Time For Tribe To Upgrade Roster & Payroll.

Sometimes it seems like the Cleveland Indians can’t get out of their own way.

They have been one of the American League’s best teams in the past 10 years, winning three AL Central titles and making four playoff appearances since Terry Francona became manager in 2013.

Since the wild card era began in 1994, coincidentally aligned with the opening of Jacobs (now Progressive) Field, the only two AL teams with more post-season berths are the league’s behemoths, the Yankees and Red Sox.

Despite all this success in the last quarter century, there isn’t a buzz around the franchise. The current Tribe has two of the game’s most exciting and best players in Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, and fans seem ambivalent.

Not a mention a Hall of Fame manager.

The front office needs to seize the day with this current roster. Besides the duo we just mentioned, the Indians have one of the best starting rotations in baseball, even after dealing two time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.

However, the Indians’ ownership continues to cut the amount of money allocated for payroll. This despite winning 93 games last season.

No, they didn’t make the playoffs, but in many seasons, that victory total gets you a chance to play in October.

We have said many times, Cleveland cannot live in the same payroll neighborhood as Boston and New York. And we aren’t asking them to do so.

In 2018, the Indians’ payroll was $134 million, the highest ever. And yes, we know minority owner John Sherman was involved at that point.

Right now, according to Baseball Reference Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the current 26 man roster payroll in a little under $92 million, that’s a drop of $42 million from two years ago.

And that includes yesterday’s arbitration settlements, meaning Lindor’s $17 million salary for 2020 is included in that number.

Playing devil’s advocate, let’s say the $134 million isn’t sustainable for the Dolan family. Last year, the Tribe’s payroll was slightly under $120 million, according to the same site.

No doubt the Indians will make some minor signings before spring training arrives, so the actual number for 2020 will be around $100 million unless a trade or big ticket free agent signing is yet to come.

This will mean another $20 million will be lopped off the payroll from last season, $34 million has been eliminated over the past two seasons.

That certainly doesn’t indicate to the ticket buying public a commitment to winning a championship, and it absolutely doesn’t get fans in a mode to come out to Progressive Field this season.

As an aside, the schedule maker didn’t help Cleveland either with 16 home games in April, where it will be rare a game time temperature will reach 60 degrees.

It is without a doubt a “chicken or the egg” scenario.

Ownership would like better attendance, and fans want a reason to buy tickets.

Last season, Philadelphia season ticket sales increased by 7% when they signed Bryce Harper. Now, we know the Indians can’t do this (especially with Lindor on the cusp of free agency), but why not do something that creates some excitement around this group of players.

Here’s hoping Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff still have one more move up their sleeves before spring training to add a piece (not trade Lindor). They should have some money available.

Perhaps they were waiting for the potential arbitration cases to be settled.

Cleveland sports fans deserve some excitement, especially something not associated with a Browns’ coaching search.

There’s a window of opportunity for the Indians, time to go for it.

The Sexton Dilemma

We all know this was a season of growth and development for the Cleveland Cavaliers. That’s why GM Koby Altman hired John Beilein as the coach, a guy with a reputation for teaching young players how to do it.

Cleveland had three first round picks in 2019, and used them on Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, and Kevin Porter Jr. That trio, along with 2018 lottery pick Collin Sexton, were supposed to be the foundation for future success.

We don’t disagree with the drafting of Sexton and Garland, two smaller guards, in the last two years because we believe in the taking the past available player especially when you are a rebuilding team, and it seemed (at the time!) they were doing just that.

However, Sexton has fallen far short of expectations, and apparently is driving his teammates crazy in the process.

Right now, according to Basketball References’ VORP (Value Over Replacement Player), Sexton is the worst player who was drafted in 2018, just behind Kevin Knox of the Knicks, who was drafted right after him, and was a guy many people in Cleveland wanted the Cavs to pick.

The best players picked after Sexton, who was chosen 8th overall are New York’s Mitchell Robinson (36th), Mikal Bridges (10th), and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (11th).

