Cleveland Sports Forum

Been away traveling to Arizona the past handful of days. Settled in so I'll try to get back into things.

What the Cleveland Guardians will lose and the San Diego Padres will gain with Ruben Niebla



Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez, left, talks with pitching coach Ruben Niebla, right, in the third inning of a baseball game against the Texas Rangers Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2012, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

By Zack Meisel Nov 2, 2021 31

CLEVELAND — Ruben Niebla doesn’t remember the encounter, but Shane Bieber can replay it vividly in his mind. A 21-year-old Bieber, pitching for Class-A Lake County in April 2017, was hanging out in the training room for far longer than Niebla preferred.

Niebla, who oversaw Cleveland’s minor-league pitching development at the time, busted into the room and told Bieber to leave and do something more productive.

“I was there,” Aaron Civale chimed in as Bieber retold the tale. “I was scared of you.”

The trio laugh about it now. After all, Niebla is an unimposing figure, a soft-spoken, 5-foot-10 coach with salt-and-pepper hair who maintains deep bonds with seemingly every pitcher who occupies a locker in Cleveland’s clubhouse.

Ask any Cleveland pitcher to name an instructor who helped spur their development. They’ll choose Niebla, who is bound for San Diego to become the Padres’ new pitching coach.

There’s a reason, as Niebla leaned against the dugout railing during batting practice one sunny afternoon in September 2019, about six weeks before he joined Cleveland’s big-league coaching staff, every pitcher who walked by stopped and shook his hand.

“I have a really good relationship with Ruben,” Civale said.

“He’s the best mentor I’ve ever had,” Zach Plesac said.

“He is a godsend,” Logan Allen said.

Those relationships often involve early-stage squabbles. Niebla tussled with first-round pick Triston McKenzie about routines after the lanky right-hander made the jump from high school to pro ball. He debated with James Karinchak about his delivery before the reliever soared through Cleveland’s farm system.

After Anthony Gose signed with Cleveland, his fastball registered 88 to 89 mph in one of his first minor-league outings. Niebla summoned the converted outfielder to his office and told him: “We have 20 other left-handers who throw 88-89. That’s not what we signed you for. If you can throw 98, I want to see 98.” Gose’s former organizations had pleaded with him to throw strikes. He just wasn’t sure how to accomplish that unless he carefully guided the baseball into the strike zone at an unassuming velocity.

“At that point,” Niebla said, “it was a realization of, ‘OK, these guys are going to care for me. They’re going to give me the tools and give me a different message.”

Niebla and Cleveland’s pitchers understand those conflicts were necessary. They allowed both sides to learn about each other. The pitchers eventually appreciated the candor and transparency. Niebla’s goal was to lead them to some discovery without simply demanding, “Do this because I said so.” What makes him such a well-regarded coach is his ability to connect with a player, to communicate information in a way that isn’t overwhelming or convoluted, no matter the pitcher’s grasp of numbers and analytics.

When Niebla has a suggestion based on something he pinpointed in the data or noticed on video or during a bullpen session, the player is on the same page. When the player has a question about why his fastball isn’t achieving the desired results or whether he should tweak his slider usage, he knows how to present his quandary to Niebla.

Or when Niebla calls a week after the 2020 season and suggests Civale should completely overhaul how he throws, Civale doesn’t even hesitate before he accepts the grueling assignment.

There are mountains of data available in baseball, especially on the pitching side. Niebla excels at examining it to determine what’s pertinent and then translating the information to players in a digestible form. Niebla’s bond with each player offers him insight into how much data they can handle and the best way for that pitcher to grasp what he’s explaining. Being bilingual helps, too.

“Data is only relevant if you use it to make you better,” Cal Quantrill said. “Otherwise, it’s just pages and pages. Ruben does a really good job sifting through and finding valuable information so we can focus on that instead of this overwhelming barrage of meaningless data. You can take it as far as you want. You can get the Trackman 100-gigabyte folder every single game. You can see how fast you walked to pick up the ball after your strikeout, how fast you got back to the mound. It can get to the point where it is too much. Ruben has done a fantastic job of providing a filter between that and us.”

Said Plesac: “He’s really good at laying out plans and structuring a program for us and getting us on some routines that help us to get to certain place.”


“He’s the best mentor I’ve ever had,” Zach Plesac said of Ruben Niebla. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)
Niebla served as an important cog in Cleveland’s pitching factory. He spent more than two decades in the organization. He was a minor-league pitching coach. He was the pitching coordinator, bouncing from affiliate to affiliate, managing the developmental plans for each prospect. He worked the past two years as the major-league assistant pitching coach alongside Carl Willis.

“For him,” McKenzie said, “the biggest thing is giving guys the tools to make the decisions and to understand themselves so that when he’s not around, guys are able to go through their learning process and go through their database mentally, and they’re able to figure stuff out for themselves instead of always relying on him.”

Niebla would be the first to say the organization’s envied pitching pipeline will continue to churn out capable contributors even when he’s residing 2,350 miles west. He’d be the first to say there are plenty of sharp people in the organization, and that the collaborative efforts between the scouting and development departments and between coaches and front office analysts are what have made the factory so fruitful in the first place.

Niebla would also be the first to brush aside praise, to instead heap it upon the pitchers who modify the grip on their curveball and alter their arm action.

“He shows how much he cares about the things he’s trying to help us with and help our careers,” Allen said. “I can get emotional talking about Ruben.”

Niebla now heads to San Diego, where he’ll reunite with Mike Clevinger. He helped Clevinger revamp his delivery after the long-haired hurler joined the Cleveland organization in a 2014 trade. A few years later, Clevinger morphed from nondescript prospect into front-line starter. Niebla also worked to tap into the potential of Corey Kluber, whose name was absent from every prospect list when Cleveland acquired him from San Diego in a 2010 deal. Kluber’s emergence as a two-time Cy Young Award winner even surprised Niebla.

“He helped me unlock the confidence within myself,” Plesac said. “Even when I didn’t believe in myself at times, he believed in me. He’s really good at relaying what he sees.”

