Cleveland Sports Forum

True that. My eyesight isn’t what it used to be so I could have definitely seen it wrong for sure. But anyway, sorry for confusion, and thanks for setting it straight!

Also hard to believe, but true,...…. Fred Lynn has the "only" grand slam in ALL Star Game history.

Inside a whirlwind All-Star week with Indians legend Jim Thome

Zack Meisel 3h ago 5
CLEVELAND — Sean Casey had reached the most compelling part of the story — the part where he berates a bar full of dejected Cubs fans — when a man entered the room holding a slip of paper.

“Jerry, we’ve got a story going on here,” Casey shouted to longtime manager Jerry Manuel. “What the hell’s the matter with you?”

Manuel was simply delivering the National League’s lineup for the Futures Game. But when Casey gets rolling, there’s no stopping him. By the end of the tale, Jim Thome was hunched over, laughing. And he’s heard the story dozens of times.

It’s a common scene when old teammates and coaches congregate, and All-Star week in Cleveland represented one massive reunion. Thome was the busiest man in town, an ambassador with nearly 20 appearances over four days, and cameos in many of the main attractions at Progressive Field. Along the way, he traded barbs and stories with Carlos Baerga, Pedro Martinez, Ken Griffey Jr., Charlie Nagy, Charlie Manuel and so many others.

Consider Thome the tour guide for this whirlwind trip behind the scenes of an unforgettable All-Star week in Cleveland.

Saturday: 9:30 a.m.
As Thome headed to Dick’s Sporting Goods at Great Northern Mall, he received a tip: Eat at Swensons. Thome didn’t have time to visit his familiar haunts — he did dine downtown upon arrival Friday evening — but he placed Swensons on his priority list.

Jeff and Justin, a pair of 20-year-old locals, arrived at Dick’s nearly four hours before they met their idol. They were infants when Thome played in Cleveland, but they’ve watched the YouTube clips — the 52 home runs in 2002, the 500th career long ball in Chicago in 2007.

Thome and his family arrived in Cleveland on Friday. They dined at Urban Farmer, around the corner from the convention center, which hosted Play Ball Park all week. On Friday night, Thome peeked out his hotel room window to survey the scene, the hustle and bustle.

By the time Thome descended from the upstairs office to begin his New Era autograph signing, the line had stretched the length of the store.

“That’s the fun part,” Thome said. “You get to get out and meet people and hear all the great stories — ‘When I was a kid …,’ ‘I remember the ’90s …,’ ‘I remember Jacobs Field …,’ ‘I remember this walk-off …’ and ‘I remember Baerga doing this …’ That’s what it’s about.”

Speaking of Baerga, as he signed autographs, Thome was shown a video of Baerga — carefree as always — dancing at Play Ball Park.

“Oh, my gosh,” Thome said. “Baerga’s special.”

Saturday: 6 p.m.
After a few hours of appearances at the convention center, Thome trekked down the street to the Westin for a Futures Game meeting full of former teammates and coaches. When the two coaching staffs gathered on the sixth floor of the hotel, the banter began. Thome walked in with a guitar in his hand.

“Hey, Omar, now Thome’s a guitar player,” Baerga said to his former middle infield partner, Omar Vizquel. “Thome, is that what Charlie Manuel taught you?”

Thome, the American League manager, shook hands with National League manager Dennis Martinez, his former Cleveland teammate.

“Wait till you see my lineup,” Thome said.

The AL coaches — Thome, Casey, Juan Nieves, Nick Punto, Charlie Manuel and Ever Magallanes — assembled in a conference room. A flight delay prevented Dave Burba, the bullpen coach, from joining them. An MLB rep said the NL staff was guaranteeing a victory, to which Thome replied: “They don’t know what’s ahead of them.”

They prepared for the seven-inning exhibition as if the losing team faced a prison sentence. First, they mapped out a schedule for Sunday: when Thome would deliver his pregame speech, when the team would unite in center field for a photo, when they would take batting practice. At some point, Thome had to meet with MLB Network for 20 minutes to chat about his roster and his managerial strategy.

Then, they charted a course of action for the game. A few teams placed restrictions on their pitchers — a 30-pitch limit, for instance, or the preference to start a clean inning. One thing was certain: Yankees prospect Deivi Garcia would pitch the first inning. They marveled at his numbers on the projector screen.

“Big curveball,” said Nieves, who called Garcia later that night to inform him of his starting role.

Thome proceeded through his proposed lineup, topped by Rays wunderkind Wander Franco. He has watched White Sox outfielder Luis Robert — who Thome had just learned was being promoted to Class AAA Charlotte — and Angels outfielder Jo Adell in recent weeks.

“The ball just jumps off their bats,” he said. “It’s electric.”

When he reached the No. 7 spot in the order, he named Indians prospect Nolan Jones. Thirty years ago, Thome fit the same description: a lanky, lefty-hitting, righty-throwing third baseman with a knack for registering an eye-catching on-base percentage.

Daniel Johnson, another Tribe prospect, batted eighth.

“He has a hose,” Nieves said.

Manuel mentioned he watched Twins prospect Royce Lewis in southern California a couple of years ago. He noted a quick bat and a “good, smooth, free swing.”

“You watched him in California?” Punto asked.

“Yeah,” Manuel said.

“And you didn’t call me?” Punto asked.

“Nope,” Manuel replied. Jim Thome, Sean Casey and Charlie Manuel. (David Richard / USA Today)
And what about signs? Several jokingly suggested a telescope motion for when to swing away at a 3-0 pitch.

“Thome could tell you,” Manuel said, “you had to hit the ball correctly (on 3-0). Don’t be hitting it the other way, slicing it into the dugout on the other side of the field. We’ve earned the right to swing the bat when it’s 3-0.”

And the prospects earned the right to take batting practice on a big-league field, which appealed to Manuel, the BP warlord.

“I’m a rep guy,” he said. “We gon’ hit. And we gon’ hit a lot. And we gon’ keep on hitting.”

