Callaway Was Very Good, But Pitching Is Still Very Much A Strength

One of the things that is interesting about Cleveland sports fans is their intense loyalty if an athlete or coach has ever had any success in the city.

The latest example is the pining for current Mets’ manager Mickey Callaway to return to the Tribe if and when he gets fired by the team, which according to what you read, could be as early as today.

Callaway became the Indians’ pitching coach in 2013 when Terry Francona became the Cleveland skipper.

He took over a pitching staff that finished 14th in the American League in ERA in 2012, and improved that statistic by about a run per game, ranking 7th in his first year at the big league level.

He had been in the organization as a minor league pitching coach since 2010.

His biggest accomplishment was coaxing a dominating second half of the season out of Ubaldo Jimenez. That season also saw the first regular use as a starting pitcher by Corey Kluber.

The Indians as a team improved too, going from 68 wins the year before to 92 wins and a wild card spot. The pitching improvement was a big key, no doubt.

The following season, the staff ERA improved once again, dropping from 3.82 to 3.56, 5th in the AL. Kluber became a bona fide staff ace, winning his first Cy Young Award.

Callaway also rebuilt Carlos Carrasco, putting him in the bullpen to emphasize being aggressive from the minute he took the hill. After rejoining the rotation in August, Cookie was dominant as a starter, and really hasn’t looked back since.

In 2015, the Tribe’s team ERA rose, but their ranking in the AL went to #2. Carrasco and Kluber made for a formidable 1-2 punch, and much like T.J. House a year earlier, Callaway guided Cody Anderson into a very good second half (7-3, 3.05 ERA).

The Indians won the pennant in 2016, with a pitching staff that ranked 2nd in the American League in ERA. By then, Trevor Bauer and Danny Salazar were mainstays of the rotation, and the mid-season deal for Andrew Miller gave Cleveland a dominating back of the bullpen, along with holdovers Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw.

Injuries to Carrasco, Bauer, and Salazar ultimately took its toll in the post-season as Kluber and the bullpen showed wear and tear.

In Callaway’s last season here, the Tribe finished first in the league in ERA, and Mike Clevinger basically replaced Salazar in the rotation.

Carl Willis took over as pitching coach in 2018, and the ERA ranking dropped to 4th, but that had more to do with the bullpen’s problems. Miller and Allen kind of collapsed under the heavy workload from the previous two seasons, and Shaw departed as a free agent.

On the other hand, Kluber was a Cy Young finalist (again!), Carrasco was still very good, and Bauer and Clevinger became top of the rotation types for basically every team but Cleveland.

You also have to credit Willis for bringing along Shane Bieber, who looks like another very good starter for the Indians.

The point is the pitching staff, which currently is 3rd in the AL in ERA isn’t the problem.

It would be great if the Tribe brought him back in the organization if he loses his job because adding talented people is great, the more, the merrier.

However, the criticism being directed at Carl Willis is idiotic. The pitching staff is doing well. He has brought along Clevinger and Bieber, and you can make a very good argument the starting rotation is even better than it was when Callaway departed.

Mickey Callaway is a very good pitching coach, and may be a very good manager someday. But don’t let nostalgia get in the way of evaluation Carl Willis.

Tribe Season Review To Date: 27 Games In.

The late, great Mike Hegan used to say if you win three out of every five games, at the end of the year, you have 96 wins and you are probably in the playoffs.

Right now, the Cleveland Indians have completed 1/6th of the 2019 baseball season, and until the last two games in Houston, they were doing exactly what Hegan said. They were sitting at 15-10.

Even with the two defeats at Minute Maid Park, the Tribe hits the 27 game mark at 15-12, meaning they are still on a pace for 90 wins.

That’s the good news. The bad news is we have no freakin’ idea how they have achieved that record.

Really, we do. It has been pitching, pitching, and more pitching, particularly the starters, who have stifled some pretty good offenses. The Astros boast one of the sport’s best lineups and Cleveland held them to 12 runs in the four game series.

Tribe pitchers are 3rd in the league in ERA, and lead the AL in strikeouts per nine innings, and have the lowest rate of home runs allowed.