Niebla deemed the decision to switch organizations “bittersweet,” as the Calexico, Calif., native lives about 90 minutes outside of San Diego.

Cleveland’s brass has long felt it was a matter of time before Niebla landed a job as a primary pitching coach, which prompted his promotion to the big-league staff after the 2019 season. He’ll now attempt to recreate in San Diego some of the pitching magic he produced in Cleveland.

“Ruben is fantastic at taking data and putting it into a digestible format,” Quantrill said. “Can you take information and make it palatable to someone else? That is how good of a coach you are.”

(Top photo of Ruben Niebla and Ubaldo Jiménez in 2012: Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press)

Nice article about Niebla.

Never been a fan of Willis.

In Baseball, as in life, superiors often get the credit for the tremendous work of their subordinates.

Too bad they couldn't have kicked old Carl to the curb and kept a rising star.

Ok, one problem solved


CLEVELAND -- One piece of Cleveland’s offseason puzzle is now in place.

The soon-to-be Guardians named Chris Valaika, a former assistant hitting coach for the Cubs, as their hitting coach on Friday.

At the end of the 2021 season, Cleveland decided it needed a change in its hitting department, informing hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo he would not return to the club next season. Now, the team will look to Valaika to help change the momentum.

Valaika was a third-round pick by Cincinnati in the 2006 MLB Draft and worked his way to the Majors as an infielder with the Reds (parts of 2010-11), the Marlins (2013) and the Cubs (44 games in '14). He played in the Minor Leagues in 2015 before heading to UC Santa Barbara as an assistant coach.

He then dug even deeper into the game, spending 10 months working at Sparta Science outside San Francisco, where he dove into learning more about force plates and the data side of hitting. It wasn't long before the Cubs came calling with an offer for him to coach within their farm system.

It was last winter when the Cubs promoted Valaika from Minor League hitting coordinator to the big league squad, assisting Chicago hitting coach Anthony Iapoce.

"[Valaika’s] one of the best hitting coaches in baseball," Iapoce told MLB.com’s Jordan Bastain last winter.

Valaika will look to help an offense that has struggled over the last handful of years. Van Burkleo had just wrapped up his ninth season with Cleveland, which made him the longest-tenured hitting coach in the league. But as the offense struggled more and more over the past few seasons, it was time for a change.

In 2020, Cleveland ranked 23rd in the Majors in batting average (.228) and was tied for 22nd in wRC+ (90). This year, the team fell to the 26th-worst walk percentage, while tying for 20th in batting average (.238). It also ranked in a tie for 18th in wRC+ (93) and owned sole possession of 18th in runs scored with 717 (52 fewer than the team scored in the last 162-game season in 2019). Not to mention that Cleveland also became the first team to be no-hit three times in a season.

Now that Cleveland has filled its hitting coach vacancy, the only thing left to figure out with its coaching staff will be replacing former assistant pitching coach Ruben Niebla, who was hired as the Padres’ pitching coach last month.

Cleveland Guardians roster primer: Who stays, who goes as team mulls 40-man puzzle?


By Zack Meisel Nov 4, 2021 27
CLEVELAND — There will be a barrage of roster moves across the majors over the next two weeks as teams prepare their 40-man rosters for a Rule 5 draft that may or may not take place in early December.

The collective bargaining agreement, which expires on Dec. 1, looms over every decision executives are considering. By Nov. 19, however, teams must set their 40-man rosters, so expect plenty of shuffling now that the World Series is in the rearview.

Cleveland’s 40-man roster is full, with 18 position players and 22 pitchers. There’s no offseason injured list, so Josh Naylor and Nick Sandlin will rejoin the roster. Bryan Shaw, Blake Parker and Wilson Ramos officially became free agents this week, so that cleared three spots.

The front office will need to add a bunch of prospects to the 40-man roster, though, so the game of musical chairs will soon begin. Let’s examine how this all might shake out.

18 position players on the 40-man roster

Austin Hedges, Roberto Pérez, Gabriel Arias, Bobby Bradley, Yu Chang, Ernie Clement, Andrés Giménez, Nolan Jones, Owen Miller, José Ramírez, Amed Rosario, Daniel Johnson, Oscar Mercado, Josh Naylor, Harold Ramirez, Franmil Reyes, Myles Straw, Bradley Zimmer

22 pitchers on the 40-man roster

Logan Allen, Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Emmanuel Clase, Justin Garza, Anthony Gose, Sam Hentges, Cam Hill, James Karinchak, Triston McKenzie, JC Mejia, Eli Morgan, Scott Moss, Kyle Nelson, Francisco Perez, Zach Plesac, Cal Quantrill, Nick Sandlin, Trevor Stephan, Carlos Vargas, Nick Wittgren, Alex Young

How to clear space
The club options

Later this week, Cleveland will exercise José Ramírez’s $12 million option and decide on Roberto Pérez’s future. Odds are, they’ll decline Pérez’s $7 million option, which carries a $450,000 buyout, and clear a roster spot. That wouldn’t prevent them from discussing a more modest arrangement with Pérez later, but he would become a free agent.

The non-tender and DFA candidates

The club has already initiated the process of determining who to protect and which players on the roster are expendable. Across the league, teams will sever ties with players over the next two weeks to create flexibility.

In Cleveland, the front office could dismiss arbitration-eligible players it planned to non-tender. Wittgren or Zimmer could fall into that category. There are other candidates who could be designated for assignment. If the club wants to trim some of its outfield clutter, it could part with Mercado, Johnson or Harold Ramirez. The team could shed some of the pitching depth it didn’t lean on, such as Hill, Nelson, Young or Moss. Or, the front office might consider Allen or Mejia since both are out of minor-league options for 2022, which might complicate how/where they fit on the staff.

Any of these players could be included in minor trades completed with the intention of freeing up more roster spots for prospects.

