Some Areas Where Tribe Would Like To Get Answers.

Friday night, the Cleveland Indians will commence the second half of the baseball season with a three game series in Oakland, which over the past few seasons has been a house of horrors for the Tribe.

Eli Morgan, Cal Quantrill, and Zach Plesac take the hill against the A’s, which is a bit comforting in that the first two have at least given Terry Francona five solid innings for the most part, and Plesac is the only holdover from the opening day rotation.

Regardless of what happens during these critical first ten games after the break, the Tribe organization would like to get some questions answered for the rest of this season.

Centerfield. Francona has mixed and matched at this position all season long. Bradley Zimmer has played the most games in center (36), followed by Jordan Luplow (22), Harold Ramirez (20), and amazingly Amed Rosario (18).

But Zimmer has shown no offensive ability other than being hit by pitches and stealing bases. He is probably the best defender at the position though. Oscar Mercado was called up a couple of weeks ago, and so far, has done okay at the plate (843 OPS in 35 plate appearances). Is that sustainable?

When can Luplow return? Can he provide another option in the middle of the outfield?

It would be nice if someone could seize the job for the rest of the season. However, we don’t see that happening.

First Base. Certainly, Bobby Bradley is giving the Indians much better production than they received out of the Jake Bauers/Yu Chang platoon. But can the left-handed power hitter provide consistency?

Bradley started out like a house afire, going 12 for his first 32 (.375) with four home runs and 11 RBIs. Then, he went through a stretch where he went 2 for 28, striking out 10 times. In his last 44 at bats, he has 11 hits, four of them dingers.

Hopefully, Bradley can keep the cold streaks to a minimum and even when he’s not hitting balls over the walls, he can contribute offensively by mixing in some base hits and walks. That’s been a problem for him in his career.

Triston McKenzie. If Cleveland is to weather the storm until Shane Bieber and/or Aaron Civale get back, they need McKenzie to step up. The soon to be 24-year-old has had trouble throwing strikes all year long, walking 7.3 hitters per nine innings.

However, he has also struck out 12.4 batters per nine. He returned from AAA last Friday night and threw seven one-hit innings, fanning nine Kansas City hitters. He also set a team record earlier in the season, whiffing eight straight White Sox batters.

The stuff is obviously there. If the young right-hander can repeat his delivery and throw strikes consistently, he can take a huge stride toward being a legitimate starting pitcher in the majors.

And he doesn’t have to throw seven innings allowing just one hit to do that.

Defense. To be kind, the Tribe’s defense to date has been atrocious, and that of course, doesn’t help the pitching staff. Some of the reason for that was putting players in spots they really can’t handle defensively in order to get their bats in the lineup (see Harold Ramirez CF).

But Cesar Hernandez has had a tough go this season, and Amed Rosario still makes people nervous every time a ground ball is hit his way.

Hopefully, this area improves as the season goes on.

No games until Friday is a tough thing for a baseball fan. Hopefully, when play resumes this weekend, the Indians’ can start getting some clarity on these questions.

Contention Or Not, Strategy At Trade Deadline Is Same For Tribe

It would be easy to say the 10 game stretch after the All Star Game will determine how the Cleveland Indians approach the MLB trading deadline at the end of July. After all, the Tribe will start the proverbial second half of the season with series against the A’s, Astros, and Rays.

Many people will say a lack of success against those teams, with three of the top five records in the American League will put the Indians in selling mode.

However, we don’t think it will make much of a difference either way.

First, who would GM Mike Chernoff be willing to sell? Eddie Rosario would be a candidate, but he is hurt right now, and it doesn’t appear he will be ready to play before the deadline. And whether the Tribe is still in contention or not, they may try to move 2B Cesar Hernandez in order to see what Owen Miller, Ernie Clement, or even Andres Gimenez can do in the last two months of the season.

The signing of veteran catcher Wilson Ramos to a minor league contract, may mean the front office is working on a deal for one of their catchers, either Roberto Perez or Austin Hedges, we would bet the latter is more likely.

And veteran reliever Bryan Shaw, although he hasn’t pitched as well lately as he did earlier in the season is still having a fine season (2-3, 3.08 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 38 innings), might be an interesting piece in the bullpen for a team with World Series expectations.

