Cleveland Sports Forum

Just stirring shit, TFIR.

Don't believe what you hear from the FO....watch what they do. So far, they can say what they want, but this team is way behind where they were last year and the year before.

I must have missed where the FO said that the Indians were a better team than last year.

There is a chance it could be. Who knows ?

Are the Indians planning on Bauers playing all year at 1b or will Santana split time between DH and 1b


The Indians are planning to "blend" Carlos Santana and Jake Bauers at first base this season, but they haven't said who would get the majority of the starts. Spring Training will obviously help determine that, but my best guess is it will also depend on the rest of the team's offseason moves in the next few weeks. [hmm, that's a pretty profund assertion]

As of now, it seems safe to assume that when Santana is at first base, Bauers will be penciled in as the designated hitter and vice versa. This rotation between the two could work out for the Indians, especially if Bauers gets off to the same hot start at the plate that he did in 2018. But if Bauers is needed in the outfield, then things will start to get tricky.

With Bauers in either corner outfield spot and Santana at first, there aren't many other big bats that the Indians have on their current roster to fill in as a designated hitter. If the team can add another bat via trade or free agency before Opening Day, that could make this process a little easier, especially if Cleveland doesn't pick up another outfielder. Santana could then be an everyday first baseman to allow Bauers to assist in the grass.

Now, if the team does add at least one outfielder and doesn't get a bat, then that could result in Santana and Bauers splitting time or just having Santana shift into more of a DH role, leaving Bauers to man first

Q: What's the plan for Bobby Bradley?

It will most likely be a year too soon. But Bobby Bradley is definitely a big bat to keep an eye on. The 22-year-old hit 27 homers with 83 RBIs between 97 games in Double-A and 32 in Triple-A last season. In 2016, he launched 29 long balls and knocked in an impressive 102 runs at Class A Advanced Lynchburg.

There's no doubt Bradley has the power that the Indians' lineup needs, however, the young infielder will most likely need some more time at Triple-A before making his debut. In 2018, he struck out 148 times and hit .224 in 483 Minor League at-bats. Once Bradley reduces his number of strikeouts and gets his average up -- while hopefully maintaining his power numbers -- then he could get the call to the Majors. The question that remains is whether Bradley will be able to do so by the end of this season or if Indians fans will need to wait until 2020 to get their first glimpse of him. [or if it never happens; of if they give him away a la Aguilar]

Nick Markakis would solve a number of issues on a one year deal. Had a good year last year but his age has him still out there.

do we think the Indians are willing to spend anything yet this winter? They have every recent off season so I suppose I shouldn't write them off yet. It is getting frustrating waiting. I should stop checking at Indians.com daily for news that doesn't come

They're waiting to shop in the bargain basement for FAs.

Bauer arbitration still to come so if they have a fixed budget, they might wait until that is settled.

civ ollilavad wrote:do we think the Indians are willing to spend anything yet this winter? They have every recent off season so I suppose I shouldn't write them off yet. It is getting frustrating waiting. I should stop checking at Indians.com daily for news that doesn't come

Led by Harper and Machado, the whole market is stalled again this winter so join the party bemoaning it.

And yes the Tribe has spent lately, I agree. In return they got a big yawn from non-attending fans and decided to draw a line. But don't forget Lindor and the others on arbitration automatically will get big raises.

It's called the "window closing". We had our shot 2016-2018. We aren't out of it but it was time for adjustments.

Look - the big elephant in this room is big bad BOSTON, HOUSTON and NY. These superteams have now made the American League incredibly difficult. No matter WHAT the Indians do, even if the spend, they are underdogs period. And underdogs who lag far behind those other 3 in market size AND attendance.

Motivated by second-half struggles, Jake Bauers focuses on his swing with guidance from popular hitting consultant


By T.J. Zuppe Jan 16, 2019 2
CLEVELAND​ — Success​ in baseball​ is measured in many​ ways. A left turn at​ first base. A shutdown​ inning.​ A low earned​ run average.​​ A lofty on-base percentage.

For Jake Bauers, however, a successful Tribe Fest in Cleveland had nothing to do with on-field performance. Instead, a positive experience was tied to learning names, familiarizing himself with a new clubhouse and snapping a better headshot in his new threads than that embarrassing driver’s license photo you keep buried in your wallet.

Look here and try not to look dead.

Probably harder than it sounds.

But even if he stumbled down the wrong clubhouse corridor or failed to maintain a picture-perfect smile, Bauers, the 23-year-old hitter acquired in the three-way swap between the Indians, Rays and Mariners earlier this offseason, understands that things won’t always be perfect. Handling failure and using it as a learning tool was a harsh but necessary lesson he learned during his first taste of the majors.

“It better (push you to get better) if you want to be in the big leagues for a long time,” Bauers told The Athletic. “You better use it as a learning experience.”

The failure he battled last season came after the young left-handed hitter torched opposing pitching over his first two months in the majors. Having been promoted to the Rays in June, the first base and outfield prospect managed to post an .864 OPS with five homers in his first 36 games prior to the All-Star break. But after the unofficial midway point of the campaign, Bauers’ numbers slumped and he fell into some bad habits.

“I wasn’t feeling right,” Bauers said. “Never felt right after that.”

Bauers felt his bat path changed and he struggled to recapture his swing, reflected in the .589 OPS he posted following the break and dropping his year-long totals to a .223/.322/.404 slash line and 95 wRC+. He offered reason for encouragement in his age-22 campaign, but finishing the season in a tailspin wasn’t how he wanted his rookie year to end.



“I just kind of grinded out the last couple of months,” Bauers said, “and obviously learned a lot about myself going through that.”

His results spun two drastically different tales about the young slugger. On one hand, he quickly demonstrated real power and plate discipline at the MLB level, showing why he was highly rated among Rays prospects. On the other, it was easy to ponder whether he’d become one of many, swallowed up by the league’s ability to adjust and exploit weakness.