All that despite a slow start for Corey Kluber and a couple of hiccups for Carlos Carrasco, the two most veteran members of the rotation.

The question that still plagues Terry Francona and his team is will they score enough runs to make the post-season?

Cleveland ranks worst in the AL in slugging percentage and second to last in on-base percentage. It’s tough to generate a lot of runs if you can’t get guys on base and need two or three more hits to drive them in.

For the new age statistic people, the Indians have the worst WAR among non-pitchers in the Junior Circuit. They have over league average WAR at just three positions: Catcher, first base, and centerfield.

Now, we think shortstop and third base will take care of themselves with the return of Francisco Lindor and the return to form for Jose Ramirez, who is starting to come around, slowly but surely. And the catching is based more on the defense than any hitting being done by Roberto Perez and Kevin Plawecki.

The other spots? Quite frankly, we don’t see a lot of hope.

Even worse, are there any in-house solutions?

Right now, we feel comfortable with five hitters in the lineup, and to us, you need seven to have a solid offense.

Those five are Lindor, Ramirez, Carlos Santana, Leonys Martin (vs. righties), and Jake Bauers. They put together major league at bats.

Right now, Carlos Gonzalez is a lighter hitting version of Melky Cabrera–no walks, no pop. He has one extra base hit in 47 plate appearances.

Jason Kipnis is showing thus far that he is closer to the last two seasons than his outstanding 2016 campaign. He’s in a 1 for 22 slump after starting 7 for 20. In the past few years, he’s a feast or famine type guy, and when it’s the latter, he doesn’t help you.

There are hitters around baseball with 10 or more home runs on the season. Six of them to be exact. Martin leads the Indians in extra base hits with nine. Only Santana has more than six, he has seven.

It’s tough to score runs this way.

Oscar Mercado may be able to help, but remember, he’s never had a major league at bat. Expecting him to come up and be a consistent bat might be a pipe dream.

The organization has to hope Gonzalez and Kipnis regain the pop in their bats, but is that realistic?

And assuming Lindor and Ramirez return to form, aren’t the Indians in the same place as they were last year with a very top heavy offense?

It’s still early, but it’s not if that makes sense. Francona and the management have to find runs somewhere. Either that, or the pitching will have to continue to be overwhelming throughout the remainder of the schedule.

That might be very difficult.

Tribe Survived Lindor’s Injuries

If the return of Francisco Lindor presents a line of demarcation for the Cleveland Indians, let it be noted they survived quite nicely.

As the superstar shortstop returned for the second game of last night’s doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves, the Tribe’s record was 12-7 and they led the American League Central Division by a game over Minnesota.

It is crazy to think this kind of record was possible despite an offense that ranked 14th (second from the bottom) in runs scored per game, and last in the league in on base percentage, slugging percentage, and of course, OPS.

Pretty much the only decent ranking offensively for the Tribe was being 8th in the AL in walks. The team batting average was a paltry .201, barely over the Mendoza line.

Yet, Terry Francona guided the team to a winning record behind tremendous pitching.

While it is a fact the Indians played seven of their 19 games against the Blue Jays and Tigers, who rank 13th and 15th respectively in runs scored in the Junior Circuit, they also went to Seattle facing the best offense in the league, and held them to six runs in the three game sweep, including a 1-0 win on Wednesday.

They also played five games against the Twins and White Sox, currently 3rd and 6th in the AL in runs scored. Those two squads scored 23 runs in five games, but 17 of those were in the series finales.

The Indians held them to under three runs in the other three contests.

Long time stalwarts Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco have combined for four starts in the 19 games where they simply didn’t have it.

However, Carrasco fanned 12 Seattle hitters Wednesday in the 1-0 game and Kluber looked like himself in the game one win yesterday. If those two start pitching like they have in the past, this rotation is scary.

Imagine if Mike Clevinger didn’t go down with a muscle pull in the shoulder/back region. He was dominant in his two starts.

A big question going forward is who will replace Clevinger long term. Right now, because of off days, he’s missed just one start.

The bullpen is starting spring some leaks though.

Brad Hand is the closer, no problem there. But on the recent trip, the relief corps struggled.

