Is The Tribe Still A Contender? You Bet!

Anyone who thinks the Minnesota Twins are going to sit on their laurels after winning the American Central Division in 2019 will probably be sadly mistaken.

The Twins seem determined to defend their title after signing one of the best free agents available in former MVP Josh Donaldson, ranked 5th best on MLBTradeRumors.com.

Minnesota scored the second most runs in the American League a year ago, and they just added another superior hitter to their lineup.

The Chicago White Sox have been very active in the free agent market this off-season, most notably signing Yasmani Grandal, Edwin Encarnacion, and southpaw Dallas Keuchel, leading many to believe it will be a three team race in the AL Central.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Indians have signed 2B Cesar Hernandez.

If you look at offense, the Twins scored 170 more runs than the Indians, and the Tribe scored 61 more than the Pale Hose. Even adding Grandal and Encarnacion, that’s a tough number to catch.

While it seems unreachable for the Indians to catch up to Minnesota in runs scored, one path to closing the gap would be a complete season by Jose Ramirez, and a better season from Francisco Lindor.

Ramirez wound up with a solid season in ’19 (.255, 23 HR, 83 RBI, 806 OPS), but compared to his 2017 and 2018 campaigns (957 OPS in ’17 and 939 in ’18) it pales. A return to those previous two years (he is only 27) would greatly improve the Cleveland attack.

On the other hand, the Indians can’t expect the same season out of 34-year-old Carlos Santana, who had the best season of the year (911 OPS). By the same token, Minnesota’s best hitter, Nelson Cruz, will be 39 in 2020.

Chicago’s free agent hitters are 32 (Grandal) and 37 years old (Encarnacion), so neither should be expected to do better than a year ago. Where the Sox should gain is with three young, impact bats in Yoan Moncada (25), Eloy Jimenez (23), and Luis Robert (22).

The Indians’ edge is in the pitching department, allowing almost .6 runs per game less than the Twins, and 1.11 less than Chicago.

Certainly, the continued development of Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac will be key to maintaining that edge, as well as a retooled bullpen.

It would seem the Indians still have the best pitching in the division. Minnesota replaced Kyle Gibson and Martin Perez with Homer Bailey and Rich Hill, and the White Sox figure to be better, but lowering by more than a full run?

Based on run differential, the difference between the Indians and Twins was only four games, Minnesota had the profile of a team winning 97 games (they won 101), while Cleveland should have won 93 contests, which they did.

So, the gap isn’t as large as you think it is.

The White Sox won 69 games, so even with a roster upgrade and the further development of some very good looking young players, that’s still an awful big number to make up.

We would think the White Sox will still be a factor in the race, but not quite ready to compete with the Twins and Indians.

That’s why the Indians should still be looking to add a bat, particularly an outfielder. They shouldn’t be thinking the way to go is unproven hitters like Greg Allen, Delino DeShields, Bradley Zimmer, and Daniel Johnson.

The Cleveland pitching gives it a solid chance to return to the post-season in 2020.

Tribe’s Kipnis Dilemma

In game seven of the 2016 World Series, Indians’ fans thought Jason Kipnis won the team’s first world title since 1948 with a drive down the right field line.

The ball went foul, the Tribe lost, and Kipnis’ career may have reached its apex.

The native of Chicago, had a great Series, going 9 for 31 with two home runs, including one which put the fourth game away for Cleveland, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead.

The Tribe second baseman was outstanding that year, hitting .275 with a career high 23 home runs and 82 RBIs (811 OPS). It was his third season like that in a four year span, with only 2014 as the exception.

He was 29 years old that season.

Since that time, Kipnis had an injury plagued 2017 campaign, playing just 90 games, and hit just .232 (705 OPS) in just 90 games. And the Indians got hot when, he was hurt, and Terry Francona shuffled Jose Ramirez to second base, and playing Yandy Diaz and Gio Urshela at the hot corner.

When he returned, Francona moved him to centerfield for the playoffs, keeping Ramirez and Urshela, a better defensive infield, right where they were.

Last season, at age 31, it didn’t get much better for Kipnis. His OPS was 704, with a .230 batting average, 18 homers and 75 ribbies. He did stay healthy, and was able to play 147 games.

When the front office acquired Josh Donaldson on August 31st, Kipnis again moved to the outfield, and Ramirez moved from third back to 2B.

Now, Kipnis is coming off two consecutive seasons where he has not performed to the level he established early in his career, where from 2011-16, he made two all star teams and was a key offensive cog for the Indians.

Unfortunately for management, Kipnis’ compensation, which was based on his early success for gone from a little over $4 million in 2015 to $13.7 million last year, and he will make $14.7 million in 2019.

Talk about getting less bang for your buck!

That’s the dilemma for Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff. They would love to deal the player, because he’s not performing up to his salary, but because his production has dropped since 2016, no one is interested.

We are sure they tried to make deals where they move another player with more value and attach Kipnis, taking back less in return, but to be sure, management didn’t want to (nor should they have) give up anything of value.

And he’s the player they have tried to phase out in each of the last two seasons.

What has changed for Kipnis is the pop in his bat. His extra base hits have declined from 59 in 2015 and 68 in ’16 to 37 in 2017 and 47 last season. His walks haven’t changed much.

Plus, it’s clear to most people that Ramirez is the superior defensive second baseman. Kipnis isn’t terrible, but Ramirez is better.

If the Tribe had a solid lineup, Kipnis’ declining production wouldn’t be as much as an issue, but they don’t, so he becomes a liability. And if his numbers continue to go down, as he will be 32, he becomes a player who shouldn’t be getting everyday at bats, and right now, he’ll be in there everyday.