One thing that isn’t discussed enough is the glut of prospects Cleveland has that need to be protected in the Rule 5 draft during the winter meetings in December. They have more players than spots that will likely be available on the 40 man roster, and that might play a part in what they do at the end of this month.

Chernoff and team president Chris Antonetti will likely take the same tact they have the last two seasons, meaning they will look for young, controllable players who may be able to help this year, but will be key parts of the 2022 and 2023 Cleveland Indians.

The one difference if Terry Francona’s squad comes through those first ten games after the Midsummer Classic in good shape, is that the brass might look for a pitcher who can help stabilize the starting rotation right now.

Zach Plesac is back, but it would appear the Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale will not return until next month, so getting an arm who can provide quality innings right now might be in play. But we would not expect a rental piece.

The Tribe might also make decisions on some players who have been around the organization for awhile as well. It appears Daniel Johnson will get an extended look while Rosario is out, and the Indians need to make a decision on Bradley Zimmer, Oscar Mercado, and Yu Chang.

Chang has been sent to Columbus, so perhaps that decision has been made.

It wouldn’t be a shock to us, if either Zimmer or Mercado is cut loose at the end of this month.

We could also get our first glimpse of Nolan Jones after August 1st. The Tribe would probably like to get a good look at him during the rest of this season to get an idea of what they have going into 2022.

We believe that Antonetti and Chernoff will be busy before the deadline, but it won’t be a “fire sale”, and whether the team is still in contention or not, the aim will be the same.

Bring in young, controllable players who can help in the future while weeding out players who likely wouldn’t be back next season.

That’s essentially what they did in getting Franmil Reyes and Josh Naylor the past two years.

Asking Questions About Cavs And The Draft

The NBA Draft is three weeks away, and the rumors abound not only about what the Cleveland Cavaliers will do, but what the teams who have the first and second selections will do as well.

It is the silly season, that’s for sure.

There have been rumors about the Cavs trading up to #1, presumably to draft Cade Cunningham, the consensus (at least he has been) best player in the draft.

However, we have heard a lot of crazy stuff for sure since the draft lottery put Cleveland in the #3 position.

We heard one pundit say Jalen Green is going to average 30 points per game someday. Does that guy understand how hard that is?

Since 2010-11, there have been 10 occurrences of a player averaging 30 points per game, and six players have accomplished the feat: James Harden (3X), Bradley Beal and Stephen Curry (both twice), and Damian Lillard, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Durant.

That’s it.

We aren’t saying Green will never be able to do it, but predicting that is just insane to us.

We have also seen a lot of discussion about the Cavs taking Evan Mobley if he is sitting there when the Cleveland picks. We would be very, very careful about that pick, mostly because we don’t know if Mobley can defend inside.

Yes, he will be able to block shots, but can he handle the pounding he will receive with his slight frame? We heard someone saying he might be a good NBA player in 2024, and that’s exactly the point here. We aren’t sure Koby Altman and J.B. Bickerstaff can wait.

It is our opinion that pretty much everyone who plays in the NBA can put the ball in the basket. Obviously, the best players in the game are the ones who can do it on an every night basis, but unsung guys will have games where they score 25 points one night. It happens all the time.

However, playing time is earned on what you can do on the defensive end. Yes, yes, we’ve heard folks who don’t understand the game say no one in the NBA plays defense. We would instruct those people to watch a few of the more recent All Star Games, where no one is really interested in stopping anyone.

So our question is can Mobley be good enough defensively to get significant playing time or is he a project? And if the latter is true, it’s difficult to use the third overall pick on him.

We also believe in size. Of course, everyone can come up with cases where an undersized player or team has succeeded in the NBA, but by and large, if you have skilled bigger athletes who can play the position, you have a better chance.

Why is LeBron James so great? One reason is he has the skills of a small forward, and is bigger than pretty much anyone he plays against. Someone once said about him that if you are as big as him, you aren’t as quick, and if you are as quick as him, you aren’t as big.

That sums it up.

And that’s another reason we feel the Cavs’ roster needs an overhaul, no matter who they draft at the end of this month.

If they draft Green, he could play small forward, but then where does Isaac Okoro fit in? Height-wise, Okoro is probably a #2 guard, but the Cavaliers already have Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. And Green probably fits better as a scoring guard anyway.

