Will Tribe’s Strengths Override Weaknesses

We remember reading Bill James’ Baseball Abstracts in the late 70’s and early 80’s, and his essays about the Montreal Expos, a talented team that just couldn’t get over the hump and win the division.

If we recall correctly, James’ theory was that even though the Expos had some great players like Gary Carter, Tim Raines, Andre Dawson, Tim Wallach, and Warren Cromartie, all near the top at their positions in the major leagues, the team was weighed down by the spots where they didn’t have great players.

The Cleveland Indians remind me of those Expo teams right now.

The Tribe has some of the best players in the game at their respective positions: Michael Brantley and Francisco Lindor were both ranked by MLB Network’s Shredder as the best left fielder and shortstop, respectively.

And Jason Kipnis and Yan Gomes are among the best second basemen and catchers in baseball too.

In fact, the network had five Indians among the game’s Top 100 Players Right Now: Brantley, Corey Kluber, Kipnis, Lindor, and Carlos Carrasco.

That’s a good place to start for any team. The hope is the weaknesses at the other positions don’t drag the Indians’ win-loss record down.

Without Brantley, it is well documented that Terry Francona has a lot of question marks to deal with in his outfield. Since Abraham Almonte was suspended, and he isn’t a great answer to any question either, the starting OF looks like Lonnie Chisenhall in RF, Rajai Davis somewhere, and the other spot is wide open.

And outside of prospect Tyler Naquin, the upside for Joey Butler, Shane Robinson, Robbie Grossman, and/or Collin Cowgill isn’t exactly awe inspiring either.

At the infield corners, the Tribe is going with veterans on the wrong side of 30 years old in Mike Napoli and Juan Uribe. Both have been productive recently, so it’s not exactly a huge risk, but neither is it etched in stone that these two will be productive.

The bedrock of this team is it’s outstanding starting pitching. But the question that most national pundits have is did the front office get enough offense to take real advantage of arguably the best rotation in the American League.

Look, because of their arms, the Tribe is going to be in most games barring an injury or two. Kluber, Carrasco, Danny Salazar, and Trevor Bauer give you a chance to win every night, and Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin aren’t bad either.

However, we’ve seen what the Indians record over the years is when scoring three or fewer runs per game, even with this pitching staff:

2015 18-61
2014 25-56
2013 17-53
2012 16-63

In the last four years, the trend has been an offense scoring three runs or less in about half the Tribe’s games.

Imagine how good this ballclub would be with a consistent and more potent batting attack?

They would be the team to beat in the American League, and perhaps all of baseball.

The front office is also fortunate they don’t have to pay a king’s ransom for that rotation right now. Kluber, Carrasco and Tomlin are under affordable contracts, and the rest of the hurlers are under club control.

The story of this season is will the weaknesses in the outfield and the possible age on the corner infield outweigh all of the good things the franchise has going for it.

Or can the talented players on the Cleveland roster make up for the weaknesses.

Excited About Tribe Winter Moves? Not Us

There are some people in this city who look at the Cleveland Indians through rose colored glasses.

They are baseball’s model organization, the small market team with the smartest front office in the sport.

Some of these people work at the ballclub’s flagship radio station, others are media members who are charmed by the genuine, good people who work in the Tribe’s baseball operations department.

Others are fans, usually of the younger persuasion, who see the organization building a young core of talent and feel optimistic for the future.

Heck, they get excited by the news of Josh Tomlin, a back of the rotation starter at best, signing a club friendly, multi-year contract extension.

When Tomlin inked the deal yesterday, social media was flooded by people telling us what a wonderful deal it was. To us, it was “meh”.

We see their side of the argument. We too are excited by Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis, and one of the best starting rotations in all of major league baseball.

That’s the half filled view. Looking on the bright side of things.

We can’t give them that benefit of the doubt simply because of that dominant pitching. Our opinion is if the Indians can get to the post-season, their arms could carry them a long way, but they have to get there, and we don’t think they can score enough runs to accomplish that.

Terry Francona’s squad still have a lot of holes in the everyday lineup. We see big question marks at 3B and the entire outfield, depending on how long Brantley is out of the lineup.

Yes, getting Mike Napoli looks like a solid move. He upgrades the defense at first base, but outside of the second half of last season with Texas, he’s not the player he was with Boston three or four years ago.

