All Prospects Don’t Work Out In MLB.

The news has been expected for months, but it was still difficult to hear. On Thursday, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that the Indians plan to trade star shortstop Francisco Lindor, a free agent following the 2021 season, before Opening Day of that campaign.

This got all fans of the Indians starting to speculate what such a deal would mean. We believe it’s the end of the contention window for this current group of Tribesmen, unless the return for Lindor borders on the incredible.

We think the return will be a player who can/will be in the starting lineup for Cleveland next year, although that player won’t be as good as the one being traded, and a high ranked prospect, albeit likely not the #1 prospect in the system of the team trading for the shortstop.

There are also folks who are optimistic about the Tribe’s chances in ’21, because they believe all minor league players turn out to be studs.

We decided to do a little research. In 2005, the Dodgers were judged to have baseball best farm system, so we looked at their top ten prospects.

The #1 guy was SS Joel Guzman, who played all of 24 games in the major leagues. Second was Defiance, Ohio’s own Chad Billingsley, who had several good seasons for LA, but arm problems had him out of the big leagues by 2016. He made one all star game appearance.

Three through ten were relief pitcher Jonathon Broxton, starter Edwin Jackson, 1B James Loney, pitcher Chuck Tiffany, pitcher Yhency Brazoban, INF Delwyn Young, and catchers Dioner Navarro and Russell Martin. Martin’s four all star game appearances are the best of this group.

So, out of these 10 players in the best system in the sport, how many became great players? We’d say none, although Billingsley, Jackson, Broxton, Loney, Navarro, and Martin played for a long time.

Perhaps the best player in the LA system was their 19th ranked prospect, Matt Kemp.

In 2010, the Texas Rangers were deemed to have the best farm system in baseball. Of their top 10 prospects, we find RP Neftali Feliz, 1B Justin Smoak, SP Martin Perez, 1B Mitch Moreland, and RP Robbie Ross. We don’t think you can find any Hall of Fame type players in this group.

Five years later, the Twins top the prospect rankings and of their top ten, several have made a big impact for a team that has been very good in 2019 and 2020. Names like Byron Buxton (#1), Miguel Sano (#2), Jose Berrios (#3), Jorge Polanco (#8), and Eddie Rosario (#10) have been the foundation for the Minnesota resurgence in the past two seasons.

What about the Tribe? In 2010, their top prospect was Carlos Santana, followed by Lonnie Chisenhall, Nick Hagadone, Alex White, Hector Rondon, Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Nick Weglarz, Jason Knapp, and T.J. House, which actually has been a productive group.

In ’15, Lindor was the top prospect, followed by Bradley Zimmer, Clint Frazier, Francisco Mejia, Bobby Bradley, Justus Sheffield, Gio Urshela, Tyler Naquin, Mitch Brown, and James Ramsey.

Out of those 20 names, how many became starting caliber players in the bigs? We’d say seven, and that is including Carrasco, who is a top of the rotation starter, for sure. If Frazier gets regular playing time, he could make it eight.

The point is not all of these players who make these “top prospect” lists all become stars. The late, great Pete Franklin used to say that until proven otherwise, all prospects should be considered suspects.

This isn’t to say you should never play young players. However, it’s tough to field a team full of rookies and expect success.

It also demonstrates why trading star players for prospects in a contending window isn’t usually a good idea. It also shows when you have a great player, you should probably do what you can to keep them.

What Has Gone Right And Wrong For Browns To Date

The Cleveland Browns enter the bye week and the halfway point of the season simultaneously this season at 5-3, better that almost anyone could have hoped for going into the year.

Coming into this COVID-19 affected season, with a shortened training camp and no pre-season games, you have to give GM Andrew Berry and new head coach Kevin Stefanski great marks in putting together a plan that has resulted in winning football, something that hasn’t been seen in this town for a long, long time.

So, since we are at the halfway point, let’s examine what went right or wrong for the brown and orange in an overall surprising first half of the 2020 season.