Eager to prove the first half of his story to be reality and shush the batting average truthers in his Twitter mentions, he made it a priority, as The Athletic reported in December, to work with an offseason hitting coach for the first time in his professional life.

Bauers’ agent offered a suggestion: Craig Wallenbrock.

“I jumped on (the opportunity),” Bauers said.

Wallenbrock, a 72-year-old hitting consultant, has gained attention over the past few years due to his work with J.D. Martinez, among others, helping to transform the right-handed hitter from forgettable outfielder to formidable slugger. Wallenbrock certainly isn’t the only private coach preaching the need for hitters to get “on plane” sooner (matching the path of the incoming pitch) and keep the bat through the zone longer to achieve a healthy launch angle, but his ability to help bring out the best in one of the game’s most feared hitters has shed light on many of those concepts.

Recently, a number of Wallenbrock’s former students also became major-league hitting coaches. That’s not to say a little magic dust applied by Wallenbrock or a member of his coaching tree will automatically unlock a similar career arc for every hitter, but even the opportunity to sit down with the consultant excited Bauers.

“For sure,” he said with a growing grin. “One hundred percent.”

There are seemingly a lot of misconceptions about the fly ball movement, perhaps because they’ve been simplified to one core idea: Get the ball in the air.

In reality, the concepts of the fly ball revolution are far more complex. What works for one hitter might not work for another, and many indicate there is no finish line. There is always room for increased understanding and learning what works best for each hitter’s ability, and each have their own bad habits to reprogram.

“I think I just went in open minded, ready to hear anything,” Bauers said.


Jake Bauers hopes time spent this offseason working with hitting consultant Craig Wallenbrock unlocks a few more emotion-fueled bat flips in 2019 and beyond. (Kim Klement / USA Today Sports)
It’s also important to remember that habits, both good and bad, aren’t formed overnight. Explaining what happened to cause the slump is rarely as simple as pointing to one or two factors. But for Bauers, a simplistic overhead view of his two-month struggle reveals a few key elements and serves a good starting point.

One, according to MLB Statcast, his hard-hit rate (balls hit 95 mph or harder) declined after June. His swing-and-miss rate also began to climb later in the season. Perhaps some of that was due to the respect pitchers began to show.

The percentage of pitches in the zone declined in August — a 5 percent drop from his first month in the majors. At the same time, Bauers, likely as a result of seeing fewer appetizing pitches, began to chase outside the zone with more frequency throughout the month.

He began to see more offerings in the zone in September, but by then, the left-handed hitter felt out of sorts with his swing, pulling the ball far too frequently and failing to adjust to pitches moved around the zone. As he hit weak popups at a higher rate and pulled nearly 60 percent of the balls in play, his hard-hit rate plummeted to a season low in the final month.

With most of the balls going to the right side, he also became easier to defend with the shift. According to Statcast, he owned a .339 weighted on-base average when he wasn’t shifted last season. That number dropped to .278 when teams moved an additional infielder to his pull side of the diamond, a contributing factor to a batting average on balls in play (.252) that sat considerably lower than any of his previous minor league stops.

Luckily, he walked at a healthy 13.9 percent rate in his rookie year, a number which would have placed him just outside the top 10 among qualified hitters. But despite those free passes, the other trends warranted attention. And by the time he was dealt to the Indians in December, Bauers was already working with Wallenbrock, hungry to unlock those hows and whys of his late-season slump.

The message resonated with Bauers.

“The things that he was saying were things that I agree with, but maybe he’s just saying it in a way that I haven’t heard it before,” Bauers said. “What I think about hitting and what I try to do when I’m hitting has really lined up with what he’s teaching. It’s just getting different ideas and adjustments to things that I can do to get back there that I didn’t know about before.”

For Bauers, that starts with the path of his left-handed swing and the mentality behind it.

“I’m just trying to get my swing path working back up the middle and to left-center instead of pulling off and hitting the ball to right field,” Bauers explained. “I was pulling the ball too much. (Using the middle of the field) is just going to help you in everything. Whenever you’re working up the middle and working the other way, it’s going to open up your whole game. That’s where I’m at now. That’s what I’ve gotten back to.”

As for chasing the ideal launch angle, the former seventh-round pick would prefer not to dwell on it. The less he clouds his head, the more prepared he feels to adapt and react to how the pitcher is attacking him.

“The main thing is just feel,” Bauers said. “It’s all about how you feel. If you feel good, chances are you’re going to put yourself in a good spot. If you feel bad, deep down, you’re going to know you feel bad.

“If you’ve got a good base and you’ve got a good swing, the ball is going to go in the air, that’s just the way it is. For me, as long as I’m focusing on my things, I’m going to have a little bit of natural lift. I’m not worried too much about hitting the ball in the air, I’m just worried about having a good swing.”

Bauers hopes the countless hours spent studying his swing and physically reinforcing it within the cage help unlock more of what he produced immediately following his big-league jump. The Indians certainly carry the same desire, having opted to swap the hard-hitting Yandy Díaz for Bauers over the winter, betting on the prospect profile and his ability to overcome the unfortunate end to 2018.

Bauers will see some time at first base and the outfield this year — he said he’s prepared to do both — but regardless of where he plays, how he performs offensively and the successes he carries into the season hold massive significance in a lineup lacking some fire beyond its top-heavy star power.

The Indians love the defensive versatility and additional athleticism he brings, and the club believes a team with Bauers and Carlos Santana will be more functional defensively and add more value on the bases than the previous mix of Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso.

But given the losses they’ve suffered through trade and free agency — not to mention that the money saved in the three-team swap and Yan Gomes trade have yet to be fully applied back to the roster — the motivation of a prolonged slump and the subsequent work Bauers put into refining his craft this winter needs to translate into actual success, not just a pleasant photo on the scoreboard and an ability to navigate the hallways of Progressive Field.

If his eagerness to seek help and apply those concepts this spring serves as any indication, the Indians were wise to trust in his ability to adjust and use past failure to grow.

