Cleveland Sports Forum

Cleveland Indians sign OF Domingo Santana to $1.5 million one-year deal with club option
Updated 1:43 PM; Today 8:57 AM
Domingo Santana
Free agent outfielder Domingo Santana has agreed to a one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians. The deal reportedly includes a club option for a second year.Getty Images

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By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Free agent outfielder Domingo Santana has agreed to a $1.5 million one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians that includes a $5 million club option for a second year. The team confirmed a report early Friday by MLB Network insider Ken Rosenthall that the deal was complete.

According to Rosenthal, Santana’s deal includes $500K in roster bonuses for 2020 and a $250K buyout for 2021. Roster bonuses could bump the contract to a total of $7.5M over two years. Santana becomes the Tribe’s second free-agent signee of the winter after Cesar Hernandez agreed to a $6.25M one-year contract in December.


Santana, who arrived earlier this week at the team’s training facility in Goodyear, Arizona, needed only to pass his physical on Wednesday before the deal became official. The 27-year-old Domincan righty hit .253 with 21 home runs and 69 RBI and a .770 OPS in 121 games for Seattle last season.

Santana joins a crowded outfield mix that has swollen to 10 players, including Franmil Reyes, whom the Indians acquired at the July trade deadline last year in the Trevor Bauer deal. Reyes and Santana project similarly as hulking 6-foot-5 corner outfield power hitters with limited defensive range. Santana led all American League outfielders last season with 12 errors while splitting time between left and right field for the Mariners.

Santana struck out 164 times in 121 games last year. Kansas City’s Jorge Soler and Rougned Odor of Texas led the AL with 178 strikeouts each. He’s played in the big leagues with Houston, Milwaukee and Seattle. His best year to date came in 2017 with the Brewers when he hit .278 with 30 homers and 85 RBI. He posted an .875 OPS, while appearing in 144 games in right field.


In a corresponding move, Cleveland designated utility infielder Andrew Velazquez for assignment. Velazquez joined the Indians in July from Tampa Bay in exchange for international bonus pool allotments. The 25-year-old Bronx native appeared in five games for the Tribe, collecting a double in 11 at-bats with a steal, a walk and a run scored.

at this late stage I suppose Velazquez will be invited to ST with it unlikely anyone else offers him a major league deal.

Some Tribe notes from a fantasy site:

Indians Notes

Clevinger expected to miss 6-8 weeks with meniscus injury

The Indians rotation had already taken a step since the start of 2019 with the trades of Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber. It took a further hit this weekend when Mike Clevinger was diagnosed with a partial tear to his left meniscus for which he underwent surgery and is expected to keep him out for 6 to 8 weeks. Here is a closer look at the Indians rotation and how it will be affected by the Clevinger injury.

Mike Clevinger, SP, CLE

While every injury is different, at least it's good to know that Clevinger recovered quickly and successfully from the back injury he suffered early last season. After missing most of the first half of 2019, Clevinger was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the season's second half. From July 1st and on, he posted a sparkling 2.17 ERA, 3.12 xFIP, 11.54 K/9, and 2.26 BB/9 across 17 starts. In terms of his overall production, Clevinger didn't pitch enough innings to qualify for the ERA title, but among pitchers with at least 100 IP, he finished 2nd in FIP (2.49), 4th in xFIP (3.09), 6th in ERA (2.71), 7th in K/9 (12.07) and SwStr% (15.2%), and 14th in Hard%. One area that we can expect some regression is with homeruns - his 9.7% HR/FB was third lowest in all of baseball - but that shouldn't take him out of the ace-tier. Before his injury, Clevinger was being drafted as a top-10 SP and while I probably wouldn't take him there at this point, he could end up being a steal a few rounds later if he ends up meeting or beating his current timetable.

Shane Bieber, SP, CLE

With Clevinger looking like he won't be ready for Opening Day, Beiber looks like the favorite to be the Indians' Opening Day starter this season. Bieber came out of the 2018 season with an uninspiring 4.55 ERA, but his excellent 3.30 xFIP and 118:23 K:BB over 114.2 IP indicated that better days were to come. That was indeed the case in 2019 as his 3.23 ERA matched his peripherals thanks to a drop in BABIP from .356 to a more normal .296. He even increased his K% from 24.3% to 30.2%, good for 10th in MLB. Let this be another win for looking at xFIP over ERA when projecting future performance. It doesn't matter which one you look at for Bieber heading into 2020; either way you can expect Bieber to have another excellent campaign, although he won't be a bargain like he was in 2019 drafts.

