Cleveland Sports Forum

What is rather amazing to me is that since 1994 [a quarter century!] more often than not the Indians have been a contender and often a division champ and/or a playoff team. Yes, it would be nice to win a World Series once in my lifetime, but I agree with TFIR: this is really all I wanted as a kid -- a competitive team with a reasonable chance to win it all.

Trout agrees to record deal

Mike Trout and the Angels have agreed to a 12-year, $426.5 million contract, according to a source

I would expect Lindor to get paid less than Trout although more than Harper or Machado.
So let's see the Indians offer $400M for 12 years.

Pluto is not optimistic about Bauers or Hanley. See the following:


By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

GOODYEAR, Arizona – After watching the Indians in spring training for a week, it’s obvious why they signed veteran outfielder Carlos Gonzalez. They need help. They need a veteran in the outfield who can at least play most of the games, a stable presence.

The Tribe’s best outfielders this spring have been Greg Allen (.419) and Oscar Mercado (.410).

That’s good news for both of those players. Mercado has been sent to the minors because he’s not going to start right now.

But the Indians were hoping for more, especially from Jordan Luplow and Jake Bauers.

Leonys Martin is now healthy after his life-threatening bacterial infection last August. He is a superb defensive center fielder. He struggles against left-handed pitching. But Martin is a solid big leaguer.

But after that in the outfield . . . who knows? Allen can help, filling in at different spots. He batted .310 after the 2018 All-Star break.

But since the departure of Michael Brantley via free agency, the Indians don’t have any run-producers in the outfield who can match the stats of Gonzalez for Colorado last season: .264 (.796 OPS) with 16 HR and 64 RBI.

As I recently wrote, playing in the light air of Colorado helps the hitters. In the last three seasons, Gonzalez was a .319 (.946 OPS) hitter at home, .243 (.675 OPS) on the road.

Gonzalez made an interesting point Wednesday: Facing a pitcher in Colorado is different than facing the same pitcher on the road because of the variances in breaking pitches.

He thinks playing in Cleveland could help him because the big change of 81 games in Coors Field compared to the other parks is so drastic. Nothing else in baseball compares. We’ll see about that.

But I do know the 23-year-old Bauers (.216) still needs to work on his left-handed swing. It’s big and he still seems to be pull-happy. And Luplow (.125) has been very uptight, 12 strikeouts in 32 at bats.

Tyler Naquin is batting only .205. But he does seem fully recovered from off-season hip surgery. He probably will open in right field, at least until Gonzalez is ready.

WHY GONZALEZ?

It would be nice to add an experienced right-handed hitter, but I sense Terry Francona will take a veteran bat from either side of the plate. The manager has been looking for another experienced hitter to add to Carlos Santana and Jose Ramirez in the middle of the lineup.

The 33-year-old Gonzalez is a class act and highly motivated. He won’t see a dime of his $2 million contract unless he makes the team. Right now, he’s on a minor league, non-guaranteed deal.


He comes from Colorado with the reputation of being an excellent teammate. Gonzalez said the Giants also offered him a similar deal about the same time he heard from the Indians. “It was an easy decision to come here,” he said. “Not too long ago (2016), this team went to the World Series. It’s a team built to contend. . . I want to play for a team with a chance to win a championship.”

The Indians value team chemistry and Gonzalez has an abundance of that. He is a combination of humility and confidence.
Rather than being angry about his spot as “a middle class” free agent who has fallen out of favor with teams, he is grateful to the Tribe. “I don’t want to let anyone down," he said.

Gonzalez will not open the season with the Tribe on March 28. He’ll need more time to prepare. I asked him when was the last time he faced any “real pitching,” he said it was in Colorado’s final playoff game in 2018. He has been taking practice and working out, but he knows he’ll need to be careful not to push too hard to come back and suffer an injury in the process.

Gonzalez won three Gold Gloves in right field. Fangraphs rated him as the No. 2 defensive right fielder in the Majors last season. He takes pride in his defense. If the Indians employ an outfield of Allen in left, Martin in center and Gonzalez in right, they should be well above average defensively.

“That can help our pitchers,” he said. “I’ll even play left if they need me. I’m not taking anything for granted. I want to show people what I can do.”

Great News! Danny Salazar may be ready by June!!

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- When pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training on Feb. 12, Danny Salazar was confident he would be able to return to Major League game activity by the All-Star break. Now, he’s optimistic he’ll be in Cleveland even sooner.

Salazar’s last appearance came in Game 4 of the 2017 ALDS against the Yankees. He then dealt with right rotator cuff tendinitis at the start of last season before undergoing arthroscopic surgery in July.



Last month, his goal was to get on the mound before the end of camp and he’s started to slowly build his way there, getting a little bit of work off the rubber. Although he’s not throwing a complete bullpen session just yet, Salazar said he thinks he will get there in about two weeks.

“I have my mindset set up for something or to be close, and I’m really close right now,” Salazar said.

Because of his progress, the 29-year-old hurler believes he could rejoin the Indians by June.

“Amazing,” Salazar said when asked how he feels now compared to the start of camp. “I’m doing good. I’m throwing better and making progress. I’m throwing off the mound, half way, which means I’m [moving] in the right way right now.”

Salazar seems both pleased and relieved to be starting to see a light at the end of this long, exhausting journey, but he was just as excited to be back with his teammates these last six weeks.

“Sometimes it gets hard for me watching the games on TV,” Salazar said. “I just followed it by like watching the notifications on my phone. But sometimes you’re just like, 'I want to be there, I want to be helping the team and doing what I like to do.' But seeing the team back here at Spring Training, gave me like a little breath. I feel like part of the team right now, so we’re like all together.”