The same is true if they draft Jalen Suggs, the point guard out of Gonzaga. The players who fit the team’s biggest need, a small forward, would be the players considered to be the 5th and 6th best players available, Jonathan Kuminga and Scottie Barnes.

Then you have the age old problem of drafting for need instead of talent. That would be a tough thing to do considering the Cavs are a team that needs impact talent too.

We are interested in seeing how it all plays out…

When It Comes To WAR, Tribe Every Day Players Rank Low

Since we are halfway through the Major League Baseball season, we thought it would be a good time to evaluate the performance of the roster of the local nine, the Cleveland Indians.

And if look at WAR (Wins Above Replacement), at least according to BaseballReference.com, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

According to their version of the formula, the Indians rank third from the bottom for non-pitchers, ahead of only the Orioles and Tigers. Even with all the injuries to the pitching staff, Cleveland pitchers rank 4th, behind only the Yankees, White Sox, and Blue Jays.

To break it down further for the guys who stand on the mound, Tribe starters rank 8th, which could have been expected considering the injuries to Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, and Aaron Civale, and the performance of the hurlers who replaced them.

However, the Indians’ bullpen ranks second in the AL, trailing just Boston.

As for the position players, it’s not a pretty picture. Since there are 15 American League teams, we will consider the top eight to be in the top half of the league. Using that standing, the Tribe has only two positions ranking in the top half, third base, of course manned by Jose Ramirez, the team’s best player and an All Star for the third time, and DH.

Franmil Reyes is the usual designated hitter, and his OPS (914) leads the team. And while Reyes was out, Terry Francona used a number of players at the spot to give them rest, one of whom was Ramirez.

The next highest ranking by position is rightfield, manned most often by the now injured Josh Naylor, followed by Harold Ramirez, who has an OPS of just under 800 (785).

Cleveland ranks in the bottom three at two positions, catcher and second base. We know the team values defense first and foremost at the catcher position, but having Roberto Perez out for two months didn’t help. And that said, we felt Austin Hedges did a marvelous job handling the pitchers, many of whom are getting their first big league experience.

Despite the good defense, Perez and Hedges have combined to hit .146 with 7 HR and 22 RBI. Those numbers are slightly better than having the pitcher hitting.

At second, Cesar Hernandez has put up surprising power numbers, he is one off his career high in HR, but his on base percentage is not what the brass is looking for and his defense hasn’t been what it was a year ago.

They are one spot above that at first base and leftfield. Bobby Bradley has helped the numbers at first, but that was after watching two months of a Jake Bauers/Yu Chang platoon at the position. The left-handed hitter has belted 8 homers and drawn 10 walks to date.

Eddie Rosario has been the primary guy in left, and although he’s been hitting better in the past month, his OPS is still under 700 (685). And let’s just say, he’s not going to win a Gold Glove anytime soon.

That would leave SS and surprisingly CF as the next best positions. Amed Rosario has stabilized short, but despite being hot over the last six weeks, he still has a 690 OPS, which is below average. The Tribe is still looking for someone to take charge in center.

It just shows there is still a lot of progress needed in the everyday lineup, and how the organization has worked around this to still have a winning record.

We don’t think WAR is the end all, be all statistic in baseball. But using it to compare the production of your team vs. others seems legitimate

Tribe Should Have Heeded Tito’s Adage

Terry Francona has always said when you think you have enough pitching, you go out and get some more. It’s too bad his bosses didn’t heed his advise.

We know the Indians have traded away a lot of pitching over the last two and a half years, moving former Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber, and then Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger in deadline deals in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

The organization has done a tremendous job developing young pitchers. The current (if healthy) top of the rotation features three pitchers drafted in 2016: Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, and Aaron Civale. Going into spring training, the fourth and fifth spots appeared to belong to Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie.

We wrote at the time that outside of Bieber, none of those guys had more than 300 big league innings under their belt, and it would be wise to trade for or sign at least one experience arm.

Pitchers like Tijuan Walker (6-3, 2.38 ERA with the Mets), Jake Odorizzi (2-3, 4.08 ERA with Houston), and Tyler Anderson (3-8, 4.75 ERA with Pittsburgh) among others all were available shortly before spring training started. And none of them signed for huge amounts of money, always a consideration for the frugal Cleveland franchise.