Carlos Carrasco, SP, CLE

The Indians claim that Carrasco is healthy heading into the 2020 season after being diagnosed with leukemia last summer, and they hope that he will carry a regular starter's workload. Carrasco's 5.29 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across 23 appearances (12 starts) last season were quite ugly, but aren't much of a concern for me considering he posted a solid 3.50 xFIP, along with an elite 96:16 K:BB across 80 IP. That makes 6 straight seasons with an above 25% K% and below 6% BB% for Carrasco, and those number weren't simply boosted by his stint in the bullpen; his K% and BB% were actually both slightly better as a starter last season. His .354 BABIP and 22.2% HR/FB% from a year ago are both due for regression, which should bring his ratios down. The biggest concern for me with Carrasco is how he will respond to a return to the rotation after not having started a game since last May. But that's a risk I'm willing to take in the 12th round for a pitcher who has been a borderline ace for the past 6 years.

Aaron Civale, SP, CLE

Even before Clevinger's injury, Civale seemed to have an inside track to land one of the Indians' rotation spots this spring thanks to his impressive 2.34 ERA and 1.04 WHIP across 10 starts last season, and now his rotation spot seems even more guaranteed. Fantasy drafters are not buying in though(264 ADP on Fantasy Pros) and they shouldn't be; Civale's 7.18 K/9 and 4.61 xFIP were mediocre and his .250 BABIP and 6.6% HR/FB are almost certainly headed for significant regression over the course of a full season. Optimism isn't completely unwarranted considering the Indians' success in developing pitchers in recent years, but the 2.34 ERA is about as smoke and mirrors as it gets. There are several other SP's I would consider over Civale at the end of drafts.

Zach Plesac, SP, CLE

Like Civale, Plesac's successful 2019 (3.81 ERA in 21 starts) has put him in a good position to land one of the final rotation spots for the Indians this spring. But also like Civale, Plesac well outpitched his peripherals as he posted an ugly 5.06 xFIP thanks to a subpar 6.85 K/9 and 3.11 BB/9. Plesac did have a nice 31:3 K:BB in 26.1 AAA IP last season, so perhaps some of that will translate to the majors at some point. But for now, we have to expect some regression to his .255 BABIP, as well as to his ERA.

Adam Plutko, SP, CLE

The pitcher who is most likely to benefit from Clevinger's injury is Plutko who appeared to be on the outside looking in regarding for a rotation spot after having been outperformed by both Aaron Civale and Zack Plesac last season. Now he would seem to have a good shot at cracking the Opening Day rotation although possibly only temporarily. Plutko has not been very good in parts of three seasons with the Tribe, posting a combined 5.08 ERA and 5.53 xFIP across 189.2 IP. His career 6.69 K/9 is similarly poor, and perhaps even worse are his 29.3% GB% and 50.4% FB%. This FB tendency has led to 44 HR's allowed across those 189.2 IP. Even if Plutko cracks the Indians' rotation, he is not a fantasy option.

How will Domingo Santana signing affect Indians outfield?

Domingo Santana, OF, CLE

Santana officially signed with the Indians on Friday, and considering his bad defensive metrics, he will likely spend a good amount of time at DH. This presents a bit of a problem for the Tribe who also employ Franmil Reyes, another power bat who is more suited to hit than to play in the field. The Indians will probably try to get both of them in the lineup as much as possible, but if neither shows competency in the field, that may have to change. Santana has some pop - he reached 30 HR's in 2017 and hit 21 in 121 games last season - but he also strikes out a ton with a career 32.0% K%. He has managed to maintain a respectable BA (career .259) thanks to a consistently high LD% (26.6%), but there's more risk of the BA to go down than up. He's a later rounder selection even if he were guaranteed full-time at bats, but unless we here confirmation that he'll be playing every day, I would probably opt for a steadier option or one with more upside.

Franmil Reyes, OF, CLE

Reyes spent nearly all of his two months with the Indians last season hitting out of the DH spot, but with the defensively-limited Santana now also in the fold, there's a good chance Reyes will find himself more frequently in the outfield - if he shows he can handle that role. The Tribe will likely to do what they can to keep Reyes' bat in the lineup after he hit 37 HR's with the Padres and Indians in 2019. Reyes' HR pace dipped slightly after joining the Tribe last summer, but he still hit 10 HR's in 51 games. His .249 BA may also see some positive regression as he had a .279 BABIP despite a 47.2% Hard%, but his high K% will likely prevent too much improvement in that area. Expect Reyes to contribute in power in 2020 but not much in other areas.

Delino DeShields, OF, CLE

DeShields may be the best defensive OF the Indians have but his bat is one of the weakest. If Reyes does indeed spend more time in the outfield, the Indians could have Oscar Mercado as the primary CF with Reyes and Jordan Luplow as the primary corner options. DeShields only fantasy appeal is his steals; he has stolen at least 20 bases in 4 of the last 5 years, but he has also recorded over 390 PA's in each of those seasons. Even those desperate for SB's will want to wait to see how often DeShields is being inserted into the Indians' lineup.