First, we think Sexton has some talent, and he certainly has a good work ethic. By all accounts the Cavs’ management had to lock him out of the practice facility or he would not have left.

However, he may have the problem that plagued Michael Jordan’s early career with the Bulls, he feels the best option on every possession is himself. That differs from the way John Beilein has said he wants his team to play.

Beilein preaches ball movement, and too often Sexton falls in love with his dribble and looks for his own shot.

His three point shot percentage has dropped from 40% last season to 30% this season, although his overall percentage has risen to 45% from 43% in 2018-19.

And while he no longer is the primary point guard, he ranks fifth on the team in assists per game, behind a power forward in Kevin Love, and Matthew Dellavedova, who plays 18 minutes less per game.

He also has the second worst defensive rating on the team ahead of only Garland. That speaks to the Cavs being a bad defensive team and also being the smallest team in the NBA.

The biggest issue is the fit. Where does Collin Sexton fit on the Cavaliers, not this season, but for the future. Is he a foundation piece for the organization?

Playing the way he has this season, we would say no. We would rather have the ball in Garland’s hands, as he seems like a willing passer, eager to set up teammates.

Can Sexton change? Of course, he just turned 21 years old, but when is he going to “get it”? Part of Beilein being here is to teach the young guys how to play the game of basketball, right now, it doesn’t appear like Sexton is getting the message.

The emergence of Kevin Porter Jr. plays into this as well. Porter is really a #2 guard, and plays well together with Garland. Is there enough playing time to go around for all three players? Perhaps Sexton fits best as a sixth man.

Does Sexton have a future in Cleveland? It will be interesting to see if Altman would be willing to move him before the trading deadline. Certainly, everyone in the organization needs to start seeing some progress.

Young players are supposed to get better in their second season. We are still waiting to see some improvement.

On The Frustration Of Kevin Love

The Cleveland Cavaliers seemingly have a disconnect within their own roster, and it centers around Kevin Love.

Love was fined for a temper tantrum on New Year’s Eve in Toronto, showing frustration with the way the team was playing during a timeout.

He was fined a reported $1000 (pennies for the all star) for the outburst, and then argued with GM Koby Altman after practice about the situation. Please note for future reference who Love was upset with…

Against Oklahoma City later that night, Love showed his feelings several times during the game, snapping a pass at Cedi Osman’s feet and turning and shaking his head at other times during the contest.

Clearly, he is having a tough time with the way things are going. He wants to be traded, and for him, it can’t come soon enough.

Why is he yelling at Altman though? Shouldn’t his angst be directed at the coaching staff, after all, they are controlling how the team is playing on the floor, right?

Here’s where we will try to connect the dots (at least in our humble opinion).

We think the coaching staff shares Love’s concern about the way the team is playing, but they are getting direction from the front office level.

Altman drafted both Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, two smaller guards in the first round each of the last two years. He obviously would like them to play and to play well. Unfortunately, this makes the team on the floor very small.

This height disadvantage isn’t just limited to the backcourt, the wine and gold are small throughout the roster, statistically the smallest team in the NBA.

The other reason we think Love directed his comments toward the general manager is the vision John Beilein has said he wants for his team. He consistently talks about ball movement, and how he wants the Cavs to move the ball like, say the Boston Celtics do.

But when Sexton gets into his dribbling shows, nothing is done. It would seem that if a player isn’t doing what the coach wants, there would be repercussions.

Unless, of course, the GM is telling the coach to play both of his first round picks.

This whole thing centers around Sexton, who isn’t shooting from distance like he did in the second half of his rookie season, and his assist numbers, while not good a year ago (3.0) have dropped to 2.3 per night.

And yes, we understand he is playing off the ball more than he did a year ago.

Sexton is taking more shots per game than he did a year ago, and this year Love has been available for most games. The second year man is taking four more shots per contest than Love, who by the way, is second on the team in assists (2.9) behind Garland’s 3.2.

We guess is taking his position change to “shooting” guard literally.

Look, Sexton is still a very young player, just turning 21 a few days ago. However, we are guessing by the reactions of Love and Tristan Thompson, the coaching staff is telling him to move the ball more, and yet, he still gets in ruts where he is pounding the ball into the hardwood.