The Rule 5 draft-eligible prospects
Any player who originally signed before his 19th birthday is eligible to be selected after his fifth professional season. Any player who signed after his 19th birthday is eligible to be selected after his fourth professional season.

Tier 1: The no-brainers

The top prospects: Tyler Freeman, Brayan Rocchio, George Valera

Freeman, Rocchio and Valera — who have each cracked at least one top-100 prospects list — could all be knocking on the door to the big leagues by next summer (or, more plausibly, spring 2023). All three have excelled at Double-A Akron. Freeman, 22, missed much of the 2021 season because of a shoulder injury, but he owns a career .319/.378/.445 slash line in the minors. Valera (.910 OPS in 2021) and Rocchio (.807 OPS) are only 20, and will likely start next season in Akron, but they figure to trek south to Triple-A Columbus before too long.

The guys who played their way into being a lock: Richie Palacios, Cody Morris, Bryan Lavastida

Palacios essentially had two seasons wiped out, thanks to a shoulder injury and the pandemic, but didn’t display any rust when he logged a .297/.404/.471 slash line between Akron and Columbus this year. He has impressed in the Arizona Fall League, too. He could join the outfield mix during spring training.

Cleveland could use a catcher who has offensive upside, though Lavastida might need a bit more seasoning, especially defensively, before he can handle the majors. He’s not far off, though. He reached Triple A in 2021, and boasts a career .305 average and .844 OPS in the minors.

Morris recovered from a lat strain in the spring to record a 1.62 ERA across 61 innings this past season, with 93 strikeouts and an opponent batting average of .189. His fastball regularly sat in the mid- to upper-90s. Today is his 25th birthday. He should factor into Cleveland’s pitching equation for 2022.

It would be a shock if any of these six players were left unprotected.

Tier 2: They probably deserve it, but is there space?

The pleasant surprises: Oscar Gonzalez, Steven Kwan, Konnor Pilkington

This is where the numbers crunch really takes shape. How many of these guys can the Guardians squeeze onto the roster? Gonzalez and Kwan are probably ready for some major-league action in 2022. That could increase the likelihood that another team would snag them.

Gonzalez posted a .293/.329/.542 slash line with a farm system-leading 31 home runs, but he’s not much of a defender and he registered a meager 3.6 percent walk rate at Triple A. In 77 games, Kwan logged a .328/.407/.527 slash line, with more walks than strikeouts. He has always hit for average, drawn walks and avoided strikeouts, but he hit for much more power in 2021. Perhaps Cleveland would prefer to experiment with these guys and Palacios in the outfield, rather than the known commodities who failed to capitalize on their playing time in 2021.

Pilkington, acquired in July from the White Sox for César Hernández, seems like a safe bet to start next season in Columbus, as he recorded a 3.04 ERA in 100 2/3 innings at Double A this past season. He tallied 120 strikeouts and limited opponents to a .178 average.

The young, talented and inexperienced: Joey Cantillo, Jose Tena, Jhonkensy Noel

Noel, who won’t turn 21 until mid-July, has totaled only 759 plate appearances as a professional, with the majority of those coming as a kid not old enough to purchase a lottery ticket. He did log a 1.005 OPS this season in A-ball, but another team selecting him in the Rule 5 draft would prompt a seismic shift in his developmental path.

Tena has a similar story. He had a strong season at High-A Lake County (.798 OPS), but he won’t turn 21 until March. During AFL play, he has collected 15 hits in 35 at-bats (.429 average), good for a 1.076 OPS. That might turn some heads in opposing front offices.

An injury limited Cantillo, acquired in the Mike Clevinger trade, to 13 innings this past season, his only experience above A-ball. He does own a 2.53 ERA in his minor-league career, with 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a .189 opponent average.

The club will probably protect only a couple of these six players. If I had to guess, I’d say Kwan and Pilkington and, maybe, Cantillo. Oh, and Tena. And Gonzalez. Noel, too. Sheesh, this is difficult.

Tier 3: There’s more to prove

Not the most convincing case: Aaron Bracho, Robert Broom, Will Benson, Adam Scott, Juan Hillman, Jose Fermin, Alex Call, Andruw Monasterio, Alexfri Planez, Johnathan Rodriguez, Aaron Pinto

It doesn’t help this group’s cause that roster spots are so precious this year. Scott might have the best chance at protection since he’s already 26 and seems like he could be ready for a big-league chance in 2022, but even he has made only three starts at Triple A. Benson, the organization’s first-round pick in 2016, is a three-true-outcome devotee who possesses plenty of speed, power and patience, but also strikes out at an exorbitant rate and struggled once he was promoted to Columbus. He was not selected after being left unprotected last year.

What would another team be seeking?
Cleveland is far from the only team stressing about roster space. A rebuilding team devoid of much major-league talent, such as the Orioles or Pirates, would find it much easier to create flexibility to stockpile potential Rule 5 draft selections.

But that doesn’t mean every intriguing prospect is in jeopardy of being selected. It might be difficult for another team, for instance, to hide a player such as Noel or Tena on the big-league roster since their development requires regular playing time. It’s not impossible, though: Baltimore plucked Anthony Santander from Cleveland’s farm system in 2016, even though Santander had never played above High A. It’s a bit easier on the pitching side. Another team could stash Cantillo in the bullpen, for example. Kwan, Gonzalez, Palacios, Morris or Pilkington would qualify as more suitable Rule 5 selections, but also might have less long-term upside.

The roster composition
A team can’t just stuff its 40-man roster full of 20-year-old prospects. It needs 26 major leaguers, plus at least a handful of major-league-ready prospects as insurance for injuries or demotions. Cleveland’s front office has discussed consolidating some prospects in a trade for a better prospect or an established big leaguer, but the timing and execution of such a deal is complicated, given the cloud of mystery surrounding the collective bargaining agreement.

Organizations try to guess which prospects rival teams might leave unprotected just in case they opt to leave a spot open to potentially add someone. It’s possible Cleveland clears enough space to not only add its coveted prospects but also grab another team’s player. Last season, they added Yankees hurler Trevor Stephan, who spent the entire season in Cleveland’s bullpen.