Neil Ramirez has 13 strikeouts in 9 innings, but has allowed 10 hits, four walks, and three homers. Since arriving in Cleveland, the long ball has been a problem. He’s given up 12 of them in 50 innings.

That’s a no-no for a relief guy.

Oliver Perez has not been the pitcher he was in 2018. He’s been okay, but last year he was incredible.

And in the second game yesterday, Adam Cimber couldn’t throw strikes. Generally, he’s been better than last season, but we are sure Terry Francona lost some confidence.

Nick Wittgren continues to be intriguing. He closed out the 1-0 win in Seattle, and to date has made five scoreless appearances, giving up just two hits and striking out nine in seven innings.

We may see him start to ease his way into a set up role.

Why Cody Anderson is still here is a mystery. We understand he is recovering from Tommy John surgery, but have him go back to AAA to stretch out his arm so he can be a starter.

He was brought up to eat some innings after Carrasco was knocked out in the first against Kansas City. After he pitched two innings that night, we don’t understand why he wasn’t sent back.

So, the Indians are still searching for the correct bullpen combination.

All in all, they survived not having their best player for 19 games. And that’s a huge relief to the front office and the fans, for that matter.

Tribe Pitching As Good As Advertised To Date

The Cleveland Indians have played 14 games so far this season, and as of now, their pitching has been as good as advertised.

Opponents have scored more than four runs in just three of the contests, and remarkably, Cleveland pitchers have held the other team to three runs or less in 10 of the games on the slate.

That’s how the Tribe has managed an 8-6 record despite having the second worst runs per game total in the American League, ranking only ahead of Detroit.

Their pitchers rank third in the league in ERA, are fourth in strikeouts and have issued the third least walks in the AL. So to date, they are as good as advertised.

The usually reliable Carlos Carrasco has two of the three bad starts, but in his other effort vs. Toronto, he struck out 12 Blue Jay hitters in five innings. Corey Kluber had the other poor effort in the second home game of the year against Chicago.

It appears Shane Bieber has made the leap many projected for him in his two starts, and Trevor Bauer was dominant in his first two outings, and not bad in his third.

The loss of Mike Clevinger, who was spectacular in his first two starts, likely until after the All Star Game, does put a damper on things, but Jefry Rodriguez stepped up last night and gave Terry Francona a solid effort.

Yes, the Indians have played the other two worst offenses in the Junior Circuit to date in the Tigers and Blue Jays (the Tribe is the third), but they do get a solid test starting tomorrow in Seattle, where the Mariners have scolded the baseball through the first three weeks of the season, averaging over seven runs per game.

On the other hand, Toronto scored just six runs in a four game set at Progressive Field, but has averaged over four runs per game in games that didn’t involve the Tribe pitching staff.

So, the Tribe is keeping its head above water despite getting production above replacement player status from just two positions on the diamond, first base (Carlos Santana) and centerfield (Leonys Martin).

In fact, Cleveland shortstops and leftfielders rank as the worst in the AL. The first spot will take care of itself with the hopefully soon return of the league’s best, Francisco Lindor.

But LF has been manned by Jake Bauers, who is putting the ball in play and drawing some walks, but is batting just .159 so far, with an OPS of 518. The contact and patience make us feel good about his future, but his production is magnified by the black holes the Indians have at short, and Jose Ramirez’ continued slump.

And the bullpen has been fine too. Jon Edwards struggled with his control and was sent back to the minors yesterday, but otherwise, there have no major hiccups in the first few weeks.

When the offense has scored enough runs, they have made the leads stand up.

Hopefully, the hitting will give the pitching staff some relief when Lindor and Jason Kipnis return, and Jose Ramirez returns to form.

Right now, the pitching has been as billed. They may have to continue to be spectacular with the offense performing this way.

Starters Give Tribe A Chance Every Day.

In the past couple of season’s, we have seen major league baseball teams get very creative in how they are using starting pitching.

The “opener” became the new rage a year ago, after Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash, a protégé of Terry Francona, started using it.

Cash using Ryne Stanek as a starter 29 times, and for the season, he pitched a total of 66-1/3 innings. Similarly, Diego Castillo was the starter in 11 of the 43 appearance he made a year ago, and he pitched just 56 innings.