He is 34 years old after all.

And Rajai Davis would be a nice pick up as an extra outfielder. Unfortunately, he looks like the starter in LF until Brantley returns.

Also, why do we have the feeling that the Indians will rush Brantley back from his injury, and because of that, he may have an off year? Probably because they did the same thing with Kipnis and Yan Gomes each of the last two years.

Would anyone be truly surprised if both players struggled in 2016? If they do, how does Francona get his club to put more runs on the board.

Our problem is that Tribe management always has the strategy that if everything goes right, we can win the AL Central, but the reality is, it rarely happens that all factors fall in our favor.

That’s why this off-season was the perfect time to make a bold move for a hitter in their prime. Yes, we understand that it is difficult because if you sign a free agent, you likely will have to pay for the player when he is past his prime.

And making a trade carries a risk because the player you move may wind up being better than the guy you get.

That’s one of the reasons we say the Indians operate in fear. They deal in mostly low risk, high reward moves, but many times they get players who don’t have much left.

This would have been a perfect time to strike and put this team in a position to win the division and avoid wild card game.

It may work out, but why not eliminate some of the “hope” factor. It’s okay to put a team out there that doesn’t need a luck factor to win.

Here’s Hoping For A Change in Attitude For Tribe

Now that the 2015 season has ended, the change at the top is official for the Cleveland Indians.

Team president Mark Shapiro is gone, and there will be a new top baseball man at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Rumors have circulated that GM Chris Antonetti may be elevated to President of Baseball Operations, with current assistant GM Mike Chernoff being moved up into Antonetti’s old spot.

We hope this signals more changes in the wigwam, as Antonetti will be free to implement has own vision of a baseball team, which may or may not be the same as the man who went north to Toronto.

We would like to see a change in attitude within the organization, one that could get the city excited about the Tribe once again.

Shapiro talked a lot, even in his appearance in the broadcast booths on Sunday, about the market inequities within the game of baseball, and making sure everyone knew the Indians didn’t have the same revenues as big market teams.

Why not change the culture from that “woe is us” message?

Instead, embrace the small market challenge. Adopt an attitude of not caring if we can’t afford a huge payroll, we are going to beat the big boys anyway.

The Tribe in recent years seem to want to be everyone’s favorite little brother, not wanting to challenge other teams, the umpires, or players who seem to beat them time and time again (see Cabrera, Miguel).

This attitude should permeate from the front office, to the manager and coaches, right down to the players.

Danny Salazar shouldn’t be scolded by Terry Francona for being upset that the plate umpire squeezed him against Minnesota a couple of weeks ago, instead, why not go out there and tell the man in blue that this was a post-season race and he missed a call badly.

Do you know who holds the major league record for ejections in a managerial career? Atlanta’s Bobby Cox who was constantly battling for his players.

This isn’t to say Francona doesn’t. He is a great player’s manager, and the 2015 Tribe fought to the bitter end for him.

Other things we’d like to see…

**How about trying Jose Ramirez in CF? Abraham Almonte looks like a 4th outfielder, and he could be a solid one, but Ramirez has the look of a guy who can play everyday, and is blocked by Jason Kipnis at 2B.

The switch-hitter just turned 23, puts his bat on the ball, and has the speed needed to play in the middle of the diamond. Putting him there would eliminate one hole for Antonetti this winter.

**It is doubtful that the Indians will be able to trade for a middle of the order bat, but what about Michael Brantley there? Brantley is a professional hitter, and if healthy next year, should hit for more power.

If Ramirez plays everyday, a top of the order including Francisco Lindor, Ramirez, and Jason Kipnis will provide plenty of men on base for Brantley, very good with men in scoring position, to drive home and be the first Indians since Victor Martinez in 2007 to have 100 RBIs.

Jason Kipnis put the pressure on the front office after Sunday’s game by saying the pieces to win are in place. Now, it’s up to the remodeled front office to be aggressive and finish the job.

With the pitching in this organization, there is no reason not to win in 2016.

Last Two Weeks Shows Tribe Need Off-Season Help

After GM Chris Antonetti made the deal with Atlanta sending Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn south, the Cleveland Indians started to play better and worked their way back to the outside fringe of the wild card race.

