Some Praise For The Tribe: Getting Hernandez and Rosario A Plus

It has been reported that Indians’ president Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff had to ask Paul Dolan for additional funds to sign free agent outfielder Eddie Rosario. If that’s true, it should be a troubling situation for fans of the team.

Thankfully, the ownership gave them the okay.

However, on face value, it was good to see the front office improve the 2021 edition of the Tribe. Adding 2B Cesar Hernandez and Rosario certainly give the lineup a better chance to score runs.

Hernandez gives Terry Francona a legitimate leadoff option. He has a lifetime .352 on base percentage, and was slightly higher than that a year ago at .355. We know people don’t like the label of “ballplayer” in describing players, but that’s what Hernandez is, he knows how to play the game.

Rosario gives the Tribe a left-handed power bat they needed. A lot of pop from that side of the plate left with the departure of Carlos Santana and the trade of Francisco Lindor. But Rosario is a hitter who has a 162 game average of 28 HR, 90 RBI, and a 788 OPS.

And as a Twin at least, he loved hitting at Progressive Field, belting 11 homers in 45 career games, batting .353 with a 1031 OPS. He tormented the Indians for years while in a Minnesota uniform.

You would have to think the top five in the batting order is now set, with Hernandez and Rosario joining Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes, and Josh Naylor. This quintet should be very productive, especially if Naylor become the kind of hitter we think he will be.

However, we believe you need seven solid hitters to have the kind of offense needed to make the playoffs. That means two of the other four batters have to come through.

Right now, we believe those four are Roberto Perez at catcher, Andres Gimenez at SS, and whoever emerges in rightfield and centerfield.

We would love to see rookie Daniel Johnson claim one of those spots, and you have to figure Jordan Luplow with be somewhere in the mix, especially against left-handed pitching. We would still like him to get a shot at playing full time, because as we have said in the past, he didn’t have huge platoon splits in the minors.

By the way, we also think the Rosario signing probably forces Naylor to first base.

Now, as for the comment about needed to go to ownership to get extra money to sign Rosario.

As vociferous critics of the Dolan ownership, this just makes us shake our head. Even with Rosario, the payroll would appear to be around $50 million to start the season. Outside of Tampa Bay, who else is competing with a payroll that low?

It is another reason we believe one of the catchers, either Perez ($5.5 million) or Austin Hedges ($3.28 million) will be moved before the season gets underway. It doesn’t make sense if you want to reduce spending on players to have one of the highest paid guys in uniform on the bench in every game.

It would also be a reason that the club is listening to offers for recently acquired Amed Rosario. If the Tribe is going to slot Gimenez in at short, A. Rosario is likely headed for a super utility man with Cleveland, and perhaps a candidate for an outfield spot, probably CF.

However, it has been reported both Oakland and Cincinnati are interested in the former Met, so maybe the Indians can strengthen another area, rightfield, bullpen, an added starting pitcher, in a deal.

The Tribe’s season will come down to scoring enough runs and can their very young rotation hold up over a 162 game (or whatever the season will be) campaign.

They did get better in the former last week. However, is it enough?

Tribe Got Talent, Just Not What Was Needed

The Cleveland Indians did pull off a deal before the Major League Baseball trading deadline, in fact, it was a mega-deal, perhaps the biggest in the game.

It was the type of deal a rebuilding team makes, the kind that accelerates the process of returning to the post-season.

However, the Indians currently reside in first place in the American League Central Division. We are sure the Twins and White Sox, the other two teams vying for the division lead are thrilled that the Tribe dealt their #2 starter, Mike Clevinger, to the San Diego Padres.

Team president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff got a lot of talent in the transaction, they usually do. But the Indians need help right now. And once again, this seems like a trade made for the future.

Clevinger and OF Greg Allen and a player to be named later to San Diego for OF/1B Josh Naylor (whose brother was the Tribe’s first round draft pick in 2018), P Cal Quantrill, C Austin Hedges, and three minor leaguers who were in the Padres’ top 15 prospects according to Baseball America, SS Gabriel Arias (#9), LHP Joey Cantillo (#11), and INF Owen Miller (#15).