Milwaukee skipper Craig Counsell used the strategy in the playoff against the Dodgers, who heavily platoon.

While many of baseball’s new age people are celebrating this new use of a pitching staff, let’s make one thing very clear. Teams that have good starting pitching don’t use an “opener”.

And we see this everyday in Cleveland.

It’s very early in the season, but coming into the 2019 campaign, you can make a very good argument the Tribe has the best rotation in the major leagues.

Corey Kluber is a two time Cy Young Award winner and has pitched over 200 innings in each of the last five seasons. Since 2014, his ERA has been less than 3.14 four times, and he has fanned 200 or more hitters in five straight seasons.

Not only has Kluber won two Cy Youngs, he’s finished third twice.

Carlos Carrasco has won 35 games the past two seasons combined, and his ERA has been under 3.38 in each of the last three years. He has struck out over 200 batters in three of the last four years. He has a 4th place Cy Young finish.

Those two are the old hands, mainstays of the staff for several years.

Then you have the young guns, Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger, both 28 years old.

Since the All Star Game, Bauer has thrown 258 innings with a 2.46 ERA and 314 strikeouts. This season, he has pitched 14 innings and allowed just one hit. One run too, but amazingly, just one hit.

Clevinger went 13-8 with a 3.02 ERA last season, and fired seven innings of one hit ball in the Cleveland home opener. He came to the Tribe in a deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and no doubt if he were still there, he would be the ace of the staff.

The Indians’ fifth starter is another guy who would likely be a #2 or #3 starter on most teams, 24-year-old Shane Bieber. He struck out nine Toronto hitters in his first start on Friday night.

Many baseball people think Bieber will have a breakthrough season in 2019, similar to Kluber’s 2014 year.

We understand most hardcore Tribe fans know how good this quintet is, but as long as they stay healthy, the Indians have a chance to win every night they take the field. How many other teams can say that?

We aren’t reacting to the performances against a perhaps light-hitting Toronto team, or because it was very cold in Minneapolis. It’s how these guys have pitched over the last year and a half, or in Bieber’s case, since he arrived in Cleveland.

Dominating games aren’t unusual. Will they have some tough games? Of course, Kluber had one against the White Sox, and Carrasco didn’t pitch well in his first start.

All starting pitchers have a handful of games every year when they don’t have their best stuff, but when Terry Francona pencils in his starting pitcher, he knows he may see an incredible performance.

And he doesn’t need an “opener” to do it.

Why Dealing A Tribe Starter Is Smart

The 2019 baseball season will start in a week (yeah, we know Seattle and Oakland are playing in Japan), and the rumors about the Cleveland Indians trading one of their starting pitchers won’t go away.

It was reported earlier this week that San Diego is still talking to the Tribe front office about a starter, presumably either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer.

You can make plenty of reasons to justify trading either of (not both) the men who figure to be at the top of the Cleveland rotation in 2019.

Kluber is certainly the more accomplished of the duo, with two Cy Young Awards (the only Indians’ pitcher to win more than one) and two other top three finishes.

On the other hand, the right-hander will turn 33 in a couple of weeks. He has club options worth $17.5 million in 2020, and $18 million in 2021 in addition to the $17 million he is reported to make this season.

So, trading him saves the team more money this season as Bauer makes $13 million in ’19, and gets the franchise out of a $35 million commitment for the next two seasons.

For the talent scouts, they have to figure out whether Kluber is starting the decline phase of his career. His velocity dropped towards the end of last season, and his arm angle was noticeably lower than earlier in the campaign.

If the Tribe has seen the best of Kluber, it makes tremendous sense to move him now, despite the backlash from the media about trading another Cy Young Award winner.

The argument for trading Bauer is we know he is going to test free agency after the 2020 season, and if he pitches like he did in 2018, he is going to cost $20 million for ’20.

Now, dealing Kluber and shedding his salary for 2020 helps pay for Bauer to be sure.

And you can make a pretty good case that Bauer will be the better pitcher in the next two seasons. Heck, Bauer proclaimed this winter on social media that he had a better 2018 season than the guy who finished third in the Cy Young voting.

