Cleveland Sports Forum

PD writers predict:

Pluto: Finishing at 81-81 while breaking in some players who will help over the next few seasons.

Doug Lesmarias: a 76-86 record that puts them fourth in the AL Central behind the White Sox, Twins and Royals.

Joe Noga: I’ve got the Indians down for 87 wins and a third-place finish in the American League Central Division.

Paul Hoynes: 85-77 in third place.

85 seems pretty unlikely unless lots of uncertainties come out right. The 4 of them all have full articles, of course, explaining their logic and/or their hopes

Lloyd: Saying goodbye to the Indians’ Bradley Zimmer when breaking up is hard to do

By Jason Lloyd Mar 30, 2021 30
Eighteen thoughts on Bradley Zimmer, expectations for this season and the ongoing carriage disputes that will prevent a number of fans from watching Indians games this year …

1. I was playing golf late last summer with an avid Cleveland sports fan and a season ticket holder for multiple teams in town. He was frustrated with the Indians and the impending trade of Francisco Lindor and wanted to know where the offense would come from in 2021.

2. “Well …” I began muttering, and somehow Bradley Zimmer was the first name that fell out of my mouth. (I’m not proud of this.) My playing partner grumbled in disgust.

3. I’ve been fascinated with Zimmer for years, insisting that if he could just get healthy, the talent was there — even with that ghastly 36 percent career strikeout rate. He had the power/speed combination to roam center field for a decade.

4. Now that Zimmer is back at the Indians’ alternate camp, unable to beat out a journeyman and an infielder who has never played the outfield, it’s time for me to break up with him for good. It’s over. I’m sorry it has to end this way.

5. His .290 spring average was certainly respectable, but those nine strikeouts in 31 at-bats remain problematic. Zimmer is 28 now and this sort of feels like the end for him in Cleveland.

6. I keep thinking back to 2019 when Terry Francona made it a point to say the Indians asked Zimmer to play winter ball after missing the season with injuries. The Indians wanted him to get live at-bats and game reps after so much time away. Zimmer declined because he wanted to work on his swing. I’m not saying that is still affecting decisions that are being made nearly two years later, but I’m not saying it’s not, either. Aside from trying to replicate games at the alternate site last year, Zimmer still has never really received those live game reps because of the pandemic.

7. Nevertheless, the transition of Amed Rosario to the outfield illustrates exactly why the Indians have stockpiled so many shortstops throughout the organization. Shortstops are typically the best athletes on the field who should be able to play just about anywhere — although expecting Rosario to learn a whole new position in just a couple of weeks is certainly testing that theory. This won’t be the last time the Indians take a shortstop and move him elsewhere.

8. Our Keith Law ranked nine shortstops among the Indians’ top 20 prospects on his preseason list, including Tyler Freeman, Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias and Carson Tucker. Only one can play short. The rest will fill in where needed when they’re ready, such as perhaps Freeman at second base as soon as next year.

9. I wrote before last year I expected Franmil Reyes to contend for the home run crown in the American League and, well, he hit as many as Rio Ruiz. Reyes’ nine homers ranked outside the top 30 in the AL. With a full season and uninterrupted spring training, the Indians are going to need more from him. Much more.

10. Cleveland tied Kansas City for the second-fewest runs scored in the American League last year and the Royals invested in their lineup. The Indians did not. This is a team that will fight to score runs all year.

11. Reyes saw more breaking pitches and fewer fastballs last year, a trend that is likely going to continue, but his walk rate improved slightly and he continued to hit the ball as hard as ever. There is enough power in there for 40 home runs this year. Reyes and the eventual arrival of Bobby Bradley could supply mammoth power in the middle of the lineup … and jarring strikeout totals, too.

12. This is going to be a transition year, but this isn’t a full-scale rebuild. There are plenty of bats in this system on the cusp of being ready, from Nolan Jones to some of the aforementioned shortstops to George Valera and Bo Naylor. I worry a bit about how much longer the Indians can keep sprinkling magic mound dust on control freaks and creating elite starting pitchers. No franchise can sustain losing the amount of pitching talent the Indians have bled the past few years without eventually starting to feel it.

13. I’m not surprised the Mets have been unable to reach agreement with Lindor on an extension. Lindor has waited this long to sign, why give up on free agency now when he’s so close? The Mets’ 10-year, $320 million offer isn’t going away.