The team will be departing for two exhibition games in Texas on Monday and Tuesday, but Salazar believes if he stays patient, he’ll keep himself on a path to be back with his teammates in the near future. For now, he’s preparing for his 15th-straight month in Goodyear.

“I’m running for mayor now,” Salazar joked.

Cleveland Indians name Corey Kluber opening day starter; Trevor Bauer not happy
Updated 8:47 PM; Today 8:03 PM

Manager Terry Francona on Saturday named Corey Kluber the Indians starter for Thursday's season opener against the Twins at Target Field.


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – The question has finally been answered. Corey Kluber will make his fifth straight opening day start for the Indians and Trevor Bauer is not happy about it.

Manager Terry Francona announced his starting rotation after Bauer and the Indians beat Cincinnati, 8-5, Saturday in their final home game of spring training. Bauer went 6 2/3 innings, struck out seven and allowed four home runs, which is not indicative of how he’s pitched this spring.


After Bauer left the game, he did not talk to reporters as he made his way to a van to take him back to the Tribe’s training facility.

“Kluber is going to go opening day,” said Francona. “Trevor is going to go Game 2, Carlos Carrasco Game 3, Mike Clevinger and then Shane Bieber.

“We talked to Trev last week. We wanted to make sure nothing happened in Kluber’s start. Say he gets hit by a comebacker and he didn’t get stretched out. We had talked to everybody ahead of time just to let them know.”

The Indians open the regular season on Thursday against the Twins at Target Field.

Bauer made six starts in the Cactus League, throwing 28 innings with 32 strikeouts and four walks. When asked about Bauer’s spring, Francona said, “I think he’s situated to have a big year. He might be a little cranky today, but he’s a good pitcher.”

Indians right-hander Trevor Bauer will start the second game of the regular season Saturday against the Twins at Target Field.

When asked if there was a debate between Kluber and Bauer, Francona said, “You know what, I don’t think we could have made a wrong decision.

“That’s why Carl (Willis, pitching coach) talked to them last week. We were trying to be respectful. We believe in that a lot. You can’t tell five guys they’re going to be the opening day starter. We think what Kluber has done over the course of his career, he deserves that.”



Is too much made of who a team names as its opening day starter? Sure it is. It’s one game out of 162, but the pitcher who starts Game 1 is almost always considered the best pitcher on the staff.

Kluber is coming off a 20-win season. He’s won two Cy Young awards. Last year he finished third in the voting. Bauer believes he would have won the Cy Young last year if he didn’t get hurt. Kluber is where he wants to be. There’s nothing wrong with that.

When asked about the importance of an opening day start earlier in the week before Saturday’s announcement, Kluber said, “The focus isn’t on getting ready for one start, my focus is on getting ready for 32, 33 or 34 starts and hopefully a handful after that (for the postseason).”

Yet Kluber feels the pull of opening day just like any other player.

“Opening day, whether it’s for a starter, a guy on rehab or a guy hoping to make the team, is a ceremonial deadline, I guess,” said Kluber. “But the focus is more the long run of the season.

“It’s a fun day for everybody in the sense that the season is starting. But I think everybody’s focus is on the length of the season, not one single day.”

Kluber made his third and final Cactus League start Friday night in an 8-3 win over the split-squad Chicago Cubs. He struck out seven and allowed two runs in 5 1/3 innings.


Carrasco, Clevinger and Kluber started their spring seasons throwing simulated games on the backfields instead of Cactus League games against other big-league clubs. Kluber was pleased with those results.

“The way we approached it had a couple of benefits,” said Kluber. “No. 1, it controls the intensity a little bit. You are able to control the volume more so in the beginning of spring training in a controlled setting.

“I think at the same time as much as we say, ‘it’s spring training, we’re going to work on stuff and results don’t matter,’ if you’re out there getting hit around, it’s a lot tougher to stick to the plan you want to work on that day. Whether it’s repeating your delivery or locating my fastball or this or that. It’s a lot easier to jump ship if there’s a scoreboard and fans and all that kind of stuff. It had that benefit to it.”

Kluber’s first two Cactus League starts did not go particularly well. In his second start he threw three scoreless innings against the Reds before allowing a grand slam to Yasiel Puig in the fourth inning.

“I know I gave up some runs, but for where my stuff has been and how I feel about my delivery (everything) has been right on point,” said Kluber. “The first three innings (in his second start against the Reds) were about as good as I’ve felt in a long time. “


While Kluber started his spring pitching on the backfields, Bauer jumped right into the Cactus League fray. Francona, early in camp, said Bauer wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Who had the tougher path to opening day? Obviously, it was Bauer. Who has the two Cy Youngs and the track record of five straight seasons of 200-plus innings with 200-plus strikeouts? That would be Kluber.

This opening day goes to Kluber. Will Bauer get it in 2020? Will he still be an Indian in 2020? Who knows?

Yeah, it’s only one game. But it really isn’t.

789 viewsMar 24, 2019, 11:59pm
Indians' Entire Starting Lineup From Last Game Of 2018 Could Be A No-Show For First Game Of 2019

Jim Ingraham
Contributor
SportsMoney



Opening Day can’t get here fast enough for the Cleveland Indians, who are probably anxious to get started before they lose any more players. The latest casualty is all-star third baseman Jose Ramirez, who had to be carted off the field Sunday after fouling a pitch off his left knee in the third inning of the Indians’ exhibition game against the Chicago White Sox.

