something Francona assured him they wouldn’t do.

Second base is probably Ramírez’s best defensive position, but how will adding one more potential distraction to the mix affect him over the final month? And what about the man already manning that spot?

Jason Kipnis might be the one most affected by the trade.

The veteran infielder had previously indicated he’d be open to an outfield move at the trade deadline — he shifted to center field out of necessity at the end of 2017 — but when the club wasn’t able to snag an infielder at the end of July, it appeared he was ticketed to remain at second base.

The trade for Donaldson altered that outlook.

“I don’t think he was jumping for joy,” Francona said of Kipnis and the prospect of another late-season position switch, “and I don’t think we expected him to (be).”

Donaldson’s acquisition also comes in the midst of one of Kipnis’ better small-sample stretches in an otherwise frustrating and forgettable offensive season. (In fairness to the club, they’ve been far more patient with Kipnis’ struggles than many clubs might’ve been.)

Instead of focusing on the balance and hand-positioning adjustments that have him feeling more comfortable at the plate over the past week, he’ll be taking extra time to add fly balls to his pregame work, all in an effort to play some outfield over the final month.

Francona chatted with Kipnis before the game Saturday. His overall message: When the time comes, Kipnis must prove to be their best option.

“I don’t think it’s fun to hear that,” Francona said, “but Kip’s a pretty good competitor. We’ll see how it goes.”

The left-handed hitter responded by slugging a pinch-hit homer in the loss to the Rays.

“I don’t know where Kip ends up,” Francona said after the game, “but I guarantee every time he hits, I’ll be rooting for him like I always do. He can help us. We don’t think otherwise.”

Overall, that’s a lot of uncertainty — probably a lot more than a team hoping to gain momentum entering the postseason would prefer to have. Yes, the Tribe’s division lead offers the luxury of some experimentation down the stretch, but the reward has to outweigh the possible downside.

Donaldson fits that mold.

“Sometimes,” Francona said, “you get to this part of the season and, all of a sudden, it’s a little uncomfortable because you’re having (tough) conversations with guys. But that doesn’t make it wrong.

“The potential reward is worth it.”

The anxiety Francona once felt each time Donaldson stepped to the plate helps explain why. They’re hopeful that the imposing third baseman can inflict similar suffering on the clubs they face in October.

Few are capable, when right, of bolstering a lineup quite like the right-handed hitter. And for that reason, the Indians will accept the risk without any sort of guarantee.

“When he’s in that batter’s box,” Francona said, “he’s one of the guys who, you think, ‘Uh oh.’

“Now we can be cheering for him.”

— Reported from Cleveland

Did the article forget to mention that it's 2 seasons in a row for Kipnis?? And they tried to trade him after last season?

This is a risk all arrows point to having to take.

I could care less about Kipnis. I worry about screwing up Jose Ramirez.

I know Jose has played second base before but he has been at third the last two seasons and has been steady as a rock. He doesn't have to think too much. Now he has to re-learn all the positioning, dp footwork, cuts and relays.

If it affects his bat, I'll be pissed.

To win in October, Lindor, Brantley and Ramirez have to produce. Lindor and Ramirez faded badly in the playoffs last year.

From my view, that would be impossible to determine. He's already been struggling (for him) along with Lindor for quite a while. In fact...

In his last 49 at bats, he's hitting .163 with 0 homers. That's 14 games. So maybe a move will jump start him??? He has nowhere to go but up.

Secondly, Ramirez started 71 (yes, 71) games at 2B last season. Including the 22 game streak. And 88 at 3B.

Not worried in the least - in fact it's his stated preferred position.

So to summarize, no need to worry on that front.

Rosenthal: Several rival clubs are unhappy with the circumstances of the Josh Donaldson trade


By Ken Rosenthal Sep 9, 2018 160
[This​ story has​ been updated​ throughout.]

If Josh Donaldson makes​ an impact in​ the postseason for​ the​ Indians, a number​ of rival​​ clubs are going to be unhappy.

In fact, a number of rival clubs already are unhappy, and Donaldson has yet to even take the field for his new team.

The Red Sox and Yankees voiced displeasure to Major League Baseball about the events that occurred before and after the trade of Donaldson from the Blue Jays to the Indians on Aug. 31, according to major league sources.