Shoot, I forgot about Pilkington; not sure if he's likely to be taken; didn't have much of a prospect status until he showed up with our organization but that is true for plenty of pitchers Cleveland has developed into solid major leaguers, or sometimes stars.

I put Kwan above Lavastida because he is of all things an outfielder who can hit.
As I've noted before I'd not be adverse to cleaning house of the OF who have underperformed and let Zimmer and Johnson go for sure; Ramirez probably since he's a DH not an OF; and quite possibly Mercado too since he still hasn't come anywhere close to match his one good season.

Here's a Guardians page explaining their logo and font, etc, which still appears at
indians.com

guardians.com is available "This domain has recently been listed in the marketplace at domainnamesales.com."

https://www.mlb.com/indians/fans/cleteamname

Franmil Reyes will play in Dominican winter league to build reps in OF, learn from Albert Pujols
Updated: Nov. 06, 2021, 10:27 a.m. | Published: Nov. 06, 2021, 7:01 a.m.

Franmil Reyes will play some games for Escongido BC of the Dominican Winter League according to Cleveland

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Before Cleveland slugger Franmil Reyes pulls on a new Guardians jersey in March, he’s going to play a little winter ball in his native Dominican Republic.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona told reporters Friday that he talked with Reyes earlier this week and the 6-foot-5, 265-pound outfielder is going to play a few games for Escogido BC in the Dominican Winter League.

Reyes’ motivation for playing in the winter league is twofold: Francona said Reyes will log some innings in both right field and left field in an effort to get him ready to play more in the field with Cleveland, and then there’s the matter of sharing a clubhouse with legendary slugger Albert Pujols.


A future Hall of Famer, Pujols, 41, is playing for Escogido after helping the Dodgers reach the National League Championship Series in 2021 where they lost to the eventual World Series champion Atlanta Braves.

“I think the chance to play with Albert Pujols a little bit was too much for him to pass up, for him to be able to pick his brain and be a part of that for a little while,” Francona said.

Reyes batted .254 with 30 home runs, 85 RBI and a career-high .846 OPS in 115 games for Cleveland. He missed all of June with an oblique strain. He made 11 starts in right field, logging 76 errorless innings with a pair of outfield assists in 16 chances.

Francona said he and Reyes talked at length about how playing more in the field can benefit both the player and the club.

“He said, ‘I know I need to be good enough out there where I belong out there and I’m not hurting the team,’” Francona said. “His plan is to shed some weight and get himself flexible enough and mobile enough that he can go out there.”


Francona acknowledged that getting Reyes in shape to handle more outfield innings could be helpful, however it also has to work for the team.

“You can’t just put a guy out there that’s a liability because that doesn’t help you win and that’s what we’re here for,” Francona said.

What the Cleveland Guardians’ roster moves mean and what’s next: Meisel’s Musings




CHICAGO - SEPTEMBER 25: Roberto Perez #55 of the Cleveland Indians looks on against the Chicago White Sox on September 25, 2019 at Guaranteed Rate Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Ron Vesely/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

By Zack Meisel 1h ago 4
CLEVELAND — Roberto Pérez always believed he possessed the skills required to be a productive, everyday catcher.

He was the 1,011th pick in the 2008 MLB Draft, Cleveland’s 33rd-round selection out of Florida Gateway, a junior college about an hour west of Jacksonville. In the minors, he suffered from Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis that prevented him, for months, from shutting his left eye.

Once he finally reached the big leagues, Pérez proceeded to sit behind Yan Gomes for five years. When Gomes’ production at the plate plummeted, some teammates told Pérez he deserved more regular playing time. He ultimately received that chance in 2019 after the club traded Gomes to the Nationals. Pérez socked 24 home runs and captured his first Gold Glove Award.

The last two seasons, however, he couldn’t escape the injured list. When James Karinchak crossed him up in April, it torpedoed Pérez’s season. He started to compensate for the injury with his throwing motion and fell into some bad habits, which sparked shoulder trouble and limited him to only 44 games.

Cleveland will need a catcher to pair with Austin Hedges for the 2022 season, but Pérez, at $7 million, wasn’t the answer. He’s a free agent now, though president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti insisted the club would invite a discussion about a reunion at a lower salary. Pérez is adamant he can replicate his 2019 output if he stays healthy, but that qualifier might leave many skeptical. Still, he could have a robust market, given the dearth of catchers available in free agency.

When I asked Antonetti if the organization would seek an external catching addition or if any prospects (Bryan Lavastida) might be ready for the majors, he said the team would look for outside help. A trade might be the way to go. In free agency, there’s Pérez. And Gomes. (And Sandy León and Wilson Ramos.) Uhh, Pedro Severino. Stephen Vogt. Austin Romine. It’s pretty bleak.

The Reds traded Tucker Barnhart and his $7.5 million salary for 2022 to the Tigers. Willson Contreras’ name will likely pop up on the rumor mill, since the Cubs already dealt away all of his 2016 World Series buddies and he has only one more year of team control.

Quote to note
“I’m doing better. I’ve been going to therapy. I’m trying to get healthy. I’m working. I’m trying to get myself positioned to where I can really be excited about baseball. I love it so much and I love where I do it so much, but I want to be able to enjoy it. So I’ve been working hard. And I’ll be able to work harder, obviously, once I get rid of these damn crutches.” — manager Terry Francona on his health

Final thoughts
1. Surely, Cleveland will attempt to unearth a competent reliever via an unheralded trade or an under-the-radar signing. They do it every winter, whether it’s discovering Dan Otero or Jeff Manship or Scott Atchison or Nick Wittgren or Blake Parker or Bryan Shaw. This offseason, it will be in an effort to replace Shaw, Parker or Wittgren.

Wittgren was an obvious non-tender candidate, but since the club needs the 40-man roster space, he was outrighted to Triple-A Columbus and he elected free agency. (Cam Hill did the same.)