The injury to Ramirez occurred just a few hours after the Indians signed infielder Brad Miller, to help cover the losses of shortstop Francisco Lindor and second baseman Jason Kipnis, who will both start the season on the injured list with strained calves.


The Indians are scheduled to open the season Thursday in Minnesota, weather permitting, and from the position player standpoint, their starting lineup, thanks to spring training injuries, off-season trades, and free agent losses, will be a shadow its former self.

If Ramirez is unable to play Thursday, the Indians’ starting lineup that day will not contain a single player from their starting lineup in their last game of last season, an 11-3 loss to Houston in Game 3 of the Division Series.

Here is the Indians’ lineup from that day, and why each player won’t be in the lineup Thursday: Francisco Lindor-SS (injured), Michael Brantley-LF (left as free agent), Jose Ramirez-2B (injured), Edwin Encarnacion-1B (traded), Josh Donaldson-3B (left as free agent), Yandy Diaz-DH (traded), Brandon Guyer-LF (left as free agent), Yan Gomes-C (traded), Jason Kipnis-CF (injured).

Ramirez’s status for Thursday is unknown. X-rays on his knee were negative. Following Sunday’s game, the Indians left for Arlington, Tex., where they will play their final exhibition games Monday and Tuesday. Ramirez did not accompany the team to Texas. He remained at their spring training complex at Goodyear, Ariz. to get further treatment on his knee.

“This is the most unsettled we’ve been this late (in spring training),” manager Terry Francona told reporters in Arizona.

The Indians’ front office has had its hands full trying to re-stock the roster to replace all the injured players. The latest addition, who was signed before Ramirez had to be carted off the field on Sunday, is Miller.

During his six-year major league career he has played every position on the field with the exception of pitcher and catcher. But he’s primarily been a middle infielder.

Francona said Miller will join Max Moroff and rookie Eric Stamets in replacing Lindor and Kipnis. If Ramirez starts the season on the injured list, the Indians may have to add still another infielder before opening day.

Miller’s best season by far came with Tampa Bay in 2016, when he hit .243 with 30 home runs and 81 RBI. However, the next year he hit just .201 with nine home runs and 40 RBI. Last year, in a combined 230 at bats with Tampa Bay and Milwaukee, he hit .248 with seven homers and 29 RBI.

This year Miller went to spring training camp with the Dodgers as a non-roster player. In 26 at bats he hit .385, with two homers and three RBI. He opted out of his contract on March 21, and signed with the Indians on Sunday.

“I’m happy to be here, in a really good spot on a really good team,” he said. “This team has made a habit of winning, so it was a pretty easy decision for me.”

Miller feels that he’ll be more than just a Band-Aid until the Indians’ injured infielders return. “I wouldn’t have signed here if it was temporary,” he said. “I plan on showing with my play that a winning team needs to have me in there.”

Despite the rash of injuries to their position players, the Indians’ five-star starting rotation made it through spring training unscathed. Corey Kluber with be the Opening Day starter, followed by Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber.

It will be Kluber’s fifth consecutive Opening Day start. He’s just the third Indians pitcher since 1956 to start five consecutive opening days. The others are CC Sabathia (2003-08) and Bob Lemon (1950-56).


Jim Ingraham
Contributor

Paul Dolan discusses the dollars and sense behind the Indians’ payroll, strategy and Francisco Lindor’s future

Zack Meisel Mar 25, 2019 143

GOODYEAR,​ Ariz. —​ The Dolan​ family paid $323 million​ to purchase the​ Cleveland Indians in​ February​ 2000.

That’s no​ longer the​​ going rate for a major-league franchise. Now, it’s the price for a decade’s worth of services from an All-Star player.

The Indians have never handed out a contract heftier than the $60 million pact they granted Edwin Encarnacion two years ago. They control Francisco Lindor for the next three seasons, but he’ll likely command a deal four, five or even six times more lucrative than what the Indians guaranteed Encarnacion.

So, does owner Paul Dolan envision himself ever signing a player to, say, a 10-year, $300 million deal?

“No, but I never foresaw us doing a deal like we did with Encarnacion,” Dolan said in his spring-training office during a recent sit-down interview with The Athletic. “You don’t know. Probably the day when we do a deal like that is when somebody else is doing $1 billion deals with somebody else.”

What, then, would he advise to fans who are already growing unsettled about Lindor’s future in Cleveland?

“Enjoy him,” Dolan said. “We control him for three more years. Enjoy him and then we’ll see what happens.”

Dolan said he isn’t “bothered by the fact we can’t chase the high-end” free agents but added that “where it is painful is when you have one of your own that you can’t keep because the market for them is set by larger markets.”

He pointed to the Padres’ addition of Manny Machado on a 10-year, $300 contract. The Padres rank 24th in the league in payroll, five spots behind the Indians, per Spotrac. When Machado’s salary balloons to $32 million next year from $12 million this year, that could change.

“They’ll bump up against the issue with having so much of their payroll tied up in one guy,” Dolan said.

In a wide-ranging, 35-minute discussion with The Athletic, Dolan explained his stance on the Indians’ payroll, contention window and his tenure and future as an owner.


Francisco Lindor (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
Dollars and sense
The Astros dispatched the Indians from the postseason faster than one of Encarnacion’s trots around the bases. It never really clicked for the Tribe during the regular season, and they proved incapable of flipping a switch when October arrived.

“You should never assume you’re going to the postseason,” Dolan said, “but that year, more than any other year, it felt preordained from the outset that we were going to the postseason. We took control of the Central Division very early and never felt threatened. So we were always focused on the postseason, and when it got there and was over so quickly, it was a little unsettling.”