However, once in that position, the Tribe went back to a win one, lose one stretch, and dropping the first two games of a key series against another contender, the Minnesota Twins, virtually eliminates Terry Francona’s team from post-season consideration.

In a way, that’s good, because it won’t give anyone on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario a notion that the Cleveland Indians are a solid baseball team heading into the winter.

We see four position players who should have starting jobs when the 2016 season opens at Progressive Field on April 4th:

2B Jason Kipnis
SS Francisco Lindor
C Yan Gomes
?? Michael Brantley

Every other position should have competition.

The question mark around Brantley is because we think a move to 1B could be in the cards for him. He’s played the position in the minor leagues, and if the front office finds it easier to find a LF, then perhaps Brantley can be the new first baseman.

We say that because we do not think Carlos Santana will be back in ’16, because he will be dealt.

Santana, a polarizing figure because the sabermetric people love him because he walks, However, he is just slightly above average offensively in the AL, hitting just .234 with 17 HR and 79 RBI with a 749 OPS. The league average is 729.

The switch-hitter will be 30 years old next year, meaning he should be entering the decline phase of his career. It would be best for Antonetti to move Santana to a stat based organization while he still has value. Remember, the Tribe owes him $8 million next year with a club option of $12 million for 2017.

We would also like to see Jose Ramirez back with the team, although he might have the best trade value among the everyday players whom the Indians would be willing to deal.

3B? Giovanny Urshela is excellent defensively, but can he hit enough to play everyday?

CF? Abraham Almonte is a nice fourth outfielder, but the Indians need someone better to hold down the fort until Bradley Zimmer is ready to take over, and hopefully that will be late next season.

RF? Lonnie Chisenhall has been great defensively, but we have seen his up and downs with the bat over the years. Out of all the other positions, Chisenhall may be the guy we would give a shot to, at least in a platoon role.

LF/1B/DH? As we said, Brantley will hold down one of these spots, and he is developing into one of the league’s premier hitters. But the other two spots need people who can hit, and with the game changing, guys who hit for a good average, that don’t strike out excessively, and have a little pop would be fine.

Chris Johnson does whiff a lot, but we’d be willing to give him a share of one of these spots to start next year.

We understand that we are talking about a lot of changes, but we believe going with the status quo is not prudent if the Tribe wants to make the post-season.

Antonetti needs to be looking to upgrade at more than half of the positions in the lineup for next year. And we understand they may not be blockbuster moves, just incremental improvement at those spots would be acceptable.

We will discuss the pitching staff next week.

Why Doesn’t Anyone Ask the Tribe???

We get that it is far different covering a major league professional sports team now than it was, say, 20-25 years ago.

The executives and the manager/head coaches don’t like answering pointed questions, mainly because the players, who have come up in an atmosphere of coddling, don’t like to be criticized in the media.

That leads to politically correct responses, and probably a conversation behind close doors with the parties who earned the coaches’ ire.

So, we understand that it is not in the beat writers’ best interests to ask Terry Francona, GM Chris Antonetti, or team president Mark Shapiro tough questions, particularly ones that they have no desire to answer in public.

However, here are some things that deserve answers from the management.

Why Does Michael Brantley Continue to Play Centerfield? Brantley’s numbers as a LF and a CF aren’t very different, he has an OPS of 788 playing in the middle of the outfield compared to a 797 figure in LF. However, it is clear to us that Brantley’s defense is not up to par in center, and his power numbers are off dramatically (70 points) from a year ago.

Covering more ground in a more demanding defensive position likely puts more pressure on his back, which has been bothering him all season.

When last year’s all-star doesn’t play the field, when he’s used as a DH, his OPS is 860, a figure very comparable to 2014’s 890.

With the offense struggling mightily, doesn’t it make sense to put one of the Tribe’s primary offensive threats in a less demanding defensive spot?

Is There a Need For a Situational Lefty in the Bullpen? The pure numbers say Marc Rzepczynski is doing a solid job, with 23 strikeouts and 10 walks in 17-2/3 innings. The stat guys will point out he’s got a good strikeout to walk ratio.

On the other hand, last season, the man they call Scrabble allowed left-handed hitters to bat just .180 against him, with an incredibly low 441 OPS.