The Astros also asked the commissioner’s office for clarification on why baseball allowed the deal, and were satisfied with the response, sources said. Others in baseball also believe the commissioner’s office handled the matter appropriately, but some told The Athletic they were upset by the turn of events.

The four other likely AL postseason qualifiers — the Red Sox, Yankees, Astros and Oakland Athletics — stand to lose the most if Donaldson helps the Indians. The Astros are the Indians’ likely Division Series opponent.

To the irritated clubs, Donaldson’s status amounted to a contradiction: He was sufficiently recovered from a left-calf injury to go on revocable trade waivers and get dealt, but not healthy enough to join the Indians immediately, requiring another trip to the disabled list instead.

The timing of the deal — Donaldson and $2.7 million for a player to be named, reportedly minor-league right-hander Julian Merryweather, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery — is what some baseball people found troubling.

Donaldson, 32, had to be traded by Aug. 31 to become eligible for the postseason, and the Blue Jays had to move him by that date to maximize their leverage. No rival executive would have squawked if the deal had occurred after Sept. 1, for then Donaldson would not have been available in October.

But if the Indians follow through on their plan to activate Donaldson on Tuesday, their intention will be for him to make a difference in the postseason as they attempt to win their first World Series since 1948.

Donaldson, the 2015 AL MVP, has not appeared in a major league game since May 28. He began a minor league rehabilitation assignment on Aug. 29, the same day the Jays and the commissioner’s office certified he was healthy and capable of performing at his accustomed level, as major league rules mandate for a player who is placed on revocable trade waivers.

The waiver placement occurred only after Donaldson resolved a dispute with the Jays about whether he was healthy enough to play at the major-league level, sources said — the Jays initially believed he was, and Donaldson and his agent, Dan Lozano, said he was not. The Major League Baseball Players Association became involved, but Donaldson went on waivers after agreeing he was healthy, and the Indians traded for him after he went unclaimed and was made available to all teams.

By rule, the Indians had to add Donaldson to their active roster immediately. Donaldson, however, went right back on the DL after an assessment by the team’s medical staff in Cleveland, and began another rehabilitation assignment just three days after the trade.

“I guess he got re-injured on the plane,” one rival executive said, sarcastically.

One rival executive said the Indians skirted a rule requiring a player who suffers a recurrence of an injury on a rehabilitation assignment to remain inactive for five days before starting another one. But baseball allowed Donaldson to play in additional rehab games to help resolve his earlier dispute with the Jays and enable him to grow more comfortable with playing again, and made teams aware of the accommodation, sources said.

The rapid turnaround was not the main issue for most executives who were critical of baseball’s handling of the matter — merely the last curious act of a murky, confusing sequence of events.

Teams already skeptical of Donaldson’s health grew more suspicious during the 48-hour waiver period before he was traded. Shortly after news of the Jays placing him on revocable trade waivers became public, Donaldson revealed he could not play in his second rehab game due to soreness in his legs. At that moment, some rival officials said, the Jays should have pulled back Donaldson from waivers because he was not healthy. But the game eventually was rained out, and Donaldson resumed playing the next day — the day of his trade.

Donaldson knew he was not physically ready for the majors and feared re-injuring his calf as he approached free agency, sources said. Through his agent, Lozano, he conveyed his sentiments to the players’ union, which in turn conveyed them to the commissioner’s office. The union raised the same question to MLB that league officials later heard from clubs, sources said: How could Donaldson be traded if he was not healthy?

The league’s position was that a player must be certified as healthy to protect a team from acquiring him as damaged goods and prevent a dispute from occurring after the fact. According to a source, a league official contacted every club with potential interest in Donaldson and issued a warning of “buyer beware,” noting Donaldson’s assertion that he could not play and seeming ambivalence about getting traded before he was fully ready physically.

Any club could have placed a claim on Donaldson and blocked him from going to the Indians, but none was willing to risk getting stuck with his remaining salary of nearly $4 million. Once Donaldson cleared waivers, the Indians and other clubs began talking trade with the Blue Jays, knowing the rest of his salary would be negotiable as part of the deal.

While Donaldson was intrigued by the idea of joining a contender, he harbored reservations that his new team would want him to begin playing in the majors immediately and perhaps more often than he initially could withstand, sources said. The Indians, after agreeing to the terms of a deal with the Jays late on the night of Aug. 31, received permission from MLB to speak with Donaldson directly, and in that conversation Indians officials alleviated his concerns.