“I’m getting back to where I need to be,” Bauers said. “It feels good.”

(Photo of Jake Bauers: Reinhold Matay / USA Today Sports)

Cheers to Cody Allen’s Cleveland career — and jeers to the state of the Indians’ bullpen

Zack Meisel Jan 18, 2019 17

CLEVELAND​ — In​ 2013, the​ Indians let a rooster mill​ around in the​ outfield grass during​ batting​ practice. The​ rally animal​​ was an ode to Cody Allen, nicknamed “Chicken Al” by fellow reliever Frank Herrmann.

The following year, in an effort to alter the club’s fortunes, Allen donned a bright yellow-and-red chicken suit in the outfield. During Players Weekend the past two years, he sported the nickname Pollo on his uniform.

Cleveland has been Allen’s coop for nearly eight years. The Indians selected the right-hander in the 23rd round in 2011, a coup by the organization’s scouting department.

Now, Allen is headed to the Angels on a one-year deal that, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, includes an $8.5 million base salary and an additional $2.5 million in incentives.

The Indians didn’t need the 2018 version of Allen to return to the fold. But they’re still sorely missing the 2013-17 Allen, who defined consistency.

2013: 70.1 innings, 19 earned runs, 26 walks, 88 strikeouts, 2.43 ERA
2014: 69.2 innings, 16 earned runs, 26 walks, 91 strikeouts, 2.07 ERA
2015: 69.1 innings, 23 earned runs, 25 walks, 99 strikeouts, 2.99 ERA
2016: 68.0 innings, 19 earned runs, 27 walks, 87 strikeouts, 2.51 ERA
2017: 67.1 innings, 22 earned runs, 21 walks, 92 strikeouts, 2.94 ERA

And, while Andrew Miller garnered much of the attention, Allen quietly held the opposition scoreless during his 10 postseason outings in 2016.

It’s incredibly valuable — and beneficial for a manager’s blood pressure and a fan’s fingernails — to have that degree of dependability late in games. The Indians learned last year what happens when that disappears.

Consider Allen’s velocity trend:

2014: 96.4 mph
2015: 95.9 mph
2016: 95.0 mph
2017: 94.6 mph
2018: 94.2 mph

August 2018: 93.7 mph
September 2018: 93.4 mph

That, plus a semi-regular loss of feel on his curveball as last season progressed, translated to a career-worst 11 home runs surrendered, a career-worst walk rate (4.4 per nine innings), a career-worst strikeout rate (still 10.7 per nine) and a career-worst ERA (4.70) and FIP (4.56).

When he struggled, he was accountable. He always waited at his locker to speak to reporters, no matter the outcome, his right shoulder buried beneath a mound of ice and athletic wrap. He was a member of a long-lasting core, a leader in the clubhouse.

The Indians will miss all of that, too.

But enough about the past. Let’s examine the state of the Indians’ bullpen.

Outside of Brad Hand, it’s a mishmash collection of unproven yet slightly intriguing commodities. Everyone comes with a caveat.

Which Dan Otero will they get, the 2016-17 version (2.14 ERA, 2.93 FIP, eight homers allowed) or the 2018 version (5.22 ERA, 4.76 FIP, 12 homers allowed)? Danny Salazar and Cody Anderson possess mesmerizing stuff when healthy, but banking on one iota of output from either guy seems naive.

Nick Goody and Adam Cimber and Jon Edwards and Tyler Olson and James Hoyt and A.J. Cole and Jefry Rodriguez and Justin Grimm have upside, but at least two of those names surely made you say, “Who?” And that’s before I even mention Chih-Wei Hu.

Nick Sandlin or Henry Martinez or Aaron Civale could make the jump. Triston McKenzie could be a compelling late-summer addition.

But that’s a lot of hoping and praying for a team that already suffered through bullpen misery all of last year.

Here are the top five Indians relievers, by fWAR, the past few years:

2015: Cody Allen (2.6), Zach McAllister (0.9), Jeff Manship (0.6), Marc Rzepczynski (0.3), Nick Hagadone (0.2)
Total: 4.6

2016: Dan Otero (1.6), Andrew Miller (1.1), Cody Allen (1.0), Zach McAllister (0.5), Bryan Shaw (0.4)
Total: 4.6

2017: Andrew Miller (2.3), Bryan Shaw (1.6), Cody Allen (1.5), Joe Smith (0.8), Nick Goody (0.7)
Total: 6.9

2018: Oliver Pérez (1.1), Brad Hand (0.5), Andrew Miller (0.4), Tyler Olson (0.4) … drum roll, please … Carlos Carrasco (0.2 in two relief appearances)
Total: 2.6

That’s two guys acquired during the season, a guy who couldn’t stay away from the disabled list, a guy who bounced between Class AAA and the big leagues all summer, and a starting pitcher. (And Trevor Bauer, who made one relief appearance, ranked sixth, at 0.1.)

And the Steamer projections for 2019:

2019: Danny Salazar (1.1), Brad Hand (0.7), Tyler Olson (0.4), Dan Otero (0.3), Neil Ramírez (0.2)
Total: 2.7

But nearly half of that output is assigned to Salazar, who hasn’t thrown a pitch in a major-league game since September 2017.

One guy the Indians do maintain high hopes for is Edwards. Terry Francona mentioned several times that the Indians strongly considered placing him on the ALDS roster last October. He underwent Tommy John surgery, played independent ball, attained his real estate license and wondered whether his baseball career had ended. Now, he might fill an integral role in the Indians’ 2019 bullpen.

How did Edwards wind up with the Indians in the first place? As he worked out last winter, he caught the attention of another pitcher using the same facility. That pitcher recommended Edwards to Chris Antonetti and joked he deserved a finder’s fee. The pitcher’s name?

Cody Allen.

(Photo of Cody Allen: Troy Taormina / USA Today Sports)

How could Otero have outrated the aces?? Bogus stat.