“We used to hit early so much in Triple A,” Thome said, “we had two different sessions. We had an 11:30-1 session, and then we’d go have lunch, and then come back and have another session, and then actual batting practice. It’s all we knew.”

“Big lineups, big offenses, that right there creates the energy of the game for the pitcher and everything,” Manuel said. “It’s an attitude and it flows together.”

“Dang,” Punto said. “I’m ready to play.”

As the coaches finalized their plans, Casey shifted into storytelling mode. In 2004, the bumbling Reds won their final three contests at Wrigley Field at the end of September to spoil the Cubs’ wild-card chances, with the last two results coming in extra innings. The final tilt was a day game, so the Reds had to navigate Chicago rush hour traffic en route to the airport.

As the team bus idled behind hundreds of cars and cabs, Casey noticed a bar filled with fans wearing Cubs gear not too far from the ballpark. He begged the bus driver to let him off the bus and, while donning a suit, he strolled into the bar and shouted: “Hey, all you Cubs fans, the Cincinnati Reds just kicked your ass! Like they say in Chicago, better luck next season!”

Beaming with pride, Casey then realized he needed to bolt back to the bus to escape his rapid demise. Cubs fans chased him, but he sprinted back to his seat beside Barry Larkin.

When the laughter subsided, the meeting was adjourned.

Sunday: 5 p.m.
When Thome returned to Cleveland for a ’90s Indians reunion in 2015, he and his son Landon attended an NBA Finals game on the other side of the Gateway Plaza. Landon became a fan of LeBron James and the Cavaliers, and so what transpired at second base Sunday afternoon left the 11-year-old speechless, even two days later.

Landon pinch-hit for his father during the Celebrity Softball Game, and — with Thome, Baerga, Kenny Lofton and … Machine Gun Kelly all watching intently from a few feet outside the batter’s box, their hands on their knees — he smacked a single to center to score Cleveland teammate J.R. Smith. Landon advanced to second on the play, but instead of retreating to the dugout, Smith dashed to second to embrace Landon.

“It was a feeling, as a dad,” Thome said, “like, now I understand what the Boones felt like, the Griffeys. Those moments, he’ll have forever.”

And before the game, Thome draped his arm around his son as his daughter Lila performed the national anthem.

“I don’t know how she does it, to be honest,” Thome said, “to (stand) up there and have all those people and to be able to do that. That’s not from me. I’m not a singer. I can’t claim that one.”

After the softball exhibition, Thome morphed into manager mode. He sent Terry Francona a picture of him sitting at the Tribe skipper’s desk. When the two bumped into each other Tuesday afternoon, Thome thanked Francona for letting him use the office.

“Do you feel dumber?” Francona quipped. “Sit in that chair and you feel dumber.”

Rangers prospect Sam Huff slugged a game-tying two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh and the teams walked away deadlocked 2-2.

As Thome answered questions after the game, Griffey walked past and said, “You sound like a coach now.” Griffey and Thome rank seventh and eighth, respectively, on the all-time home-run list with a total of 1,242 homers.

Thome said he laughed so much in the dugout with Casey and Manuel, his stomach hurt.

“The best part of baseball is, no matter how long you step away from it,” he said, “when you get back with your boys, it’s almost like we were (playing) together again. Like, it felt a little bit like the ’90s. Baerga giving motivational speeches. Kenny’s walk-up song. You won’t forget it. The whole day was awesome.”
“The Miz,” J.R. Smith and Jim Thome. (Rob Tringali / Getty Images)
Monday: 3:30 p.m.
The MLB Network meeting room, a pop-up production shop situated in the lower levels of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, was barely large enough to fit a couch, two loveseats and a couple of TVs tuned to the network. It also contained decades of playing experience.

Pedro Martinez and Al Leiter compared the sizes and shapes of their fingers and explained the influence that had on their ability to command their pitches. Thome calculated the number of players on pace for 50 or more home runs this season (four, with two more on target for 49), and reminded Carlos Peña he hit 26 in each half in 2002, when he established his career high. The group watched several replays of the Sunday home-plate collision between Jake Marisnick and Jonathan Lucroy.

Harold Reynolds leaned over to say that this meeting was tame; typically, he and host Greg Amsinger would be at each other’s throats debating some baseball topic.

MLB Network’s pre-derby show would run from 6-8 p.m., with Amsinger, Leiter, Thome and Martinez featured on the main stage.

“Four-man desk, pretty strong,” producer Chris Roenbeck said. “We’re loaded. Talent everywhere.”

Reynolds pointed out that hitting masterminds Thome, Casey and Manuel all shared a dugout the previous night for a team that was getting blanked until the game’s final moments. He wished he had been within shouting distance.

“Know how much trash we would’ve talked?” he said.

Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger were scheduled to join the crew in the second segment. Thome noted how both stand up straight when hitting, how Yelich has a long stride and how Bellinger relies on his hands. Sounds like a conversation topic for the segment.

Reynolds mentioned the plaque beyond center field that marks where Thome’s ballpark-record 511-foot blast cratered in 1999.

“The wind blew it,” Thome said. “I can’t hit a ball that far.”

Several of the players made the telescope motion.

Reynolds recalled how he first learned about the towering shot.

“The one time Jim Thome was not Mr. Humble,” Reynolds said, laughing and pointing toward the ceiling. “He was like, ‘It was out there.’”



Thome asked the group for their Home Run Derby predictions. He went with Mets rookie Pete Alonso, whose pitcher — his second-cousin, Derek Morgan — hails from nearby Copley, Ohio. (Thome switched his answer to Matt Chapman on the pregame show … oops.) Casey opted for Alonso.

“I’m going Vlad Jr.,” Martinez said. “This is a kid who at 14, 15 years old, challenged his dad to hit softballs out of a stadium, and beat his dad.”

That elicited responses of “No he did not!” and “What?!”

“I’m the godfather!” Martinez said. “I trust my godson to beat everybody. I’ll tell him to just think about it like you’re beating your dad.”

Thome conducted some final research, prepared some notes, changed into a gray suit and brown dress shoes — his handy black suitcase was his best friend this week — and headed out onto the field toward the main set.