He may have been correct too.

However, moving Kluber means by the end of the 2020 season, you won’t have either Kluber or Bauer. The Tribe would still have Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger, and Shane Bieber to head the rotation though, and other options (Triston McKenzie, Sam Hentges, Luis Oviedo) working their way up the system.

San Diego is a good choice to deal with too. They have an overload of outfielders and the deepest farm system in the major leagues. That gives the Indians an opportunity to add someone who can be put in the lineup everyday, and another player in the upper minors, where the Tribe is a little light.

Would a deal getting a Hunter Renfroe, a right-handed power bat, who is not arbitration eligible until next year, and won’t be a free agent until 2024, along with a top tier prospect and another lesser one, be worth the squeeze for the Tribe?

Let’s say the deal involves Kluber. Would a rotation of Bauer, Carrasco, Clevinger, Bieber, and say Adam Plutko, or heck, you could sign James Shields as a free agent, be good enough to win the AL Central?

Of course it could.

If you think with your head instead of your heart, it makes a lot of sense for the Indians to pull the trigger on this type of deal. If they feel they need a bat to score enough runs to get to the playoffs, it might be the best way to make that happen.

Tribe Front Office Not Exactly Appealing To Fan Base

The Cleveland Indians made some news this week, but not the kind the fans of the team wanted.

No, they didn’t sign a free agent bat, or trade a member of their deep starting rotation. But they did cause a stir because team president Chris Antonetti pretty much said the roster the Indians have now will be the one which will take the field in late March in Minnesota for Opening Day.

So, while the franchise isn’t in rebuilding mode, it does seem like they are no longer in “go for it” mode either.

Look, we understand the Cleveland Indians cannot have the same payroll as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers. The market size simply doesn’t support that.

Last year, according to USA Today, Cleveland ranked 15th in the sport in money allocated to players salaries. Smack dab in the middle of all MLB teams.

They’ve shed the high salaries of Edwin Encarnacion, Michael Brantley, Andrew Miller, Yonder Alonso, Yan Gomes, and Cody Allen. The only high salary taken in this winter was Carlos Santana.

We agreed with many of these moves. Most of that group were aging players, their performance likely declining with the onset of Father Time. Unfortunately, it’s not like they’ve been replaced with young stud on the upswing.

Jake Bauers and Jordan Luplow could wind up being solid, if not very good, major league players, but in our experience, you can’t depend on two young players making quantum leaps to becoming solid contributors on a contending team.

Bauers has a career batting average of .201 in 350 at bats, while Luplow’s mark is .185 in less than 100 at bats.

And we know some of the money saved goes to increasing money to some of the Tribe’s stars. Francisco Lindor will make $10.5 million, Trevor Bauer around $12 million, and Corey Kluber will make an estimated $7 million more in 2019.

There’s too much risk in the current strategy. Would it be a shock if Bauers and Luplow don’t develop? Or Tyler Naquin can’t hit enough to play everyday? Or Jason Kipnis declines even more?

Even if only one of those happens, one would think the Indians are going to struggle to put runs up on the board.

Right now, they are assured of production at three spots: shortstop, third base, and wherever Santana plays.

With arguably the best starting rotation in the game, and two superstars in the lineup, why not spend at the same level as 2018? That’s the question for the Dolan ownership.

First, we would find it highly doubtful that the Indians lost money in 2018, or in any of the last five to ten years for that matter. The sport is flush with cash. They signed a new television deal that will provide all teams additional money in 2022.

Keep in mind, each team received $50 million last year when MLB Advanced Media sold some assets to Disney.

Stop blaming attendance too. While that took a slight dip in 2018, it is still 39% higher than the 2015 figure.

It figures to increase in ’19 because of the All Star Game being at Progressive Field this summer and there will be no Cavs playoff this year.

So, there’s no reason for ownership not to spend as much money as they did a year ago. Absolutely none.

A year ago, the Indians were on the same level as the Astros, Red Sox, and Yankees as the best teams in the American League. They’ve clearly taken a step back.