14. The Mets’ offer, not surprisingly, far exceeds anything the Indians tried negotiating with Lindor. He told me during spring training last year Cleveland’s offer never reached $300 million. Now Lindor is reportedly seeking $385 million over 12 years from the Mets which, not so coincidentally, would surpass the $365 million Mookie Betts received from the Dodgers last spring. That would give Lindor the second-biggest contract in baseball behind only Mike Trout.

15. Three not-so-bold predictions you never asked for…

Emmanuel Clase will lead the Indians in saves. Francona has kept the bullpen roles fairly traditional throughout his time in Cleveland, but managing relievers is one of his biggest strengths and this is the first time the Indians have been this wide open at the back end of the bullpen since before Cody Allen. I expect Francona to get creative with Clase and James Karinchak and some of the other arms, such as Sam Hentges, that could be arriving later this summer. (As a side note to this, Clase caught my attention when he was in Texas. The Corey Kluber trade has been viewed as a dud to this point, but once fans get a look at Clase’s electric fastball and devastating splitter, that will change quickly.)

Cesar Hernandez gets dealt at the trade deadline. The Indians will likely struggle to keep up with the Twins and White Sox this year, and Hernandez is a placeholder until at least one of the young infielders is ready next year.

Bobby Bradley will be the first baseman by the end of the year. I don’t fault the Indians for wanting to take another look at Jake Bauers before moving on. But I also remember Francona saying after the 2019 season that Bauers needed to maintain a consistent approach every day. Bauers would get three hits one night and skip batting practice the next day, then strike out three times and spend an extra hour in the cage the following day. We never got to see last year if Bauers learned the necessary lessons. We’ll find out shortly. Unfortunately, I’m not sure Bradley is the long-term solution at first, either. It could be Josh Naylor at first by 2022.

16. It’s going to be a lot harder to watch the Indians on television this year, which will inevitably frustrate a franchise that traditionally enjoys high TV ratings. Sinclair Broadcast Group remains in a contract dispute with Dish Network (and Sling TV) and live streamers such as Hulu Live and YouTube TV. And anyone who thinks the start of the Major League Baseball season will spark the urgency necessary to strike a deal, forget it. The NBA and NHL seasons have come and gone with no deal in place.

17. As these streaming services become more popular with cord cutters, I wonder if leagues will get proactive and create a direct-to-consumer approach similar to the current League Pass and MLB Extra Innings packages that, as of now, black out games in the home markets. As more and more teams struggle to get their games to the fans, billion-dollar sports industries will soon figure out how to cut out the middleman.

18. One quick note on MLB’s ongoing investigation into the Mickey Callaway situation: Don’t expect this to conclude anytime soon. The investigation into the Dallas Mavericks over similar claims took seven months to complete, and that involved only one franchise. This Callaway saga has now stretched across three franchises. That means it could take the better part of this year, and perhaps even into 2022, before we hear anything.

the commitment of Zimmer and Bauer as quoted above have concerned me and seem to explain their failure to develop:

I keep thinking back to 2019 when Terry Francona made it a point to say the Indians asked Zimmer to play winter ball after missing the season with injuries. The Indians wanted him to get live at-bats and game reps after so much time away. Zimmer declined because he wanted to work on his swing.

I also remember Francona saying after the 2019 season that Bauers needed to maintain a consistent approach every day. Bauers would get three hits one night and skip batting practice the next day, then strike out three times and spend an extra hour in the cage the following day. We never got to see last year if Bauers learned the necessary lessons

The Corey Kluber trade has been viewed as a dud to this point, but once fans get a look at Clase’s electric fastball and devastating splitter, that will change quickly.

Seems to me you have to be quite the ogre to consider that deal a dud. Freaking Kluber pitched ONE inning for Texas.

DeShields was the throw in to the deal and we only got to see him.

So Claase should have no problem topping what Kluber did for Texas.

What some people won't do to stay pessimistic.

Unless Claase turns out to be a real stud, which he very likely will be, people will still say we "could have got more" for Kluber.
I assume if we could have, we would have!
We certainly have acquired significant quantities of quality talent for Bauer and especially for Clevinger [who unsurprisingly is missing the full season and who is already 30 years old

I assume if we could have, we would have!