Maybe, the staff wants to cut into his playing time to send a message, but the front office is saying no. And that’s where Love’s frustration comes in. Perhaps he was saying to Altman to let Beilein coach the second year pro.

We aren’t sure you can win in today’s NBA with two smaller guards, and if we are correct, eventually someone, either Garland or Sexton will have to be moved.

That’s the real decision for Koby Altman.

It’s Time To Move Lindor…Out Of The Leadoff Spot

The Cleveland Indians need to find a new home for Francisco Lindor.

No, we are not talking about trading the four time All-Star shortstop, who is one of the best players in the game. Rather, we are suggesting skipper Terry Francona find a new spot in the batting order for Lindor, a move that would help the Tribe score more runs.

Francona likes Lindor leading off because he “sets the tone” for the team, and we understand that line of thinking. But everyone knows the shortstop is the team’s leader, it’s unofficial captain, so why not bat him in a spot the benefits the club more?

First, the job of the leadoff man is to get on base. Lindor’s .335 on base percentage last season is nothing special. His lifetime figure is .347, good but not optimal for a guy hitting first.

Cesar Hernandez, recently signed by the Indians to play second base, has a career .352 OBP. Kenny Lofton, the great leadoff man for Cleveland in the 90’s, had a .375 mark during his time in northeast Ohio.

However, our biggest reason to drop Lindor in the order is his slugging percentage, which at .518 led the Indians. It is odd to us that the Tribe’s best on base guy, Carlos Santana, batted in the #3 or #4 hole all season, while the player with the best slugging percentage led off virtually every game.

Lindor’s walk rate of 7% was his lowest since his rookie season figure of 6.2%. In 2018, he had his best rate at 9.4%.

We understand in today’s game, the slugging percentage leader on a team doesn’t hit in the #4 hole, and we aren’t asking for the manager to hit Lindor there. You want him getting more plate appearances than most players.

Still, wouldn’t you want your best power hitter batting with men on base? With Lindor leading off, you are guaranteeing that once a game he comes up with no one on. That doesn’t seem optimal.

For us, if you went an two seasons (’18 and ’19) with Lindor hitting first, wouldn’t it be more prudent to have Carlos Santana there?

Santana got on base almost 40% of the time (.397 OBP) last season, and has a career on base percentage of .367. And his slugging percentage was virtually the same (.515) as Lindor’s .518 mark.

One of Cleveland biggest problems offensively was getting on base, they ranked 8th in the American League in on base average, dropping from 3rd in 2018.

That’s why getting Hernandez was a solid move, his lifetime mark in that category was 48 points more than the man he replaced in Jason Kipnis.

The Indians had only one player, Santana, among the regulars (Yasiel Puig isn’t counted because he played only two months here, but had a .377 OBP) that got on base more than 35% of the time.

By contrast, Houston, New York, and Boston all had five, and Minnesota had three. That’s a pretty telling statistic.

Jose Ramirez topped the .350 mark in 2016, 2017, and 2018, so if he’s very capable of getting on base at a high rate, but that’s why we’d be looking in that direction if the Indians are looking for another outfielder.

It’s also why we keep coming back to Puig.

We would move Lindor to the #2 or #3 position in the batting order, and would hit Ramirez or Santana (or both) ahead of him.

It might just be a good way to kick start the Indians’ attack.

Are Haslams Capable Of Continuity?

Sometimes, being a fan of the Cleveland Browns is to have no hope.

That stems straight from the top, owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam.

We believe that they honestly want to win. We also believe there are great players who want to win, but the thing they have in common is neither knows how to accomplish that goal.

Since 2016, the Haslams put Sashi Brown in charge of the team, knowing his strategy was to strip down the team in regards to talent and do a total rebuild. Accumulate a ton of draft choices, open up a ton of salary cap space, and slowly build the Browns back, sort of like an expansion team.