This season, those figures are a .234 batting average against, the OPS has risen to 640.

Worse, Francona seems to have lost some trust in the southpaw, bringing in Cody Allen in today’s game with lefty swinging Joey Votto at the plate with a man on and two out in a 3-1 game.

Last year, Tito would’ve definitely went with Rzepczynski in that situation.

Do They Really Need Eight Relievers? This ridiculousness has now gone on for about a month.

We know Francona likes to keep his relievers fresh, but now that the starting pitching has stabilized, there is no need to carry that many guys in the bullpen.

There simply isn’t enough work.

The guys who can be said to be taking up a roster spot that could be better utilized are “long” relievers Jeff Manship, Ryan Webb, and Austin Adams.

If ALL of those pitchers are used more than one in a seven game span, it would be shocking. Adams came into the game Friday night, and quite frankly, we forgot he was on the roster.

Again, with the offensive struggles the Indians are going through, wouldn’t an extra bat on the bench make more sense?

And we haven’t even mentioned questions like “Why is Francisco Lindor still hitting second?” or “Why do we keep playing Mike Aviles in the outfield?” or “What was it that finally made Lindor ready for the big leagues?”

We would just love to hear how the Tribe management would avoid these questions with their normal corporate double speak.

Instead, we will have to speculate our own answers.

Consistency is a Talent, Tribe Needs More of It

After losing both ends of a doubleheader last Sunday in Baltimore, and being shutout in both games, the Cleveland Indians reached rock bottom for the season. They dropped to 9-15 for the month of June at that point.

There was nowhere to go but up.

And up they went, winning the next five games and now they have a chance to win what looked to be a very difficult trip to Baltimore, Tampa, and Pittsburgh.

So, everything should be looking up in Tribetown and all the critics should be silenced, right?

From our point of view, not quite.

Why? Because of the consistency problem this team has, and has had all season long.

How many Indians have been consistent all year? After struggling in April, Jason Kipnis, Cody Allen have been excellent.

Michael Brantley’s power numbers are down from 2014, but he’s a guy who can be counted on to provide quality at bats every night.

Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Carlos Carrasco can be depended on to keep the Indians in ballgames on an everyday basis.

David Murphy and Ryan Raburn have solidified the DH spot with their platoon.

And since being called up, 3B Giovanny Urshela has been good on a day in, day out basis.

The rest of the roster? Not so much.

Carlos Santana is in the midst of a five-week long slump. SInce June 1st, the switch-hitter has gone 19 for 103 (.184), with 3 HR and 9 RBI in that span.

Over the last 28 days, Brandon Moss has hit .202 (18 for 89) with 4 HR and 12 RBIs. Over the last week, he’s gone 4 for 26.

MIchael Bourn has hit .185 with one extra base hit (last night’s double), three RBI and one stolen base over the last four weeks.

Mike Aviles has gone 4 for 26 over the last two weeks.

WIth Yan Gomes still struggling coming back from his knee injury, and Francisco Lindor going through the growing pains (at least at the plate) of being called up for the first time, this is why the offense has sputtered.

That’s five players in the batting order who have pretty much been terrible lately. That makes it very tough to put together any offense.

In the bullpen, Nick Hagadone has an ERA of 6.00 over the last month, but he’s really the only problem in that area.

Look, we understand that players aren’t robots, and they can’t all be the bastions of consistency like Brantley.

However, you can’t have so many players who are feast or famine either. That leads to months like the Indians had in April and June.

When Moss is swinging the bat well, and Santana is hitting too, the Tribe offense can look like a juggernaut. Unfortunately, that only happens in spurts.

And that’s why this is a frustrating team to watch.

Fans have clamored for a right-handed power bat, but recently, the Indians have handled southpaws.

What the Indians really need is another “professional hitter”, a guy who is going to give them quality at bats night after night.

The one thing to contemplate is what happens if Murphy and Raburn, particularly Murphy, who is hitting .327, but is a .276 career hitter, go into slumps.

Then it will be necessary for Santana or Moss to get hot over a month period.

Our point is that we shouldn’t be fooled by this five game winning streak. The Indians still need flaws they need to correct if they want to make a run at a post-season berth. They can’t afford another April or June, that will bury them.