“We talked with Josh about getting him to Cleveland for an assessment by our medical staff,” Indians president Chris Antonetti said. “Once we had that assessment, we could then partner with him to determine the best plan to get him back to major-league game activity. Josh was comfortable with that, so we moved forward with it.”

The Jays were eager to move forward as well. If they had kept Donaldson — and if he had come off the DL to produce big numbers in September — fan and media pressure might have mounted on the team to make him a one-year qualifying offer in the $18 million range.

Jays general manager Ross Atkins told reporters after the deal the team would have “strongly considered” making Donaldson a qualifying offer. But if Donaldson had returned at third base, he would have blocked the player who is considered the top prospect in baseball, Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.

In the end, the Blue Jays saved more than $1 million while acquiring a pitcher whom Atkins described to reporters as “a near-term prospect we can feel can impact our major-league team in a significant way.” The Indians will go 10 days without Donaldson, the minimum time he could be on the DL, but gain a chance to benefit from his mammoth short-term upside. Donaldson, if he stays healthy, also might prove a winner, increasing his free-agent value in the postseason spotlight.

Rival clubs will be watching, and their indignation only will grow if Donaldson becomes everything the Indians imagine in October.

Q&A: Chris Antonetti on the Josh Donaldson trade, Trevor Bauer and the Indians’ playoff roster decisions

Zack Meisel 7h ago 2

ST.​ PETERSBURG, Fla.​ — Two​ days before he struck​ a deal with the​ Blue Jays for​ Josh​ Donaldson, Chris​ Antonetti soared​​ through the Cleveland skies with the Blue Angels.

He referred to the 50-minute airplane adventure as one of the more gratifying experiences of his life, and he successfully avoided passing out or losing his lunch. He also avoided touching the throttle, which sat below his left arm, and — and this is important — the ejector.

Antonetti’s guide cautioned that the ejector wouldn’t require much force to send the Indians’ president of baseball operations plunging toward Lake Erie. So, while a lot of fun, it was a little stressful.

But stress is normal for Antonetti and the Indians’ brain trust this time of year, as the club begins to assemble its postseason roster. Donaldson will make his Indians debut Tuesday, with Jose Ramírez sliding over to second base and Jason Kipnis shifting to center field. Andrew Miller rejoined the active roster for Monday’s series opener. Trevor Bauer is tentatively scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and, if all goes well, another one over the weekend.

Antonetti is no stranger to late-season drama, though. Last year, the Indians had a host of players returning from injury in September. They shrunk their playoff rotation to three starters and booted Mike Clevinger, Josh Tomlin and Danny Salazar to the bullpen and Dan Otero, Nick Goody and Zach McAllister to the sideline.

The year before, the Indians dealt with September injuries to Salazar and Carlos Carrasco. And then on the morning of Game 1 of the ALCS, Antonetti and Bauer met in a tunnel at Progressive Field, the pitcher’s pinkie a mangled mess. With 75 minutes remaining until the roster deadline, Antonetti had to make a decision on the 9.5-fingered drone victim.

So, a little late-season stress is nothing new. Antonetti stood outside of the visitors’ dugout at Tropicana Field on Monday afternoon and chatted with The Athletic, MLB.com and cleveland.com about that, the postseason roster, accusations that the Indians bent some rules in their acquisition of Donaldson and more.

What’s your reaction to the report by The Athletic that other teams have gripes with how you acquired Josh Donaldson and then placed him on the DL?

Toronto certified that he was healthy. Major League Baseball agreed with that assessment. Obviously, we and other teams actively tried to negotiate a trade and we obviously did that. Then, the last step in that process, I should say, was we asked Major League Baseball for permission to talk with Josh. We got that on Friday night, talked with Josh late Friday night and shared with him what our plan would be. It was like, “Hey, listen, we need to get you into Cleveland, so we can have our medical people assess you and then we’ll partner with you to figure out what the best plan might be to get you back to full health and game activity at the major-league level.” Josh was comfortable with that approach, so we went forward with the trade. And then everything played out exactly as you guys know. We brought him to Cleveland. He was active that day while we got him assessed. We went through that process and decided — with Josh — that it didn’t make sense to have him active at that point, that it made sense for him to go back out on a rehab assignment. And that’s what we did.