Sashi Brown told everyone there would be a lot of losing, and there was. However, the coach, Hue Jackson, and the ownership, freaked out because of the lack of wins, and they fired Brown, and brought in proven NFL executive John Dorsey.

In less than a year, Dorsey got rid of Jackson, and brought in some talented players through the draft, and some questionable players too. Cleveland went 7-8-1, and then Dorsey tried to accelerate the process, but tried with a rookie head coach in Freddie Kitchens.

Kitchens wasn’t equipped to handle a team that people thought should be a playoff team right away. Could he and the GM had corrected this with a second season? Maybe, but they won’t get that chance.

So, now they will begin again with a new cast of characters. Apparently, Chief Strategy Office Paul DePodesta will be guiding the new coaching search, and that coach will be part of the search for the new general manager.

That would seem to make DePodesta and the coach to be in charge. So, you have to wonder if the Browns start winning, if the coach grabs the ear of the ownership and gets DePodesta erased.

Could this work? Of course, but based on the past, one has to wonder what happens if winning isn’t an instantaneous thing for the 2020 Cleveland Browns. That’s because the Haslams haven’t had the stomach to see any plan through.

We were never part of the hero worship Dorsey received when he came aboard during the 2017 campaign. He spouted things like getting “real football players” when there were clearly some of them (Myles Garrett, Joe Schobert, among others) on the roster.

It was a shot at Sashi Brown’s analytic approach, which DePodesta was part of.

However, Dorsey put talent ahead of everything in terms of player acquisition, and it came back to bite the team because the effort of several players in the last three games of the season were found to be wanting, and you had discipline issues with others.

Those things undermined the rookie head coach that Dorsey selected.

So, now it’s another restart for the Browns, but how long will this front office structure be in place, especially if Cleveland spends another season without a playoff appearance in 2020.

And that’s our biggest issue. Some turnarounds are quick, like the Rams going from 4-12 to 11-5 to 13-3 and a Super Bowl appearance.

Others have some setbacks, like the Bills 6-10 season last year after a playoff berth in 2017. They went 10-6 and back to the post-season this year.

The Browns 6-10 record could have been the same scenario as Buffalo last season, but John Dorsey won’t find that out.

The bigger question is knowing the past of this ownership group, who takes a job knowing they could be jettisoned after a single season.

Can the Haslams change? If they can’t, any success the Browns may have in the future might just be pure luck.

Browns Biggest Problem? Lack Of One Vision.

Well, another year and another coaching change for the Cleveland Browns. Actually, the 2019 season had one less replacement than 2018, so if you are looking for a silver lining, we guess that is it.

Freddie Kitchens is out after one year, the second Cleveland coach to have that short of a tenure within the past ten years (Rob Chudzinski) and if you count Gregg Williams, the organization has given three coaches 16 games or less in the recent past.

And, of course, there are rumors that the firings may not be done in Berea, and perhaps GM John Dorsey’s job is in jeopardy.

People wonder why the Browns can’t win? It’s because of the wash, rinse, repeat cycle that is endless for the team, and in particular, Jimmy and Dee Haslam.

The owners apparently can’t stop listening to anyone and everyone, and the organizational structure, which right now has Dorsey and analytics guru Paul DePodesta both reporting to the Haslams, causes problems, time and again.

Those who don’t learn from the past and doomed to repeat it.

Remember that Sashi Brown and Hue Jackson both reported to the owners, and when the losing started after Brown gutted the roster (which Jackson knew was happening), the coach used his influence to get Brown out of town.

Then, Dorsey used the same process to get Jackson fired, even though both reported directly to the Haslams.

Dorsey hired Kitchens and the coach reported to the GM, but it has been reported that DePodesta didn’t want Jackson or Kitchens, instead wanting to hire Sean McDermott (now with Buffalo instead of Jackson) and then Minnesota offensive coordinator Kevin Stefanski (not Kitchens).

It appears DePodesta has whispered to the Haslams that he was right on both counts and should have more of a say in the hiring of the new man.

Of course, if the new coach struggles, then Dorsey will be talking to them saying DePodesta doesn’t know anything, and we will start the process again.