Cleveland acquired Wittgren for Jordan Milbrath in February 2019. Milbrath is 30 and still bouncing around the minors. He logged nine innings for the Twins’ Double-A Wichita team this year. He has never thrown a pitch in a big-league game.

Wittgren provided Cleveland with two strong seasons out of the bullpen, but he struggled in 2021. Opponents torched his pitches this past season; their 91.9 mph average exit velocity placed Wittgren in the bottom 1 percent of the league. He surrendered 13 home runs in 62 innings, fueling a 5.05 ERA. Wittgren logged a 2.99 ERA over 80 appearances in his first two seasons with Cleveland.

It’ll be interesting to monitor whether he lands a guaranteed deal or if he’ll have to settle for a minor-league pact with an invite to spring training.

2. Hill was well-regarded in Cleveland’s system as a rising reliever in recent years, but it never materialized in the majors. Fellow pitchers, including Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger, raved about his potential, and he impressed at times during spring training. He debuted in 2020, but an offseason car accident prompted wrist surgery, which threw off his 2021 campaign. He posted an 8.03 ERA in 24 outings with Columbus this year. He’ll presumably have to sign a minor-league deal somewhere.

3. Franmil Reyes will play winter ball with Leones del Escogido for two reasons. First, Reyes wants to play with (and pick the brain of) Albert Pujols, who is playing for Escogido as he nears his 42nd birthday. Second, Reyes will gain more outfield experience. He’ll play both corner spots, and plans to shed weight and increase his mobility.

“I want to prepare myself to play 162 games,” he said.

4. It’s clear the club didn’t value reliever Francisco Perez as highly as some of its other left-handed relievers. The Nationals claimed Perez late last week. Perez posted terrific numbers at Double-A Akron and Columbus last season — a 1.87 ERA with 82 strikeouts in 53 innings — and he earned a promotion to the big leagues. The 24-year-old made only four appearances with Cleveland, though. The Guardians figure to have Anthony Gose and Sam Hentges as southpaw relief options. Kyle Nelson and Alex Young also remain on the 40-man roster, for now.

5. Wade Miley recorded a 3.37 ERA in 28 starts for the Reds last season. And Cincinnati cut ties with him. The Cubs claimed Miley and will pay him his $10 million salary for 2022. The move was clearly financially motivated, but it also shows what we might see plenty of over the next week and a half. As teams frantically attempt to clear 40-man roster space — and prepare for a winter of uncertainty, ahead of the expiring collective bargaining agreement — don’t be surprised to see a wave of small, one-sided trades. For instance, might Cleveland relinquish one of its outfielders who offered an underwhelming 2021 performance, while asking for cash or a player to be named later in return?

Is that eyeblack on Reyes' face or just an ugly tattoo ?

A Cleveland Guardians guide to the free-agent outfield class, from out-of-reach to realistic possibilities



MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 24: Eddie Rosario #9 of the Cleveland Indians hits a single against the Minnesota Twins in the sixth inning at Target Field on June 24, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Indians defeated the Twins 4-1. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

By Zack Meisel 3h ago 16

Cleveland’s chief decision-makers insist the club’s payroll will increase this winter. It’s like a meteorologist on a frigid day in mid-April assuring viewers that warmer temperatures are on the horizon.

Well, yeah. You’d surely hope so.

Cleveland’s payroll hovered around $50 million last season. That’s in line with where it stood in 2003, when “Finding Nemo” was released and Danys Báez was the team’s closer. It’ll be north of that total in 2022 but likely south of anything noteworthy, like some nine-figure sum.

So, with those reference points in mind, the club probably won’t follow the path that leads to the marquee free agents. That’s no surprise. The franchise has never handed out a contract heftier than the three-year, $60 million deal it granted Edwin Encarnación a couple of days before Christmas in 2016.

This year’s outfield market, however, is deep enough to gift Cleveland a decent player. Myles Straw is cemented as the club’s everyday center fielder, but the soon-to-be Guardians sorely need upgrades at both corner spots. The front office will explore the trade market, resuming some conversations and initiating others this week at the GM Meetings in Carlsbad, Calif.

It wouldn’t be a shock, however, to see the club dabble in free agency this winter. Here’s the landscape of the outfield market, with projected contracts courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors (MLBTR).

They’ll cost an arm and a leg, and Paul Dolan values his limbs
Kris Bryant
Six years, $160 million
2021 stats: .265/.353/.481 slash line in 144 games

Bryant is the perfect candidate for this team (as long as you place your hand over the projected salary). He’s only 29. He can move all over the diamond defensively, so he could fill a void in left field for now, but if the club eventually parts ways with José Ramírez, he could shift to third base. He owns a career slash line of .278/.376/.504. But, yeah, the money. Next.

Nick Castellanos
Five years, $115 million
2021 stats: .309/.362/.576 slash line in 138 games

His glove is as useful as a (locates an article titled “The 12 most pointless things ever invented”) pre-peeled banana in a plastic wrapper, a pet rock or a shoe umbrella. Per Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric, only Colorado’s Charlie Blackmon graded out worse as a right fielder.

Castellanos can rake, though, and despite it seeming like he’s been in the league since, well, “Finding Nemo” sat atop the box office charts, he’s only 29. He established a career high with 34 home runs last season — yes, he played in the homer-friendly Great American Ball Park — and added 38 doubles. Castellanos opted out of the two years and $34 million remaining on his contract with the Reds and rejected their qualifying offer, so he has his sights set on something more lucrative.

They’re intriguing but might be a better fit elsewhere
Kyle Schwarber
Four years, $70 million
2021 stats: .266/.374/.554 slash line in 113 games

Surely, you remember hearing Joe Buck utter his name ad nauseam during the 2016 World Series. Schwarber might be best suited for a DH role, but he has plenty of experience in left field and even made a couple of cameos at first base last season. If the Guardians truly wanted one of these defensively limited types, they could create a DH/RF timeshare with Franmil Reyes, who just so happens to be playing the outfield in winter ball.