What went right? First, the Browns haven’t had any issues with the coronavirus to date. They had a scare with some false positives right before the regular season started, but to this point, the Browns have been safe and healthy.

The Browns have been one of the highest scoring offenses in the NFL to date, ranking 9th in points scored, despite being held to single digits in three of their eight contests (the three they lost).

There were questions about the offensive line going into camp because 3/5th of the unit had changed, but it has emerged as a strength. Jedrick Wills has been solid as a rookie, although he’s had some first year moments, and we knew Jack Conklin would be solid at RT, but the huge bonus was RG Wyatt Teller.

Teller, who came from Buffalo with a 7th round pick for a 5th and 6th round pick last year, has become one of the league’s best offensive linemen. With Teller starting, Cleveland ran for at least 124 yards in each game.

They haven’t reached that figure since he’s been shelved with a calf injury. The hope is he’ll be back for the game against Houston on November 15th.

We understand the greatness of Nick Chubb, but thank goodness then GM John Dorsey took a chance on Kareem Hunt last season. Hunt was battled through injuries to rank 5th in the league in rushing and touchdowns.

Hunt has been criticized by some because he’s not Chubb, but he’s still a top flight back in the NFL, and the offense is better with both weapons available.

What went wrong? No one was counting on the Browns’ defensive to be a dominating unit, but injuries have really crippled (no pun intended) them.

The team had big expectations for rookie S Grant Delpit and starting CB Greedy Williams, but both have been out all season, forcing the defensive coordinator Joe Woods to go to his depth.

The best linebacker play has come from Malcolm Smith, picked up as a free agent during camp, and free agent signee B.J. Goodson.

Outside of the tremendous season Myles Garrett is putting together, the defensive line has been a huge disappointment. Really, no one outside of the former overall #1 pick has been able to generate any pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

As a result, only the Cowboys and the lowly New York Jets have allowed more points than the Browns this season.

What is expected? Looking at the remaining schedule, the Browns should remain in playoff contention unless there are injury issues. There are three games against what anyone would consider the bottom echelon of the league in Jacksonville, and both New York teams, as well as winnable contests vs. Houston and Philadelphia.

Of course, the Browns need to play well to win, but with the returns of Teller and Chubb coming soon, it should bolster the offense enough to get to at least 9-7 or 10-6.

Browns Can Make Playoffs, But A Defensive Trade Would Give Them A Push

There is no question that fans of the Cleveland Browns, and maybe all professional football teams, are a different lot. Every time they lose, someone must be held responsible.

According to many, the 16-6 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders was due to Kevin Stefanski being out-coached or it was because of a frequent scapegoat, QB Baker Mayfield.

In reality, the reason for the defeat was the 208 yards rushing by the Raiders. As Browns’ fans saw first hand in wins over Cincinnati in week two, and Dallas in week four, when you gain over 200 yards on the ground, you usually win.

The best defense for a good offense, and the Browns have scored over 30 points in all five of their victories this season, is to keep them off the field. The Raiders did that to Cleveland on Sunday, keeping the ball for 37 minutes, compared to 22 for the brown and orange.

Stefanski wasn’t out-coached by Jon Gruden, but the latter’s team out executed the Browns. Mayfield has just six drives for the game, and he had chances to score on three of them, and had the ball in Las Vegas territory when rookie TE Harrison Bryant fumbled in the first quarter.

The difference was Gruden’s defense was kept fresh and got a couple of stops, and in one case where Jamie Gillen was called upon to punt, it was after David Njoku dropped a pass for a first down and a drive could have continued.

As for Mayfield, he wasn’t spectacular like the prior week in Cincinnati, completing 12 of 25 passes for 122 yards in very tough conditions, and he added 29 yards on the ground. But again, he only had six opportunities.

No, the problem was the defense. Actually, they had been decent against the rush coming into the game, ranking in the top ten in the NFL, but you wonder if that had more to do with the fact it is so easy to pass on the unit, that opponents don’t attempt to run.