The Browns need a director of football operations badly. They need one voice talking to the ownership about the team, so the political “football” (no pun intended) ends. It is obvious the Haslams cannot handle opposing viewpoints from people who talk directly to them.

They are like the kid who is trying to be popular in school, trying to be everyone’s friend.

Our two cents would be that Dorsey stays as the GM, as he’s brought a lot of talent into the organization, with the understanding that he starts taking character of the players into account.

Hopefully, he has learned from the past year, players who have talent but a questionable work ethics will no longer be tolerated.

The next coach should come from a collaborative effort using both men, so they both have a stake in the success or failure in the new head man. That would also mean they would work together to help bring in players.

That’s what the Browns need most, a front office team all pulling in the right direction. Until the ownership realizes that, the football team will be stuck in mediocrity.

If they can’t, then this will all be repeated in 2021, or heaven forbid, at the end of the 2020 season.

Those who don’t learn from the past, are destined to repeat it.

Looking At Tribe OF Options

The Cleveland Indians’ infield looks to be settled with the signing of 2B Cesar Hernandez as a free agent.

Barring a deal involving SS Francisco Lindor, the Tribe will feature four switch-hitters in the infield with Carlos Santana at first, Hernandez and Lindor manning the keystone, and Jose Ramirez at third.

We also know Roberto Perez will be the primary catcher.

However, what about the outfield?

We know Oscar Mercado will go into spring training as the starting centerfielder, and Jordan Luplow will be somewhere out there vs. left-handed pitchers (at least).

And occasionally, Franmil Reyes will play right field.

There seems to be plenty of playing time available in the outfield and designated hitter spots.

Left-handed hitter Corey Dickerson, who had the highest slugging percentage on the market outside of Josh Donaldson, agreed to terms with the Marlins yesterday. We thought Dickerson would have been a good fit in Cleveland, at the very least forming a lethal platoon with Luplow.

The veteran has an 866 OPS vs. righties (.533 slugging) for his career. Last season, he had a 942 OPS against RHP.

A logical move would be to bring Yasiel Puig back as a free agent. The 29-year-old had an 800 OPS (.377 on base) after coming over from Cincinnati at the trade deadline, and overall has a career OPS of 823.

Other options, probably more costly though, would be Nicholas Castellanos and Marcell Ozuna.

Both right-handed hitters, Castellanos will play at 28 years old next season, and has had OPS over 800 in each of the last four seasons. Defensively, his best spot is probably DH, he is not known for his defense.

Ozuna has declined defensively as well since his days in Miami, but he has a career OPS of 784, but he has had just two seasons with a season over 800, last year right at that figure, and his career season of 2017, when he hit .312 with 37 HR and 124 RBI.

We look outside the organization because quite frankly, the internal options aren’t very appealing.

Tyler Naquin would be a solid platoon piece in the OF, but he will likely miss half the season with a torn ACL.

That leaves a combination of Delino DeShields, Greg Allen, Jake Bauers, and Bradley Zimmer to cover what amounts to one and a half spots in the outfield.

Here are the career OPS for that group:

DeShields 668
Allen 644
Bauers 691
Zimmer 652

We would like to see Luplow get a chance at a full time job in ’20. His minor league splits don’t shout platoon player, and he was so good vs. lefties, he deserves a chance at regular playing time.

The Indians also have 24-year-old left-handed hitter Daniel Johnson, who hit .290 with 19 HR and 77 RBI (868 OPS) and Akron and Columbus last season. He also doesn’t have a large platoon split.

But as with the four players listed above, it would be a huge leap of faith for a contending team to give a starting job to someone who hasn’t spent a full season at the AAA level.

Remember, last April and May, when the Indians were experimenting at a few spots due to injury and struggled mightily? They can’t do that again.

They have money freed up from the Corey Kluber deal, and they need to get an established outfielder, which will lengthen their lineup.

That’s what a team that won 90+ games in 2019 should be doing. However, the market the Cleveland Indians are playing in may dry up quick.

Clarkson Deal First Of Many?