A comprehensive guide to Cleveland Indians spring training
By Zack Meisel 5h ago 8
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — There was finally a body occupying the folding chair beside the tower of cardboard boxes at the corner locker in the Indians’ clubhouse Sunday morning.

Francisco Lindor, the All-Star shortstop with the sky-high stack of swag and the attention-grabbing hair — the hue can best be described as a blend of platinum and periwinkle — reported to camp and kicked off the Indians’ one-on-one position player meetings. He sat at his locker and shouted off-key song lyrics, a common occurrence. He examined Mike Clevinger’s knee as the pitcher hobbled into the clubhouse.

And Monday morning, Lindor will don his navy No. 12 uniform as he participates in the Indians’ first full-squad workout of the spring.

Lindor’s whereabouts were the leading storyline of the offseason, as the Indians fielded offers for the Gold Glove winner, who can become a free agent after the 2021 season. That topic will take a back seat — for a few months, at least — as the Indians use the next five weeks to determine the proper configuration for their Opening Day roster.

So, without further ado, here’s a guide to Indians camp.

What’s different?
In the far corner of the clubhouse, lockers belonging to Adam Plutko and Aaron Civale have replaced those once occupied by Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. To Lindor’s left sits César Hernández, the Indians’ new second baseman. Jason Kipnis, who manned the position for Cleveland the past nine years, signed a minor-league deal with his hometown Chicago Cubs last week.

The Indians’ coaching staff has ballooned to 12 members, with the recent additions of Justin Toole and Kyle Hudson. Toole will serve as a hitting analyst, assisting hitting coaches Ty Van Burkleo and Victor Rodriguez with an analytical perspective. Hudson, a staff assistant, will position the team’s outfielders during games — a responsibility previously handled by bench coach Brad Mills — and assist in advance scouting. Earlier this winter, the Indians shifted Brian Sweeney to bullpen coach and added Ruben Niebla as an assistant pitching coach.

One other slight difference: Catcher Li-Jen Chu switched to his aboriginal Taiwanese tribal name, Kungkuan Giljegiljaw. He and Jefry Rodriguez, who have adjacent lockers for the second consecutive spring, have continued their “Stepbrothers”-like friendship. With the catcher sitting on the floor and the pitcher sitting at his locker Sunday morning, the two danced and pointed at each other while singing along to a song blaring on the clubhouse speakers.

You can never have enough starting pitching, they say
What, did you expect Clevinger to say he would need more time to recover than the six to eight weeks the team projected? Clevinger returned from his upper back strain in rapid fashion last season, and he’s aiming to beat this timetable, too. Of course, his knee will do much of the dictating.

For years, the rotation has served as the franchise’s foundation. If Clevinger isn’t quite ready for Opening Day, the rotation could feature Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco, Plutko, Civale and Zach Plesac. Rodriguez, Logan Allen, Scott Moss and Triston McKenzie are also awaiting opportunities.

“It’s good for you. It makes you better,” Allen said of the competition. “Throw next to Carlos, throw next to Plesac, work out with Clevinger — that pushes you to be a better pitcher and it pushes your team to be better.”

Certainly, the Indians need Clevinger to return to full health and avoid any sort of lingering issue. He proved to be one of the better starting pitchers in the American League last year, but he was limited to 21 outings.

Strangers in the outfield
Outfielders compose one-fourth of the Indians’ 40-man roster. What was Terry Francona’s message to the group?

“Look at the board. It’s a crowded board.”

Domingo Santana’s arrival signals that either he or Franmil Reyes will earn regular outfield time. Reyes might be the better bet, given he dropped 18 pounds and spent his winter working on his agility at the Indians’ complex in the Dominican Republic.

Reyes is more comfortable in right field, but Francona indicated he’ll likely assign him some time in left during Cactus League action. That goes for Santana, too.

“(We have to) find out if there’s a reason why (they’re) more comfortable in right,” Francona said.

Expect to see, among other assignments, Greg Allen in all three outfield spots, Bradley Zimmer in center and right and Jake Bauers in left and at first base.

“When we leave here,” Francona said, “we want to make sure we’ve tried to answer as many questions as we can. There’s a pretty big group.”

General Hospital
A handful of injury/workload notes:

• The Indians expect Clevinger to return to the rotation in six to eight weeks, which would fall somewhere between Opening Day and mid-April.

• Roberto Pérez has healed from offseason ankle surgery, but the club will ease him into spring action.

• Carlos Carrasco has no restrictions, but the Indians will routinely check in with him to ensure he’s at full strength.