As the “Intentional Talk” crew departed — including Kevin Millar, with a new red and green hairdo, courtesy of Francisco Lindor — stage manager Todd Bivona shouted instructions to the next wave of talent.

“Five fifty-seven! Let’s go!” he yelled.

As the four TV personalities found their seats and set up their microphones, Millar stood in front of the set and screamed at them.

Thirty seconds!

Twenty seconds!

As Millar’s countdown reached the five-second mark, Bivona tackled him to remove him from the camera shot.

During the opening segment, a wayward batting practice foul ball struck a network employee’s leg and caromed onto the back of the set. The direct hit required an ice pack.

Thome told Bellinger and Yelich, “You’re monsters, I love it,” and made note of their taller stances, which allows them to see the ball differently.

“Even a hungry turtle can do a jumping jack,” Yelich said.

Thome recorded a short demo in the batting cages and threw out the ceremonial first pitch to commence the Home Run Derby. From there, though Alonso emerged victorious, Guerrero stole the show.

“It was like a heavyweight bout,” Thome said about Guerrero’s hard-fought knockout of Joc Pederson in the semifinals. “They just kept going back and forth. They were exhausted.”

Tuesday: 11 a.m.
Against which pitcher did Thome notch his first career walk-off home run?

Which member of the Baltimore Orioles hit the pop-up that sailed into Thome’s glove near third base for the final out Sept. 8, 1995, vaulting the Indians to the AL Central title?

Those were two of the trivia questions that stumped Thome during an event with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission late Tuesday morning.

(The answers: Toronto’s Scott Brow, on June 15, 1994, and Jeff Huson.)

Thome rode a few blocks in a golf cart to the Hilton, where he reunited with his family and Sandy Alomar Jr. and his family for the All-Star parade. The former Indians served as the grand marshals, the first to reach the red carpet that guided the players, clad in snazzy outfits, into Progressive Field.

Alomar wore a velvet suit jacket. Thome sported a navy suit, and he asked an MLB Network employee what Amsinger might be wearing.

“He’s usually a yellow guy,” Thome said.

Thome signed a few autographs and posed for photos on the red carpet, as Billy the Marlin — the only fish with arms and legs — waddled past. He shook hands with Hunter Pence, who explained to his significant other how Thome was one of his favorite players and then the two briefly became teammates in Philadelphia in 2012.

Thome finally had a chance to catch his breath Tuesday afternoon, before another production meeting, a couple of hours on set and one last meet-and-greet. Then, he joined Alomar and others in Mike Hargrove’s suite along the right-field line to watch the All-Star Game.

Alomar caught the ceremonial first pitch from former Indians hurler CC Sabathia. Later, the Tribe first-base coach congratulated Shane Bieber on matching his feat of capturing All-Star Game MVP honors in his home ballpark. The AL claimed its seventh consecutive Midsummer Classic, the culmination of a frenzied but fruitful week.

On Wednesday, Thome woke up, his itinerary for the day devoid of any responsibility. Telescope motion and all, he had his sights set on one thing: a burger from Swensons.

Carlos Carrasco: ‘My teammates, every time that I get here, they hug me’

Zack Meisel 7m ago
CLEVELAND — In the third inning of the All-Star Game, Terry Francona and Carlos Carrasco crossed paths in the hallway outside of the home clubhouse at Progressive Field.

Shortly after, the two would join the Indians’ four All-Stars on the field for a Stand Up To Cancer ceremony, a touching tribute for the Tribe pitcher, who was diagnosed with leukemia last month. But two innings before that moment unfolded, the emotions started flowing between manager and pitcher.

The night before, Carrasco watched the Home Run Derby in a red All-Star jersey he had made. On the back were the surnames of his All-Star teammates.

On Tuesday, he took the field before a global audience, and he received a taste of what it’s like to have global support. Carrasco said he nearly cried.

“It was a great moment for me,” Carrasco said. “I really enjoyed that.”

Carrasco met with reporters Thursday for the first time since he learned of his diagnosis. He delivered each response with a smile. Francona watched from the corner of the room, a proud smile sweeping across his face throughout the interview.

In addition to providing support, teammates have attempted to normalize their everyday interactions to help Carrasco maintain a healthy mentality. Jason Kipnis conducted online research to simplify the medical jargon when Carrasco initially learned the news. Mike Clevinger reached out Tuesday to offer Carrasco an ear.

“I was trying to tell him, ‘I know you are overwhelmed right now,’” Clevinger said, “‘and if you ever want to get away and not have to talk about this … just go get lunch and escape and not think about it, I think that would be a good resolution to some of these underlying issues, just hanging around, being around and not being able to be on the field.’”

Carrasco wants to pitch. He threw a bullpen session at the ballpark Thursday evening. He threw at Classic Park, home of Class A affiliate Lake County, earlier this week. He said the sessions feel no different from his usual in-season work.

Francona said the Indians have no plan or throwing program for him at the moment, though. This isn’t some routine injury rehab.

“You can definitely tell he’s anxious to get back out there,” Clevinger said. “It’s definitely out of his control and he knows that right now. He’s taking it one step at a time.”


(Charles LeClaire / USA Today)
Here’s what Carrasco had to say Thursday:

On still being able to throw, and having some sense of normalcy:

“I’ve been throwing the ball normal and I’m glad that I’ve been around my teammates. Every time I come in here to the stadium, it feels like home. My teammates, every time that I get here, they hug me. They ask me how I feel and it feels great to have that support from everyone.”

On visiting cancer patients in the hospital:

“I think it’s great, just to go there and visit kids and have a different day. You don’t want to spend a lot of time in the hospital. I’m pretty sure those kids, they are spending a lot of time there. Just to go there and have some fun and just think about some different stuff and talk to them about baseball — I think that’s great. It’s something that I love to do, that I’ve been doing for the last four or five years. I think it’s important to go there to make those kids smile and it makes me happy.”

On whether he will pitch again in 2019:

“I don’t know. I’m just going to take it day by day. I don’t know. I don’t have the answer, but I’m glad to be here around my teammates and just coming here to practice.”