After winning two straight games, the Cleveland Cavaliers took the first step to rebuilding their roster for the 2020-21 season.

They moved Jordan Clarkson to the Utah Jazz in exchange for oft-injured guard Dante Exum and two future second round draft picks.

It may not seem like a big return for the wine and gold’s third leading scorer at 14.6 points per game, but perhaps it was a deal GM Koby Altman thought needed to be made sooner than later.

A few weeks ago, it was reported that several veterans weren’t happy with coach John Beilein’s “rah-rah college” coaching philosophy.

We immediately figured Clarkson was one of those critical, which was merely speculation on our part, mostly because Tristan Thompson and Larry Nance Jr. came out and quickly squashed the comments, and Kevin Love spoke highly of Beilein during training camp.

So, if Clarkson was indeed not happy here, Altman probably figured the sooner, the better to get him out of here.

Plus, Beilein was playing Clarkson at the end of close games because of his scoring ability, especially when his shot was falling, and this generally took one of his young guards, usually Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. off the floor during crunch time.

Porter, in particular, has been earning more time with his recent play, averaging 11.1 points per game on 51.1% shooting in December, and it would figure that he would get first crack at Clarkson’s minutes.

Plus, Clarkson was going to be a free agent after the season, and why not get something back for the veteran who arrived in Cleveland with Nance at the trade deadline in 2017-18.

He also isn’t a “move the ball” type of player than Beilein prefers.

Exum is a wild card because he’s suffered with injuries pretty much since he entered the league as the fifth overall pick in 2014.

First, he’s 6’5″ (an inch taller than Clarkson, which we have said is a must in any deal), and at his heart is a point guard first.

The only year he was relatively healthy was 2016-17, when at 21 years old, he averaged 6.2 points and 1.7 assists per night in 18.6 minutes.

This season, he’s barely played, getting into 11 games and playing just 83 minutes.

However, in the Cavs’ position, why not see if Exum can be an NBA player? It’s not as though Cleveland is making a playoff run, and if he can play up to the potential of his draft status, the wine and gold have a 24-year-old lottery ticket.

As we said before the real reason for the deal is to clear out a potential problem in the locker room, and to open up playing time for Porter, who by the way, when he plays well, the Cavaliers are a much better team.

This is the first of probably a few more moves for Altman before the trade deadline in February.

Besides Love, who has asked to be moved, Cleveland still has free agents (read: Expiring contracts) to be in Tristan Thompson, Brandon Knight, John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova, and Ante Zizic.

The Cavs might be interested in bringing back Thompson and even Dellavedova next year, and Zizic can’t get on the floor right now, but all of these guys could be available for future draft picks plus a bad contract.

Although the return wasn’t great, this was a move Altman felt he needed to make, and right now was the best time.

Has Anyone Thought Maybe It’s Not Kitchens?

With the Cleveland Browns dropping the last two games, they now sit at 6-9 on the season, and a season once filled with expectations (before it started) will end next weekend at Cincinnati.

That means no playoffs once again.

And, because we live in Cleveland, Ohio, there is clamoring for head coach Freddie Kitchens to be fired. Because, fans can’t get enough of the revolving door at the position.

Now, we have no idea if Kitchens will ever be a winning NFL coach, but we do think he should get an opportunity to learn from his mistakes in 2019. We say this because we don’t know that all of the Browns’ problems should fall on the head coach.

Look, the time management decision at the end of the half is indefensible, and so was the comment that he was going to go for it on 4th and 1 from his own 28 yard line with a 6-0 lead after the ill-fated Kareem Hunt option pass.

However, what if Kitchens gets the same opportunity next Sunday and runs the ball to run out the half? Then, he learned from his mistake/experience.

We understand the impatience. The Browns returned to the NFL in 1999 and have made the playoffs once. They haven’t had a winning season since 2007. People want to see a winning football team.

Fans and media alike are clamoring for Ron Rivera, recently fired by the Carolina Panthers. But Rivera spent nine seasons in Carolina, and had three winning seasons. Is he the answer for sure?

Based on that record, we would say not. Former Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy is also mentioned, and he at least has nine playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title on his resume.