• Shane Bieber logged a career-high 214 innings last year, but he’ll be on a normal schedule this spring, rather than the old Corey Kluber slow-build program.

• Tyler Naquin exhibits no signs that he’s recovering from major knee surgery when he walks around the clubhouse. He has been running and hitting and ramping up the volume of each activity as the days pass. Naquin said he consulted teammate Mike Freeman and Cubs slugger Kyle Schwarber for tips, as both players have experience with ACL tears.
(Ross D. Franklin / AP)
These young guys might catch your eye
Relievers who throw hard

Among the crop of young, hard-throwing relievers, James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase stand the best chance of breaking camp with the big-league club. Francona said Clase was throwing “100 mph bowling balls” last week, and when Karinchak hasn’t been muttering not-so-sweet nothings to himself under his breath, he has been unleashing a mid-90s fastball or a lethal curveball to his catcher during bullpen sessions. The two could prove important in a world with new rules that complicate a manager’s ability to mix and match.

Cam Hill and Jared Robinson are two others in camp who could join the major-league roster at some point in 2020. Hill underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018, but his strikeout rate soared last season when he returned to the mound. Robinson, who said he couldn’t stop smiling for a week in December once he learned he was receiving an invite to big-league camp, posted a 3.34 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 70 innings at three different levels last year.

In terms of relievers with intriguing back stories, Anthony Gose might top the list. The 29-year-old spent five seasons as a major-league outfielder with the Blue Jays and Tigers before converting to a pitcher. He throws in the upper-90s, but his command — as his one-per-inning walk rate indicates — needs … work.

“He still needs repetition,” Francona said, “but there’s nothing wrong with his arm. It potentially can get exciting.”

Logan Allen

Allen was a consensus top-100 prospect entering last season. He encountered his first bit of turbulence, but he also made his big-league debut. Before the Padres informed him they had traded him to the Indians, Allen heard from Clevinger (a close friend) and Brad Hand (a former Padre). That familiarity — he also had trained with Francisco Lindor and played with Franmil Reyes, Phil Maton and Adam Cimber — simplified his transition to Cleveland.

Over the winter, Allen made some mechanical tweaks and identified some adjustments to make with his legs that have him “10 times the pitcher I was last year.”

Triston McKenzie

He’s rail thin and he didn’t throw a single pitch in a game last season — the fearsome Strain Monster attacked his upper back and then his pectoral muscle — but McKenzie isn’t far removed from being a top-50 prospect (and the top prospect in the organization). Durability questions will follow him throughout his career, but as long as he’s healthy, he remains intriguing. Like Allen, he’s only 22, and he boasts a 2.68 ERA in 60 career minor-league outings, with nearly 11 strikeouts per nine innings.

Fitting in or fitting out?
Francona and Bauers had a few candid conversations last year, including one in the nation’s capital during the final series of the season. They discussed his work ethic, his mentality and his future.

“I give the kid credit,” Francona said. “He took it to heart.”

Bauers won’t be handed a job, obviously. His best bet is to share time in left field with Jordan Luplow.

Bobby Bradley’s path to a roster spot is a bit murkier. Prior to Santana’s arrival, there was a potential opening at designated hitter. That’s no longer the case, and the other Santana — Carlos — owns the first-base gig.

Zimmer, Greg Allen and Daniel Johnson seem to have uphill climbs to an Opening Day roster spot, with Delino DeShields expected to claim a part-time role in the outfield and Oscar Mercado pegged for daily playing time.

As the world turns
Key dates

Feb. 22: The Indians’ spring opener, against the Reds, at Goodyear Ballpark. First pitch is set for 3:05 p.m. ET.

Feb. 29-March 1: The Indians and Athletics play a pair of split-squad games in Las Vegas.

March 2: Kluber’s new team, the Rangers, host the Indians in Surprise, Ariz., for the first of their two Cactus League clashes.

March 10: The Indians’ lone off day on the spring calendar.

March 23-24: The Indians and Astros square off for a pair of exhibition games at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Surely, everyone will have forgotten about the sign-stealing scandal by then, right?

March 26: The Indians host the Tigers on Opening Day at Progressive Field, with a 1:10 p.m. ET first pitch.

Indians ace Mike Clevinger aiming to beat another recovery timetable


By Zack Meisel Feb 15, 2020 12
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Mike Clevinger hobbled into the Indians clubhouse Saturday afternoon, aided by the Indians’ head athletic trainer and a pair of crutches.

Once Clevinger reached his locker, the trainer exited the room and Carlos Santana walked over to shake his teammate’s hand. Much of Clevinger’s left leg was wrapped in a white sleeve, supporting the knee that required surgery Friday.