Opposing teams are going to start considering not suiting up their punters, as the Browns’ defense has forced just one punt over the last two games.

We understand that there is no trade available which is going to make Cleveland a top 10 defense, but perhaps upgrading in a couple of spots will make that unit a little less sieve-like.

This team isn’t a Super Bowl contender, because they aren’t on par with the Chiefs, Steelers, or Ravens, but after 18 seasons of pretty miserable football, a playoff appearance should be the goal. And being able to get off the field defensively now and again, would make that achievement more attainable.

The bigger goal should be a Super Bowl berth, so we wouldn’t make any move involving high draft picks. We’ve seen serviceable players going for 6th and 7th round picks in the past couple of weeks, and certainly that is a reasonable price to pay to get an upgrade right now.

Someone not named Myles Garrett who can put pressure on a quarterback would be nice, as well as some help in the secondary. We understand the defense has had some devastating injuries, particularly to rookie S Grant Delpit and starting CB Greedy Williams.

And DT Andrew Billings opting out of the 2020 season didn’t help the depth of the unit.

The bye week is a perfect time to add some talent and get the players up to speed for the second half of the season, and presumably a playoff push. So, while we wouldn’t say GM Andrew Berry should go all in, he should dip his toe in the trade waters.

Why We Are Critical Of Tribe Ownership.

As an homage to Terry Pluto, we are talking to ourselves this week.

Why do you dislike the Dolan ownership of the Indians so much?

Because we believe there is a trust that when you buy a professional sports team, the agreement with the fans is that you will try to win.

We believe the fans of Cleveland understand the market size and the way baseball is structured the large media markets have an advantage, but we feel a payroll in the $100-110 million range should be sustainable.

And when you have a pair of young superstars, both in their prime years, and a very affordable young pitching staff, you should do want you can to win a world championship.

If you don’t want to make the financial commitment, then sell the team. No one is making anyone own a professional sports team.

Do you believe the Indians’ owners are losing money?

We do not believe any owner of a professional sports team is losing money. With the revenue from media contracts and merchandising, we think all owners of professional sports teams are making money, despite what they try to tell us.

If they were losing money consistently, and knew that by selling the team they could triple their initial investment, they would sell. Everyone would.

Do you think the Dolans miss the cash influx of former minority owner John Sherman?

Certainly, and don’t forget it was reported that Sherman had an option to buy the team. Do you think he would want to do that if the team was hemorrhaging cash?

We would have to believe Sherman knew the profit and loss statement of the Indians. And you know wha t he did? He bought another major league team in a smaller market. Unless Mr. Sherman is into burning money…

What about the low attendance at Progressive Field despite the success of the team?

True, it could and should be better. However, we believe it is on the front office to find out why fans don’t go to the park. In the past three years where fans were allowed in Progressive Field, attendance is at its highest level since 2011.

Remember, gone are the days the Tribe can draw more than 3 million fans. With the remodeling of the park, if the Indians sold out every game, attendance would wind up being just a little over 2.8 million fans. If Cleveland drew at the same percentage of capacity in 2019, they’d have drawn 2.1 million.

No one is obligated or forced to attend games. The front office needs to find out why fans don’t go and fix the problem. Have they? We don’t know.

What do you see for 2021 around baseball?

No doubt Major League Baseball teams lost revenue during the shortened 2020 season with no fans. Will teams be forced to make tough decisions on veteran players who are making big cash? Without a doubt.

However, we do not feel all teams will be in a cost cutting mode.

Remember one thing. The CBA (Collective Bargaining Agreement) end after the 2021 season. Complaining about lost revenue and reducing salaries could be a negotiating tactic. Remember, the owners have been found guilty of collusion before.

Anything else you want to get off your chest?

Yes. One thing we do not understand is the defense of the Dolan ownership and their cost cutting ways by some fans. Why do folks not want the ownership to spend as much as they can? Are they part of the accounting department for the team?