Offensively, Schwarber’s metrics paint an intriguing portrait. He ranked among the league leaders in exit velocity, hard-hit rate, barrel percentage, walk rate and chase rate in 2021. He forces pitchers to submit to his demands, then crushes what they have to offer, especially if it’s a fastball (.307 average, .651 slugging percentage). That bat will play in any lineup.

Starling Marte
Four years, $80 million
2021 stats: .310/.383/.458 slash line in 120 games

Teams needing a center fielder might pursue Marte more aggressively. Cleveland doesn’t really fit that criterion, and a team might not be capitalizing on his potential value if he’s manning a corner spot. Still, he’s a talented player who led the majors with 47 stolen bases last season in 52 attempts. In fact, he finished sixth in the American League in steals and fifth in the National League, thanks to a midseason trade to Oakland from Miami. He did turn 33 last month, but he just authored one of his best seasons.

Perhaps Terry Francona‘s dream
Chris Taylor
Four years, $64 million
2021 stats: .254/.344/.438 slash line in 148 games

Francona used to fawn over Ben Zobrist’s versatility, and Taylor resides in the same category. He started 48 games in center field, 33 at second base, 19 at shortstop, 16 in left field, nine at third base and seven in right field. He can play anywhere and can hit for some power (25 or more doubles in each of the last four non-pandemic seasons). He does strike out with regularity: 167 times this season and a league-leading 178 times in 2018. In 11 postseason games this year, he posted a 1.202 OPS.

Wait, that name sounds familiar
Eddie Rosario
Two years, $15 million
2021 stats: .259/.305/.435 slash line in 111 games

That guy who batted leadoff for the team that won the World Series? That guy who couldn’t stop smiling and laughing every time the camera panned to him at first base after another base hit? He’s the same guy who never mustered anything resembling a hot streak in four months in Cleveland. He was a late-July salary dump, an injured, unproductive outfielder headed to a club that frantically acquired any outfielder with a pulse over the summer. And a few months later, he was a catalyst for a championship team.

Now, he’s a free agent again. It’s safe to say he won’t be returning to Cleveland. But the NLCS MVP proved to the league there’s plenty left in his tank, despite how the first two-thirds of his 2021 campaign unfolded.


Michael Conforto will be an interesting name to monitor this winter. (Aaron Doster / Associated Press)
The wild cards
Michael Conforto
One year, $20 million
2021 stats: .232/.344/.384 slash line in 125 games

On the one hand, Conforto could be the perfect target for Cleveland, a guy with a proven track record who doesn’t turn 29 until March and is coming off a down season, therefore reducing his asking price. Ah, but his agent is Darth Boras. And Conforto rejected the Mets’ qualifying offer, so he and his camp must be confident there will be a bunch of suitors courting him.

If the price isn’t exorbitant, this should be a no-brainer. From 2017 to 2020, Conforto posted a .265/.369/.495 slash line. He plays competent defense, racks up homers and doubles, and draws plenty of walks.

Seiya Suzuki
Five years, $55 million, plus a $10.125 million posting fee
2021 stats: .319/.436/.640 slash line in 133 games in Japan

Cleveland has rarely played in this arena. (The club did land reliever Masahide Kobayashi before the 2008 season. That experiment fizzled rather quickly.) Suzuki’s profile is enticing, though. He hits for power (38 homers in 2021), walks a ton and doesn’t strike out often. Now, how his skills will transfer to MLB is a bit of a mystery. It might be a risk worth taking, as he has consistently produced jarring offensive statistics, is said to be an adept corner outfielder and is only 27.

The odds-on favorite for Cleveland’s landing spot
Here’s the thing: There are a bunch of capable, available outfielders and a finite number of teams desperate to sign one, so it’s certainly possible someone such as Avisaíl García or Jorge Soler (if he’s even, really, an outfielder) or Joc Pederson or even Conforto or Schwarber falls through the cracks and winds up with a contract Cleveland deems palatable.

MLBTR projects García and Soler will each earn a three-year, $36 million deal. Soler’s market could improve if there’s a universal DH. García declined a $12 million mutual option with the Brewers for 2022.

MLBTR projects two years and $24 million for Mark Canha (and, frankly, something about him just screams “Future Guardian”). He’ll turn 33 in February. He typically runs a high on-base percentage, though his slugging percentage dipped to .387 last season and he didn’t make much hard contact.

Pederson has historically fared extremely well against righties and miserably against lefties. He’s a younger version of (and probably has more upside than) fellow platoon options Kole Calhoun and Corey Dickerson.

García in 2021: .262/.330/.490 slash line in 135 games
Soler in 2021: .223/.316/.432 slash line in 149 games
Pederson in 2021: .238/.310/.422 slash line in 137 games
Canha in 2021: .231/.358/.387 slash line in 141 games

Two other veteran options whose best days are likely in the rearview:

Andrew McCutchen in 2021: .222/.334/.444 slash line in 144 games
Tommy Pham in 2021: .229/.340/.383 slash line in 155 games

Bargain bin shopping
Dexter Fowler, Odúbel Herrera, Yoshi Tsutsugo, Kevin Pillar, JaCoby Jones, Brett Gardner, Jake Marisnick, Albert Almora, Brian Goodwin

Plucking someone from this group should be low on Cleveland’s priority list, given the club already has comparable, in-house options in Harold Ramirez, Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado and Daniel Johnson. Why create more clutter on the 40-man roster before learning about prospects such as Richie Palacios, Oscar Gonzalez and Steven Kwan? A minor-league deal with an invite to spring training for one of these guys seems more sensible.

I doubt they sign anybody to a contract of more than 2 years. 3 years tops if they think it's a steal.

American League Central executives anticipate a stronger division in 2022



MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 21: Minnesota Twins executive vice president and chief baseball officer Derek Falvey looks on before the start of the game between the Cincinnati Reds and Minnesota Twins at Target Field on June 21, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins defeated the Reds 7-5 in twelve innings. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)

By James Fegan and Dan Hayes 4h ago 10


CARLSBAD, Calif. — Before they entered October and won the World Series, the Atlanta Braves had all the same knocks on them as the AL Central champion White Sox.