It’s not on the fans. It’s a decision made by the front office. If the Indians wanted to spend an extra $20 million in payroll in 2019, they could. It might not be prudent, but they could.

And there is no percentage of revenue teams must spend on payroll either.

Right now, the front office/ownership is showing they don’t want to go for it. And that’s something that should disturb the fan base.

What Can Tribe Add In Free Agency

The calendar has turned to 2019 and that means football season is over in Cleveland, and spring training for the Indians is just a little over 40 days away.

What will the Tribe look like as they take the field in Goodyear to start getting ready to defend the American League Central Division title that they’ve held for three years?

One thing is for sure, president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff have to address the everyday lineup, because as it stands right now, it’s not good enough to be a serious contender to get to the World Series.

Another thing to consider is the age of the everyday players. The Indians finished the 2018 season as the third oldest team in the AL, behind just the Mariners and Angels.

So, the challenge is not only to get better, but get younger as well.

The only way to do that, it seems, is to trade a starting pitcher, either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer, for a package which would consist of a young position player and a top prospect to help the upper levels of the farm system, which is kind of barren right now.

However, if the front office can’t make that kind of deal, what else can they do to upgrade the lineup.

They could trade some prospects, but as we just said, the upper level is thin right now, and with Bauer coming up on free agency, we would prefer to keep the Indians’ top prospect, Triston McKenzie, who could be ready to hit Cleveland later this season.

That means the only option to improve the lineup would be free agency, preferably on short term deals to give the team flexibility going forward. This would allow the organization to look at a deal involving a starting pitcher after next season.

We would look at Nick Markakis to play right field. Markakis had one of best seasons a year ago, and is a professional hitter and a solid defensive player.

And he hit .310 with a 851 OPS on the road in 2018, meaning his home park held down his offensive numbers. He is also walking more as he ages, which bodes well for him holding his production as he ages.

He is also very consistent, with only one season in his 13 year career having an OPS below 700. His lowest on base percentage over the last five years? .342 in 2014.

As the off-season goes on, it is more and more likely you can get Markakis on a short term deal, say a one year contract with a club option.

The other hitter we would look at is 2B DJ LeMahieu, who has played in Colorado his whole career. This would move Jose Ramirez back to third base.

His on base percentage has slipped in the past two years, but he is only 30 years, and again on a short deal, we feel he could rebound in 2019.

He’s a .298 lifetime hitter, albeit in Coors Field, but he is a guy who puts the bat on the ball, and he’s also a three time Gold Glove winner, so he brings outstanding defense as well.

These two moves would lengthen the lineup for Terry Francona, and also allow him to ease in young players like Jordan Luplow and Greg Allen without the pressure to produce immediately.

This much is clear, the team has to address the lineup. With two superstars in the lineup and perhaps the best starting rotation in the majors, this isn’t the time to be wishing and hoping.

Why Tribe Needs To Deal A Starter.

After the Cleveland Indians dealt Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso in separate deals last week, there were many who felt the Tribe no longer needed to deal a starting pitcher.

We don’t feel that way.

We still believe a starter, either Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer, will be moved before spring training (probably before the end of the calendar year) to clear out more money and to bring some young, controllable bats to the Cleveland lineup.

As it stands right now, the Indians lineup isn’t that strong. Here is a projected batting order for Opening Day–

Carlos Santana DH
Francisco Lindor SS
Jose Ramirez 3B
Jake Bauers 1B
Jason Kipnis 2B
Jordan Luplow RF
Tyler Naquin LF
Roberto Perez C
Leonys Martin CF

Is that lineup good enough to win 85 games, let alone 90? That’s up for debate to be sure.

And while the Cleveland rotation would be the best in the game, in the regular season, you need to score runs to win. The only team that reached to post-season in 2018 that didn’t finish in the top five of their respective league in runs scored was the Milwaukee Brewers, who were 7th.

In the post-season, pitching can and usually does dominate. But you have to score runs to get there, and right now, we aren’t convinced the Tribe has enough firepower.

It seems like much of the talk recently is about Kluber, and we are sure the “jokes” about trading a two time Cy Young Award winner will be plentiful.