Bingo - just because FANS are impressed by a big name (Kluber) doesn't mean that other front offices are.

At that/this point in his career he is a crapshoot. A crapshoot that didn't work out in Texas (for BIG money) and all other teams knew that.

If Claase turns out to be the reliever it looks like then that is a steal for Cleveland.

According to Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News, the Mets and Francisco Lindor are in a "continued stalemate" over a long-term contract extension.

And FANS wanted us to re-sign this guy? When 10 years at $320 million won't do it? Now the Mets have to sweat this out all season that they may have thrown away Gimenez for either:

A. A guy who walks
B. A guy who wants 10 years at $385 million


Another steal for the Tribe.

civ - you and I know the bounty coming up that is the Tribe farm system. Perhaps this year buys us time while we still have a fun watch.

Don't get me wrong, if you want contention in a division that has a loaded Twins and Chisox team you will be miserable all season. I want to see progress while we build towards another sustained run.

Tito has never had a losing season here. Should be interesting.

Our man Meisel:

Cleveland Indians season preview: 7 storylines to watch throughout 2021 By Zack Meisel 5h ago 13
The nuclear winter has ended. A new dawn has arrived.

The Indians will begin another season Thursday at Comerica Park in Detroit, possibly their last with that nickname, and certainly their first in a while without Francisco Lindor at shortstop. Those topics, plus the club’s paltry payroll and the Mickey Callaway situation, have dominated the conversation in Cleveland for months.

Now there will be some games to capture our attention.

Here are a heaping handful of storylines to consider as the club embarks on another 162-game slate.

A hitter to watch: Josh Naylor
César Hernández, José Ramírez, Eddie Rosario and Franmil Reyes can form a solid quartet atop Terry Francona’s batting order, but a breakout season from Josh Naylor would support that group and lengthen the lineup. He has hit against lefties and righties at every level of the minors, with plenty of contact, a low strikeout rate and some power. Naylor, 23, has totaled 383 major-league plate appearances the past two years. It would certainly help the Indians to have another player they can lock into the lineup on a daily basis. FanGraphs’ Steamer projection system forecasts a .275/.342/.457 slash line for Naylor, with a 107 wRC+.

A pitcher to watch: Zach Plesac
Shane Bieber has established himself as the class of American League starting pitchers, but Batman needs a Robin. Enter Zach Plesac, who logged a 2.28 ERA in eight starts last season. How did he make such significant strides? By not letting anyone reach base, which is a revolutionary strategy. Plesac’s 0.795 WHIP was a tick lower than Bieber’s mark, and Plesac simply picked off any hitter fortunate enough to reach first. The Indians will field a talented but young rotation. It would go a long way if they could pair Bieber with a second front-line starter. They believe Plesac can flourish in a full season.

A lefty starter? In this economy?
The past five seasons, the Indians have totaled 707 regular-season games. A left-handed pitcher has started five of those games. The Indians have cycled through righty after righty, Cy Young winners and strikeout collectors, but only one southpaw has cracked the rotation since the start of 2016: soft-tossing, soft-spoken Ryan Merritt.

Logan Allen will do what so few before him have done — at some point. He’ll pitch in the club’s home opener Monday, but the Indians haven’t revealed whether he’ll start or follow an opener. Still, Allen figures to be part of the rotation this season, and the Indians are hoping that he’s more Cliff Lee than Aaron Laffey, that he proves to be a better talent than Brian Tallet and Billy Traber, that he has better stuff than David Huff, that he has a sweeter Cleveland tenure than Jeremy Sowers.

Over the past decade, Cleveland has used only six left-handed starters: Merritt (five starts), TJ House (22), Bruce Chen (two), Scott Kazmir (29), Huff (14) and Chris Seddon (two).

Allen, 23, forced his way onto the Opening Day roster by virtue of an offseason overhaul — physically and with his delivery — which spearheaded a strong spring, in which he allowed only one run in 14 innings.

A poll question: Who will lead the team in center-field starts?
This should be an SAT query. Here are your choices. Fill in one of the circles on your Scantron.