So, he has to be active after a trade, but there’s nothing that hinders putting a player back on the DL with the same injury?

Right. And each team assesses things differently, right? So, I think in the end, what we were focused on was, what’s our assessment? And then, once Josh was with us, how do we work with him to figure out what the best plan might be to get him back to performing at the level that he’s capable of at the major-league level? And that’s what we did.

Is it an assessment of the injury itself or just his ability to handle the volume?

All of that, yeah. Kind of where he was in that process, how healthy he was, where he was physically, how his body was responding to activity and how you build up volume. And those are all things … obviously, you see with teams (that) there’s a wide variation of how quickly players come back from injuries, how long players are on rehab assignment. There’s a lot of variation of that among teams based upon their own assessments. And I think that was the same case here.

So, any team could’ve done this?

Yeah. We didn’t do anything different than any other team could’ve done. And, in fact, there were a lot of other teams that were negotiating with Josh at the time of the trade. Now, we can only see the one reality of what played out, because only one team can end up getting the guy and there’s only one thing to assess, and that’s what happened in the time that we have Josh with us. But, had he been traded to another team, the very same process very well could’ve played out with them.

When you talked to Josh before finalizing the deal, he was willing to go through this process. What if he said no?

We left it open-ended. Again, we didn’t know exactly what our assessment would be when Josh got here and also what Josh felt might be the best way to get him fully healthy and back to Major League games. I think what we agreed to that night was we would sit down — if we went through with the trade and everything played out — that we would just sit down together and come up with a plan. And that plan may very well have been just keep him active, but in the end, that’s not what we or Josh felt was best.

If he had said no, would you have nixed the trade?

No, that would’ve just been a different piece of information. We would’ve had to assess how we move forward from there, but that’s an alternate reality that we didn’t have to deal with. That’s a hypothetical.


It’s safe to say Trevor Bauer is eager to return to the mound. (David Richard/USA Today Sports)
You won’t know for a while exactly what Trevor Bauer can offer you in the postseason, right?

That’s correct. Yep.

How does that influence your discussions on the potential playoff rotation and playoff roster?

Yeah, that’s one of the things we continue to talk through and will have to continue to talk through as we get more information over the coming days and the coming weeks. We’ve got a couple of meetings already planned to continue those conversations among our front office group and coaching staff to try to look at a variety of different scenarios, not only with Trevor, but with other roster considerations for potentially the postseason.

Did you learn anything from last year’s three-man rotation approach? Does that influence your thinking at all?

It depends. I think there may be different interpretations in how that worked. I think that Game 4 was a little bit different in how it played out. We didn’t play our best defense and the line score looks ugly, but I think Trevor pitched better than what that line might indicate. So, is it a piece of information? Yes. But, I wouldn’t say that would determine necessarily what our course might be.

If Trevor isn’t built up enough for the rotation, are you intrigued at all by using him as a durable multi-inning reliever?

I think it’s too early to say that he wouldn’t be a starter for us. Our goal and hope is that we can build him back up to assume that role, but I think the one thing we’re confident in is, if Trevor’s healthy and able to pitch, that he can impact a postseason series. Whether that’s in the rotation or bullpen is not something we’ve worked through yet. Again, literally, this is going to be one of those with Trevor, we’re going to have to see the day to day and just how quickly he’s able to get on a mound. We’re at the point in the season where two or three days one way or the other will have a big impact, right? If he’s able to get off a mound on a certain date versus two or three days later, that could have an impact on his availability and readiness to pitch.

Does it feel like every September you guys have more and more to solve to get ready for the postseason?

We’ve definitely had things to solve the last few years. 2016 wasn’t short on planning, either, having unexpected developments as Trevor Bauer was walking in on the morning we had to set our roster. That was one of the more surreal experiences. It happened early that morning. We couldn’t reach him and by the time Trevor was on his way to the park, I met him in the tunnel and I’m looking at his finger, going, “What? How are going to — we have an hour and 15 minutes to make a determination of whether or not you’re going to be on the roster.” It’s literally just Trevor and I. Those are the only two people in the building. James (Quinlan) came down, he got there about a half-hour later.

So this is easy.

Hopefully we can avoid that type of drama.

Did you have a drone talk when he went on the DL this time?

Trevor wants to be out there pitching, so I think he’ll be judicious in what activities he chooses to pursue.