2016: Dan Otero (1.6), Andrew Miller (1.1), Cody Allen (1.0),

An offseason chat with Shane Bieber, the next Indians starter who appears poised for a breakout

T.J. Zuppe Jan 21, 2019 1

CLEVELAND​ — It​ might be​ far too simplistic to​ measure a pitcher strictly​ by his ability​ to​ miss bats​ and avoid​​ walks, but we are in an era governed by the three true outcomes, after all.

Focusing on just those two attributes might fail to take every nuance into account, but the arms capable of maintaining that balance have typically found themselves near the top of the leaderboards, offering an interesting cross-section of the league’s best hurlers.

Last year, three of baseball’s top 12 in strikeout-minus-walk rate were members of the Indians, a group that established a record by becoming the first quartet to each record 200 strikeouts in the same season. And if we expand to baseball’s top 25 in strikeout-minus-walk rate, we’re left with a pretty satisfying list.

Chris Sale? Check. Justin Verlander? Mmmhmm. Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber? Yup, all there.

But as we continue to scroll, we see a surprising name appear near the bottom.

Name K-BB% ERA FIP
*among starters with at least 110 innings thrown in 2018
1 Chris Sale 32.9 % 2.11 1.98
2 Justin Verlander 30.4 % 2.52 2.78
3 Max Scherzer 28.8 % 2.53 2.65
4 Jacob deGrom 26.7 % 1.70 1.99
5 Gerrit Cole 26.5 % 2.88 2.70
6 James Paxton 25.7 % 3.76 3.24
7 Patrick Corbin 24.8 % 3.15 2.47
8 Carlos Carrasco 24.0 % 3.38 2.94
9 Trevor Bauer 22.9 % 2.21 2.44
10 Ross Stripling 22.7 % 3.02 3.42
11 Blake Snell 22.4 % 1.89 2.95
12 Corey Kluber 22.3 % 2.89 3.12
13 Luis Severino 22.3 % 3.39 2.95
14 Stephen Strasburg 21.7 % 3.74 3.62
15 German Marquez 21.2 % 3.77 3.40
16 Walker Buehler 21.1 % 2.62 3.04
17 Kenta Maeda 20.7 % 3.81 3.22
18 Jack Flaherty 20.0 % 3.34 3.86
19 Aaron Nola 20.0 % 2.37 3.01
20 Rich Hill 19.9 % 3.66 3.97
21 Nick Pivetta 19.7 % 4.77 3.80
22 Charlie Morton 19.7 % 3.13 3.59
23 SHANE BIEBER 19.6 % 4.55 3.23
24 Masahiro Tanaka 19.5 % 3.75 4.01
25 Clayton Kershaw 19.4 % 2.73 3.19
It’s a list of some of the best pitchers in baseball … and Shane Bieber?

And Shane Bieber.

Maybe we shouldn’t be all that surprised.

Despite rumors of outside interest, the Indians have held on to the 2016 fourth-round pick more tightly than a toddler clutches a Capri Sun. Chris Antonetti believed so much in Bieber’s ability last year, the front office wouldn’t even permit him to join the major-league team in spring training, knowing that one glimpse of his skill and poise by the coaches would be enough to demand he make the roster before even tasting Triple A.

This was the same youngster who climbed two levels within the first two months. He would later march into Fenway Park and stymie Red Sox hitters over six shutout innings in late August before he began to fatigue.

Bieber would earn enough of Terry Francona’s trust that the manager wouldn’t hesitate to line him up for a postseason start against the Astros — his club just failed to give him the opportunity to take the mound.

On the surface, there was much to like about Bieber’s first stint in the majors beyond his 4.55 ERA, which was a little above the league average last year. You can even make a case that the organization’s faith in the 23-year-old is the biggest reason they’re able to pursue trade opportunities for Kluber or Bauer this winter.

That’s not to say elements of Bieber’s rookie season didn’t leave room for improvement. Opposing hitters had a load of success against his fastball and changeup last year. As Eno Sarris pointed out, perhaps a shift in his usage to a larger reliance on his slider and curveball might lead to some better results.

Bieber, like many, also wasn’t immune to seeing his performance decay each time through the order. The righty limited batters to a .681 OPS in their first plate appearance. Hitters managed to post a more respectable .748 OPS in their second plate appearance. In their third opportunity, their OPS climbed to .909.

(And yes, he’ll need to prove his impressive swing-and-miss capability last year can match his impeccable command and extend beyond small sample sizes.)

Those are also things that could very well get cleaned up by refining and rethinking the arsenal, and there’s little reason to doubt his ability to make those sorts of adjustments in the years to come. If nothing else, the ability to avoid free passes and miss bats provides an excellent foundation from which to work, helping to position Bieber, like Bauer and Mike Clevinger before him, as the Tribe’s next starter with breakout potential.

Bieber was recently in Cleveland for Tribe Fest, and The Athletic was among those fortunate enough to catch up with one of the few people in town pleased to see snow on the ground.

The snow helps you appreciate the good days back in California?

The last few weeks, I’ve been used to some 65 or 70 (degrees) and sunny. That’s saying a lot in Santa Barbara. But it’s also nice to see some snow. … I like a little taste of both. (laughs) I’ll get back there and enjoy it for a month or so, then get out to Arizona.

How quickly into the offseason were you itching to get started again?

It hits pretty quick. I think most guys will tell you that. Maybe the first few days it’s nice to decompress and relax. But then it’s like, “OK, I feel like I should be doing something. I really need to start working out and throwing again.” It hits you pretty quick, especially if you don’t win that last game of the season, you’re a little bit more hungry and ready to get back after it.

How much did you reflect on your rookie year, looking for areas you’d like to improve?

I think that’s part of the decompressing part of the season. That’s when there’s a good amount of reflection — thinking about what you did well, what you didn’t do well, what you wanted you to do well and all that. There’s always room to improve in every aspect. For me, it’s just developing pitches and getting better and more comfortable within the game and learning to attack hitters, especially through the second time through, third time through the lineup.