It didn’t benefit the Indians from a financial standpoint, either. Because they participated in the minimum number of playoff games, Dolan said, the ALDS revenue went directly to the players’ share. Had they stuck around longer, he added, it “could have mitigated the impact of what we had done last year with the payroll, which could have allowed us to then deepen our investment in 2019.”

“We were definitely hoping that we would pull something out of the postseason that would be helpful,” he said.

Dolan noted the windfall from the 2016 postseason run, plus a lump sum from the league’s sale of BAMTech, helped fuel the Encarnacion signing two years ago.

This year, the Indians will arrive at Opening Day with a payroll about $15 million to $20 million less than their initial number for the start of the 2018 season. Dolan contends the Indians have lost money the last few years, though he insists “we’re not whining or complaining. It’s a challenge.”

Teams are not required to open their books to the public.

25-man Opening Day payroll, per Cot’s Contracts
2015: $88 million
2016: $96 million
2017: $124 million
2018: $135 million
2019: $117 million (projected)

“More often than not, we lose money,” Dolan said. “But we’ve made money in some years.”

And it doesn’t come as a surprise when it happens, Dolan added.

It raises the question, though: Why own a team that tends to lose money, especially during the team’s peak performance years?

“From a financial perspective, we’ve seen an asset grow in a considerable value,” Dolan said. “But the opportunity is well beyond that. We have an opportunity to engage in the community in ways that you can’t in any other way. It’s enriched all of our lives.”

Forbes values the Indians at more than $1 billion, more than triple what the Dolans paid for the franchise in 2000. Will the Dolans cash in anytime soon?

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know that we planned to own it for 20 years. You just don’t know. There’s no plan not to own the team. I’ll put it that way. My parents are aging, so things could happen.”


(Jason Miller/Getty Images)
Outwit, outplay, outlast
Dolan noted that it’s easier to profit during “the down cycle,” those lean rebuilding years, since a team has less incentive to add established major-league talent to an undefined core. The Indians are attempting to stave off such a noncompetitive stretch. They retooled over the winter, but they clutched on to their collection of elite talent: a couple of MVP candidates on the left side of the infield and a stout starting rotation. The rest of the roster, of course, is littered with uncertainty, as ownership’s payroll mandate made it even more challenging to surround the core with proven pieces.

“We’re not going to outspend anybody,” Dolan said, “so we need to outsmart them.”

To do that, the organization has made recent investments in its academy in the Dominican Republic, its complex in Arizona, as well as in technology, sports science and analytics, all in an effort to foster a more effective player development culture.

“Nobody wants us to balance our checkbook,” Dolan said. “They just want to win, which we do, too. So, I understand that. I do think that once the season gets underway, it’s all about what that team is doing on the field, whether it’s a $220 million payroll or an $80 million payroll. It’s how we’re performing. So, we have to get to playing games.”

The landscape of the AL Central factored into the offseason equation, too. The Indians engaged in conversations with other teams about a trade involving one of their starting pitchers, a way to deal from a strength and address a potential weakness in the outfield, while also saving some more money.

“We ended up not doing it, but you heard talk about some of our elite pitchers,” Dolan said, “recognizing that we have some depth there, it’s an area of strength — we could theoretically have moved somebody there to get some upper-level talent that would have the effect of extending our window, taking our payroll down a little further, and if it took a few wins off of our expected wins this year, we probably have that buffer. We didn’t do it, as it turns out, but that was part of the calculation.”

Dolan pointed to the composition of the Indians’ 2016 and ’17 rosters, noting the injury-ravaged rotation that stood one victory shy of hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy and the odds-on favorite to capture the hardware a year later, a 102-win juggernaut that crumbled against the Yankees in the opening round of the playoffs.

“On balance, I would say that if you can put a team together that has a good chance at getting to the playoffs every year,” Dolan said, “as opposed to being the absolute prohibitive favorite, I would take the former. I would take my chances with getting to the playoffs as often as possible and see what happens at that point.”

Of course, no team — even one favored to win its fourth consecutive division title — should simply cross its fingers and hope fortune carries it to October prosperity.

“We’re working really hard to extend our cycle as long as possible,” Dolan said, “knowing that if you get to the playoffs, anything can happen. We know the downside is out there somewhere. We hope we can put it off for as long as we possibly can.”

Rose-colored glasses
Dolan acknowledged he doesn’t really keep his finger on the pulse. The organization has employees tasked with monitoring fan sentiment. He’s just ready for the season to start, ready for the city’s sixth MLB All-Star Game to arrive in early July. (By the way, he reiterated that there was no quid pro quo with Commissioner Rob Manfred regarding the removal of Chief Wahoo and being granted the league’s 90th All-Star Game. He also said Manfred has “been very supportive of the team name.”)

Dolan doesn’t tune in to talk radio. He doesn’t seek out comments on or reactions to Indians-related articles. He knows he probably maintains a rosier outlook than most, but that it stems from his near-flawless history of interactions with fans. In fact, he said, in the 20 years his family has owned the club, he has experienced only one unfavorable encounter with a fan, while standing in line for a Browns game years ago.

No individual or group has owned the Indians for a longer tenure than the Dolan family. The 2019 season will mark their 20th at the helm.

“Now, there’s no parade for that,” Dolan said.

No, parades are reserved for the teams that capture a championship (or, in this city, go winless). The Indians own Major League Baseball’s longest title drought, a spell that dates back to Lou Boudreau’s heroics in 1948.

Dolan still has haunting flashbacks to the 2016 World Series, with the team’s shortcoming at Wrigley Field in Game 5 replaying in his mind just as often as the rain-soaked, extra-inning Game 7 ordeal. At the time, he didn’t quite grasp that it might have been the Indians’ best shot at breaking their hex.