Cleveland has a glaring weakness in the outfield, where they collectively have a batting average under .200, but didn’t address it with a proven bat.

We like Naylor, a left-handed hitter, but he has 289 big league at bats. He does have great numbers away from Petco Park, a lifetime 807 OPS, and his reputation is that of a guy who works the count and doesn’t strikeout a great deal. He should get time in LF. He hasn’t faced a lot of southpaws (51 AB’s), but has 16 hits in those opportunities.

Quantrill, a right-hander, should claim a spot in the Tribe bullpen, and could convert to the rotation next spring. A former 8th overall pick in 2016, he has a 2.60 ERA in 17 innings this year, with 18 whiffs.

Hedges is 27 and has been around for six seasons in San Diego. He’s an excellent defensive catcher, which is what the Tribe wants in the position, but can’t hit. He has a career .199 average (616 OPS). He’s not eligible for free agency until 2023.

As for the prospects, Arias and Cantillo haven’t played above the Class A level. Arias has some pop in his bat (17 HR last season), but strikes out a lot (over 128 in his last two minor league seasons). Cantillo is a power arm, with 144 punchouts in 111 innings in 2019.

Miller is older (23) and has a lifetime minor league batting average of .307 (808 OPS), and primarily is a second baseman. He probably would have been at the AAA level this year, if there was a minor league season.

Still, fans should be disappointed that Naylor was the only thing done to correct a huge weakness on a contending team, especially when the Indians gave up perhaps the best pitcher on the market. While Clevinger was the Tribe’s #2 starter, he’s an ace for most teams in the league.

Meanwhile, Cleveland still has a gaping hole in CF, and apparently, the organization spun the wheel and it landed on Oscar Mercado, who will get another opportunity according to some.

The Indians made a deal from depth, because they can replace Clevinger with Zach Plesac, who will start Tuesday night in Kansas City and they still have Triston McKenzie in the rotation. And they have Adam Plutko, Scott Moss, and Logan Allen, among others in reserve.

However, they didn’t get the professional bat they desperately needed, and that’s why there is a tinge of regret in the move. Perhaps Naylor fills the void, but again, no one will know right away.

What the Tribe did was add more prospects to an already strong farm system, particularly at the lower levels. And while Arias has some ability, Cleveland is filled with prospects who play middle infield spots, including four of their top ten players.

Remember the old kids game, Kick the Can? That’s what it seems the organization is doing, kicking the can down the road of contention. They are getting like the Browns in terms of promising to try to be all in next season.

It’s a strange move by a team in first place. Instead of making a deal to put them over the hump in 2020, the Indians looked toward 2021 and beyond.

A Good Week For The Tribe, Will It Extend To Monday?

It is August 29th, and the Cleveland Indians are in first place in the American League Central Division. You can’t ask for more than that.

And after a tough weekend at home against the Tigers a few days ago, losing two out of three, and then a dismal first game of a key series against Minnesota, the resilient Tribe came back, won a game where ace Shane Bieber struggled early, and then brought Mike Clevinger back in the rubber match.

Clevinger struggled at the outset too, but the last four innings he pitched Wednesday night were as well as he threw the ball all season, and Tyler Naquin delivered a huge hit to trigger a three run rally in the bottom of the 8th, and Cleveland took the key series.

In the past few seasons, the Indians have gone on long winning streaks, a 14 game skein in 2016, and of course, the 22 game stretch in late 2017.

They’ve done it again, this time winning 10 straight on the road, dating back to a 2-0 frustrating loss to the White Sox on August 7th.

So, the Tribe sits at 21-12 on the season, in a year with eight teams making the playoffs, so a .500 record gives you a chance for the post-season, and you would think 35-25 gets you in for sure.

Based on that, if the Indians go 14-13 the rest of the schedule, which is just over the break even mark, they will hit that mark.

According to Baseballreference.com, the Tribe has a 99.9% chance of making the post-season, and if they have one of the four best records in the AL, they will host all three games of the series.