Clevinger suffered a partial tear of his left medial meniscus Wednesday. He felt a few “pops” while stretching after a throwing session. He had no trouble retreating to the clubhouse, he received some treatment, and he headed home. The next morning, he couldn’t place any weight on his left leg.

The Indians suggested Clevinger could return to the rotation in six to eight weeks. Clevinger doesn’t want to rush back in a manner that could be detrimental, but he has some ideas in mind.

“I’ve heard of guys coming back in a month’s time,” Clevinger said. “I don’t think it’s out of the question.”

Clevinger met with assistant pitching coach Ruben Niebla and other members of the staff Saturday to determine what activities he can handle during his recovery. The Indians believe he can keep his arm in shape with some weighted-ball drills while his knee heals.

Clevinger spent the offseason training in Florida with rotation mate Zach Plesac. He worked plenty on his mobility, an essential factor for a pitcher with such an unorthodox delivery. He dangles his arm and taps his lead toe as if he just consumed a gallon of unleaded coffee. He launches his left leg into the air until his knee is eye-level, then he releases the baseball and sweeps his right leg across the mound as if he’s attempting a game-winning field goal.

As his right leg whips across his body, his left leg carries the burden. And that’s why Clevinger was relieved to know he didn’t injure his ACL or MCL.
“Those are way worse,” he said. “We’re looking at months if it’s one of those.”

The meniscus is a bit more forgiving, though Clevinger couldn’t shake the initial frustration. The Indians haven’t even reached their first full-squad workout — that’ll take place Monday at the team’s complex — and he is already facing an uphill climb.

“I felt like it was a whole offseason of sacrifice,” he said, “for something like this, in such a random way for it to happen.”

Clevinger’s absence could eliminate some of the intrigue surrounding the spring rotation. Shane Bieber and Carlos Carrasco will occupy two of the five spots, regardless of Clevinger’s status. Plesac, Adam Plutko and Aaron Civale could round out the rotation if Clevinger remains sidelined when the club breaks camp in late March. There’s plenty of depth — though much of it is untested — beyond those options, too, in the form of Logan Allen, Jefry Rodríguez, Scott Moss and Triston McKenzie.

Last season, Clevinger suffered a strained muscle in his upper back in his second start of the season. His two-month respite — in conjunction with Corey Kluber’s fractured arm and Carrasco’s leukemia diagnosis — provided an opportunity for Plesac, Plutko and Civale to prove they could handle big-league hitters. When healthy, Clevinger posted a 2.71 ERA in 21 starts with 169 strikeouts in 126 innings and an American League-leading 2.49 FIP (fielding independent pitching). His 4.5 fWAR ranked seventh among AL starting pitchers despite his limited action.

Initially, the Indians thought Clevinger’s absence last season could persist until July or August. They surmised he wouldn’t even pick up a baseball for six to eight weeks. Instead, he returned to the major-league mound in mid-June, about 10 weeks after landing on the injured list. Terry Francona described Clevinger as a “quick healer” and “hard worker.”

Will those attributes work in Clevinger’s favor again?

“I just have to listen to it and push as hard as I can,” he said.

He has also been listening to “all of the negative comments, all of the celebratory comments that I’ve been getting. All of that is really, really good fuel.” Clevinger noted that “bad things happen in threes,” referring to his 2012 Tommy John surgery, last year’s muscle strain and this latest development.

“This is the third one,” he said. “Should be done now.”

(Top photo: Jerome Miron / Getty Images)

Naquin exhibits no signs that he’s recovering from major knee surgery

Which could have one of two meanings:

1. He shows no signs that he's recovering
2. He shows no signs that he had major knee surgery.
I think the intention is to make the second point.

civ ollilavad wrote:

Naquin exhibits no signs that he’s recovering from major knee surgery

Which could have one of two meanings:

1. He shows no signs that he's recovering
2. He shows no signs that he had major knee surgery.
I think the intention is to make the second point.

Lets hope so!!!!

So there's 10 outfielders/dh on the 40 man roster. 9 of them have options left. Who doesn't?

I found a list from last year:

•Tyler Naquin - 2 so now he has 1
•Jake Bauers - 2 ditto
•Jordan Luplow - 1 he was optioned out for while last year, so he is out of options
•Bradley Zimmer - 2 was he ever optioned last year or just on injury rehab?
•Greg Allen - 2 1 left
•Oscar Mercado - 2 1 left

‘I want to win here. I want to stay in Cleveland’: Francisco Lindor on his future and the Indians’ 2020 chances


By Zack Meisel Feb 17, 2020 64
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Both sides have made it as clear as the Arizona sky. Francisco Lindor wants to remain in Cleveland. The Indians want to retain their All-Star shortstop.

There’s just that one, nagging issue: money.