Let’s hope the front office doesn’t become complacent about what has happened this week. That’s fools gold.

Stats Show Tribe Pitching Just As Responsible For Up and Down Year.

We all know the Cleveland Indians got off to a bad start this season, and then played much better in May.

However, they are back in a rut again, treading water in June, having won just six of their last 15 games.

They are trying. They’ve brought up heralded prospect Francisco Lindor to play shortstop and add Giovanny Urshela to play third base, and tomorrow will mark the debut of right-hander Cody Anderson, who will start against the Rays.

The hitting takes the bulk of the blame, but in reality, they are only half of the problem, because the team ERA ranks 12th in the American League, although they might rank higher if not for some questionable official scoring.

First, the hitting. Despite ranking 3rd in the AL in on base percentage, and 9th in slugging, the Tribe ranks 10th in the league in runs scored. This is mostly because they are terrible with men on base.

That’s mostly because they don’t have enough solid bats in the lineup.

Right now, they have Jason Kipnis, who is having an MVP quality season leading off, and Lindor is hitting second, with Michael Brantley third. Kipnis (.417 OBP) and Brantley (.381) get on base a lot.

After that, there aren’t a lot of guys doing anything.

David Murphy and Ryan Raburn are doing well platooning at DH, but Raburn has slowed after a hot start. Carlos Santana is batting .212, and his most consistent skill this year is walking. While that is better than making an out, it’s usually not resulting in runs being scored.

Yan Gomes has been pretty consistent, but was out six weeks with a knee injury, and is batting .211 on the season.

Brandon Moss has shown some flashes, but because he strikes out a lot, he is prone to those 0 for 15 slides that don’t help the team score runs. Michael Bourn is a blight on the offense with his .238 average and OPS under 600.

So, how would you expect Kipnis and Brantley to score based on who is hitting behind them?

We have always maintained you need to have at least seven solid hitters to have a formidable offensive team. How many do the Indians have?

Right now, three (Kipnis, Brantley, DH platoon) and we think Gomes, Moss, and Santana can be. That still leaves them one bat short. Lindor and Urshela are too young and inexperience to be counted on, although both haven’t been bad so far.

The pitching has been a disappointment too. They lead the AL in striking out hitters, but when teams hit the ball, it hasn’t been good.

Tribe pitchers have the 2nd highest batting average against on balls put in play and have allowed the third most home runs in the league. The first figure points out the Cleveland defense hasn’t been good most of the year.

None of the starters have an ERA under 3.00, and several parts of the bullpen have been crazy inconsistent as well. Cody Allen has righted himself after a bad start, and Bryan Shaw has been solid lately too, but Zack McAllister is up and down.

Why Ryan Webb and Austin Adams haven’t received a better chance is a mystery, and it may be time to cut bait on Nick Hagadone and Scott Atchison.

The fifth starter spot has been held by several guys, and perhaps the best of them, Shawn Marcum (who pitched well in four of six starts) was designated for assignment on Thursday.

Maybe Anderson can stabilize that spot.

Because the American League is so tightly packed, if Terry Francona’s club can get some consistency and can rattle off something like 14 wins in a 20 game span, they would be in the top half of the league record wise.

Unfortunately, outside of a three-week stretch in May, they haven’t been able to do that.

Right Now, Tribe Counting on Good Things to Happen for Contention

Roughly two years ago, around this time, the Cleveland Indians announced the signing of free agent Nick Swisher to a four-year contract.

We bring this up, because it’s the last time the Tribe front office did anything off the field to excite its fan base.

There is no question the Indians are in a tough situation. They have assembled a solid young core of talent that is under control for the next three to four seasons.

They have the reigning Cy Young Award winner in the American League in Corey Kluber and another player in Michael Brantley that finished in the top three in the AL MVP voting.

They have one of the top catchers in the game in Yan Gomes, and a host of good, young arms, albeit without extensive track records in the starting rotation.

However, the face of the franchise is probably their manager, Terry Francona.

GM Chris Antonetti has made one move this off-season, getting left-handed slugger Brandon Moss from Oakland for a minor league second baseman, but that move gives Francona a glut at 1B, RF, and DH with Moss, David Murphy, Carlos Santana, and Swisher, not to mention Ryan Raburn.