Last year, you logged some important innings deep into September, more than you’d ever thrown in a single professional season. Knowing that preparing for a full year in the majors is now this goal, when did you start thinking about adjusting your offseason plan?

At the end of last year when you ask around. It is going to be my first big-league spring training this year. The timing of throwing and working out just works a little bit differently because it’s a little bit earlier than minor-league spring training. Everybody’s different. So, everybody says it takes a few years to really get dialed into your routine. That takes some trial and error and what works best for you. I feel like I set up a pretty good routine the last few years. I was able to just kind of move it up a little bit — a couple weeks — and try to stick to that. That kind of kept it simple for me.


More Shane Bieber smiles in 2019 would mean big things for the Indians’ rotation. (Ken Blaze / USA Today Sports)
The changeup was still a bit of a work in progress for you last year. How crucial is the development of that pitch?

That’s going to be key for me, as well as obviously sharpening every other pitch. The changeup’s going to be big. Either take some speed off or add some. Things are going pretty well with that, but I won’t get ahead of myself. That’s an important aspect, especially for a starting pitcher to be able to have that. That would be key, so that’s something I’m definitely working on and focusing on.

Last year, Trevor Bauer was able to use slow-motion cameras to help craft his new slider and changeup. When refining your arsenal or creating a pitch, how beneficial is that sort of technology?

That stuff definitely helps. Recognizing spin axis and being able to get in front of the camera and to get in front of like a Rapsodo and getting all those analytics back and all that feedback back, I think that’s really important. And that’s something I’ve fortunately been able to do. It allows you to kind of see your work or see your pitches differently. It gives you like a different perspective, and I think it’s really important.

And you get instant feedback. A quick move of your thumb or a slight adjustment in how you release the pitch immediately gives you new data to chew on.

Right, the ball comes out different, and the spin might be a little bit different. You know, that’s something Trevor’s really been getting into. Obviously, you guys know that — it’s really groundbreaking. The last few years it’s been big for pitching and hitting as well.

How beneficial is it to have Trevor as a resource when using technology like the Rapsodo or working through advanced concepts?

It’s one thing to know what’s going on, it’s another thing to know what’s going on and be able to communicate it. He does a really good job of that. And it’s really nice to be able to follow along those conversations with him. He’s extremely knowledgeable, and he definitely shares his insight and shares that stuff with the rest of the staff. It’s been great. And it’s nice to be able to come into the staff last year and have so many personalities — not just personalities, but pitching personalities and all that. Being able to kind of pick everyone’s brain and get different answers, it’s been really nice.

Some of the veterans who have been around for years found new homes this winter. I know last year was your first experience in this clubhouse, but just how different will this locker room look and feel in 2019?

We lost some key guys and some key pieces and some big leaders. But I think a lot of guys will step up this year, and I’m excited for where this team’s going to go. Our front office always does a good job. They know what they’re doing, so just trusting them and have faith in them in just putting together a really good group of guys and going out and competing is what it comes down to.

There have been rumors about the potential for Bauer or Kluber to be dealt this winter. Has it been tough to hear reports about two names that mean a lot to the success of this rotation?

They mean a lot, but like I said earlier, I just trust in the front office. There are a lot of rumors, but these guys are still here, and our rotation is still intact. I can only speak for myself, but I don’t pay too much attention to that stuff. At the end of the day, they are just rumors until something is official.

Provided a trade isn’t made, with the strides you hope to make in your second year, what can this rotation accomplish in 2019?

I think this year’s big — just like every other year. Personally, just to build off of last year, and Clev and (Carlos Carrasco) and Trevor and Corey, they’re amazing. They all do so many different things well. I’m just trying to fit in there and give the team the best chance of winning every fifth day.

(Top photo of Shane Bieber: Hannah Foslien / Getty Images)

Chris Antonetti still talking postseason after cost-cutting trades, free-agent departures
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians have spent the winter subtracting instead of adding to a roster that has won more games than any team in the American League over the last six years. Here’s why.

“We had franchise-record payrolls the last few seasons and ownership invested a lot in the team,” said Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, “and the path we were on was unsustainable. So we did need to reposition ourselves financially, which we were able to do with a series of moves earlier in the offseason and provide ourselves that necessary financial flexibility that we needed (for 2019 and beyond)."

Over the last three years, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Indians have had franchise-record payrolls of $135 million in 2018, $124 million in 2017 and $96 million in 2016. They have won three straight AL Central titles and in 2016 won a pennant and reached Game 7 of the World Series before losing to the Cubs.

But after winning 91 games last season and getting swept in the ALDS by Houston, the Indians started cutting payroll by trading Edwin Encarnacion, Yonder Alonso, Yan Gomes, Erik Gonzalez and Yandy Diaz. They also watched free agents Michael Brantley, Cody Allen, Andrew Miller, Lonnie Chisenhall, Rajai Davis and Josh Donaldson sign elsewhere. Oliver Perez and Brandon Barnes are the only holdover free agents to date that they've re-signed.

Perez signed a one-year, $2.5 million deal on Friday. It includes a vesting option worth $2.75 million. Barnes signed a minor-league deal with an invitation to big-league camp.

The Indians currently have an estimated $100 million committed to 16 players. That does not include Trevor Bauer, who is going to arbitration. Bauer will either earn the $13 million he requested or the $11 million the Indians have offered. The Tribe is expected to fill out the rest of the 25-man roster with veterans on minor-league deals or prospects making at or just above the major league minimum of $555,000.

If the Indians make any more additions before or during spring training – camp opens on Feb. 12 in Goodyear, Ariz. – they will not make bold headlines. Antonetti said it’s important that the team’s decision makers give the young players a chance to play so they can make long-range decisions on them.

"We feel it's an important element to provide young players an opportunity to contribute at the major league level," said Antonetti. "We feel there are places on our roster -- whether that is in the bullpen, the back of our rotation or even our position player club -- that some young players will take advantage of the opportunities in front of them."

Antonetti said the Indians’ goal remains the same – to win the World Series.