One fear they have is that a new ownership group will move the team. Why don’t the current owners extend the lease agreement with the city for Progressive Field?

Keeping the team in Cleveland is the lowest bar for an owner. Would everyone believe these people would be happy with a team that finishes last every year as long as they are still playing in Cleveland.

What about the moves this week?

Very predictable and actually, we have no problem with them. We didn’t think the Tribe would pick up the options on Brad Hand or Carlos Santana, although it wouldn’t be a shock if the latter returned at a lower salary.

If the front office was going to use the money saved here to upgrade in other areas, that would be fine, but instead fans can apparently look forward to their star shortstop being moved in a deal, and perhaps along with the longest tenured Indian, starter Carlos Carrasco.

Hard to imagine the Indians will be a contender for a playoff spot in 2021.

Trade For Browns? Think Defense First.

The NFL trade deadline doesn’t usually have the juice that the same date has in baseball, basketball, or even hockey, but in recent years there has been more and more activity.

With the loss of Odell Beckham Jr. for the season due to a knee injury, there has been much speculation the Cleveland Browns could be in the market for a replacement for one of their offensive playmakers.

However, would that be the best move GM Andrew Berry could be making?

You see, the Browns are the second highest scoring team in the AFC, behind only the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs. Overall, they have scored the fifth most points in the NFL, topped only by the Buccaneers, Chiefs, Seahawks, and Cardinals.

Outside of the game in Dallas, Kevin Stefanski’s crew has done it without a huge contribution from Beckham, who scored three times that day.

The former Giant is second on the Browns in receptions, behind Jarvis Landry, and just one catch ahead of TE Austin Hooper. He’s also second in receiving yards.

We are not trying to insinuate the Browns won’t miss Beckham. None of the players Cleveland will use to replace him are close to him in terms of talent.

But the team is getting KhaDarel Hodge back from IR and we saw what Rashard Higgins and rookien Donovan Peoples-Jones did against Cincinnati. Higgins had over 100 receiving yards last Sunday, and we would remind you Beckham has just two in 22 games with Cleveland.

Our point is the Browns have plenty of weapons on offense, even without Beckham. Assuming Nick Chubb can return after the bye week (or shortly thereafter), Stefanski still has Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Landry, and Hooper. We would also envision a bigger role for David Njoku and rookie TE Harrison Bryant.

If Berry is going to make a deal, we would look at a defensive unit that has allowed the second highest point total in the NFL, ahead of only Dallas.

That puts a lot of pressure on the offensive to score 30 points virtually every week. In fact, the Browns are 5-0 when they score 30+, and 0-2 when they don’t.

Right now, the Browns have two very good players on that side of the ball. Let us correct that. They have one superstar on defense and a very good cornerback. We are obviously talking about Myles Garrett and Denzel Ward.

There shouldn’t be a debate that if Berry makes a deal, it should be with an eye on improving this area of the team.

Another pass rusher would be ideal, but right now, only Garrett is making his presence felt, and no doubt future opponents see the same thing. Being double teamed is one thing, but the former first overall pick might start seeing three men blocking him, because no one else is applying pressure.

Sheldon Richardson has 2.5 sacks, Adrian Clayborn has 2, and no other defensive lineman has one. In fact, the only linebacker on the board is B.J. Goodson, who has .5. The rest are from blitzing defensive backs.

We certainly aren’t saying to give up high draft picks, but in the past couple of days we’ve seen two pass rushers (Everson Griffen and Carlos Dunlap) go for lower round picks. So it can be done without a high cost.

Another receiver would be nice, sure. But the biggest area of need for the Browns is fixing the porous defense. It probably wouldn’t put Cleveland on par with the likes of the Chiefs, Steelers, or Ravens level, but it would take pressure off the offense to score every time they get the football.

And if you get to the playoffs? Why not win a game or two?

Cold Reality Of Winter To Start For Tribe Fans Soon.