The two sides have carried on conversations about Lindor’s future with the Indians, though those talks will likely be tabled once the season approaches. Lindor said he doesn’t want any distractions beyond early March. Chris Antonetti concurred with that sentiment.

“He’s everything that you’d want a player to be,” Antonetti said. “We’d love for Francisco to be here long-term. I think Francisco shares that desire. We have, and our ownership has made meaningful efforts to try to do that, and so has Francisco. He and his representative continue to express to us publicly and privately that he’d like to stay in Cleveland.

“Now, how do we make that happen is where it gets difficult. It’s a really hard situation. It’s not because of a lack of desire on our part or on Francisco’s part. But more when you look at the economics of baseball and the realities of building championship teams in a small market, it gets really tough. The interest is there. The desire is there, on both sides, to try to get something done. Whether or not that’s possible, we just don’t know.”

It’s a bit more complex than just the number on Lindor’s paycheck. Would the Indians be comfortable with one player absorbing a significant percentage of the payroll, and how would that complicate the front office’s bid to build a sustainable winner?

“That’s the biggest challenge,” Antonetti said. “Is there that right value in which we can extend Francisco and still build a championship team around him? That’s ultimately what Francisco would want, too. He doesn’t want to sign in Cleveland long-term and have that compromise our ability to build a championship team. We’re trying to work through that and we continue to work at it.”

Here’s more from Lindor on his future, why he’s adamant about remaining in Cleveland, the Indians’ payroll, the AL Central, whether he wants to bat leadoff in 2020 and more.

How did you handle this offseason, seeing your name out there everywhere, wondering whether you were going to get traded?

To be honest, I didn’t really pay much attention when it came it to getting traded and stuff like that. I spent more time with my family and with the people I care about and focusing on trying to be a better person, a better brother, son, nephew, cousin than actually paying attention to what was happening with the teams. Yeah, I definitely heard about it. I can’t cover my eyes or my ears. It was interesting, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really affect me because I don’t have a no-trading clause in my contract. It’s business. It’s part of professional sports. You can get traded at any moment. I can’t really control (it). I can only control what’s happening in front of me on a daily basis. Not what the front office is thinking or talking about.

How are you able to block that out?

I’m blessed, man. I’m blessed to be here, playing this game. Single, no kids, just two dogs, you can just pack up and go.

Is that the approach you take into this season?

No. My approach this year is winning here. I want to win here. I want to stay in Cleveland. This is home. I’m not playing to get traded or to put myself in a good spot to get traded for a numerous amount of players. I’m playing to win. I want to win here. I’m focusing on what I have in front of my toes and we have a great group of guys in the clubhouse, great coaching staff. I want to spend the whole year with them and win with them. I want to bring a championship to this city. That’s what I’m focusing on.

You let it be known that this is where you want to be. Why?

I love it here. I mean people are great. The city of Cleveland has been nothing but good to me. Why would I want to leave? If we had a team in Puerto Rico then it would be a little different. I would be saying I want to get out of Cleveland and be in Puerto Rico, but that’s not the case. I’m just enjoying the ride here. I’m blessed to be playing this game on a daily basis and to be able to call this my job, it doesn’t get any better than this.

Do you think there’s a path for you to stay here beyond the next two years or have you accepted that maybe the money you’re going to demand makes that hard?

To be honest, I think if it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. I think yeah, there is. If the negotiations or whatever make sense, it’s gonna happen. The team is not broke. The league is not broke. There’s money. However, if it makes sense for both sides, it’s gonna happen. If not, it’s not gonna happen. God has a plan. I believe in what he’s got for me and that’s it, man. Whether he wants me to be here in Cleveland or somewhere else … I have shown how much I want to be here. So has the team. It’s a matter of things making sense.

Is that a conversation that will continue, or do you prefer to focus on the season and deal with that in the offseason?

It’s like a little mixed feelings. You want to talk because you want to be here. But how long do you really want to talk? Because then you get in the way of working with my teammates. Is it a distraction? That’s not right. That’s not fair for me, my team or the front office. To your point, probably somewhere early March. If it happens, it happens. If not, then not. We’ll see. Like I said, if it makes sense, it’s gonna happen. If it doesn’t make sense, it’s not going to happen.

Have those conversations taken place to this point?

We’ve talked. But nothing has been concrete. Nothing has made sense yet. It’s early still.


(Brace Hemmelgarn / Getty Images)
Do you still want to hit leadoff?

I don’t know. I don’t know. I guess I have to sit down and go over the lineup. I think not leading off might benefit the team a little bit more. It seems like we have more speed this year, from the guys that I’ve seen in the clubhouse. I haven’t really sat down and gone through where I would put who in what order, but I think with the speed we have this year and having fewer guys who strike out, I don’t know if leading off would benefit the team. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll hit second, third, fourth, eighth, ninth.