“I think that will always be our goal,” he said. “The first thing we want to make sure of is that we do find a way to gain entry into the postseason. The best way to do that is winning the AL Central and we feel we’re position to do that.”

Over the last three years, when the Indians have been positioned to win the Central and enter the postseason, they’ve made deadline deals to improve. Miller arrived in 2016. Jay Bruce was added in 2017 and last year Donaldson was acquired on Aug. 31.

“I’d expect that to be the case this year if we’re, again, in the position of being a contender around the deadline or later in the season,” said Antonetti.


Twins rookie manager Rocco Baldelli talks to fans Friday at Twins Fest. (Jim Mone, Associated Press)


The Twins are cutting payroll, too
The Twins, based on their offseason moves, seemed to be taking aim at the Indians. They added power hitting C.J. Cron, Nelson Cruz and Jonathan Schoop to an already impressive lineup. In the bullpen, they added Blake Parker.

But instead of continuing to close the gap on the Tribe, the Twins are giving indications that they're tapping the brakes by cutting payroll.

“The best moves are made not when you’re trying to open the window to contend, but when the window is wide open,” GM Thad Levine told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "We’re very eagerly waiting for this window to be opened, and when it is, we plan on striking.”

The Indians couldn't have opened the window to the top spot in the AL Central any wider if they'd thrown a chair through it. But the Twins apparently haven't noticed.

Derek Falvey, who came over from the Indians to run the Twins, does not appear anxious to do any big spending on free agents, although they did reportedly make a multiyear offer to Yasmani Grandal.

Falvey told the Star Tribune that the value of a free agents is often focused on the past.

"I want to pay for what’s coming in the future," he said. "You need to invest in the group that you have ... and I feel really good about ours.”

The Twins' payroll was a record $129 million last year. It could come in at under $100 million in 2019.

Here's how the 2019 payrolls for the Twins and the two other teams in the AL Central are trending according to spotrac.com: Twins $94 million committed to 17 players; Royals $83 million committed to 12 players and White Sox $80 million committed to 13 players.


Omar Vizquel after the Indians lost Game 7 of the 1997 World Series. (Roadell Hickman, The Plain Dealer)



Omar Vizquel on learning how to manage
Here are a couple of moments from Cleveland Baseball Talks' exclusive podcast with former Tribe shortstop Omar Vizquel in which he talks about his new career as a manager.

The White Sox hired Vizquel to manage their Class A Winston-Salem team last year. This year he's been promoted to Class AA Birmingham. Asked about what he learned from his previous managers, Vizquel said, "You have to take all these ideas and put it in your own style. I don't really follow one guy in particular.

"But obviously, I learned a little bit from each of them. I have a little bit of Mike Hargrove where he could keep his calm when he talked to a player face to face. And from Charlie Manuel you learn you can joke around in a pressure situation. He'd give you a joke, bring you down and make you smile.

"You can have a little bit of Ozzie Guillen when crazy things happen on the field. And I've got a little bit of Felipe Alou when you talk to a player about the history of the game."

Vizquel was always an aggressive player, especially as a baserunner. He loved the straight steal of home.

Last season, in Winston-Salem's first home win, he had his fastest player on third in the ninth inning.

"It's my favorite play ever," said Vizquel. "I had the fastest guy on the team on third base with a slow pitcher on the mound. I told him to steal home and he almost freaked out. When he took off, my whole heart was beating so hard.

"When he took off, I was expecting the win and he did it. When he slid, the throw wasn't even close. But the next day I got a call from a general manager telling me those plays are very risky and he doesn't want to see one of his players get hurt at home plate. So I have to be careful and pull back on those crazy plays for now."


Carlos Carrasco. (Jason Miller, Getty Images)


In closing, some names to remember
* The Indians signed Carlos Carrasco to a four-year, $47 million extension in December. The deal includes a vesting option worth $14 million in 2023. The option kicks in, according to MLB Network's Ken Rosenthal, if he pitches 170 innings in 2022 and passes a physical at the end of the year

* Mariano Rivera and Roy Halladay were the 55th and 56th players elected on the first ballot to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown on Tuesday.

* Halladay and Edgar Martinez became the second BBWAA electees in the same election to receive the exact same number of votes. The first time it happened was in 1936, Cooperstown's first class, when Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner each received 95.1 percent of the vote.

* The Tribe's RHP Triston McKenzie (No.44) and 3B Nolan Jones (No.96) were named to Baseball America's Top 100 prospect list for 2019.

* Right-hander George Kontos, who spent time with the Tribe last year, has signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs.

* Watching Mike Mussina get elected to the Hall of Fame on Tuesday brought back memories of Sandy Alomar Jr. hitting Mussina in the head with a line drive when he pitched with Baltimore.

Mussina suffered a broken nose and a facial cut on May 15, 1998 at Camden Yards. Alomar told reporters at the time, "When I saw that the ball hit Mike, I felt it in my heart because he’s a great competitor."

* John Farrell, former Tribe right-hander and farm director, will stay with the Reds in 2019 as a pitching consultant. He scouted last year.

* How good was Oliver Perez last year after the Indians signed him in June? He allowed just four of 43 inherited runners to score, the lowest percentage in the AL.

* Lefty Drew Pomeranz, the Indians' No. 1 pick in 2010, signed a one-year deal with the Giants worth $1.5 million. The deal includes a boatload of incentives.

The Giants will be Pomeranz's fifth big-league club. The Indians traded him to Colorado for Ubaldo Jimenez in 2011.

* Lefty Drew Pomeranz, the Indians' No. 1 pick in 2010, signed a one-year deal with the Giants worth $1.5 million. The deal includes a boatload of incentives.

Could have drafted Sale that year

Let’s talk about the Indians bullpen: There’s strength in quantity, but can they find quality?

T.J. Zuppe 55m ago 2

CLEVELAND — His Baseball-Reference page has expanded like a winter waistline. The mohawk tucked beneath his midnight navy cap has morphed from black to silver.