Ever since the Cleveland Indians lost their best of three series in the Wild Card round of the American League playoffs, the organization has been sending a depressing message surrounding the financial state of the franchise.

Be it from the year end press conference with team president Chris Antonetti or the weekly messages sent through the media about the off-season, the front office is making it very well known another reduction in the payroll is coming for the Tribe.

We understand that Major League Baseball teams all lost revenue due to the shortened season and without ticket sales. That is indisputable. What we don’t know is how many teams have been pounding this message to their fan base.

Ticket sales were lost as well as concessions and parking dollars, but keep in mind the Indians paid approximately $70 million less in salaries, and with the schedule kept within the Central Divisions of both leagues, travel expenses were also reduced greatly.

We have said this before, but we wonder how much spending will be down around the sport this winter. It could be tough for some average players, and there could be more players non-tendered rather than offering them arbitration, but our guess is there will be teams trying to make a splash in the free agent and trade market.

None of those teams, by the way, have a World Series title drought equal to the now 73 years without a title that Cleveland has.

What is particularly distressing about this talk by the organization is the success the franchise has enjoyed since Terry Francona became manager in 2013, and the record the Tribe has put together since 2016.

After making the World Series that season, Cleveland has won at least 91 games in every full season, and has made the post-season in four of the last five campaigns. The year they missed out? They won 93 ballgames.

You might think that since the Indians have been in contention for a long period of time, this is a club starting to show some age. However, of the top ten players in WAR on the 2020 Indians, only four are over 30 years old, and three of those players, Cesar Hernandez, Brad Hand, and Carlos Santana, are either free agents and/or have a club option for 2021.

The fourth player is pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who recently has been mentioned in trade rumors.

We should also mention that of this quartet, only Santana will play the 2021 season at over 35 years old. Hernandez and Hand will be just 31.

The other players who are in the top ten in WAR for 2020 (ages in parenthesis)? Shane Bieber (26), Jose Ramirez (28), Zach Plesac (26), Francisco Lindor (27), Tristan McKenzie (23), and James Karinchak (25).

It would seem this group could be the basis of a contending team for quite a few more years. Instead of adding to the group and bolstering the team to get into the playoffs, we hear about payroll reduction and the probable trade of one its best position players (Lindor) and a long time veteran starting pitcher who is still among the game’s best (Carrasco).

Somehow, Indians’ fans are very accepting of this, and we don’t know why. Perhaps young fans have more patience with the process, because, frankly, they can wait 10 years for a title.

With Tampa Bay in the World Series, we have heard fans justifying the cut in spending on players, but who knows when the Rays will get back. Tribe fans thought the Indians would be back soon after 2016, but we are still waiting.

Meanwhile, the Dodgers have been in three of the last four Fall Classics. The Red Sox have won four World Series since the turn of the century. The tried and true way of winning in baseball is accumulating very good players and hold on to them, which Cleveland organization can do, if they so desire.

It may be a cold, angry, and depressing winter for fans of the Cleveland Indians if the payroll will be slashed again. That’s nothing to look forward to.

Whatever The Reason, Nothing Is Clicking With Baker & OBJ

Earlier this week, we asked a question on social media. We wondered what was different between Baker Mayfield’s rookie season, and the other 22 games he has played with the Browns.

A few people responded with the changes in the head coach and the offensive coordinators. No one answered with the response we felt was the difference. That would be the presence of Odell Beckham Jr.

The former Heisman Trophy winner completed 63.8 percent of his throws in his first year in the league, since then? 59.7% He had 27 touchdowns and 14 interceptions as a rookie, he has 32 TD’s and 27 picks since.

His yards per completion increased by a tenth of a yard last year, but it has decreased by more than a yard in 2020.

It has been noted there are have been many differences and we aren’t overlooking the four head coaches and offensive coordinators Mayfield has played for in his 38 NFL starts as a factor. He has never had the opportunity to play in a system and then be able to tweak things in the off-season. He’s always been in a learning mode.