Does Lonnie Chisenhall have any chance at returning?

I don’t know. He’s in Arizona rehabbing. He’s building up his volume. He’s responded to the buildup of volume better this time than he has at different other junctures of this rehab. That leads us to be more optimistic, but it’s really hard to say.


It’s been a long, arduous recovery from Tommy John surgery for Cody Anderson. (Frank Jansky/Getty Images)
Was Cody Anderson recently scratched from an outing with Class AA Akron?

What we talked about with Cody in his process was just to try to reassess things each day, because he’s at that end stage of recovery, so we want to make sure we’re getting him out there pitching regularly, but also not taking it too far. So what we’ve asked Cody to do is be really upfront with us on how he’s feeling and then let’s figure out what that right schedule to pitch might be. I’m thinking, based upon how his throwing has gone the last week that he’ll be back in one of the games in Akron. That’s the plan right now, but that could change based upon how Cody feels as he throws.

Would the Arizona Fall League be an option for him?

It could be, but we want to be really thoughtful of giving him enough time — because he’s rehabbed for so long — to have a normal offseason.

Related: Cody Anderson and escaping Arizona

Why was Triston McKenzie kept off Akron’s playoff roster?

He is not currently on their roster. It’s more fatigue than anything else. We just want to make sure that, if we were going to continue to have him pitch, he’d be at 100 percent. He’s probably less than 100 percent right now, so we felt it made the most sense to not pitch him.

What sort of fatigue?

Just different body parts. Thankfully, nothing arm related. He gets sore in different places. We figured, let’s not (make it worse). But it’s not arm, elbow or shoulder.

How hopeful are you that, this time, Andrew Miller is Andrew Miller?

I would say this time is different. His mindset, his mentality is like, “This is the best I’ve felt in a long time, and not only am I healthy, but I feel I’m ready to go and pitch at the level that you’ve seen me pitch.” So, that’s exciting.

He likened all of that time down to a makeshift spring training. Did you view it similarly?

The most recent issue was shoulder related, whereas in the past, he was dealing with knee issues. Now, how much are they interrelated, something in your lower body affecting your upper body? It’s hard to distill out. But the encouraging thing is that Andrew is feeling like both the knee is a nonissue and now the shoulder and arm feel as good as they’ve felt in 18 months.

Do you view teams that are upset with the way you got Donaldson as sour grapes?

I really haven’t thought that much of it, really. I’m happy that we have him. We worked through the process like every other team did in assessing the medicals. Once we got him, like we would with any player, we tried to figure out a plan to get him back to full health and playing at the level he’s capable of playing. We’re comfortable with how that played out. I hadn’t really given thought about how other teams felt about it.

Have other teams contacted you about the way it went down?

No. At least, not that I’m aware of. Have they been calling you to complain about it?

This question was just for laughs I imagine:

Does Lonnie Chisenhall have any chance at returning?

I don’t know. He’s in Arizona rehabbing. He’s building up his volume. He’s responded to the buildup of volume better this time than he has at different other junctures of this rehab. That leads us to be more optimistic, but it’s really hard to say.

Right, we really could use a spot on the roster for Lonnie to play two games and get hurt again. We've seen the last of him in Clevelnad

The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees were not happy with Josh Donaldson's trade to Cleveland in August.

According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, both teams "voiced displeasure" with the deal. He added: "To the irritated clubs, Donaldson's status amounted to a contradiction: He was sufficiently recovered from a left-calf injury to go on revocable trade waivers and get dealt, but not healthy enough to join [Cleveland] immediately, requiring another trip to the disabled list instead."

The Houston Astros also reportedly inquired about the deal and why Major League Baseball allowed it and were "satisfied with the response," per Rosenthal.

It all came down to the timing of the deal. Had Donaldson been dealt after Sept. 1, he wouldn't have been eligible to play for Cleveland in the postseason. The slugger has been out of action since May 28, and his return grew complicated when the Blue Jays determined he was healthy enough to play, while the player and his agent maintained he wasn't.

Donaldson ultimately agreed he was healthy enough to return and was put on waivers, appearing in a rehabilitation assignment on Aug. 29, per Rosenthal. But upon arriving in Cleveland, he was immediately put back on the disabled list, which smelled fishy to some executives:

"By rule, the Indians had to add Donaldson to their active roster immediately. Donaldson, however, went right back on the DL after an assessment by the team's medical staff in Cleveland, and began another rehabilitation assignment just three days after the trade.