“We’ve had some opportunities to end it,” Dolan said. “Hopefully, this will be that year.”

(Top photo of Paul Dolan: Ken Blaze / USA Today)

Lloyd: Vegas sees the Indians and Browns as equals, but the city of Cleveland does not


By Jason Lloyd 2h ago 28

One​ of them​ has won​ their division each of​ the past three​ years and came​ within​ one game​ of a championship.​​ They have won 56 percent of their games in the past six years and are again favorites to reach the postseason.

The other hasn’t won their division in 30 years and has only won 23 percent of their games in the past six. They’re onto their fifth head coach in six years.

Now both the Browns and Indians enter with the exact same 12/1 odds to win a championship. But 12/1 doesn’t always feel the same in this town.

While visiting Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for a story last week on March Madness, I was mildly surprised to learn the Browns had 12/1 odds of winning the Super Bowl this season. Only the Chiefs, Patriots, Rams and Saints were heavier favorites. The Bears share the same 12/1 odds as the Browns. Of the 32 teams in the NFL, Vegas believes the Browns are one of the top six. Incredible.

Equally incredible was when I turned the paper over and looked at baseball. There were the Indians with the exact same 12/1 odds as the Browns. Only the Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Dodgers, Yankees and Phillies have better odds — and the fact the Phillies are above them is laughable, Bryce Harper or not.

Two high-powered teams in this town, each with the exact same chance, according to Vegas, of winning a championship. One is beloved, the other is sneered at these days.

The Dolans have lost the trust of the fanbase this winter with their budget cuts, and short of another World Series appearance, it will be difficult for them to earn it back. My biggest takeaway from Paul Dolan’s sitdown with our Zack Meisel wasn’t the Francisco Lindor news, as sobering as it was to hear. It was his admission that last year’s playoff sweep went a long way toward this year’s budget cuts.

In other words, last year’s failures are still haunting this franchise.

That was my suspicion all along and I alluded to it on the radio several times. The Indians had just one home playoff game last year, and Dolan said the sweep meant the revenue went to the players’ share.

It isn’t hard to do the math and Edwin Encarnacion is a tangible example: Take the season to a Game 7 of the World Series in 2016 (eight home playoff dates in all) and Encarnacion shows up the next winter with the largest free-agent contract in team history. Get swept in the first round, Encarnacion gets traded away.

The issue here isn’t the inability to re-sign Lindor. The idea he was leaving when he hit free agency — if not before — became clear two years ago when the Indians couldn’t persuade him to take a long-term contract. It’s unrealistic to think they can sign him to a $300 million deal. They can’t, and no one should expect them to.

The real problem with this season is the budget cuts over last year. That makes winning a World Series nearly impossible.

Since Cot’s Contracts began tracking year-to-year payroll spending in 2000, only three teams have won a championship after cutting payroll and two of them were Boston in 2013 and the Yankees in 2009. In both instances, they were still among the top five payrolls in the game.

The only other team to trim payroll and still win a World Series were the Cardinals in 2006 when they cut a whopping 2 percent off the previous year (less than $2 million).

The Indians presently rank 15th in payroll and trimmed 10 percent off last year, according to Cot’s. No team has won a championship since the new millennium with numbers like that. It doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but it hasn’t been done yet.

When the Royals won the World Series a few years ago with a payroll that ranked 17th, it still represented a 22 percent hike from the previous year. When the Marlins won in 2003 with a payroll ranked 25th, it was a 16 percent increase. On average, the teams since 2000 that have won a World Series increased payroll by 14 percent from the previous year.

That’s the reality facing the Indians this year, and that’s what has fans so upset. No one expects the Dolans to spend this way every year and no one should realistically expect them to afford Lindor. Even expecting the payroll to increase another 14 percent over last year was unrealistic. But at least keeping it relatively close to where it was shouldn’t be too much to ask.

“I guess the silver lining is that the forefront of our team has always been this (pitching) staff and it’s a weak division,” Jason Kipnis told me last week. “So we should still be in a good position to win, regardless.

“It’s tough, though. You still have to score runs and you still have to replace some of the things that aren’t here this year. The floor is a lot lower. There was a much higher floor when you had established veterans that you knew what you were going to get. And at the same time, the ceiling might not be as high, either. I hope I’m wrong. I hope a lot of guys go out and can sniff an opening at their position and take it by the balls and run with it.”

The Dolans have done plenty right during their 20 years of ownership. They have built a culture and created the type of stability unmatched in this town among sports teams. They hire smart people, then get out of the way and let them do their jobs. They do everything the right way — except spend.

Contention windows typically end organically, either when players begin to age or when they reach the ends of their contracts. The day might come when the Indians must have hard conversations about Lindor and when is the right time to trade him. But that isn’t today. This should be a time of pushing all in, not cutting back.

Let’s not forget how talented of a team this remains. Barring injuries, this pitching staff will keep the Indians in games all year and this front office and Terry Francona are good enough that anything is possible in October.

But ownership right now is a hindrance to the cause, not a help. Even at 12/1.

As you stare at the Indians’ lineup, remember: There’s always plenty of turnover between now and October


By Zack Meisel Mar 27, 2019 53


MINNEAPOLIS​ — You​ know what​ they say about the​ roster in Cleveland:​ if you aren’t​ thrilled​ with it,​ just wait​​ five minutes.

Or, maybe that’s the weather in Cleveland. That hasn’t prevented MLB from scheduling early-April games at Progressive Field, but that’s a topic for another chilly day.