There is no denying that the starting quarterback and the superstar wide receiver haven’t clicked like former GM John Dorsey thought they would when he dealt for Beckham over a year ago.

Beckham Jr. has played 22 games as a member of the Browns, and really, how many of them has he made a major impact?

He’s had two 100 yard receiving games, 161 yards in week two of the ’19 season against the Jets, and 101 vs. Seattle in week six. He’s had just one game with more than one touchdown, that was in his great performance against Dallas three weeks ago.

He’s only caught more than five passes six times, topped by an 8 catch for 66 yards in a loss to Arizona last season.

During his last season with the Giants, a year in which he played just 12 games due to an injury, Beckham had 100+ yard games and seven games with more than five catches. Worse, dating back to his third year in the NFL, OBJ’s team has a 3-8 record when he has over 100 yards receiving.

To be fair, Beckham has played on some lousy football teams, but this year’s Browns’ squad isn’t one of them. Which made his “tired of losing” comments after the loss to Pittsburgh last week a little curious.

There has been no evidence that Beckham is a problem in the locker room, and it appears his teammates like him. But, maybe it’s just that the personalities of Mayfield and Beckham just do not mesh.

On the other hand, we wouldn’t be surprised if Beckham is one of the those guys who sucks the air out of every room he enters.

He’s a big name for sure, but as we have just shown, he’s more reputation than production throughout his tenure with the Browns. He’s a media favorite, but that’s more for his career before he came to Cleveland.

In terms of his place on the roster, would OBJ even rank as one of the five best players on the Browns? No doubt Myles Garrett would rank #1, and you have Nick Chubb, Denzel Ward, Kareem Hunt, and his fellow wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who since his former college teammate arrived also has two 100 yard games, both in wins, and also has one game with more than one TD.

Yet every game, there is the need from fans and media alike to “get OBJ involved”. When Chubb is healthy, wouldn’t it behoove the Browns to get Chubb going right away?

If Mayfield feels a need in each game to get the ball to Beckham then someone should have a talk with him. His job should be to guide the offense and produce victories, not accumulate stats for a particular player.

It would be interesting to see how Mayfield would play without Beckham in the equation. Would it make a difference in his game? We may never find out.

But it is pretty obvious there is no connection between the two players. Mayfield and Landry have it, heck, Rashard Higgins and Mayfield have more of a chemistry.

Something isn’t clicking though. Can it be fixed and is Kevin Stefanski the guy who can make it happen?

Browns Need Draft To Address Defense, Not QB

In our last post, we talked about Baker Mayfield and asked the people who have seen enough of him as the quarterback of the Cleveland Browns what is the alternative.

We know the other QB on the roster, Case Keenum, will be 33 years old soon, and has a 27-35 record as a starter, with just one season, 2017 with the Vikings, with a winning record. His record taking the opening offensive snap that season was 11-3.

This means, even with rudimentary math skills, other than that season, Keenum is 16-32 as a starter, so he is not exactly a QB who raises his team over their shortcomings. He’s a journeyman. He’s a good backup because he’s a former starter in the league, but we don’t think for a minute that Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt want to explore a scenario where Keenum is getting the majority of snaps for the Browns.

What this also means is if Mayfield will not be the quarterback in 2021, his replacement isn’t on the roster right now.

Where would the Browns find a replacement?

Keep in mind, the Browns still have weaknesses on the defensive side of the football, and we would have expected a great deal of next spring’s NFL Draft (to be held here in Cleveland) will be spent upgrading that unit.

Right now, the defense has Myles Garrett, a candidate for the league’s defensive player of the year, and a very good cornerback in Denzel Ward, although many around northeast Ohio don’t seem to realize how good he is.

Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson are solid on the defensive line, but the linebacking corps and the safety positions have to be addressed if the Browns are going to be on the same level as the Ravens and Steelers.

So, trading draft picks to either move up in the draft or to get a veteran starting quarterback from another team looking to rebuild inhibits the team’s ability to address the defense.