Oliver Pérez is not exempt from Father Time’s reach. No one is.

But the old adage about old dogs and new tricks didn’t seem to apply to the veteran left-hander last season — and not just because of the youthful enthusiasm he frequently demonstrated while leaping over the white lines that accent the infield. He proved capable of adapting to survive.

The result? Pérez enjoyed the best relief season of his 16-year major-league career and was rewarded with a brand new contract, one that will keep him with the Indians through 2019 and potentially through 2020 on a vesting option.

So, how did the man of various deliveries — a hurler who wasn’t able to claim a big-league spot until opting out of his minors deal with the Yankees on June 1 last year — manage to post a career-low 1.39 ERA in 51 appearances? How did he calm the treacherous waters of a desperate Tribe bullpen, a reality Terry Francona believed “saved” them in 2018?

Part of it could be due to throwing his best pitch — his slider — more often. Nearly half of his offerings in 2018 were his breaking ball, as he threw them more frequently against lefties and righties. With a near 50-50 overall split between his “hard” and “breaking” stuff, he might have been a little less predictable, causing his entire arsenal to play up.

Another theory is how he was used, serving most frequently as a left-handed matchup arm. Yes, the majority of hitters Pérez faced were from the more favorable platoon split, limiting lefties to a .489 OPS. What might have gone unnoticed, however, was his success against right-handed hitters, holding them to a microscopic OPS of .322.

Could that be a result of featuring his best pitch? Perhaps. But maybe some of the remaining gaps can be filled by deception.

Upon watching his first outings with the Indians last year, former Tribe closer Cody Allen noted that Pérez “probably isn’t a comfortable at-bat,” pointing to the lefty’s ability to mix arm slots and timing to befuddle opposing sticks. While those sorts of quirks were occasionally frowned upon in the past, the random pauses, leg kicks and sweeping side-armed throws were never detrimental to his ability to locate last year.

Regardless of how it came together, the Indians are betting on it to happen again — maybe not to the tune of a 1.74 FIP, but enough to justify spending a little of their apparently limited flexibility this winter, paying him $2.5 million to rejoin a transitioning bullpen in 2019.

Where Pérez fits, however, is tough to say, other than to establish that the Indians need as many good arms as they can collect among a group that no longer features Allen or Andrew Miller. No, the headliners of the Tribe’s 2016 bullpen did not resemble the gassed or injured versions last season produced. But outside of midseason trade acquisition Brad Hand — the owner of baseball’s 10th-highest relief fWAR since 2016 — the 2019 class features a great deal of unknown following the Allen-Miller exodus.


Brad Hand is still one of the game’s best relievers, but the rest of the Indians bullpen will have much to prove in 2019. (Brad Rempel / USA Today Sports)
If you ask Francona today who will occupy the high-leverage innings leading up to Hand, he’d probably shrug. He would explain that bullpens typically change and evolve every year. He would list a number of the candidates who might prove capable of handling the innings once reserved for the rubber-armed Bryan Shaw and company.

He’d even have a point, though it would be easy to argue that some of the recent team-friendly deals signed by Brad Brach or Greg Holland are precisely the sorts of free-agent situations the team should be pursuing.

Publicly, however, the Indians say they feel good about their depth. They believe they’ll be able to sift through the desert sand this spring to unearth a competent mix. When compared with the group collected last year, they also have some semblance of a point.

Instead of hoping for Matt Belisle or Carlos Torres to demonstrate something left in their tank, the team will arrive in Goodyear, Ariz., with a number of semi-intriguing options. In fact, while the bullpen has been lumped in with the outfield as a potential problem spot, the Indians’ relief possibilities — a faction that could still greatly benefit from adding another reliable right-handed option — seem to possess a higher ceiling than their position-player counterparts.

But in fairness, there’s still room for the Great Dumpster Inferno of 2018 to continue raging. Quantity doesn’t necessary translate to quality, and a similar desire to discover diamonds in the rough last year led to them dealing their top prospect in an effort to fix a crippling issue.

Whether the re-signing of Pérez does enough to help offset the risk is up for debate — again, they have every reason to pursue at least one more established option — but if you scribble the names of the candidates on scrap paper and squint at it like one of those Magic Eye photos, you can almost see some scenarios in which they exceed expectations.

Let’s see if we can decipher them.

The first group beyond Hand and Pérez is critical. It features a pair of righties hoping to recapture some form of past success.

Adam Cimber, the other hurler acquired in the Hand deal last July, would greatly benefit from a return to Padres-like form. Cimber was frequently used as a typical setup man in San Diego, but upon his arrival in Cleveland, the submarine-style righty failed to adapt to a more specific right-on-right role — a fact for which Francona took some blame.

Cimber’s whiff rate evaporated after the trade, though he also possessed the club’s largest difference between his actual wOBA (weighted on-base average) and his expected wOBA (based on quality and frequency of contact), indicating he might have been the victim of some bad luck. He’ll likely earn the bulk of the early chances in the seventh and eighth.

Dan Otero, another righty in search of a turnaround, was baffled by his ineffectiveness last season. Just two years removed from a 1.53 ERA and 2.12 FIP, Otero saw his home run rates skyrocket for a second consecutive year.

Unlike Pérez and his slider, though, perhaps Otero relied too much on his sinker, throwing it nearly 68 percent of the time in 2018, a full 7 percent increase from his previous two seasons with the Indians. That predictability might have played a factor in allowing a .530 slugging percentage, the worst of his career.



The second group is highlighted by arms without options.

Tyler Olson’s presence goes beyond the realities of a roster crunch. When healthy over the past two years, Olson has proved to be quite valuable in limited duty. His biggest hiccups came as a result of a lat injury he attempted to pitch through last June, a radar blip that becomes easy to spot when examining his monthly xwOBA outputs.



When he returned later in the year, his performance returned to productive levels, particularly when he limited opposing hitters to 3-for-21 in September with 11 strikeouts. That late-season success makes it easier to trust in his standing as a solid contributor in 2019.