Perhaps the organization got too caught up in the success of Bieber, Plesac, and Civale, all of whom seemed to have very little growing pains coming up to the bigs. Or more realistically, the ownership would not allow for the signing of a veteran hurler to add another proven arm.

Quantrill had command issues in spring training (he’s still going through them), so he went back to the bullpen, because of that and the fact that Logan Allen pitched extremely well in Arizona.

When the regular season started, Allen couldn’t keep the ball in the yard, and McKenzie, who opened as the 5th starter, couldn’t throw strikes.

They tried 24-year-old Sam Hentges, 24-year-old JC Mejia, and 25-year-old Eli Morgan, none of whom had any major league experience, and none were experiencing any great success in the minors.

When Bieber got the call in 2018, he was 6-1 with a 1.47 ERA in 13 starts at AAA and AA. Plesac came up in 2019 out of necessity due to injuries, but he was 4-2 with a 1.70 ERA in 10 starts in the high minors. Civale was 7-1, 2.43 in 13 starts in ’19 when he got the call.

By contrast, Hentges didn’t even pitch in the minors this year, nor last season due to the pandemic. His last minor league season was spent in Akron in ’19, where he went 2-11 with a 5.13 ERA.

Mejia had made two career starts above Class A in his life, both this year, before getting called up. He was 3-1 with an ERA just over four in Hi-A ball, in 2019, pitching just 33 innings.

Morgan made four starts this year at Columbus (4.67 ERA) and made 19 starts in AAA two years ago, with a 3.79 ERA.

We understand the organization didn’t think the latter trio was ready for the big league rotation now, but they left themselves no room for error.

And when Plesac went down on May23rd, the Tribe could’ve signed a free agent not currently in anyone’s organization and they would be ready now to help the team over this hurdle.

Rick Porcello, Cole Hamels, and Anibal Sanchez are just three pitchers still unattached, and another Homer Bailey, just signed with Oakland. Could any of those guys have helped? There is no way of knowing, but at the very least, they could have bought time for the youngsters.

They could’ve made a trade as well, although we would like to think Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff tried. It is well documented the organization has a ton of middle infielders regarded as good prospects. Move one of them for a starter who can soak up innings without taking the team out of a game early.

Perhaps the Indians can whether the current storm and stay in the race for the playoffs, and if they do and come up just short, they could point to these games pitched by men who weren’t ready to handle the job.

The point is the front office (including ownership) should have listened to their skipper. Heading into spring training, the pitching staff was very inexperienced. They pretended it wasn’t an issue.

Baker’s A System QB? How About He Has A Smart Coach.

We have said many times that sports commentators’ opinion on Baker Mayfield is based on what they thought of him prior to the 2019 NFL Draft.

If they liked the former Heisman Trophy winner then, they like him now, and if they didn’t like him, they find another reason for why the first overall pick in ’19 took the Browns to the playoffs last season.

Apparently, those people have a problem admitting they were wrong.

The latest discussion about Mayfield concerns whether or not he is a “franchise” quarterback or a “system” quarterback. We understand it’s summer and no football is going on right now, and the talking heads have to discuss something.

The criticism of Mayfield is that Browns’ coach Kevin Stefanski put him in this offense and that’s why Mayfield succeeded. Isn’t the epitome of coaching looking at a player and putting him in a position to get the most out of his talent?

Stefanski did what any good coach would do. He looked at Mayfield’s strength and weaknesses and did things to maximize the best things he does and didn’t ask him to do what he wasn’t capable of doing.

If that makes him a “system” quarterback, then so be it.

There is a difference between protecting a quarterback that has limited ability and having him make use of what he does well so he can perform better.

Often times, when a rookie quarterback comes into the game without experience, coaches have him dink and dunk down the field giving them safe, low risk passes. To us, that’s being a system quarterback, having the passer try to not lose the game, instead of winning it.

That’s not what Stefanski did with Mayfield. He is very accurate moving out of the pocket on bootleg rollouts, the game plan used those early in games to get him comfortable. We are sure Bill Belichick did the same thing with Tom Brady, and probably Paul Brown did the same thing with Otto Graham. It simply makes sense.