However, if you can move the right-hander and his $17 million salary for 2019, and get a bat or two, or perhaps a bat and a reliable bullpen arm in return, doesn’t that lengthen the lineup?

And that’s exactly want the Indians need.

Let’s say Kluber is moved to Cincinnati for a package centering around top ten prospect, Nick Senzel, who would play third for Cleveland and is major league ready, OF Scott Schebler (who we don’t really like, but…) and reliever Amir Garrett.

With the money saved by dealing Kluber, the Cleveland front office signs Nick Markakis as a free agent on a one year deal. Suddenly, the Tribe lineup looks like this–

Santana DH
Senzel 3B
Ramirez 2B
Lindor SS
Markakis RF
Luplow LF
Bauers 1B
Perez C
Martin CF

And you would have Kipnis as a platoon player in left field and Greg Allen to play center against left handed pitching. If Senzel is the player everyone thinks he is, you now have a lineup that has more length, and should score more runs.

We don’t think something like this is possible without moving a starting pitcher. Perhaps the front office can be super creative and pull off a miracle, and we would love to see that.

Besides, your starting rotation would still be Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber, and a mix of Adam Plutko, Cody Anderson, or perhaps Danny Salazar.

That’s good enough to get the Indians into the post-season, and once you get there, you only use four starters anyway.

It doesn’t have to be the Reds, certainly the Dodgers are a possibility and other teams as well. But, people who think the Indians only need one bat are delusional in our opinion, they need at least two.

The other way we see to make that happen in to deal from strength, and that means a starting pitcher.

We think the Tribe front office thinks the same way.

Tribe Roster in ’19 Will Look Very Different.

Little by little, the Cleveland Indians we have come to know are leaving the team. Some we knew quite well, others passed through quickly.

Lonnie Chisenhall, one of the longest tenured players in the organization signed a one year deal with the Pirates on the same day Josh Donaldson, who spent less than a month with the Tribe, signed with Atlanta.

And of course, there have been rumors of trades, mostly regarding more players who have been with the Indians since Terry Francona was hired prior to the 2013 season.

Players like Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Kipnis, and Yan Gomes are primarily mentioned.

While not all of them will be traded (we think), there is no question the 2019 edition of the Cleveland Indians will look very different from the past.

Obviously, no matter what occurs in the next couple of months, the Tribe will be led by Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez, both of whom finished in the top six in the American League MVP voting, and regardless of a trade, a stout starting rotation.

We have read comments from fans and media alike calling this a fire sale, or the Indians cutting payroll, but we don’t believe that’s the case.

Any moves made will involves redistributing the money the ownership can spend, because right now, they have a lot of money tied up in players in the decline phases of their careers.

Take Gomes, for example. He is scheduled to make slightly over $7 million next season. He’ll be 32 during the 2019 season, and had his best offensive season (762 OPS) since 2014 (785 OPS).

Why not trade him now after a good offensive season, in addition to his excellent defense and handling of a pitching staff? And you give yourself some additional money to address other areas of need.

As for Kipnis, it’s a matter of moving a player who appears to have peaked in 2016 and is owed a lot of money next season. It is doubtful the veteran will bring a lot in return because of his bloated salary. In fact, the Indians may have to kick in some cash to make the deal.

Even if they have to throw in $4 million, that still gives the organization an extra $10 million to upgrade other areas.

And we still believe Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff will move one of the starting pitchers to bring in the biggest prize, a young controllable bat who can add depth to the batting order.

We still believe Carrasco will bring the biggest return.

It may not end there either. The front office would love to move Yonder Alonso and/or Edwin Encarnacion freeing up more cash to spend, not to keep.

While we have seen some moves around baseball already, our guess is the Tribe will look to deal off some veterans before adding the new faces to the roster.

However, we reiterate that what the front office is doing to reallocating the payroll to try and prop the window open for several more years. At the end of the season, we came to the realization that everyone in their normal lineup was over 30 years old, save for Lindor and Ramirez.

That’s not a recipe to get better, especially offensively.

That’s the off-season goal of the front office in our opinion, to get surround the two MVP candidates with players with upside.

That, and rebuild the bullpen.