As Sox general manager Rick Hahn rattled off Tuesday at the MLB general managers meetings, both clubs had sub-.500 records against winning teams, and were beset by major injuries. And both lacked a fellow contender challenging them in the division, with all apologies to Philadelphia (82-80) and Cleveland (80-82).

“The one thing you can take away from the Braves’ success is — the key is getting into the tournament,” Hahn said.

The White Sox are the favorites to win the AL Central again in 2022. They can firmly declare that they are in the middle of their contention window at a time when the answer is more complicated for their divisional brethren. But getting into the tournament is expected to be more of a defining fight in their 2022 season after a first-round playoff exit came at the end of a 2021 campaign where they were lightly tested.

“Very competitive,” said Tigers general manager Al Avila. “The White Sox right now, that’s a great team ready to win. Kansas City, they’ve got a good core of young players that with a couple of moves here, I think they’re going to be really good. Minnesota, I know they had a down year. But (two years) before, they won 100 games, so that could change really quickly for them. Cleveland has always been the class of the division. I think it’s a very competitive division. I think it’s one of the best.”

The AL Central’s honor did not need defending until recently; they sent three teams to the playoffs in the expanded format of 2020 and were headed up by a 101-win Twins team that set the single-season home run record the year before that. The reason the division crown felt like a slightly smaller accomplishment for the White Sox in 2021 was summed up by Chicago starting pitcher Dallas Keuchel right before the GM meetings.

“Minnesota kind of fell flat on their face,” said Keuchel.

Fellow AL Central executives concurred, but with a bit more “There but for the grace of God go I” tone of understanding.

“I would say this year was an anomaly,” Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said of the Twins. “(Twins president of baseball operations) Derek (Falvey) said he couldn’t explain it. We couldn’t either. If you look at what we thought the Twins would be going into the year and how it played out, none of us would have guessed that.”

“(Byron) Buxton is a tough player to not have on the field as often as he wasn’t on the field,” said Royals general manager J.J. Picollo. “The injury bug got them. And we’ve all been through it, teams just get into a little bit of a rut and try to get their traction and get going. They struck me (as a team) that could easily bounce back and be really good next year.”

That will be a challenge for the Twins, who not only need to complete a re-do on building out the back-end of their rotation after signings of J.A. Happ and Matt Shoemaker did not work in 2021, but also develop a new frontline since their mid-season sell-off included staff ace José Berríos. Faith in a Twins revival rests in Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober building off promising rookie campaigns in the rotation, and their next young positional core, which has yet to get fully untracked, primarily due to injury.

“It’s not going to be an easy division to navigate, but we can’t run away from that challenge,” Falvey said. “We have good players too, at the big-league level, guys who have performed recently, and we think we have good prospect talent that is coming. All those (young) pitchers, getting Royce (Lewis) back on the field will be huge for us. Getting Austin Martin where he needs to go. (Trevor) Larnach, (Alex) Kirilloff; we haven’t seen the best of that whole crew yet. We’re hopeful that wave has a lot of years to help us.”

But if there’s optimism for the AL Central getting stronger, it’s focused on the Royals and Tigers building off campaigns where they outperformed the Twins, even while rebuilding.

With a starting rotation often sporting three rookies, the Tigers were above .500 (37-34) in the second half, and the Royals are set to implement a slew of fearsome hitting prospects into a roster that took 10 of 19 games against the division-winning White Sox in 2021. That starts with Bobby Witt Jr. competing for an Opening Day job, but Nick Pratto, MJ Melendez and Kyle Isbel all thrived in Triple A this past summer as well.

“We like a lot of our position players,” said Picollo, who feels the bullpen is their big offseason focus. “Defensively, we really think we’re really sound. We’ve got a lot of promising starting pitchers that need to take that next step. But the bullpen is going to be what protects them. We’ve got a solid four guys that we feel really good about. We’ll look to improve wherever we can, whether we’re left-handed or right-handed. We ended the season with two left-handers … at the end of the day, if we can add two or three relievers to complete our bullpen, we’ll feel like there’s a lot more depth.”

But when it comes down to asserting that any of these clubs are truly in contention mode, or that Cleveland will be able to rebuild their offense to match their nigh-annual pitching might, or that challenging the Sox for a division championship is a legitimate expectation, the confidence stops just a shade short.

“We made good strides,” Avila said. “I think our team improved, but there’s a lot of work to do. All the other teams, they’re doing the same thing. They’re trying to get better. If you look at team by team, it’s a very competitive division. I don’t think people give it as much respect as they really deserve. I do believe there’s a lot of good talent.”

At least at this point in the offseason — before we can know the extent that the Tigers are willing to spend and the Guardians can improve their offense, and before we can know the direction the Twins will take with their veteran players and the acclimation speed of the Royals’ top prospects — it’s a race with a clear favorite. But everyone is within the margin of error, and the White Sox know it.

“Detroit is going to be stronger next year; there’s no doubt about that,” said Hahn. “Kansas City gave us trouble all this year and they’re going to be better next year. And certainly, over the length of my tenure with this club, the last thing I’m ever going to do is underestimate what the Twins or (Guardians) are capable of doing. So we’re going to get pushed next summer. And it’s going to be a little bit different because as the reigning division champs, we’re going to be more of the hunted, so it’s going to be a little bit of a different approach when teams play us.”

“I think that all the teams in our division, in particular next year, they all have a chance to win it,” said Avila.

Dolans seek to sell larger share of Cleveland Guardians to new partner, but path to majority ownership complicates deal



CLEVELAND, OHIO - JULY 23: Cleveland Indians team owner and chairman Paul Dolan talks to members of the media during a press conference announcing the name change from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on July 23, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel and Daniel Kaplan 3h ago 23
CLEVELAND — Paul Dolan has ramped up efforts to find a minority investor to purchase a considerable stake and an eventual controlling interest in Cleveland’s Major League Baseball franchise.