Neil Ramírez is also out of options and was extended a $1 million contract for 2019 this winter. His above-average fastball spin-rate and team-high swinging-strike rate (15.5 percent) make him a little interesting. But he, like Cimber, Otero and Olson, was victimized far too often by the long ball. He’ll likely earn a healthy crack at maintaining his roster spot after posting a 4.54 ERA and 5.03 FIP in 47 appearances last season. If so, we’re now up to six arms.

Here’s where things get tricky.

We have yet to mention Jon Edwards, who was in consideration for the playoff roster last October (partially due to desperation, partially due to their infatuation). The team opted to remain careful with Edwards’ workload, citing his recent recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2017, but the 31-year-old righty quickly won over his new team last year with his mid-90s fastball and team-high spin rate in just 8 2/3 innings. Edwards has remaining options, but it’s difficult to imagine him not earning a spot with a solid spring.

If he’s in, that’s seven.

Here’s where we could mention the slew of other relievers with options, the great curse for any youngster hoping to avoid the seemingly endless shuttle rides between Columbus and Cleveland. We could remind you that Nick Goody was extremely productive in 2017 before undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery last summer (he told The Athletic that he was so eager to get back on a mound, he was lobbying to start throwing just days after the procedure).

Chih-Wei Hu, picked up from the Rays in November, has an above-average changeup, and Jefry Rodriguez, the hard-thrower acquired from the Nationals in the Gomes deal, could project as a better relief arm than starter. Ben Taylor traversed I-71 multiple times on his trips between the minors and majors last season. He might not make the club out of spring training, but he’ll certainly factor into their in-season depth.

Then there’s Nick Wittgren. He was acquired from the Marlins this week after posting a 2.84 ERA and 3.13 FIP in 32 appearances last season. The 27-year-old righty did manage to limit opposing batters to a .294 xwOBA, below last year’s league average of .311. He also surrendered a homer on just 2.7 percent of his fly balls. That seems a little unsustainable, but he does own a perfectly fine career ERA of 3.60 in 127 2/3 innings.

More important, he’s cheap, under control, and his remaining option enables more roster flexibility than A.J. Cole, the reliever he replaced on the 40-man roster.

He’ll need to stand out among the mix already mentioned, as well as non-roster candidates like [shuffles through media guide] Justin Grimm, James Hoyt, [keeps shuffling] Brooks Pounders, Rob Kaminsky and [shuffles some more] R.C. Orlan. Grimm, in particular, is a little intriguing after making some adjustments last year, including the reintroduction of his slider, and Hoyt has actually earned some bullish preseason projections from ZiPs.

Even if we buy into their ability to discover some useful innings from that group, none really profiles as the sort of arm capable of locking down innings of the highest leverage. But are there enough options with upside to piece together a mostly solid entity? Perhaps.

When compared with the first-half struggles that landed them near the bottom of some meaningful relief categories last season, solid would be viewed as an improvement. It’s not the dominant version of yesteryear, but average, if nothing else, won’t lead to a nightly story about another late-game meltdown (and remember, the Allen and Miller performance the Indians are replacing wasn’t exactly their recent norm).

But is average, while looking through an optimistic lens, enough to make a dent in the postseason, a set of games that have thrust the importance of good relief pitching to the forefront? Good question. There are ways to mask some deficiencies — the Red Sox using starters in relief last October is a good example — and the Indians have the starting depth to go that route, and they probably will if the situation calls for it.

They could even elect to promote two prospects later in the season: Nick Sandlin, the side-winding 2018 draft pick who topped out at Class AA last year, and Triston McKenzie, their top pitching prospect, who could become a desirable option in a relief role reminiscent of the early-career arc of David Price or Chris Sale (though it might be a liiittttle presumptuous to expect the rest of his career will play out in a similar way).


Danny Salazar has the tools to be a dominant reliever, but trusting him to remain on the field is a risky proposition (Adam Hunger / USA Today Sports).
However, there is still one scenario that could position their bullpen as a strength — one that could actually place them back near the top of relief leaderboards.

Don’t say it, T.J.

Don’t say it.

Don’t you dare.

A resurgence of Danny Salazar.

OK, fine, you’re right. To this point, it remains difficult to envision that as a certainty (and the same applies to Cody Anderson, who is nearing a full recovery from Tommy John surgery and could factor into the bullpen).

On the mend from right shoulder debridement, Salazar will likely be a bit behind other hurlers this spring and could see the start of his season delayed. According to an update provided in early January, he is expected to begin throwing bullpen sessions by the start of camp, but they’ve made no official determination on his ability to start the season on schedule.

(Where have we heard this before?)

Fans, of course, have long dreamed of how his gifted arsenal could play up in short bursts, and he certainly has the tools to serve as a lethal back-end reliever (The Athletic made that case in 2017). But Salazar didn’t throw a single pitch outside of Arizona last year and has chased health throughout his career, just once logging more than 138 innings. Demanding he become anything more than a bonus seems unwise.

Due to those realities, the reasons for skepticism can’t be easily dismissed, hence why they ought to add to the pile prior to the start of the season. But in the interest of avoiding an entirely gloomy, grungy outlook — like a salt-covered vehicle looking to dodge a pothole on 90-East — a bullpen featuring Salazar and Hand greatly expands the spectrum for success into a more positive direction and reduces the desperation to hit on one of their other unproven contributors.

Will Salazar prove to be more than the carrot eternally dangling in front of their face? Can the entire mix prove capable of adapting, surviving and thriving like Pérez last year? Or, are they destined to be victimized by the revolving door of hopeless options for a second consecutive season?

Unfortunately, those answers remain guarded by Father Time. Hopefully, the resolutions won’t generate many additional gray hairs.

(Top photo of Oliver Pérez: Charles LeClaire / USA Today Sports)

IF [I'd using a much larger font for IF if available] Salazar were healthy he could in theory be a very big piece of the bullpen. I'm definitely not counting on that.