The Indians made the wild card game in ’13, and went to the final weekend of the 2014 season with a chance to repeat a post-season appearance. So, they most definitely have to be considered a contender.

That’s why this would be as good a chance as any to take a shot and “go for it”, like many teams have this winter.

The franchise has needed another solid bat, particularly one from the right side for several years, and they could use another reliable veteran starter to go with the kids they’ve assembled. However, the ownership’s glass ceiling of an $85 million payroll ties the hands of the front office.

Instead, the management talks about how the Tigers likely won’t be as good as they were this season, and the Royals look like they will lose James Shields, so the Tribe is in the mix.

It seems their primary plan to win is other teams not being as good.

Within their own division, the Tigers have a better hitting lineup on paper with Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, and Yoenis Cespedes in the middle of the batting order, and Chicago has two top starters in Chris Sale and Jeff Samardzija. Not to mention the Royals are the defending American League champions.

The Indians are hoping Jason Kipnis has a rebound season, Lonnie Chisenhall hits in the second half like he did in the first half, and Michael Bourn and Swisher can stay healthy.

They also need seasons similar to last season from Brantley, Gomes, and Kluber.

That’s a lot of wishin’ and hopin’.

While defenders of the ownership will claim attendance has to improve for the team to spend, we are here to tell you there is a large core of baseball fans in the area who want the front office to show they are all in, much like the White Sox have shown their ticket buyers.

Imagine if the Indians traded for Samardzija or signed Melky Cabrera as a free agent. The former would have formed a great one-two punch with Kluber at the top of the rotation, while the latter would have been a great fit in RF, a switch-hitter with a high average and some pop.

Yes, we know the White Sox play in one of the top media markets in the country, but Seattle isn’t and they signed a player who hit 40 homers a year ago.

We are excited about the Indians because they are a solid team, but they need a boost to make them a favorite for a division title, and to interest the fans in the area.

They still have two months until spring training starts, so there is still time for trades, but right now the Indians seem content to do what they normally do.

Fair or not, they need to do something to compete with the Browns and Cavaliers for the ticket money and headlines in the media.

No Question About It, It’s a Big Winter for Tribe

Now that the Cleveland Indians have been officially eliminated from post-season play, it is time to look ahead to the Hot Stove League.

The Tribe will likely start with a roster that has either the Cy Young Award winner or runner-up in Corey Kluber, and a hitter who will be in the top five in the American League’s MVP voting in Michael Brantley. So, that’s a good start.

However, their is no question the club needs at least one legitimate bat going into next season.

The AL league average for OPS in 707, and the Indians had only four players who exceeded that mark: Brantley, Carlos Santana, Yan Gomes, and Lonnie Chisenhall. You probably need to get two more guys who are better than league average.

Yes, we believe Jason Kipnis’ struggles this year are an aberration based on his past, so that would be one such bat, but can we really be confident that anyone on the current roster can step up?

We like Jose Ramirez and what we has shown since getting regular playing time, but he needs to get on base more (.291 OBP) and drive the ball a little more (.332 slugging) to be a bonafide offensive threat.

And you cannot depend on older players like Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn, and David Murphy to bounce back either.

A lot of people we respect love the future of the Cleveland pitching staff, and although it is very promising, outside of Kluber’s two major league seasons, there isn’t another starter who has a proven big league track record.

GM Chris Antonetti needs to get another established hurler to put in the middle of the rotation and make guys like T. J. House, who performed better than expected into a nice option if someone falters or has an arm problem.

We feel the bullpen will take care of itself. Yes, there is a lot of wear on some of the arms, but the organization seems to have some depth in this area at the minor league level.

Also, you can find relievers that other teams discarded and resurrect their careers like the Tribe did this season with Scott Atchison.

How can the Indians do this? Well, it could start with spending more cash.

While the ownership gets credit for spending on Swisher and Bourn before the 2013 season, there isn’t really evidence of that.

The Cleveland payroll was at $78.4 million in 2012, according to thebaseballcube.com. After adding the two high paid free agents, the payroll for 2013 was $82.5 million.

The fans were led to believe the Indians were able to spend more because of the selling of Sportstime Ohio and the new network television contract.