On the initial support from his teammates when he received his diagnosis:

“They’ve been respectful. They respect what happened. (Since) they found out, they’ve been acting like the same teammates as before. There’s nothing different. I think everyone’s getting stronger than ever. I’m thankful to have those teammates behind (me).”

On whether he’s physically limited at all:

“No. I’ve been working like normal. I never put anything bad in my mind. Everything’s good. So, I don’t feel different. I just push myself to work more and get stronger.”

On whether he ever asked, ‘Why me?’:

“No. I’m not that kind of person. If it’s happened, it’s for a reason. I cannot control that.”

On the team wanting to win for him:

“That feels great. I’ve always had the support of my teammates. To hear that, it made me really happy because they’ve always been there, too. I think, everyone from the team, if I could show you, I had like 300, maybe 500 texts from them every day, (asking) how I felt. They (are) special to me. They feel like home. They feel like family. They always send me a text, even the guys that played here before, they send me a text every day. It feels great.”

On Shane Bieber’s MVP performance in the All-Star Game:

“Unbelievable. I saw that, three strikeouts, (and) when I was on the field, I said, ‘Oh, you’re going to get MVP.’ He said, ‘Shut up.’ But he was great. It was a good show from day one. It was unbelievable.”

(Top photo: Billie Weiss / Getty Images)

Cleveland Indians should seek an outfield prospect for Trevor Bauer before July 31 trade deadline — Terry Pluto
Updated Jul 13, 4:09 PM; Posted Jul 13, 5:00 AM
Trevor Bauer will receive a lot of attention from other teams as the July 31 trade deadline looms. Photo Joshua Gunter / cleveland.com
cleveland.com

Trevor Bauer will receive a lot of attention from other teams as the July 31 trade deadline looms. Photo Joshua Gunter / cleveland.com

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By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

TALKING ABOUT DEALS

1. The Indians almost always make some moves as the summer trading deadline looms. I expect that to happen again. But it won’t be the type of trade some fans will want. The deadline is July 31, and baseball has outlawed many of the waiver deals that used to happen in August and September. So, the time to deal is this month.

2. I’ve been told several times by people the Indians are out of the business of trading significant prospects for big league players to help right now. They could trade a lower-rated minor leaguer, but not their prime prospects.


3. The goal is to add more prospects to the farm system. So don’t look for them to deal for Detroit outfielder Nicholas Castellanos, who can be a free agent at the end of the season. He has a $10 million deal and is batting .282 (.810 OPS) with nine home runs and 33 RBI.

4. They are receiving a lot of calls about Brad Hand, but it’s doubtful they will trade their All-Star closer. His contract is team friendly. He is signed through the 2020 season at $7 million annually. The Indians have a team option on him for 2021 at $10 million.

5. Hand’s contract makes him very appealing and that’s why his market is hot, and why the Tribe is likely to keep him. The Indians believe they can challenge Minnesota for the Central title in 2020, not just this year. Hand is a key part of that.

6. The Indians are walking the baseball tight rope of wanting to be a contender in the Central Division and make the playoffs while also adding young talent for the future. They don’t want to engage in a massive, 100-loss rebuild.

7. But I still think it’s likely Trevor Bauer is likely to be traded by the end of the month. If the Indians had stayed 12 or more games behind the Twins and sitting at .500, they possibly would have traded Bauer for a bunch of lower level prime prospects.


8. But with the team in contention, the Indians need a player who can help them now and in the future. I know Houston loves Bauer. It’s an analytics driven team, and that’s Bauer. He would fit in with the Astros, even though he feuded with Houston pitcher Gerrit Cole while they were at UCLA. Bauer said last year that was behind him.

9. If Houston wants Bauer, I want outfielder Kyle Tucker. He’s a 22-year-old who has hit 24 home runs in each of the last two years of Class AAA. The Astros naturally don’t want to trade him. But adding Bauer could carry them to the World Series.

10. The Astros have had only three consistent starters all season. Top pitching prospects Forrest Whitley (sore arm) and Corbin Martin (control problems) aren’t ready. Bauer can be very appealing because he’s also under team control for next season.

11. Or the Tribe can talk about first baseman/OF Yordan Alvarez, who hit 23 HR while batting .343 in Class AAA this season. The 22-year-old was recently called up to Houston, where he’s batting .338 with 7 HR in 86 plate appearances. They have Tucker and Alvarez, they can afford to trade one.


12. Seth Beer is 1B/LF who has hit 20 HR between Class A and AA this season. The Clemson product was the team’s first-round pick in 2018, and he’s also only 22. He could be Major League ready in a hurry. This is yet another Houston prospect.

12. I want the Indians to use Bauer as a way to add an outfielder with power. It’s why I have been pushing a deal with the Yankees where Clint Frazier comes to Cleveland. Tucker also is in that class. The Yankees and Astros say they want to keep their young outfielders, but they also want to win a World Series.

13. In 2016, the Indians used Frazier to anchor a deal with the Yankees bringing Andrew Miller to Cleveland. And that did help them reach the World Series. The Yankees keep saying they don’t want to trade Frazier. They are loaded with high priced outfielders with no real room for Frazier.

14. The 24-year-old Frazier was batting .283 (.843 OPS) with 11 HR and 34 RBI when sent back to the minors as veteran outfielders came off the disabled list. Bauer is under team control for 1 1/2 seasons, meaning he should bring better prospects now than in the off-season. A team can have him for two playoff runs.


15. I understand why some fans want to keep Bauer. But I also know the Indians have to add more young talent, especially in the outfield. Bauer is their best bet to supply that in a trade.

ABOUT THE INDIANS

1. Oscar Mercado is in his first slump since coming up from the minors. he is 6-for-35 in his last eight games. Mercado also got a poor jump on a line drive to center field. The rookie is still batting .280 with 4 HR and 17 RBI in 175 plate appearances.

2. The Indians say about 85 percent of all players end up going back to the minors at least once after their initial promotion to the Majors. Patience is needed, and Mercado is pressing right now.