Dolan, the chairman, CEO and owner of the franchise, has tasked sports banking boutique Allen & Co., sources told The Athletic, with directing a search for a partner for the Dolan family, which has owned the team since 1999. Five years ago, the same firm — led by Steve Greenberg, son of Hall of Famer and former Cleveland general manager Hank Greenberg — pinpointed John Sherman as the right choice to join Cleveland’s ownership ranks.

Dolan and the company are now seeking a replacement for Sherman, who left Cleveland’s organization to purchase his hometown Kansas City Royals in 2019. Dolan appears to be willing to fork over a larger slice of the franchise this time. Sources said Allen & Co., a New York-based investment bank, has been shopping equity representing 30 to 40 percent of the team.

“So what Paul and Sherman agreed to is to hire Allen & Company” jointly, a finance source said. “Not only are they selling the Sherman stake, but a piece of Paul’s stake too.”

Sherman’s investment increased during his three years with the franchise, reaching nearly 30 percent by the time of his departure. Several sources have insisted Dolan is only seeking an investor to secure a minority share of the franchise at this time.

Any arrangement is expected to include a pathway to majority ownership for the new investor, but that feature likely would not materialize for at least five years, sources said. Pathways to control are not uncommon features of limited partner sales, but the timing is always far more compressed.

And that might be what is making this sales pitch underwhelming to potential suitors.

“Well, I mean, at first, it was all over the place,” the finance source said. “First it was like, kind of a control sale, you know, a path to control, which was relatively short. And then it got longer and longer. And it sounds to me like Paul changed his mind and isn’t ready to cede control anytime soon.”

During these conversations, Cleveland’s brass has placed a $1.4 billion valuation on the franchise, a 21 percent increase on a recent Forbes estimate, so a partnership would require a hefty financial commitment. But in the short term, the investor would be limited to the perks of a minority owner, rather than wield the control and influence a principal owner typically possesses.

Dolan might not view it in that manner, though. He told The Athletic over the summer that he cherished the partnership he created with Sherman and wanted to replicate such a relationship with his eventual replacement. Dolan has conversed with and even hosted candidates at Progressive Field, including Stanley Middleman, founder of New Jersey-based Freedom Mortgage. The team’s preferred timetable for adding a minority owner is unclear.

Sherman, in his accord with Cleveland, had a pathway to becoming majority owner, but sources stressed the timeline was left to Dolan’s discretion. Sherman’s shares have been sitting in escrow since he departed for Kansas City. Dolan has worked with Sherman and MLB to identify a replacement, with that project rising up the priority list in recent months, especially as the club completed the processes of changing its name and extending its ballpark lease.

Dolan had previously enlisted the help of Inner Circle Sports to shop Sherman’s shares, sources said. That firm, which brokered Sherman’s Royals purchase, is no longer involved, sources said.

The Dolans, a family of lawyers, purchased the franchise from the Jacobs family in 1999 for $323 million. Forbes pegged its value at about $1.16 billion in March. Paul Dolan, now 63, took over as controller of the organization from his father, Larry, in 2013.

Cleveland’s payroll tumbled to an American League-low $50 million for the 2021 season, its lowest figure in a decade and a little more than one-third of where it stood three years ago. The team has cited the pandemic and a lack of fan-driven revenue as the impetus for curtailing its spending, though the payroll-trimming commenced before the shortened, fan-less 2020 season. With Sherman on board, the franchise spent more than it ever had, including granting Edwin Encarnación a team-record $60 million over three years prior to the 2017 campaign.

Dolan and team president Chris Antonetti have both told The Athletic that the club’s payroll will rebound this winter, though it’s not expected to return to the heights it reached a few years ago. The league’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1, leaving teams uncertain about whether there will be changes to revenue sharing, free agency and arbitration. Aside from a $12 million option the club recently exercised on perennial MVP candidate José Ramírez for the 2022 season, Cleveland has no guaranteed player contracts on the books.

As Dolan attempts to recruit a new partner to Cleveland, his franchise is embarking on an offseason of change. Team executives have privately expressed confidence that their conflict with a local roller derby outfit over trademark rights to the Guardians handle will ultimately be a footnote as they finalize their name change, officially adopt the new moniker and begin to sell merchandise in the coming days. The new lease, once approved by the city, would secure the team in Cleveland for at least the next 15 years. The deal also includes a pair of five-year options that would stretch the lease through the 2046 season.

The pact would provide $435 million in ballpark funding, with nearly half of that sum covering capital repairs and the rest financing renovations, which would begin next year. Progressive Field has already started to receive a makeover, however, as the Brilliant Electric Sign Company removed the script Indians that has been perched atop the scoreboard since the venue opened in 1994.

Teams With The Toughest Decisions Ahead Of 40-Man Roster Protection Deadline

Teams In A Jam

2. Cleveland Guardians.

Cleveland currently sits at 36 players on the 40-man roster, so it has some room for additions. But it has nearly eight or more players who it needs to at least consider adding.

Shortstop/second baseman Tyler Freeman, shortstop Brayan Rocchio, shortstop Jose Tena, outfielder George Valera and catcher Bryan Lavastida all seem like logical additions.

Outfielder Oscar Gonzalez had a breakout season, hitting 31 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A. The Guardians thought enough about him to re-sign him and keep him from becoming a minor league free agent, but now they have to decide whether to protect him. Corner infielder Jhonkensy Noel hasn’t played above Class A yet, but he hit .340/.390/.615 this year. Center fielder Steven Kwan hit .328/.407/.527 between Double-A and Triple-A. Infielder Richie Palacios, righthander Cody Morris and lefthander Konnor Pilkington also have solid cases for protection.

I vote for all 11 and can name 7 guys of the 36 I'd be happy to see leave

Usually the Rule 5 draft is much ado about nothing.

No hand wringing or gnashing of teeth.

Sometimes I wonder whether teams would rather have the $100K than keep their marginal players.