The payroll for 2014 was slightly less than ’13 ($82.1 million) and that’s with the Swisher and Bourn contracts escalating. Keep in mind, the team dealt two of the four highest paid players (Justin Masterson and Asdrubal Cabrera) in late July too, although it has been reported Cleveland paid off Cabrera’s deal to get a better player (Zach Walters?) in return.

Meanwhile, small markets like Kansas City ($91 million) and Minnesota ($85 million), both division rivals, outspent the Tribe.

We have said this before and we will reiterate, we understand that the northeast Ohio market probably can’t support a $100-$110 million payroll for the Indians, but there is no reason the Tribe payroll can’t be around $90-$95 million.

That would allow them to add another solid major league player or two, and maybe more if they can find a taker for a declining player like Bourn, if the Indians would pay part of his remaining salary.

So, it terms of the comment that the ownership spent on Swisher and Bourn, quite frankly, the facts don’t really support that.

This group of Indians has a solid core of younger players, it was the second youngest team in baseball after the all-star break. Guys like Brantley, Gomes, Santana, Chisenhall, and Kluber give Antonetti a good foundation, but you cannot stand pat like they did at the trading deadline.

The Indians can’t depend on their usual strategy of wishing and hoping.

Here’s hoping they will be bold this winter and not their usual modus operandi of being cautious.

Lack of Home Runs Killing Tribe Attack

In yesterday’s 12-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels, four visiting batters (Kole Calhoun, David Freese, Albert Pujols, and Howie Kendrick) all hit home runs.

In the home dugout, Terry Francona had to be jealous.

Why?

Because that kind of power hasn’t been seen for the Indians in a month. In fact, no Tribe player besides Carlos Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall have went deep since Zach Walters’ two run shot in the 10th inning on August 26th at Chicago.

And former Oriole manager Earl Weaver would cringe at this statistic: No Indians’ player has hit a three run homer since Santana went deep off of former Tribe pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez on August 16th.

No wonder Francona’s team has trouble scoring runs.

Without power, offenses are dependent on scoring by getting multiple base hits in an inning or a mixture of walks and hits. That may work if you have a lot of hitters batting in the .270 range.

Once again, the Indians do not.

Among the regulars, only Michael Brantley, Chisenhall, and Yan Gomes have batting averages over .280. So, even if you get a couple of men on base, you are likely dependent on someone hitting around .250, meaning they get a hit one out of every four times up, to come up with a big hit.

The lack of offense puts a lot of pressure on a pitching staff.

Somehow, Cleveland remains in the top half of the American League in runs scored, currently ranking 7th in the junior circuit. This is despite the team scoring more than four runs just once since the calendar turned to September.

Someone has to step up and soon if the Indians are to stay relevant in the wild card race, and their presence in that situation is a day-to-day proposition to be sure. All it would take is consecutive losses to a team like the Indians are facing tonight, Minnesota, and any chance of making the playoffs will be doused.

And they need to have the ability to score without piecing together several hits and/or walks, and to score with one swing of the bat.

The Tribe has played eight games this month and have received no homers from Brantley (last one: August 16th vs. Baltimore), Gomes (last HR: August 18th), and Jason Kipnis (last HR: July 31st) in that period.

Note that these guys are usually hitting in the middle of the Cleveland batting order, anywhere from 3rd to 6th. And this isn’t to denigrate the years that Brantley and Gomes are having, as both are among the most productive hitters in the game at their position.

The point is that no one has stepped up and helped out, most notably Kipnis, who is suffering through a horrible season.

Walters filled the void for awhile, hitting six bombs, but recently has shown his true Russell Branyan tendencies by striking out at an incredible rate (28 times in 76 at bats).

Chisenhall has mixed in a couple of home runs, but Michael Bourn and Jose Ramirez aren’t known for power, and David Murphy is just coming off an oblique strain.

The other players getting playing time from Francona aren’t long ball threats either, guys like Tyler Holt and newly acquired J.B. Shuck.

This might be the most convincing argument to giving minor league slugger Jesus Aguilar an extended shot in the lineup. He’s a threat to hit one out.

There is no question the Cleveland Indians need to start scoring if they want to remain in the race. However, without the threat of the home run, it will be a very difficult task, indeed.