3. Cody Allen is now in the minors for the Twins. The Indians decided not to re-sign their all-time save leader. The Angels sign sign him for $9 million, and released him after he had a 6.26 ERA and some back problems.

4. Keep an eye on Cam Hill, a right-handed reliever who has thrown 4 1/3 scoreless inning at Class AAA Columbus. He has a 17-11 record and 2.33 ERA in his minor league career. The 25-year-old is coming back from Tommy John elbow surgery, and the Tribe is very encouraged by his performance.


5. Remember Aaron Civale, who threw six scoreless innings in a spot start for Cleveland? He is 3-0 with a 1.63 ERA in five starts at Class AAA. But he went on the disabled list with shoulder tightness on July 10.

Thanks rusty!

Final Thoughts: What to make of the Indians after their weekend showdown with the Twins

Zack Meisel 2h ago 9

CLEVELAND — Shane Bieber and Carlos Santana sit atop the Indians’ WAR leaderboard, at 3.2 apiece. And it required a valiant effort from both of the club’s midseason MVPs to dodge a potential sweep against the foe the Indians are chasing in the AL Central.

Here are 12 thoughts on where the Indians stand after the weekend showdown against Minnesota.

1. Bieber turned 24 on May 31, and even before he won a pickup truck at the All-Star Game, his teammates regularly praised his maturity and poise. Those traits surfaced after the game on Sunday, when he suppressed his frustration with the New York official who must have been elbow deep in Katz’s Deli corned beef when the umpires in Cleveland buzzed him about a rather blatant hit-by-pitch call. Bieber offered a “no comment” and an “I’ll just bite my tongue on that one.”

The ruling sparked a seventh-inning unraveling that spoiled Bieber’s outing, erased the Indians’ advantage and pushed Cleveland to the brink of a potential season-souring sweep.

2. Terry Francona checked with the umpires later in the game for clarification on how the authorities in the league office could have such a different interpretation of the same video Indians replay coordinator Mike Barnett was analyzing. Or was it the same video?

“Once it goes to New York, it’s up to them, and that’s where I was a having a little bit of a problem,” Francona said, “because the explanation (was) that they have different views than we do. That was always told to us in spring training — that to make it fair, they have the exact same view that we do, ’cause if not, it’s not fair. We’re not going to challenge something that … so, I’d like to get that straight, because that’s concerning.”

3. Oliver Pérez and Adam Cimber halted the bleeding, bridged the gap to Brad Hand and bided enough time for Santana — the most consistent, essential piece in Francona’s lineup since Opening Day — to deliver a go-ahead home run.

Cimber’s past nine appearances: 8 2/3 scoreless innings, three hits allowed. Francona deployed him in expert fashion over the weekend, pitting him against Nelson Cruz in a pair of high-leverage situations. It’s really difficult to hit the ball both hard and in the air against Cimber, whose hard-hit percentage, exit velocity and expected slugging percentage all rank among the league’s best.

Cimber twice celebrated a key Sunday strikeout — one of Cruz and one of Miguel Sanó — with a shout and a fist pump as he treaded to the dugout.

4. Bieber has totaled one walk and 28 strikeouts over his past three starts. He has clearly emerged as a reliable workhorse in the rotation, on pace for 200 innings and 250 strikeouts. A year ago at this time, he seemed like a command artist who could possibly stick as a back-end starter. Now, it’s not far-fetched to mull his ceiling as a front-line guy and a pitcher who deserves consideration for a long-term contract extension.

5. The Indians now sit 6 1/2 games behind the Twins with 71 games remaining. They’ll battle the Twins another 10 times, with seven of those tilts coming at Target Field.

That isn’t insurmountable, but it’s a daunting task. And the calendar is not the Indians’ friend. The trade deadline looms at the end of the month, and there’s no August fallback period, no opportunity to buy some extra time before pouncing on a veteran addition. We’ll cover this in more detail later this week in the annual Trade Deadline Manifesto™, but there are some complicated deliberations taking place on the fourth floor of the Progressive Field offices.

6. In the meantime, the Indians’ next 14 games are quite winnable, as they host the Tigers and Royals and then travel to Toronto and Kansas City. After that stretch, though, the Indians proceed through a grueling stretch that goes Astros, Angels, Rangers, Twins, Red Sox, Yankees. And let’s not forget: The Twins get to bully the AL Central sad-sacks, too.

I asked our Twins writer, Dan Hayes, for his take on the vibe with the Twins at the moment:

The Twins remain as confident as they’ve been all season. All-Star selections aside, they’ve managed to go 91 games without once being flustered. They just don’t seem to panic, no matter the situation.

It’ll be interesting to see what changes the Twins make in the next two weeks and how they handle being the hunted, rather than the team peering up at the Indians in the standings.
(Ken Blaze / USA Today)
7. Perhaps the most impressive section of Santana’s stat line is his walk and strikeout totals. Strikeouts are chic in today’s game, but Santana doesn’t whiff like some of the premier sluggers. And he walks more than he strikes out, which is rare for any hitter.

Santana has drawn 66 walks and struck out 58 times this season. Last season, he posted the best BB:K ratio of his career, with 110 walks and 93 strikeouts. But he batted only .229, with 24 home runs. He already has 21 homers this season, and his slash line sits at a robust .294/.415/.548.

8. Bobby Bradley’s slash line looks nothing like that, but he finally exhaled after launching his first career home run Saturday night. He didn’t get cheated: He socked the poor baseball 457 feet and immediately dropped his bat and started his motion toward first base. He acknowledged he’ll have to learn to deal with the bevy of off-speed pitches being tossed his direction. It will require patience and regular playing time at the major-league level for him to figure it all out. With a (partial) youth movement comes sacrifices and growing pains.

9. Santana isn’t the only one boasting an impressive BB:K ratio. José Ramírez, in fact, has walked 41 times and struck out 49 times this season. The rest of his numbers are gradually trending in the right direction, too. Over the past month, Ramírez has compiled a .291/.351/.535 slash line. At last, he looks like a semblance of his old self. He talked trash to Nick Wittgren over a game of “Mario Kart” Sunday morning, which is a good sign he’s feeling confident.