Mayfield takes hits for a lower than average completion percentage, ranking 30th in the NFL in that category in 2020, but really, the Browns’ offense doesn’t have him throwing a lot of short dump off throws to running backs, which would elevate that figure.

A couple of better things to look at is yards per completion, where Mayfield’s 11.7 figure ranks 7th in the league, a half yard behind Patrick Mahomes, and just ahead of Aaron Rodgers and Josh Allen.

Mayfield also ranks in the top five in completion percentage on deep throws, defined by traveling over 20 yards in the air. Wouldn’t you rather have that than a 70% completion rate on a bunch of short passes?

As for being a franchise quarterback? That’s based on results over time. As we have said previously, if the Browns go to the playoffs in 2021, he’ll ascend to most people’s top ten in the game lists.

If the Browns go to the conference championship game or dare we say, the Super Bowl, he’ll be a franchise quarterback. That’s how it works.

But don’t criticize him or any player for having coaches who have the sense to be good coaches and put players in positions to succeed.

Tribe Still Has Leadoff Woes

Former Indians’ manager Mike Hargrove used to say if a team had a leadoff hitter and a cleanup hitter, everything else kind of fell into place in terms of making out the batting order.

This season, the #4 spot in the order has been one of the more productive spots for the Tribe, with an OPS of 746, ranking third for the season behind the #3 spot, occupied by Jose Ramirez, and the #5 spot, which has an OPS of 781, and has the most home runs (19) of any spot.

However, the leadoff spot continues to be troubling.

Since the job at that spot is to get on base, having a .287 on base percentage from that spot means more often than not, the game starts with one out. And only the #7 and #9 have a more difficult time reaching base safely.

Last season, Cesar Hernandez did a great job in the leadoff spot. He had a .355 OBP, pretty much in line with his career norm. However this season, that figure has dropped to .299. Ideally, a .350 figure equals being a good leadoff man. Right now, it’s a problem for an offense that struggles to score runs, ranking below average in the AL in that department.

The .299 figure is based on the entire season. After Hernandez was moved into the #1 hole by Terry Francona in May, his on base average is actually the same at .299

Granted, the switch-hitter has hit in tough luck for much of the season. He has hit an inordinate amount of line drives that have resulted in outs. So, maybe those liners will start dropping and the former Phillie will get on a hot streak.

He does have a 792 OPS vs. southpaws, but that is a result of hitting for more power right-handed. He has a .476 slugging percentage vs. LHP compared to just .337 vs. right-handers. His on base figure is comparable, .289 vs. RHP and .316 vs. lefties.

The real problem for Francona is there isn’t a viable alternative on the roster. Among players with more than 100 plate appearances, Ramirez gets on base the most at .347, but moving him to the leadoff spot creates a hole at #3.

By the way, that isn’t a reason to not hit him there. We would seriously consider it because it would also get him up to the plate more often.

Ranking behind Ramirez is the injured Jordan Luplow (.331), who actually did leadoff quite a bit before Hernandez was moved there. He still ranks third on the team in walks behind Hernandez and Ramirez. Following Luplow is Amed Rosario with a .331 OBP.

Bradley Zimmer has a .353 on base average, but that figure is skewed because he has been hit by six pitches to date. Without those, his figure drops to .288. If he could promise to keep getting hit, maybe he could bat first, but it doesn’t seem like that’s something that can be sustained.

At Columbus, Owen Miller has a .407 figure, but he struggled when given an opportunity with the big club. Both Gabriel Arias and Nolan Jones are over .350, but neither has spent a day in the majors and thrusting them into the leadoff spot puts a lot of pressure on a young player.

So, the alternatives are hoping Hernandez’ line drives start falling in or putting Ramirez in the top spot in the order, which might work when Franmil Reyes comes back. Francona could go–

Ramirez
A. Rosario
E. Rosario
Reyes
Bradley

Getting guys on base leading off an inning really helps an offense, it doesn’t take a genius to see that. It certainly would help the Cleveland offense.

Is Zimmer’s Rope Getting Shorter?

Besides trying to win baseball games, it feels like the Cleveland Indians’ organization has another objective during the 2021 season. That would be making final decisions on some players.

The Tribe decided to keep Jake Bauers on the Opening Day roster, despite Bobby Bradley having a better spring (not that spring training statistics should be meaningful), because Bauers was out of option and couldn’t be sent to the minors without being put on waivers.