The division got better. The Twins, the White Sox. Do you firmly believe that you guys can still contend?

We’re going to compete. I’m not sure we’re going to win 105 games or 100 games, but we’re going to compete and it’s going to be a fun year. We’ll surprise a lot of people. Whoever’s not counting on us, I am. I’m counting on us. I want to play in October. It doesn’t feel good to be home in September. It sucks.

When you look at the window of opportunity each year to make the postseason, how would you rate this year, as opposed to maybe after you guys signed Encarnacion?

It’s crazy because in ’16 it seemed like it was this small and then all of a sudden we made it and the window got really big and everyone was like, “All right, we have to go all in now. We have to invest. We have to put money in. We have to win.” The front office has done a great job of putting guys in the right spot that the window doesn’t seem like it’s closing. It definitely got smaller. The window was really big in ’16 after we made it to the World Series and then it got bigger and it seems like we’re at the midpoint. We’re not at the highest, we’re not at the lowest. It seems like the window — last year, I truly felt like we were going to win the division. We just didn’t win key games at the end and at the beginning of the season. But I truly felt like we had the team to be in the postseason. It’s the same thing this year. We don’t have the best team on paper, no doubt. But we have a lot of guys who are willing to work and I’m not scared to go out there and compete on a daily basis and support each other, care about each other. Some of the guys I don’t know, but I’m sure as I continue to get to know them, from what I heard from others, they’re good people and that’s what it’s all about.

The payroll has gone down each of the last two years. Has that not affected your optimism about where you are and what your intent is?

No, because at the end of the day in baseball, it’s not about how much money you invest in the team, how big your payroll is. It’s about who you have in the clubhouse and how they go about their business. I feel like I can count on my teammates right now. I know we would never have the highest payroll in the league unless Dolan goes out there and wins the lottery and then decides to put the money in the team, but that’s not how this team is built. The guys he has brought alongside Antonetti, Chernoff and Tito, they’re good. It’s a great group of guys.

You’ve heard a lot of Tito’s spring speeches. How did this one rate?

I guess they’re all equal. They all sound the same. He adds a few different words in there that makes it more unique to the team. They all sound the same, because we all go out there and we have the same mindset every year. We want to win. Everybody wants to win. But then he finds a way of saying the right things to the right group. They’re equal up until that one thing he’s going to change with this group of guys. The other guys — Brantley, Kluber, Bauer, Kipnis, Gomes — they were all together, so he knew how to handle that group. Now, it’s a different group, so that’s what makes him one of the greatest managers out there. He knows how to handle the players, the group. This one is a little different from what we had in previous years. I guess I’d rank them kind of the same. I haven’t cried at any one of them yet.

No idea why the Tribe is bullshitting Lindor. They're never going to sign him.

Maybe they'll make some lowball offer that Lindor and the players association will laugh at. Then they'll say we tried.

Lindor should shut up about "wanting to play in Cleveland".

He'll quickly fall in love with his new team.

The heart-to-heart talk Jake Bauers hopes alters the course of his career


By Zack Meisel Feb 19, 2020 8
GOODYEAR, Arizona — Jake Bauers sat in the manager’s office at Nationals Park during the final weekend of the Indians’ 2019 season. Terry Francona and Chris Antonetti had carefully crafted the message they wanted to relay to him.

Bauers and Francona had aired out their grievances in meetings during the season, but this was different. This would set the tone for Bauers’ offseason, a critical period for a guy searching for his place in the league.

Bauers’ 2019 numbers were unsightly. He didn’t trust his approach at the plate or his swing mechanics. He couldn’t help but to expend brainpower on monitoring his public image. He struggled to adapt to a new clubhouse, full of tight-knit, longtime teammates, as he noted “no one likes being the new kid in school.”

He also admitted that much of his misfortune was self-inflicted.

“I put myself through it,” Bauers said. “Last year was really tough on me mentally.”

That late-September conference, however, signaled the start of a new chapter to Bauers’ career. Francona challenged Bauers to develop a worthwhile routine and stick with it, through the hitless nights that make a player question everything and the four-hit afternoons that make a hitter puff out his chest with a sudden burst of invincibility.

Bauers took the message to heart. He couldn’t stand to endure another season like his 2019 campaign and, frankly, the Indians could only stomach that sort of performance for so long. So, in October, he flew to Cleveland and spent four days in the batting cages at Progressive Field with hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo and Alex Eckelman, the organization’s director of hitting development.

“It was important,” Bauers said. “I needed it. … Basically, I knew nothing about hitting before this offseason.

“I feel refreshed. I feel refreshed in ways I don’t often feel.”