And do you really want to go back in the draft to find your next signal caller? The year the Browns drafted Mayfield (2018), here are the other passers taken in the first round: Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, Josh Rosen, and Lamar Jackson.

Jackson won the league MVP last season, but more for his all around skills than as a passer, and Allen is on a team that made the playoffs a year ago, but his numbers aren’t as good as Mayfield’s. He has 20 touchdowns running the ball, three more than the guy picked second that season, Saquon Barkley.

In the 2017 draft, two excellent quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were taken in the first round. That’s the good news.

The bad news is the first QB taken was Mitchell Trubisky by Chicago. He’s been benched.

So, will the Browns find someone better than Mayfield in the draft next year? We would say it’s 50/50. And any thoughts of another tank job to secure the first pick in any subsequent draft should be squelched by everyone. Been there, done that.

That leaves with the veteran option, and who are you going to get on that market. First, you will have to pay a king’s ransom in terms of draft capital and takes a significant salary cap hit.

Likely, you will also be getting someone past their prime. And if you don’t win a Super Bowl within two or three seasons, you will be setting back the franchise in the long run, because you will need to find a younger QB very soon.

It’s definitely a quandary for Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski, but hopefully Stefanski will coach and guide Mayfield, and we will see better results going forward. Remember, this is Mayfield’s fourth coach since he was drafted.

It hasn’t been fair to his development and hopefully he is strong enough to overcome the obstacles his career has had.

What’s needed most? Patience.

Blame Baker? What Is The Alternative?

The Cleveland Browns were no match for the Pittsburgh Steelers yesterday, as they fell to 4-2 on the season after the 38-7 beat down.

After six games, we can make this conclusion about the Browns. They aren’t in the same class as the Steelers and Ravens, both of whom put a wallop on the brown and orange, over 30 point defeats.

That isn’t meant to be catastrophic news. Both of these things can be true. Cleveland is a much improved football team. They won four straight after an opening loss to Baltimore, and it would not be a surprise to see both Dallas (weak division) and Indianapolis in the post-season.

However, the three best teams in the AFC might just be the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, the Ravens, and the Steelers, although Tennessee might have something to say about that.

As usual when the Browns lose, the questions surrounding quarterback Baker Mayfield start. Our guess is if you didn’t want then GM John Dorsey to take the former Heisman Trophy winner from Oklahoma, you feel he isn’t the guy long term at QB, so your ire is focused on Mayfield.

If you watched that game on Sunday and determined the reason Cleveland lost by 31 points is Baker Mayfield, then we question your football acumen.

Look, we aren’t saying Mayfield played a good game. His first quarter pick six on the first drive of the game was a terrible throw, and good QBs can’t and don’t make that pass. But the Browns were dominated on both lines of scrimmage.

The offensive line, which has been so good in the four game win streak, was simply out muscled by Pittsburgh’s front seven. And you can blame Wyatt Teller being out, but rookie Jedrick Wills, Joel Bitonio and J.C. Tretter struggled too.

What is the alternative to Mayfield? It certainly isn’t veteran Case Keenum, who replaced the starter in the third quarter and completed 5 of 9 throws for 46 yards, 24 of them coming on his first pass, a busted coverage throw to Jarvis Landry.

We know what Keenum is, he’s a serviceable starter, but mostly a backup QB. He’s not going to become a top 10 signal caller at this stage of his career.

And the Browns have improved enough so they will not be picking in the top five of the draft, barring injuries. Add to this we have seen the quarterbacks coming out of college in the past few years, and most of them don’t look as good in the professional game.

We don’t want to make excuses for any professional athlete, but Mayfield has played 36 games in the NFL and has had four head coaches, and four offensive coordinators. Before we make any judgment on him, we want to see how he grows with Kevin Stefanski and Alex Van Pelt, who most certainly will be back in Berea in 2021.

That’s only fair.