Bauers didn’t take advantage of the opportunity, hitting just .190 (557 OPS) in 113 plate appearances, with just two home runs, before being traded to Seattle. (We do have to point out, he is hitting .315 with a homer in 54 at bats with Seattle).

Yu Chang is getting his first extended look on the roster, and he is struggling too, batting just .167 (488 OPS) in 102 at bats. Chang is 25 years old, and our guess is his roster spot is currently on a day-to-day basis.

Right now, it feels like Bradley Zimmer, a former first round pick in 2014, is in the same situation. Zimmer, who is a tremendous athlete, can run like a deer, and is clearly the best defensive outfielder on the roster.

Unfortunately, he also has to put a bat in his hands every once in awhile.

When Zimmer got the call to the big leagues in 2017, he hit the ground running, batting 285 in his first 151 at bats, with five home runs and a 790 OPS. However, since the All Star break that season, the 21st pick in 2014, has 370 at bats, and has hit .200 in that period, with just six dingers and 151 strikeouts.

That latter total is astounding, considering the lack of pop and the lack of walks. The only two things that stand out to us offensively is he has been hit by 10 pitches in 2020-21, in just 128 plate appearances, and he has stolen six bases.

Terry Francona loves his defense in the middle of the outfield for sure, who wouldn’t? Cleveland has gone through Ben Gamel, Amed Rosario, Jordan Luplow, and Harold Ramirez in center, and by far Zimmer is the best at going out the catching the ball.

However, we always maintain the as great as Ozzie Smith and Omar Vizquel were defensively, if they could not hit respectably, they would have found themselves on a bench more often than not. You have to be able to hit to play.

The best role for Zimmer right now might be as a defensive replacement late in close games where the Indians have the lead. Start Ramirez in center, and if you have the lead after six, move him to another spot and let Zimmer patrol center.

The question is will the organization give him more rope, and if they move on, who gets the next shot? Oscar Mercado is hitting just .220 at Columbus, but his walk rate has improved, and that has been a big problem in the past. We have seen opposing pitchers seemingly try to walk Mercado, only to see him keep swinging.

Daniel Johnson is batting just .223, but has banged out 20 extra base hits, leading to a .458 slugging percentage. And perhaps he has the same problem Bobby Bradley had when he was sent out after spring training. That is a feeling he should be in the bigs.

Or could Andres Gimenez be brought back to play SS, with Amed Rosario going back to centerfield. Gimenez has an 834 OPS at Columbus, but has a poor 35:8 strikeout to walk ratio.

Is Bradley Zimmer getting his last shot with Cleveland? He still can be sent to the minor leagues or he can be useful as a 26th man. Either way, if he can’t improve his hitting, he likely won’t get another shot with the Tribe.

What Should Cavs Do With Third Overall Pick?

The Cleveland Cavaliers got some lottery luck Tuesday night. moving up in the process to get the third overall pick in this summer’s draft.

Now, the speculation can begin. What should the Cavs do this summer so they can win more often during the 2021-22 season.

You have to assume the Pistons will select Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick, so Cleveland will be reliant on what the Rockets will do with the second overall pick. But likely they will have to choose between USC big man Evan Mobley, Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs, or Jalen Green, who spent the season in the G League.

Any of those choices would likely cause of reshuffling of the roster, at least to us.

Why take the 7’0″ Mobley if the wine and gold will be offering Jarrett Allen a long term contract this off-season? Our other issue on him is his weight, he likely needs to put on 30-40 pounds to withstand the pounding NBA big men take inside. He will surely have to play there on the defensive end.

As for drafting Mobley and dealing Allen? We know the type of player Allen is and he is just 23 years old. He’s demonstrated he can play and will likely continue to get better. If Allen were approaching 30, trading him might make sense. Right now, he seems to be a guy you should be building around.

Green is a 6’6″ shooting guard, which would seem to put four players (Green, Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, and Isaac Okoro) at guard, but only two can play at a time, and you can only get enough minutes to keep three of them happy. We understand Okoro played small forward much of his rookie year, but his size would seem to indicate his future is at guard.

The second best player in the draft after Cunningham just might be Suggs, the 6’4″ lead guard who helped take his college team to the NCAA title game. If Houston passes on him, the Cavs almost have to take him, right?