The Indians will begin a new season Thursday afternoon with a lineup resembling their final 2018 batting order, just with a complete face-lift that went awry and necessitated a second, third and fourth operation. Of the nine starters, only José Ramírez has a chance at starting for the Tribe on Opening Day.

Six months from now, the Thursday lineup could, too, resemble a relic, a long-forgotten piece of artwork detailed by Terry Francona’s steady left hand. The past three years, one-third of the players on the roster for the Indians’ first playoff game did not start the season with the club.

First, let’s revisit that final batting order from 2018.

There was Francisco Lindor, before his hair turned blue and his calf turned fans blue
There was Michael Brantley, before he joined the team that sent the Indians down their offseason spiral
There was José Ramírez, the lone holdover from that final lineup of 2018, presuming his newly bruised knee cooperates
There was Edwin Encarnacion, now stationed in Seattle, where the Mariners have initiated a rebuild
There was Josh Donaldson, whose uniform will make for a great Random Jersey Sighting candidate a few years from now (Quick: Do you even remember what number he wore during his five weeks with the Indians? [Jeopardy theme plays] The answer: No. 27)
There was Yandy Díaz, required to reserve three seats on his flight to join his new team in Tampa, one for his body and one for each biceps
There was Brandon Guyer, the human dartboard who once owned left-handed pitching
There was Yan Gomes, the catcher shipped to the nation’s capital after his first All-Star Game nod
And there was Jason Kipnis, who has pegged this season as likely his last in Cleveland, but whose aging leg muscles prefer he not sail off into the sunset
Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing and, in all likelihood, there will be much more of it in the months to come. If history is any indication, the Indians’ roster figures to morph quite a bit between now and the end of the regular season. So, no, Thursday’s batting order, potentially topped by Leonys Martín and punctuated by Carlos Santana and Jake Bauers, probably won’t hold steady for 162 games.

2016: 18/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the ALDS roster

Hello: Brandon Guyer, Chris Gimenez, Michael Martinez, Coco Crisp, Lonnie Chisenhall, Andrew Miller, Mike Clevinger

Goodbye: Marlon Byrd, Juan Uribe, Collin Cowgill, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Joba Chamberlain, Ross Detwiler

2017: 16/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the ALDS roster

Hello: Jay Bruce, Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, Greg Allen, Giovanny Urshela, Erik Gonzalez, Mike Clevinger, Joe Smith, Tyler Olson

Goodbye: Tyler Naquin, Yandy Díaz, Abraham Almonte, Michael Martinez, Brandon Guyer, Zach McAllister, Dan Otero, Boone Logan, Shawn Armstrong

2018: 16/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the ALDS roster

Hello: Michael Brantley, Josh Donaldson, Melky Cabrera, Greg Allen, Yandy Díaz, Shane Bieber, Brad Hand, Adam Cimber, Oliver Pérez

Goodbye: Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin, Bradley Zimmer, Erik Gonzalez, Josh Tomlin, Zach McAllister, Nick Goody, Tyler Olson, Matt Belisle



Only three teams have participated in a playoff series each of the past three years — the Indians, Red Sox and Dodgers — so they’ll serve as comparisons for this exercise. The other clubs have experienced a considerable amount of in-season turnover as well.

2016 Red Sox: 17/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the ALDS roster
2017 Red Sox: 15/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the ALDS roster
2018 Red Sox: 18/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the ALDS roster

2016 Dodgers: 14/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the NLDS roster (10 players opened the season on the injured list)
2017 Dodgers: 14/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the NLDS roster
2018 Dodgers: 16/25 players on the Opening Day roster made the NLDS roster

Some of the turnover is the result of the injury bug; the Indians have been forced to resort to a September shift to center field for Kipnis each of the past two years. Midseason trades, promotions and demotions and playoff roster manipulation also play a role. After all, the Indians used 20 different relievers last season (not including starters who made a cameo or two in the bullpen).

It’s a helpful reminder, though, that a lineup that features Hanley Ramírez batting fourth or fifth and Brad Miller, Max Moroff and Eric Stamets composing three-quarters of the infield might not persist for an entire season. (At least, not if the Indians want to vie for a fourth consecutive division title and keep their starting pitchers sane.)

The 2019 Opening Day roster (barring any last-minute changes)

Pitchers: Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber, Dan Otero, Jon Edwards, Tyler Olson, Adam Cimber, Oliver Pérez, Brad Hand, Neil Ramírez

Position players: Roberto Pérez, Kevin Plawecki, Jake Bauers, Carlos Santana, Max Moroff, Brad Miller, José Ramírez, Eric Stamets, Jordan Luplow, Greg Allen, Tyler Naquin, Leonys Martín, Hanley Ramírez

Those who should eventually return from injury and nudge their way onto the roster: Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Bradley Zimmer, Tyler Clippard, Danny Salazar

Carlos Gonzalez also figures to receive a shot to nail down the right-field gig before his April 20 opt-out clause arrives.

Pitchers at Class AAA who are twiddling their thumbs while waiting for the phone to ring: Nick Goody, Nick Wittgren, Adam Plutko, Cody Anderson, Jefry Rodriguez, Chih-Wei Hu, Henry Martinez

Position players at Class AAA who are waiting for an opportunity: Oscar Mercado, Trayce Thompson, Yu Chang, Eric Haase, Bobby Bradley

That’s a larger pool of internal candidates than the one the Indians have been able to draw from in recent years. Last season, the club cycled through the same handful of relief options until Chris Antonetti dealt Francisco Mejía for Hand and Cimber.