"'I guess he got re-injured on the plane,' one rival executive said, sarcastically."

Per that report, however, "baseball allowed Donaldson to play in additional rehab games to help resolve his earlier dispute with the Jays and enable him to grow more comfortable with playing again, and made teams aware of the accommodation, sources said."

Donaldson, 32, was reportedly traded to Cleveland for $2.7 million in cash and minor league pitcher Julian Merryweather. He's appeared in just 32 games this season, hitting .234 with five home runs and 16 RBI. He's one season removed from bashing 33 homers and 78 RBI for the Blue Jays, however, and came into the 2018 season with three straight seasons of 30 or more home runs.

He was also the 2015 AL MVP, and his addition could be a major upgrade for a Cleveland team seeking to end its World Series drought.

Screw them! My take on this is that it opens the 3rd base door for either Gonzales or Diaz. Donaldson is not going to play every day, or every pitch for the balance of the season. He was brought here for the playoffs only. Going in to October, either or both of Gonzales or Diaz will be at 3rd. Kipnis will be removed from second, Ramirez will be established there, and regardless of the outcome of the playoffs, that is where Ramirez will be playing in 2019, the Kip move is made.

And any team could have done the exact same.

MLB office has no problem with it - so done deal.

we don't all feel bad for the Red Sox and the Yankees?!

The Indians’ lineup, with All-Stars top to bottom, is gearing up for October

Zack Meisel Sep 12, 2018 13

ST.​ PETERSBURG, Fla.​ — Before​ Shane Bieber authored the​ best start of​ his brief big-league​ career,​ Adam Plutko​ knocked him​​ down a peg.

In a lighthearted manner, Plutko informed his fellow hurler that he was the only member of the Indians’ starting squad Tuesday night not to have an All-Star nod to his name.

Terry Francona trotted out a lineup featuring nine past or present participants in the Midsummer Classic. It marked the first time a Tribe team has been that All-Star-heavy since Oct. 2, 1999.

On that Saturday afternoon, Kenny Lofton, Omar Vizquel, Roberto Alomar, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome, Harold Baines, David Justice, Travis Fryman and Sandy Alomar Jr. steered the ship that scored 1,009 runs over the course of the season.

The Indians’ current batting order isn’t as well-oiled of a machine, but the group has three weeks to locate some WD-40. At last, the lineup is whole, no longer waiting for someone to return from injury, for the front office to swing a trade, for a knight in shining armor — or in an elbow pad, helmet and spikes — to rescue the offense.

It starts with (1) Francisco Lindor (All-Star appearances: 2016, 2017, 2018). The shortstop ranks fifth in the majors in WAR, sixth in home runs, fourth in doubles and first in runs scored. He’s the catalyst for an offense that ranks third in the majors in runs, behind the Red Sox and Yankees. And he often sets the table for a guy he regularly credits for helping to shape him as a hitter …

(2) Michael Brantley (2014, 2017, 2018) keeps quietly plugging away. He boasts a 123 wRC+, with a microscopic strikeout rate of 8.7 percent. He has walked 44 times and struck out 50 times. He has recorded multiple hits in 14 of his last 31 starts. His even-keeled, left-handed stick fits well between the club’s slugging switch-hitters. Speaking of …

A monthlong slump has shifted (3) José Ramírez’s (2017, 2018) numbers from “otherworldly” to “gaudy.” A .281/.394/.571 slash line sure seems impressive, especially when considering Ramírez has posted a .165 average over his last 25 games. He remains in the conversation for MVP finalists, but others have created some separation. Ramírez has tallied 95 walks, compared with 69 strikeouts, and he leads the league with 32 stolen bases. The Indians certainly need him to revert to form before the calendar flips to October, though. He’s been stuck on 37 home runs since Aug. 17.

He and Lindor are the charter members of the club’s 30-homer club. They welcomed a newcomer Tuesday night …

(4) Edwin Encarnacion (2013, 2014, 2016) is the sport’s only player with 30 or more homers in each of the last seven seasons. Encarnacion received the poor baseball, which he smacked beyond the first cluster of seats in left-center at Tropicana Field.

“It’s something I never expected,” Encarnacion said. “I always try to get 30 and 100 RBIs. That’s my goal every year.”