After Wittgren claimed he would wipe the floor with Ramírez, the third baseman replied: “Who, me? No. C’mon, bro.”

10. It’s difficult to pinpoint the Indians’ ceiling and floor because of the plethora of pitching injuries and the number of question marks in the lineup. Who knows what to expect over the final two and a half months from Ramírez, Bradley, Jake Bauers and Oscar Mercado? Who knows when Corey Kluber will return and how effective he’ll be when he does? It’s unfair to place any expectations upon Carlos Carrasco, even though he has been throwing bullpen sessions. Kluber and Carrasco played catch in left field Sunday morning. Kluber could soon start throwing bullpen sessions.

11. The wild card here — I know, I know — is Danny Salazar. I SAID I KNOW. The Indians are encouraged with how he has pitched — he has been topping out in the mid-90s — and bounced back during his rehab assignment. They’re keeping him on an every-five-day regimen because he thinks he rebounds better that way, that it’s more comfortable for his shoulder. There’s also uncertainty with how he could handle a bullpen role, in which he might have to warm up and sit down and warm up again, or pitch on consecutive days, or pitch twice in three days after being idle for a week. Salazar has a maximum of two weeks remaining on his rehab assignment before the Indians likely add him to the roster.

12. The Indians didn’t gain any ground over the weekend despite a golden opportunity before them. (How different would the vibe around the team be had they not fumbled Friday’s series opener? Or had they been swept?) So, the front office obtained no further clarity on what the most prudent course of action might be at the trade deadline.

The rotation is full of health-related uncertainty, so would a Trevor Bauer trade throw the group into further disarray? The bullpen lacks power arms and youth; would a Hand trade destroy an overachieving group’s mojo? The lineup often features Jason Kipnis (.238/.299/.368 slash line) in the cleanup spot. It clearly needs an upgrade, but at what cost to the farm system or active roster?

The easiest way to reach a consensus on the path to take is for the team to keep winning. (If it lost, say, its next 10 games, that would make this simple, too, but that seems unlikely given the upcoming opponents.)

Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff are attempting to balance the present, the future, the division, the wild card, the mood in the clubhouse, the health of the farm system, the ownership’s payroll guidelines and the growth of the club’s young players as they sort out trade scenarios. It’s a tricky predicament.

Cimber’s past nine appearances: 8 2/3 scoreless innings, three hits allowed. Francona deployed him in expert fashion over the weekend, pitting him against Nelson Cruz in a pair of high-leverage situations. It’s really difficult to hit the ball both hard and in the air against Cimber, whose hard-hit percentage, exit velocity and expected slugging percentage all rank among the league’s best.

Bullpen has certainly become spotty so I'm pleased by this update. But Clippard and Wittgren have fallen off. Perez has been inconsistent all along. Wouldn't hurt to get some help

I don't think it will happen but I'd love to see the Tribe get one of the superb righty relievers available, like Ken Giles, to pair with Hand to anchor the back end. But more likely if they add one it will be a Joe Smith type. System has got a bit thin in recent years.

But if they trade Bauers for a good hitting young OF'er, that would free up some names like Naquin, Zimmer, and/or Allen. That might go a ways to get something good done.

Talking trade with Indians GM Mike Chernoff

Zack Meisel 2h ago 5
CLEVELAND — Seven months ago, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff were enjoying lunch at a Las Vegas hotel when a report flashed on the TV that their talks were heating up with the Dodgers about a trade involving Corey Kluber.

The Indians’ executives laughed at that notion, since they were fixated on the french fries before them more so than the Dodgers’ farm system. Ultimately, the Indians’ dialogue with rival teams about Kluber and Trevor Bauer stalled.

But seven months later, with the July 31 deadline looming, the battery powering the Indians’ trade engine is recharged. Bauer’s name will surface in countless conversations over the next two weeks.

Antonetti and Chernoff remained in Cleveland during All-Star week, deliberating during the day and watching the festivities at night. The moment Shane Bieber claimed his Chevy Silverado, the phones on the fourth floor of the Progressive Field offices started ringing off the hook.

“The day before the deadline is always the peak, the 24 hours leading up to the deadline,” Chernoff said, “but I would say it’s a slow ramp-up. As soon as you hit the day after the All-Star break, it’s chaos for the next two weeks. The volume goes way up the day after the All-Star break.”

Chernoff chatted with The Athletic on Monday afternoon about the team’s approach to the trade deadline. Here are some takeaways from the discussion.

ZM: With all of the things you have to balance — injury recoveries, expectations for young players, current competitiveness versus future competitiveness — how complex is each conversation when considering potential trades?

MC: Yeah, I would say most importantly within our team, the younger we’ve gotten, the better we’ve gotten. We have to remember to stay true to who we are and realize that we faced a lot of adversity early in the season, more than what our fair share might be in a full season, and we faced it in the first few months. We’re hoping to get a lot of those guys back that could be the core of our team at some point in the second half as we continue to infuse that young talent onto the team. So if you think about that as the baseline of who we are, I think we’re attacking those trade conversations from that vantage point and thinking about, “OK, from there, how do we make sure that both this year and, sustainably into the future, we can have a competitive team?”

ZM: So, with every discussion, you’re placing emphasis on 2020 and beyond, not just 2019?

MC: That’s our job, yeah. You saw what our strategy was this offseason. It was finding ways to manage the future sustainability of the team while also remaining competitive right now. And, obviously, the Twins made that a lot harder by being great and getting off to an incredible start in the first half, but we still feel really strongly about this team. Even the pace we’re on right now is not that far off from what we were maybe hoping to be.

Clearly, the two trade chips the Indians can dangle are Bauer and Brad Hand. And in a perfect world, they would receive some major-league-ready talent in return for either pitcher.