So, the Indians might need to rely on their pitching staff to steer them through April as Lindor, Kipnis and Gonzalez work their way back into shape. There will be a trial-and-error period for the bullpen and the outfield, as new faces attempt to become familiar and old veterans attempt to stave off Father Time.

But once the Indians reach the fall, one glance at the roster should make this late-March arrangement a distant, foggy memory.

(Photo of Terry Francona: Alex Trautwig / Getty Images)

How strongly are we tied to this Luplow guy? I would rather have Allen play.

I’m assuming Luplow will only see time vs lefties. This years Guyer.

Until Cargo is ready Allen and Naquin should both see quality time with Martin. I hope so any way. Let’s see if they step up.

Luplow did hit well the last 10 games. But Allen hit well all spring as well as last summer: he's the only backup to Martin in CF and could at least platoon there.

Why the Indians granted Terry Francona a two-year extension through the 2022 season

Zack Meisel 1h ago 13

CLEVELAND​ — The​ Indians knew​ they needed some sort​ of shakeup. They​ slogged through a dreadful​ late-summer​ stretch in​ 2012, one​​ deserving of another “Major League” installment.

They were allergic to wins and atrocious at attracting fans. They generated as much buzz as a stinger-less wasp reeling from a hearty spray of Raid.

The fix merely required one phone call. The Indians only interviewed two candidates to succeed Manny Acta: Sandy Alomar Jr. and Terry Francona, and Alomar was already in the building as Acta’s stand-in.

The Indians hired Francona a few days after the conclusion of the 2012 campaign. They couldn’t wait to suck down a breath mint to replace the sour taste an 18-44 finish tends to leave behind.

Now, the Indians have tacked on another two years to Francona’s contract, which could keep him in Cleveland through the 2022 season and make him the longest-tenured manager in team history. Lou Boudreau directed the team for nine seasons, Mike Hargrove for 8 1/2. If Francona sticks around until his new pact expires, he’ll steer the ship for a full decade.

The seeds were planted in 2001, when Francona served as an adviser in the Indians’ front office. He formed a bond with Mark Shapiro and Chris Antonetti as he learned the ins and outs of the operation, and he cited those relationships as the primary motivation for his relocation to Cleveland.

Paul Dolan knew Francona a little bit, too, and he was in favor of the hire, knowing Francona’s credibility could create a change in clubhouse culture and in public perception.

“Two World Series rings is a nice thing,” Dolan told The Athletic. “Frankly, I thought that would be a nice PR move, because he had a name associated with him. I didn’t really understand the impact that he would have on our franchise.”

In the aftermath of the 2007 ALCS collapse, the Indians endured some of their leanest years since shifting to Progressive Field. The team registered three 90-loss seasons in a four-year span and, despite a respectable collection of young talent, the path forward was hazy.

Those memories of Derek Lowe on the mound and Casey Kotchman grounding out have faded since Francona came aboard. And with him in charge, the Indians seem to be banking on at least a few more seasons sans any sort of painstaking rebuild or plummet in the standings.

In his first season with the Tribe, Francona guided the club to the American League Wild Card Game. There was an instant adjustment in attitude and philosophy. You’ll never know how the Indians fared the previous day or week or month when conversing with Francona.

“You have to be levelheaded and consistent throughout the season,” Dan Otero said. “I think he does that as a manager. He doesn’t get too high or too low throughout the course of a season. During games, he may get too high or too low, when he’s chewing 18 pieces of bubblegum at a time, but at the end of the day, win or lose, he’s at the field the next day at the same time, doing the same routine, like it’s just another day.”

Derek Falvey grew up in Boston and attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut. During his senior year, his hometown Red Sox — with Francona at the helm — captured their first championship in 86 years. At that juncture, Falvey regarded Francona as some sort of almighty power.

Fast forward eight years. The Indians hired Falvey to work in their front office. They landed Francona to preside over the big-league club. Falvey was involved with the process of hiring a pitching coach, and the Indians had narrowed the field to Mickey Callaway and Curt Champion.

Falvey and David Stearns (now the Brewers GM) transcribed every word of the interviews and kept notes so Francona and the rest of the front office could revisit certain questions and answers. At first, Falvey was nervous, given his original perspective of the World Series-winning manager.

“What became so clear,” Falvey said, “is he puts everyone at ease.”

That’s part of the Francona charm. There are the tales of him ordering $44 worth of ice cream in the middle of the night before a critical playoff game, or downing 17 popsicles in one sitting or waking up in a daze with his glasses covered in peanut butter. He shares these stories in a self-deprecating manner, a style that explains his ability to relate to his players — though they typically aren’t as disheveled.

“Tito has this aura about him,” Otero said. “He broke the curse in Boston. He’s a baseball lifer. But he makes it so easy to go in and talk to him.”

Francona is not without faults, of course. He has admitted in the past he can show too much loyalty to veteran players mired in a funk. He will occasionally play cards with his players. Otero, Josh Tomlin and Michael Brantley were regular participants in the games last season. And when Francona rises from the table at the end of the games?

“It looks like a 4-year-old just finished eating,” Otero said. “That makes me laugh every time. This is a well-respected future Hall of Famer and it’s just a mess. You usually have to throw away the deck of cards because it’s so sticky. He’s chewing gum. The cards stick together. And it’s not just one instance. It’s anytime he plays cards.”

There’s more to the job, though, than allowing Carlos Santana to kiss your bald head before each game. Those in the front office have appreciated Francona’s embrace of new information and thinking. He’ll consult with some of the younger minds in the front office to help him relay certain messages to players and coaches. That’s how a manager approaching 60 can survive in a game now populated by managers slightly more than half his age.