By the way, Mayfield has a 16-19 record in his 35 starts. Before he came to the team, they won just four of their previous 48 games. Now, Mayfield isn’t the sole reason for this, but it does tell you the kind of ditch the Browns are digging their way out of.

We will also learn a lot about Stefanski and his staff in the coming weeks. The Browns have games against the Ravens and Steelers at home and it will be interesting to see what kind of adjustments his staff will make in the second go round.

Based on what we’ve seen, Cleveland will be much better prepared in the second meeting with each of these teams. A good test will come this week in Cincinnati, when the Browns and Bengals match up for a second time.

What have we learned thus far? The Browns are much better, but they aren’t at the Super Bowl contender level. Sometimes teams have to take steps. There is nothing wrong with that as long as the steps are upward.

How To Improve Tribe Offense? It Ain’t Gonna Be Easy.

In the American League, you have to score runs to win. In the last five complete regular seasons, if you don’t rank among the top six teams in the league in scoring, you don’t make the playoffs.

The only exception? Tampa Bay in 2019 ranked tied for 7th in the Junior Circuit in runs. The other two teams they tied with were Cleveland and Los Angeles, neither of whom made the post-season.

Again, we are talking about complete 162 game schedules. That’s why we think had the 2020 campaign been played fully, it would have been difficult for the Indians to get beyond the regular season.

Cleveland ranked 13th in the AL in runs in the 2020 season. Could they have turned it around in an extra 102 games? Perhaps, we would never say never, but it would have been difficult.

Pitching may be the key once a team advances, but during the regular season, you have to be able to score.

The Tribe’s peripheral numbers were not good either. They were 13th in OPS, 14th in OPS+, 13th in slugging percentage, and last in home runs. And while they were 9th in on base percentage, they were still below the league average at .317 (the league had a .319 mark).

So, president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff have their work cut out for them this winter. The task is simple, they have to overhaul the offense.

Complicating the situation is the probability that two of their four best offensive players, Francisco Lindor and Cesar Hernandez, may not be with the team in 2021. It seems like a daunting task.

Could the improbable happen and a bunch of young players come up from the minor leagues and become lineup presences or some of the guys who disappointed in ’20 rebound to have much, much better seasons?

Anything is possible, but the likelihood of that occurring would be low.

We know many people are banking on the potential trade of Lindor to help balance out the lineup, but we feel most fans are overestimating the return the Indians will get in a deal. Using the Mookie Betts deal as a model (and we know Betts is a better player than Lindor), you can figure Cleveland will get a player who isn’t as good a hitter and some prospects.

While that may solve one of the outfield spots, you then have to replace the guy you just traded, and we don’t see anyone in the system who can or will be more productive offensively.

And if Hernandez walks, you have to find a second baseman too.

We believe you need to have at least six solid bats in a contending lineup, maybe seven. Let’s say the Indians don’t think they will get enough of a return (history shows they won’t) for Lindor and keep him for one more year.

Josh Naylor arrived in the Mike Clevinger deal, and he will be in the lineup somewhere, be it at 1B or LF, and we believe he will be a good offensive player.

That means they need to improve at two or three spots. And remember the Tribe values defense first and foremost at catcher, so either Roberto Perez and/or Austin Hedges is locked in there.

At best, they get one rebound year (Mercado, Zimmer, Luplow), and either Daniel Johnson or Nolan Jones comes out of the farm system to claim a regular job. However, you still need a contingency plan.

We understand many people think going with the youngsters is the way to go, but if you aren’t going to move Lindor, then banking on young, unproven talent with the pitching the Indians possess and a core of Jose Ramirez and Lindor seems less than optimal.

On the other hand, if they aren’t going to spend money (and every signal the front office sends says they aren’t), then Antonetti and Chernoff are kind of stuck in no man’s land.

That’s the conundrum the organization is in this off-season. What can be an acceptable plan to contend in 2021.

Either way, the Cleveland Indians have to figure out a way to score more runs in ’21 to get in the playoffs. That could be easier said than done.