GM Koby Altman’s history has been to pick the best player available, so if Houston passes on Suggs (they have John Wall, although they are probably trying to move him), do the Cavs take him? Again, if they do, it would seem they would have to reshuffle the roster, particularly in the backcourt.

He’s strong, a good passer, and can defend either guard spot.

For us, we would take either Suggs or Green and then see what you can get for one of the starting guards currently on the roster, and try to fill the biggest position of need (as we see it) on the roster, that being at small forward. Cleveland desperately needs someone at that spot that demands attention from other teams defensively.

Which leads us to the other debate surrounding the Cavs this week, would/should they try to get Ben Simmons if Philadelphia wants to move him?

That answer is unequivocally yes. Simmons is probably one of the top 25-30 players in the league, his playoff performance vs. Atlanta not withstanding.

No, he’s not a good shooter, but on the other hand, he knows it and does force shots. He’s a very good passer, good rebounder, and was runner up for defensive player of the year, something the Cavaliers need badly.

Now, the question is do the Cavs have what the Sixers want? My guess is they would want Garland and Larry Nance Jr. for starters. That’s the bigger question.

Our guess is winding up with the third pick will mean a roster shakeup for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and a reshuffling of what has been ridiculously called the “Core Four”.

Get ready for an interesting basketball summer.

If Tribe Can Hang In, Will The Front Office Get Some Help?

The Cleveland Indians were thought to have a softer part of their schedule in June. Starting June 4th, the Tribe started a stretch of 24 games in which only the Cubs and Cardinals had winning records.

To date, they probably haven’t fared as well as they would have liked, with an 9-7 record entering play on Monday night at Wrigley Field. However, they have trimmed a game and a half off the AL Central Division lead, and now sit just two games out (just one in the loss column).

And they are also just two games out of the second wild card spot in the American League, meaning they are very much in the post-season race.

As we approach the end of July trading deadline, the question must be asked: Will the Indians be buyers or sellers come the end of next month.

Certainly, much depends on how Terry Francona’s squad does in the brutal stretch coming up as the calendar turns. Leading up to the All Star Game, Cleveland plays four at home against the Astros, three in Tampa, and come back home for four with the Royals.

The Astros have the league’s best record and the Rays are fifth.

Then, coming out of the break, the Tribe has three with Oakland (currently with the 2nd best record in the AL), three more with Houston, and four at home vs. Tampa, with the Cardinals coming to Progressive Field for two more.

If the Indians emerge from that gauntlet still in the race, doesn’t the front office have to do something to help the current roster down the stretch?

Keep in mind, Cleveland has a boatload of prospects in the lower rungs of the minor leagues, some of which will need to be protected for the Rule 5 draft at the end of the Winter Meetings. They cannot protect all of those players, so it could be prudent for the organization to try to move some for some help on the major league roster.

We aren’t suggesting the team should move the organization’s top prospects, Nolan Jones or Tyler Freeman, and really when you look at deadline deals, it is very rare for another organization to part with their top two or three prospects in the system.

The question is will the Cleveland organization be open to such a move?

Yes, we know that has been the recent history. In 2016, they made a move to get Andrew Miller. In 2017, they got Jay Bruce, and in ’18, it was Brad Hand. The following year, the made the deal to get Franmil Reyes and Yasiel Puig, although it cost them Trevor Bauer.

But those teams had higher expectations coming into the season, although the 2021 Tribe were expected to be competitive, we have a feeling the front office figured this team wasn’t going to be this close at this point in the season.

We don’t know that for sure, but the severe payroll reduction points to just that.

If the front office (and we are including ownership in that group) were really interested in getting to the playoffs this season, they would fortify the roster, particularly the starting pitching staff prior to the stretch of games coming up starting July 1st.

There are plenty of teams already making plans for the winter, so why not try to swing a deal for a serviceable starting pitcher? We know JC Mejia and Sam Hentges did well over the weekend (the former after a bad first inning), but remember, the Pirates have one of the game’s worst offenses.

Playing well over the next six weeks would put a lot of pressure on the organization to help the 2021 edition of the Cleveland Indians. And based on how this group of players and their manager have battled to this point, we wouldn’t put it past them.