The Indians need to have at least six solid hitters to have a good offense this season. As we said, they have three. If Kipnis doesn’t get off to a good start, it will represent another tough decision for Francona and the front office.

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.

Things To Watch After Tribe Wraps It Up

Sometime in the next week, the Cleveland Indians will clinch the American League Central Division title, their 10th since the three division set up was established in 1994.

They will also be making their 11th post season appearance in that time frame, trailing only the powerful, big market Red Sox and Yankees in the American League.

These are heady times for baseball fans in northeast Ohio, especially when you consider this team has several of the best players who have ever worn the Indians’ uniform.

Even after the Tribe wraps up the division crown, they will be very interesting to watch through the end of the season. Here are some things to watch–

Josh Donaldson. The former AL MVP will return to the active roster next week in Tampa, and then the seismic position shift will begin, assuming Donaldson’s calf holds up.

When he is ready to play the field, Jose Ramirez will move to second base, and Jason Kipnis goes to centerfield. That is, if Kipnis continues to swing the bat like he has over the last week to ten days.

If he slumps again, Terry Francona could go back to Greg Allen, who is a better defender, and has provided some timely hits since Leonys Martin fell ill.

The Bullpen. With Cody Allen back on the beam (hopefully), who will be in the bullpen for the post-season is still up in the air.

The first order of business is getting Andrew Miller healthy and back in the mix. We doubt he can carry the same load he did in 2016, but if he can give Francona an inning of quality relief two or three times in a series, that would be big.

Also to be determined is what other right-handers will the skipper want. Adam Cimber should be one, because of his success vs. right-handed hitters, but will the manager really want to bring Dan Otero or Neil Ramirez into a playoff game?

Our guess is that was why veteran Jon Edwards was given a look see after striking out 56 in 39-2/3 innings at Columbus this year.

And that makes it kind of curious that Ben Taylor wasn’t brought back for another look. The 25 year old made six appearances early in the year, and fanned 70 in 57-1/3 innings at AAA this year.

The Bench. There won’t be a need for 13 pitchers come October, so we figure two spots on the bench will open up.

In our estimation, Francona will go with four starters and seven arms out of the bullpen, so who gets those roster spots?

If Kipnis is in CF, one spot will go to Greg Allen for his defense, and Rajai Davis will be there as a pinch runner, but will that mean Yandy Diaz makes the roster this fall?

Remember, a year ago, Diaz was bypassed in favor of Giovanny Urshela’s glove.

This year, Diaz may be in the lineup vs. left handed pitchers, replacing Yonder Alonso, who is batting .212 with a 607 OPS against southpaws.

For a team coasting into the playoffs, the 2018 Cleveland Indians have a lot of things that are unsettled. We are sure the Tribe management would like things to crystalize in the next three weeks.

The Tribe’s Giant Leap of Faith

Well, we certainly can’t say Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff played it safe, can we?

The Cleveland Indians’ front office took a giant leap of faith that Josh Donaldson’s injured calf will be healthy enough to get through two months in acquiring the former American League MVP just prior to the September 1st deadline.

Donaldson hasn’t played in the big leagues since May 28th, yet the Tribe management is willing to blow up the existing lineup for a player hitting .234 with a 757 OPS this season.

Ironically, Donaldson’s last two home runs for the Blue Jays came on May 3rd, at Progressive Field in a doubleheader against the Indians, hitting them off of Nick Goody in game one, and Adam Plutko in the nightcap.

In his three previous seasons, his lowest OPS was 939 in 2015, his first year in Canada, when he won the MVP, leading the AL in runs scored, runs batted in, and belted 41 home runs.

His career post-season numbers, in 31 games, are a .292 batting average, 4 home runs, 13 RBI, and an 836 OPS. Even in the ALCS loss to the Indians in 2016, Donaldson still was 6 for 18 with a dinger.

When he is ready to play, and that’s not a given, it appears the Tribe will move Jose Ramirez to second base, and Jason Kipnis will move to the outfield for the second straight fall.

That’s a drastic departure because Terry Francona said a few weeks ago that he wasn’t going to move Ramirez to the keystone to get Yandy Diaz’ bat in the lineup.

With Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez in a bit of a tailspin, it was clear the Indians’ offense needed a boost. Greg Allen was hot for awhile, but our fears that he still isn’t reliable were shown to be true.

That doesn’t mean Allen doesn’t have a future, because we believe he does.

The Tribe outfield defense isn’t great anyway, so it appears management will punt on it totally to get Kipnis’ recently rejuvenated bat in the lineup, with Ramirez moving to second.

When will the transition start to take place? It is thought that Donaldson needs some more minor league at bats, so will Francona wait until Donaldson is ready to play in the majors, or will he get valuable action at their new positions for Ramirez and Kipnis.

When Kipnis is in center, our guess is he will play five or six innings, and if the Tribe has a lead, Greg Allen will take over.

It has been reported that Kipnis is not real happy about having to move to the outfield, and this is where Francona needs his greatest strength, his relationship with his players.

If Donaldson is healthy, there is no doubt his presence in the lineup makes the Tribe batting order more potent. The offense has been top heavy all season long, with the team not getting a lot of production past the fifth spot in the order.

Donaldson’s presence lengthens the order, potentially dropping Yonder Alonso into the 6th spot, and if Kipnis keeps hitting, the lineup has some depth.

The biggest selling point Tito has is it makes the team better, and if winning is the ultimate goal in that clubhouse, this move helps.

Still, it’s a huge gamble because of Donaldson’s calf. We have seen what Lonnie Chisenhall’s problem has done to his career over the last year, so there is no guarantee it won’t flare up on the newest Indian.

Antonetti and Chernoff have pushed all the chips to the center of the table again. Now, the question is will their new hand be a winner?