It can be difficult for a hitter to press the pause button during a relentless baseball season and implement significant swing alterations or conquer detrimental habits. One three-hit night might seem like the cure, or an 0-for-4 showing might make a hitter contemplate scrapping one plan and scribbling down another. The mind often interferes. Am I tinkering too much? Am I tinkering enough? Is what I’m tinkering with the proper thing with which to tinker? Coaches obviously assist with the process, but the guy with the bat in his hands ultimately determines his own fate.

“Last year, it felt like if I was working on something,” Bauers said, “it was just like throwing spaghetti at the wall and seeing what’s gonna stick.

“If you walk into the batter’s box and you don’t trust what you do, that’s going to show. I think I made that pretty clear last year. Just knowing how the swing is supposed to work and what work you need to put in to get to that spot is everything, because now you walk into the batter’s box and you know what you did and you know what you do is working, so now you just trust it. Just go play. As opposed to being in the batter’s box worrying about, ‘OK, my hands are here and they should be here and when I pick my leg up I need to be here, and the next thing you know, you watched three fastballs go by and walk back to the dugout.”

Plus, it’s difficult to block out those scoreboard statistics that stare back in a disapproving manner. Bauers posted a .226/.312/.371 slash line in 117 games with the Indians last season. He logged minus-0.4 fWAR and a 78 wRC+ (his offensive output was 22 percent below league average). And he could never shake free from the mental funk his struggles at the plate created.

“You can fool everybody on the outside,” he said, “but on the inside, if you don’t know 100 percent that it’s going to work, it’s probably not going to work.”

In October, the Indians prescribed remedies to his swing, his hitting routines, his weight room regimen and his mental approach. In the cage, he worked to stay grounded, to avoid leaping out of his cleats the instant he decides to offer at a pitch. He positioned himself to be just as ready to swing at a breaking ball on the outside corner as he is a fastball down the middle.

Bauers’ dad asked him over the weekend whether the offseason work was paying dividends. Bauers told him how easily he was squaring up balls whizzing toward him from the team’s velocity machine, which was never the case in the past.

“I’ve never felt as good hitting as I do now,” Bauers said.

Certainly, that’s easy to say in February, when the pressure is reduced to a minimum and optimism runs rampant throughout 30 major-league clubhouses. Bauers is eager to learn how the revamped approach fares in actual games, as opposed to back-fields batting practice.

“You can be the best 5 o’clock hitter in the world,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just excited to get into games and see how it plays.”

The underlying metrics haven’t painted the most encouraging portrait the last two years, as Bauers’ exit velocity, hard hit rate and expected statistics rank on the lower end of the percentile spectrum. What attracted the Indians to him was how he performed at each minor-league stop, despite being several years younger than the average player at each level.

He’ll play the entire 2020 season as a 24-year-old.

“Sometimes when guys struggle a little bit, I think people forget that this guy actually might be a pretty good player,” Francona said. “We don’t forget that. Just because he had a couple tough months, this kid’s still really young and he might be a really good player.”

He’ll have to prove it, of course. There isn’t a clear, everyday spot for Bauers on the Opening Day roster, barring injuries. He could potentially push his way into a corner outfield platoon, but that’s only if his bat is functioning at a valuable level.

If it does, Bauers can refer back to that end-of-season meeting in the manager’s office that served as the springboard for his offseason overhaul.

“It’s always easy to go through an offseason when everything’s going well and everything’s going up for you and you’re looking forward to next year and continuing and building on what you did,” Bauers said. “But when you have to break everything down and really be honest with yourself about what you’re doing — Did you work hard? Did you do everything that you could’ve done? — it’s not a good feeling.

“So, to confront that and take that head-on was a different offseason, for sure. I think I’m better for it. Obviously, taking criticism is a huge part of doing anything. To be able to take that criticism and not fold under it and look at it as almost a challenge was really where my head was at.”

Bauers has molded his character and work ethic over his 23years of life. Can't believe a 15 minute meeting with Tito will result in a great epiphany and fix all his shortcomings.

Habits are hard to change.

Cleveland Indians’ Carlos Carrasco gets MRI for right leg injury
Updated 10:58 AM; Today 10:38 AM



By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco underwent an MRI on his right leg and will not participate in Thursday’s spring-training workout. A team spokesman said the Indians would update Carrasco’s condition on Friday.

Carrasco was seen in the locker room Thursday morning using a crutch. He experienced discomfort in the leg during Wednesday’s workout. On Tuesday he threw his to hitters for the first time and looked strong.


The Indians are already down a starter following Mike Clevinger’s left knee surgery last week. With the season starting on March 26, there is a possibility that Carrasco might not be ready to start the season on time if this injury lingers. Last year he missed three months while being treated for chronic myeloid leukemia.

Hope some of those outfielders can pitch.