When he returned to his catching position the ensuing inning, Yan Gomes mentioned Encarnacion’s 30-homer streak to the home-plate umpire.

“I don’t even know how that feels,” Gomes said. “It takes me two, three years to hit 30.”

The Indians have three players with 30-plus homers for the fifth time in franchise history.

2018: Francisco Lindor, José Ramírez, Edwin Encarnacion
1999: Manny Ramírez, Richie Sexson, Jim Thome
1997: David Justice, Jim Thome, Matt Williams
1996: Albert Belle, Manny Ramirez, Jim Thome
1987: Joe Carter, Brook Jacoby, Cory Snyder

After Encarnacion crossed the plate, he slapped hands with Josh Donaldson, before each player placed an index finger on his lips.

“It feels great to have him back in the same lineup together,” Encarnacion said.

(5) Donaldson (2014, 2015, 2016) hit the ball to the warning track in each of his first two trips to the plate with the Indians. The first flyout left his bat at 97.5 mph, the second at 103.7 mph.

“He took some ferocious swings and he’s on so many pitches,” Francona said. “He squared up a couple, but he didn’t have anything to show for it. But, he’s got time.”

As they sat in the bullpen Tuesday night, Josh Tomlin and Dan Otero shared their relief that they won’t have to pitch to Donaldson the rest of this year.

“It was fun to watch Donaldson take those swings and make those plays on our side,” Tomlin said. “It makes you cringe at night when you’re facing him.”

Donaldson spent a few minutes Wednesday morning watching MLB Network in the Indians’ clubhouse, as the channel highlighted his first action in an Indians uniform.

“That’s a huge bat in that lineup,” Gomes said. “It definitely lengthens our lineup a lot and deepens our bench.”

That helps, since (6) Yonder Alonso (2017) has struggled since the All-Star break. He has compiled a .199/.261/.380 slash line, and it looks even worse when examining only the last month: .182/.245/.273.

Alonso has lost a bit of playing time to Yandy Díaz against lefties; it’ll be interesting to see whether that platoon persists into October. Alonso owns a .750 OPS against righties this season and a .609 OPS against southpaws. On the other hand …

(7) Melky Cabrera (2012) remains one of the Indians’ most productive hitters since the break. He boasts a .306/.375/.486 slash line in his second tour with the Tribe. Chris Antonetti told The Athletic that Encarnacion insisted Cabrera could provide the offense with a lift. His scouting report has paid dividends, as the Indians have a reliable switch-hitter to separate a couple of lefties in the lineup. As for that other lefty …

(8) Jason Kipnis (2013, 2015) now has a new position to relearn. Kipnis has fared better at the plate over the last month (.813 OPS), but his overall numbers leave plenty to be desired. And now he’s using Austin Jackson’s old backup glove as he shifts to center field for the duration of the season. He didn’t get any action in his new domain Tuesday night.

“I thought Kip played a clean center field,” Francona quipped. “He looked good throwing the ball in between innings.”

Kipnis has spent the entirety of the season searching for answers to his profound hitting woes. Now he has three weeks to study the best routes to take while pursuing fly balls, his fellow outfielders’ tendencies and the dynamics and dimensions of the different ballparks. He spent about a week taking fly balls in the outfield during batting practice before Francona penciled him into his new spot.

“It’s definitely a change — a lot of adrenaline, someone else’s glove, just kind of winging it, at best,” Kipnis said. “It’s weird — in the infield, you’re involved in every single play. Even the ones that are hit to the outfield, you’re the relay guy, the cut guy. Now, it’s kind of nice. You watch a ground ball get hit, and you’re just backing up, just standing there a little bit. It’s going to take some time. It’s good to get day one underneath the belt.”

That leaves the ninth spot for (9) Yan Gomes (2018), who was named to his first All-Star team this year. Gomes broke a scoreless tie Tuesday with his 14th homer, matching his total from last season. Over the last month, he has posted a .329/.346/.500 slash line. Among AL catchers with at least 300 plate appearances, Gomes ranks first with a .740 OPS.

It’s a batting order stocked with All-Stars. Now the Indians have three weeks to gear up for October so that, when it matters most, they perform like All-Stars.

“We have a good lineup,” Kipnis said. “I don’t think anyone wants to face us.”

(Top photo of Jason Kipnis: Frank Jansky/Getty Images)