The comment about the team’s youth is worth noting. Oscar Mercado and Zach Plesac have helped to ignite the Indians’ resurgence in the standings. Bobby Bradley is receiving everyday at-bats. We saw Aaron Civale pitch a gem in his big-league debut, though he’s sidelined with a shoulder injury at the moment. Perhaps Daniel Johnson or James Karinchak — who is expected to progress soon to throwing in games in Arizona — will merit a promotion to the majors at some point this summer. It seems as though youth will remain a point of emphasis this year and beyond.
(Troy Taormina / USA Today)
ZM: How difficult is it to evaluate the team’s potential since you haven’t really seen it at full strength?

MC: We have not seen this team at full strength. You even think about, the first week of the season, we had Frankie (Lindor) out. And then you hit the Kluber and (Carlos) Carrasco stuff. That’s a huge chunk of our top players. José (Ramírez), the start he got off to — that’s a huge chunk of our top players not performing at their best for large chunks of the season. Looking ahead, I think there’s a shot that all of those guys are back at some point in the second half and the core of our team is back.

ZM: Bauer is a popular name in trade rumors. Would the decision to possibly move him relate to the timelines of Kluber, Carrasco and (Danny) Salazar?

MC: I think the competitiveness of our team right now and in the future is what we are thinking about. The week-to-week timing is urgent and immediately in front of us, but I think it’s Chris’ and my job to think about the 2019 competitiveness and the future sustainability of that competitiveness. So you try to take out the emotion of the day-to-day on every decision that we make. It of course factors into how we think about it, but I think we have to step back and think, ‘How do we make sure we’re competitive in 2019 and sustain being competitive beyond that?’ Those day-to-day fluctuations can change really quickly. We still play the Twins 10 more times this year. You can get caught up in the day-to-day ups and downs and I think we try to at least have some longer-term viewpoint.

ZM: How different is the approach this year compared to the last few years, when there was no question about how you would operate?

MC: Every year is different, for sure. This year, it’s obvious when you step back and think about it, but you can’t acquire guys like Carrasco and Kluber at the deadline. Our reinforcements are going to come from guys like that getting healthy, Danny getting healthy, (Bradley) Zimmer potentially being an option at some point in the season. You can’t acquire guys like that. So, in that way, it’s very different than past years. At this point in the season, we usually had the core of our team intact and we were just looking to add. I also think we’re at a different point organizationally, like we were in the offseason, where a lot more of our guys are maturing on their contracts and so, regardless of our competitive position, you explore different things than you otherwise would have.

The Indians’ roster has certainly undergone a metamorphosis this season. It seems like it’s been five years since Eric Stamets and Max Moroff were the club’s middle-infield tandem. There figure to be more changes on the horizon as Kluber, Salazar and, potentially, Carrasco work their way back to the rotation. Would the Indians find it easier to stomach a Bauer trade if one or two of those three weren’t sidelined? It’s difficult to pinpoint the club’s potential without knowing how these pieces fit — and that’s before any trades are completed. Everything might just boil down to the Indians receiving an offer they can’t refuse, though that seemed to be the case over the winter, and it never materialized.

ZM: Do you have to take the mood in the clubhouse into consideration before completing a trade?

MC: Absolutely. We have to step back a little bit. I think if we make the best decision we possibly can for the organization, we can always explain that to players. I think our players have a really good understanding of what our situation is. And they’ll understand it as long as we tried our best. Of course we’re thinking about that. We have a team that’s competing their ass off to win. I just think there are creative ways to help it. That’s probably what you’re getting at. We thought about that this offseason, too. It’s a continuation of the offseason plan. And I think it’s a more complicated situation than what we had been in in years past, when you had all guys (with) zero to three (years of service time) not making any money and you’re just looking to add to your team, or in a year where you’re 20 games out and you’re just looking to trade your guys who are going to be free agents that year.

Bowden: An impact starter and reliever could come in one package. Which duos are best, and where will they end up?


By Jim Bowden 1h ago 8

This is developing into an unusual trade deadline. There will likely be many more buyers than sellers, and most contending teams have similar needs: a starting pitcher and a back-end reliever. Interestingly, three teams actually have both to sell: the San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays. A fourth team, the Cleveland Indians, might also consider selling, depending on how well they play between now and the July 31 deadline — and most of all, on what type of package they can get back. In other words, if they can make a deal that they believe doesn’t reduce their chances at a postseason berth this year and improves their chances in future years (both on the field and from a financial perspective), they might be persuaded to make that kind of blockbuster trade. Let’s take a quick look at how the market is shaping up:

Selling: Blue Jays, Tigers and Giants
Buying: Astros, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Dodgers, Nationals, Rockies, Twins, Phillies, Rays, Red Sox, Yankees
Buying and Selling at the same time?: Indians

The Giants have arguably the best combination we know is available, with their ace left-hander Madison Bumgarner and closer southpaw Will Smith. After a rough start to the season, Bumgarner has pitched much better lately, and with so many smart minds dissecting the analytics on him, and remembering how vital he was in the multiple World Series he won with the Giants, his trade value remains high. Smith has given up only two regular-season home runs to left-handed hitters over the past two years, and he remains one of the most sought-after relievers in the game, whether as a set-up arm for a team such as the Dodgers or as a closer for a team such as the Red Sox.

A package of Bumgarner and Smith would probably bring back the best prospect package of any duo presently available, and several teams have the need, including the Astros, Braves, Brewers, Cardinals, Dodgers, Nationals, Rockies, Twins, Phillies, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees. The only blip here is that Bumgarner has a no-trade clause to all of those teams except the Rays and Twins. However, the Giants think there is a possibility that Bumgarner would waive his no-trade clause if the circumstances were right for all parties (which would require Bumgarner approving the team he’s traded to, and likely getting some type of assignment bonus from one of the two teams ultimately involved in the transaction).

The Tigers’ rebuilding program is showing early signs of success at the minor-league levels, which led Tigers owner Christopher Ilitch to recently extend the contract of GM Al Avila with a long-term deal. However, the Tigers definitely need to take advantage of this trade deadline to expedite their timeline toward being contenders again. They have a rare opportunity to add several good prospects to their system if they decide to trade their best starting pitcher, left-hander Matthew Boyd, and their All-Star closer, Shane Greene, who’s having the best year of his career. Boyd is a major trade target for many contending teams because of his low salary and the fact that he’ll only be first-time arbitration-eligible this winter; he’s not eligible for free agency until after the 2022 season.