However, his running attack has never been effective (yes, we know he had Aaron Rodgers), and the Browns’ best offensive weapon is Nick Chubb.

Our main point here is we, as fans, don’t really know who is to blame for this losing season. It is just assumed that it’s the head coach, and that may not be fair.

It could be a disconnect between the offensive coordinator and the head coach. It could be a more complicated offensive attack than some players can handle, and/or that offensive could be something that doesn’t play into the skill set of the quarterback.

Or it could be Mayfield is a passer who wants to know exactly where is receivers will be, and the receivers the Browns have like to free lance.

Of course, it could also be Kitchens trying to be too much of a friend to the players instead of their boss, or being stubborn in not doing what the front office wants to do.

The only people who really know what happened to the 2019 Cleveland Browns are in the building in Berea. John Dorsey has been very quiet as this season progressed, and perhaps he is doing some self reflection as to what he did wrong in the off-season.

Again, we understand the frustration and lack of patience with the 2019 season, every Browns’ fan can’t wait for a playoff spot.

But you have to trust in the front office that was assembled. Dorsey, Alonzo Highsmith, and Elliot Wolf have been around the game a long time. So, if Kitchens is back next season, it’s because that trio wants him to be back.

And everyone should be okay with that. Obviously, they know a little more about the reasons for another losing season than everyone else.

The Reason To Keep Frankie

The Cleveland Indians were in the news this week, but not for anything the front office would be happy about.

Mostly, the news involved what to do with their star shortstop, Francisco Lindor.

Lindor isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2021 season, meaning he can play with the Tribe for two more full seasons with Indians just having to pay what he gets in arbitration, likely around $16-17 million this year and depending what kind of season he has, over $20 million in ’21.

At that point, Lindor could walk away from the franchise, with the Indians just getting draft pick compensation.

Many feel the Indians should move now because a deal involving the star shortstop would allow a possible trading partner two full seasons on Lindor, thus they would be willing to give up more to the Tribe.

However, we believe the best course of action for the Indians is to keep Lindor for two more years and see how everything plays out.

Here are our reasons:

Winning. Cleveland’s win totals over the last four seasons are 93, 91, 102, and 94. They are most definitely a threat to reach the post-season in 2020 and 2021. Why give away that chance, which leads us to…

2. Return From A Trade. Most likely, a deal for Lindor will bring back an established major leaguer who won’t be as good as Lindor along with some top prospects, who probably won’t be very good players (if they ever become very good) for a few years. Trading your best player weakens the team in the short run.

3. Youth Is Still On Tribe’s Side. The Indians are a reletively young team. In their current projected starting lineup, only catcher Roberto Perez and 1B/DH Carlos Santana are over 30 years old, and Lindor (26) and Jose Ramirez (27) are entering the prime of their careers, meaning their best years should be coming very soon.

4. Pitching. The Tribe still has plenty of it. Even with the trade of Corey Kluber, the rotation is still headed by Mike Clevinger (29), Shane Bieber (25), Carlos Carrasco (33), and a pair of 25-year-olds in Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac to round it out. The bullpen could be very tough in late innings with Brad Hand, and newcomer Emmanuel Clase and rookie James Karinchak. No reason to waste it.

With the Kluber deal, the Indians can still pay Lindor what he gets in arbitration this season, and improve the offense with the money saved in the Kluber trade, and still be at a comfort level in terms of payroll.

Plus, a lot of things can change in two years.

First, the basic agreement expires after 2021, and who knows, maybe the owners get a “franchise tag” in the next round of collective bargaining. Also, with the news that came out about John Sherman when we bought the Royals, it appears the Dolan family is at least thinking about selling the franchise.

And don’t forget the Indians local television deal ends after 2022, so another influx of cash could present itself to ownership.

Our point is simply this, don’t force yourself into a false deadline. Sometimes the best course of action is to let things play out.

All sorts of things can happen in two years. Heck, the Indians might even win a World Series. And that has a better chance of happening with Francisco Lindor wearing a Cleveland uniform.