“He’s helped tear down the barriers,” Mike Chernoff said last fall, “that often and sort of naturally exist between players, staff and front office, and that’s really helped us organizationally.”

Francona ranks sixth in wins in franchise history, with 547. He’ll soon pass Eric Wedge for fifth on that list. In wins among active managers, Francona trails only Bruce Bochy, who plans to retire at the end of the season.

This contract extension speaks to how much the Indians value stability, and it sends the message that they intend Francona to rise up the wins leaderboard in the next few seasons. They believe they can continue to vie for a ticket to the postseason, and they want Francona behind the wheel. That will require some savvy decision-making on the part of the front office and ownership, of course.

For now, they know they have their manager — the guy they desperately needed to elevate the organization way back when — in the fold through 2022.

Falvey recalled a rough patch during the 2016 season. After a loss, Francona texted Falvey, Chernoff and Antonetti to express how optimistic he remained about the club.

“What stood out was how good a leader he was at that moment,” Falvey said, “the steadiness in those places when things aren’t going quite as well. I think that’s what allows him to be what he is.”

I knew Falvey (Twins GM) and Mike Hazen (Arizona GM) were in the front office but I forgot David Stearns (Brewers GM) was too. Huntington (Pittsburgh)....on and on even back to O'Dowd and of course Hart who actually was at the helm in Atlanta when they gathered that super bunch of young talent Atlanta is now riding.

Trevor Bauer’s no-hit bid — through his catcher’s eyes

Zack Meisel Apr 4, 2019 15

CLEVELAND​ — The​ first inkling​ came during Trevor Bauer’s​ side session earlier​ this week. The​ warmup​ tosses in​ the bullpen​​ Thursday evening confirmed what Roberto Pérez already figured.

“Everything was working,” Pérez said.

The slider he developed before last season?

“I knew from the get-go he had that slider going today.”

His fastball?

“He was throwing hard.”

The changeup he crafted this winter? Check. And his curveball?

“That’s probably his best pitch.”

So what on earth is a shivering hitter supposed to do with the pointless piece of lumber on his shoulder when Bauer has every option in his ever-expanding arsenal spinning and diving and plunging the precise way he wants it?

“Just try to walk,” Pérez said while shrugging. “I don’t know.”

Bauer has limited the opposition to one hit over 14 innings this season. His pitch count, which reached 117, thwarted his bid to register the team’s first no-hitter in 38 years. Somewhere, Len Barker exhaled and popped open a few frosty beverages. (In all reality, he was probably rooting for history.)

Really, this was about as unsightly a no-hit bid as is possible. Tribe pitchers walked eight and plunked a pair. The Blue Jays brought the tying run to the plate in the eighth and ninth innings. Before the ninth, Terry Francona asked Brad Mills whether the team should even celebrate should Brad Hand retire the Blue Jays in order.

(While we’re on the subject, Francona and Bauer agreed the manager should turn to the bullpen after the seventh. Said Francona: “I didn’t want to take him out. He said he knew it was the right thing. I told him I hate it. He goes, ‘I hate it, too, but I know it’s the right thing.’ I care too much about him and the organization to hurt somebody. I would have loved to have seen it because I don’t doubt that he would’ve kept pitching and probably not given up a hit the way he was throwing. I just have an obligation to do the right thing, even when it’s not the funnest thing to do.”)

When Bauer found the strike zone, though — he walked six — the Blue Jays stood no chance.

His first pitch clocked in at 94.2 mph. His 117th pitch clocked in at 94.9 mph.

He only tossed two curveballs in his first outing of the season in Minnesota. He threw 23 of them Thursday, and often in succession. He floated five consecutive curveballs to Rowdy Tellez during a third-inning encounter. He struck out Socrates Brito on three pitches — all curveballs — earlier in that frame. When Brito returned to the plate in the fifth, Bauer threw him four consecutive curveballs.

He said he was frustrated with himself for loading the bases with a pair of walks and a hit batter in the third, so he “went to (his) best weapon.”

“I think that’s his best pitch,” Pérez said. “They probably weren’t looking for it, because in the last game, he only threw two. But he had a good one going and they couldn’t lay off. Why throw another pitch if they just can’t make adjustments? We stuck to it, and it worked out.”
Bauer’s pitch sequence to Jorge Polanco in the first inning Saturday.
The changeup is the newest toy, and Bauer was pleased with the results it produced against the Twins last weekend. He pointed to a first-inning battle with Jorge Polanco as the ideal usage for the pitch and noted the optimal velocity for the pitch is about 86-87 mph, assuming his fastball sits in the 94-96 mph range.

He started Polanco with a four-seam fastball (swinging strike) and a two-seam fastball (foul) on the outside part of the plate to get ahead in the count. He then tossed a changeup in the inside strike zone, but home-plate umpire Phil Cuzzi was apparently working on a Sudoku. Bauer tossed another changeup, a bit low and down the middle, and Polanco waved at it for strike three.

“It’s good. It’s really good,” Pérez said. “It’s getting better. He’s throwing it for strikes, throwing it in the dirt. It’s coming. I’m sure (with) the cold weather, it’s tough to get the grip. But I’m sure in the summer, when it gets warmer, it will be really good.”

And should he master that pitch, Bauer might piece together some more no-hit bids in the future.

“He’s got so many weapons to go to,” Pérez said. “Now that he added that changeup over the winter, it helped him a lot. He’s throwing it to both righties and lefties, so you don’t know — with two strikes, you don’t know what you’re gonna get. You’re gonna get a slider, curveball in the dirt, changeup — you don’t know.”