The Blue Jays’ starter/closer combination is also strong, with All-Star right-hander Marcus Stroman and closer Ken Giles both having solid seasons (though Giles is now working through nerve inflammation in his elbow). Stroman has proven that he can succeed in the AL East, and his high ground-ball rate and competitive nature don’t go unnoticed by evaluators. Giles is having an impact season as the Jays’ closer and would love an opportunity for redemption after his disappointing postseason with the Astros two years ago, when he was replaced in the closer role in the biggest games of their championship season.

The Indians are the most interesting team of the four. Trevor Bauer is clearly the most sought-after starting pitcher on the trade market.

However, if the season ended today, the Indians would be just a half-game out of the wild-card teams, and they’ve played so much better lately that they still have time to catch the Minnesota Twins and possibly win the AL Central. It’s questionable whether trading Bauer is the best play for a team that is capable of running the table in October, thanks to one of the best starting rotations in baseball. In addition, the Indians also have to deal with the fact they don’t know how Corey Kluber is going to fare when he returns from the injured list, and they don’t know if Carlos Carrasco will pitch again this season as he battles leukemia. Trading Bauer only makes sense if they get overwhelmed with long-term pieces that can help keep them competitive this year and improve their chances of staying contenders for the next several years while lowering future financial exposure.

Multiple GMs believe the Tribe will in fact deal Bauer at the deadline — which would surprise me, but I guess I should wait to see what type of package they can actually get in return.

If they do trade Bauer, they might decide to include their closer and All-Star lefty, Brad Hand, who’s having another great year. Imagine the difference a deal of that magnitude could make for the Braves, Phillies, Nationals, Cardinals, Rockies or Dodgers in the NL? Or the Yankees, Rays, Red Sox, Twins or Astros in the AL? Might just be the difference in who wins the World Series this year.

Of course, the teams trading these pitchers will look for the best possible return, whether that’s trading them together in a huge package or separating the players and sending them to two different destinations. For contending teams, one-stop shopping would be ideal, albeit costly in terms of prospects they’d have to surrender.

I expect the Giants to trade both Bumgarner and Smith, and the same for the Blue Jays with Stroman and Giles. I’m pretty sure Greene will get dealt by the Tigers, but I’m not sure they’ll get what they need to actually part with Boyd.

And while I can understand why the Indians would trade Bauer and Hand to help set them up for the future, given where they are in the standings and the injuries they’re dealing with, I think it’s more likely they try to trade for an outfield bat without having to give up any pitching, then trade Bauer in the offseason instead.

With less than three weeks left until July 31, here’s how I’d rank these potential starter-closer packages, along with a look at which contending teams would be the best fit for each pair.

1. Bauer and Hand
Best fit: Braves
The Braves have the farm system to make this deal happen, and a trade of this magnitude would put them in a legitimate position to win the World Series. It would be a costly prospect package that would hurt long-term but could be worth it, considering the team they have. Atlanta has to be concerned about how its young pitching will react in September and October, when some of them will reach uncharted innings levels. No one knows how effective they will be at that point. But put Bauer with Dallas Keuchel at the top of the Braves’ rotation, and they will be well-positioned to challenge the Dodgers and every other NL team to get to the World Series. In addition, Hand would give them a proven closer and an important lefty for the playoffs, with so many impact left-handed bats expected to be playing in October.

2. Bumgarner and Smith
Best fit: Twins
The Twins are not on Bumgarner’s no-trade list, which makes the deal much easier for the Giants (and probably less expensive). If the Twins want to hold off the Indians and win the division, and then be in a position to legitimately challenge the Yankees and Astros in the playoffs, this type of trade could accomplish that feat.

3. Boyd and Greene
Best fit: Phillies
The Phillies are the third-best team in the NL East behind the Braves and Nationals, and if they want to be able to contend until the end for the division, or even the wild card, they are going to have to improve both their starting rotation and bullpen. Boyd would fit nicely in the Phillies’ rotation, giving them a lefty to follow Aaron Nola, and Greene would certainly upgrade the back end of their pen. The Phillies spent all that money in the offseason; it would be foolish not to keep going, even if that means giving up some of their top prospects — especially for Boyd, considering the low salary and control that comes with him.

4. Stroman and Giles
Best fit: Yankees
The Yankees are trying desperately to add a starting pitcher, and with Brian Cashman at the helm, it’s only a matter of time before they get it done. Stroman would be a good fit for the Yankees because he’s proven he can pitch in the AL East, is tough enough to handle the pressure of New York, and his high ground-ball rate would play well with the Yankees solid infield defense. Giles, recovering from an elbow injury, is currently throwing on flat ground; any team looking to acquire him would be smart to do a full medical exam before making any moves. The Yankees don’t need Giles but imagine adding yet another impact reliever to the cabinet they already have. Wow.

I've heard many claims that Atlanta has the deepest minor league system in baseball. Could see that one.

Just for the heck of it, a link to top Atlanta prospects. This is dated May 14 and Austin Riley has already been called up (and killing it). Makes me think a guy like Pache might be dangled since they already have a loaded young outfield.

https://www.ajc.com/sports/baseball/pac ... HT16ewjNL/

Brad Hand is signed for 2 years after this season. And signed affordably. 6.5 mill, 7 mill, and 10 mill.

If you average that out, it is roughly what Cody Allen signed for with the Angels this past offseason. After a bad season.

Where will the Tribe find a dependable closer for that price?

I'm sorry, but I think anybody that thinks Brad Hand is going to be traded any time soon is out of their mind.

HB - I agree but only because it is highly unlikely anyone would make THAT kind of "offer you can't refuse".

Well we can say that about anybody. The Indians would trade Lindor this year too if they got the right offer. But it isn't likely. At all.