A. Ben Gamel
B. Amed Rosario
C. Bradley Zimmer
D. Oscar Mercado
E. Jordan Luplow
F. Daniel Johnson
G. Kenny Lofton

With all due respect to Lofton, who, at 53, looks like he could still swipe 40 bases, any of the other six on the list could wind up as the answer. Cleveland’s strategy for finding a steady center fielder will be to throw a bunch of stuff at the green, padded wall that Lofton used to scale, all in hopes that something (er, someone) sticks.

Rosario, the guy who has played the outfield for all of three weeks, might actually be the safest bet. He isn’t expected to start in center on Opening Day because Comerica Park has an outfield the size of the moon, but as he continues to work with assistant coach Kyle Hudson, he could earn more playing time. Don’t sleep on Johnson, the one alternate site option who actually performed well in spring training. He’ll play all three outfield spots at Triple A.

A player with plenty of power and personality
Get ready to fall in love with Franmil Reyes. He sings, he dances, he leads, he laughs. He’s your favorite player’s favorite player.

If he can flex his muscles at the plate and deposit pitches into the bleacher seats and onto the right-field concourse, if he can provide some punch from the middle of the order and keep Hernández, Ramírez and Rosario running amok on the base paths, he could become a fan favorite, a smiling face the team can plaster on every billboard and piece of signage in downtown Cleveland.

This will be Reyes’ third season in Cleveland, but his first, full, 162-game docket. He’s more familiar with AL pitchers, and unlike last summer, he’s arriving at Opening Day on the heels of a normal ramp-up period. He excelled at the plate for the second straight spring, and this time, he’ll have an opportunity to carry that into the regular season.

Related: How Franmil Reyes became ‘The Fun Guy’

A tantalizing bullpen
Cleveland’s rotation receives the attention, as the organization pumps out starting pitchers with assembly-line efficiency. By summer, though, the talk may shift to the bullpen.

James Karinchak possesses an elite fastball-curveball combination and an elite Rick Vaughn look-alike/shout-expletives-into-his-glove combination. Emmanuel Clase throws a cutter that breaks the sound barrier as it dives toward a hitter’s feet. Nick Wittgren has been nothing but steady since joining the team two years ago. Phil Maton owns “The Starry Night” of Baseball Savant metrics charts. Rule 5 pick Trevor Stephan has seen his fastball velocity tick toward the mid-to-upper 90s upon his assignment to a relief role, which he prefers. Bryan Shaw is ready to party like it’s 2015, and Oliver Pérez like it’s 2005. The group could also receive contributions from Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie.

There’s help on the horizon, too. If Anthony Gose can command his 100 mph heater and winding breaking ball, hitters stand little chance. Nick Sandlin creates uncomfortable at-bats with his sidearm motion. Sam Hentges could be an option later in the season, a towering lefty with a powerful fastball who has garnered attention this spring.

Related: James Karinchak’s rise to quirky, first-rate reliever

A tougher division
Remove those AL Central insults from your rotation. This division could be one of the most competitive in the sport. Sure, a few years ago, the Indians could set their alarm for late September and emerge from a six-month snooze atop the AL Central, playoff berth in hand. Now, though, there won’t be many breezy nights on the in-division schedule. Minnesota, Chicago and Cleveland all qualified for the postseason in 2020, and while the Indians seem like less of a sure thing in 2021, the Royals appear much more formidable. The days of amassing an 18-1 record against the Tigers are probably in the rearview, too.

Chris Seddon (two). WHO???? i thought I recognize just about all Indians of the past 60 years. Not him.

Yep, TFIR. minor league talent is on the way. Mostly at Class A levels but Jones might be ready if he can figure out how to hit lefties; and Tyler Freeman and Owen Miller could climb up to Cleveland quickly. One will play 2nd base in 2021, and Meisel suggests this season after his suggested deal of Hernandez. The other won't be far behind playing in the outfield I guess, unless they are motivated to deal Ramirez for a whole parcel of talent.

Wouldn't shock me at all to see Owen Miller up this year and soon.

You and Terry Pluto, both

Remember the brass hiding Shane Bieber from Tito so he wouldn't want him up too soon?

TOO late for them to hide Owen Miller - he is on Tito's radar big time.

Who knows it might even be a service time thing and they are just waiting a few weeks for that.

No AAA experience yet But his stats over 1 short season and one in AA are really good