Right now, Cleveland has the third best record in the league, just two games behind Oakland for the best mark.

There is plenty of speculation concerning the Major League Baseball trading deadline, which comes Monday afternoon at 4 PM. However, there is no debate on what the club needs to address at that deadline.

It’s hitting particularly in the outfield. Outside of Tyler Naquin, the numbers are ugly so you may want to divert your eyes:

Domingo Santana: 11 for 70, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 590 OPS
Oscar Mercado: 5 for 45, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 278 OPS
Delino DeShields: 12 for 43 (not bad), but just one extra base hit, and a 656 OPS
Jordan Luplow: 5 for 40, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 505 OPS
Greg Allen: 4 for 25, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 598 OPS
Bradley Zimmer: 6 for 37, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 603 OPS

Clearly, help in needed. Have all of these guys received a clear shot? No, but the abbreviated 60 game schedule makes that impossible. Also, that none of them have been productive has hurt as well. Terry Francona might have been able to stay with some of them longer if others were hitting.

Can Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff find someone to help out Naquin in terms of production?

Seriously, when it comes to CF, anybody you bring in would be an upgrade over the quartet of Mercado, Zimmer, DeShields, and Allen. As for LF, Luplow has shown signs of life, particularly against southpaws, but let’s face it, Santana has been a disappointment.

Sandy Alomar Jr. said yesterday Naquin will get some opportunities vs. LHP, but perhaps it’s time to give Daniel Johnson another shot. The rookie was 1 for 12 with five strikeouts, but maybe getting some reps at the alternative site helped him.

We know the Tribe has pitching depth, both in starters and in the bullpen. They also have depth in middle infielders, although that would have to involve a player to be named later type deal.

Cleveland has 13 pitchers in their top 30 prospects (according to Baseball America), including some arms we’ve already seen (Triston McKenzie, Logan Allen, and James Karinchak). They also have 11 middle infielders, including Yu Chang, currently on the big league roster.

They also have Bobby Bradley and Jake Bauers, who seems to have fallen out of favor with the organization.

What will the front office do? We will find out in less than 48 hours. Tribe fans will be on the edge of their seats waiting.

The Turnover Of The Indians’ Roster.

When the Cleveland Indians ended the 2018 season being swept in the American League Division Series by Houston (no comments!), the front office knew there was a problem.

Outside of the resident superstars, Francisco Lindor (then 24) and Jose Ramirez (25), they were an older team with not a lot of upside. Check the ages of the players getting regular playing time that season–

1B Yonder Alonso (31)
2B Jason Kipnis (31)
LF Michael Brantley (31)
RF Melky Cabrera (33)
DH Edwin Encarnacion (35)
C Yan Gomes (30)

And in September, the front office brought in Josh Donaldson (32) to play third, moving Ramirez to second, and put Kipnis in the outfield.

The Indians also had Rajai Davis (37) and Brandon Guyer (32) on the bench.

The pitching staff wasn’t much better. The rotation has Corey Kluber (32) and Carlos Carrasco (31), and the bullpen included Dan Otero (33), Andrew Miller (33), Josh Tomlin (33), and Oliver Perez (36).

President Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff knew that group went as far as it could, understanding the peak years for a player are ages 27-29.

He undertook the process of getting younger following that season. The most painful departures were Brantley, who left via free agency, and trading Gomes, both of whom had been in Cleveland for many years.

By the time spring training started a couple of months ago in Goodyear, the only players in the over 30 crowd still remaining are Carrasco and Oliver Perez.

This isn’t to say the Tribe doesn’t have anyone over 30, of course they do, because a couple of guys under that threshold in ’18 have now crossed over: Roberto Perez is now 31, and they acquired Carlos Santana (35) in the deal that sent Encarnacion to Seattle.

Cleveland also signed Cesar Hernandez (31) to play second base, but he is on a one year deal, and Santana has a club option for next season, when he will be 36.

Backup catcher Sandy Leon is also 31.

Among the pitchers, only Carrasco, and relievers Nick Wittgren (30), Adam Cimber (30), James Hoyt (34) and of course, Oliver Perez (38) are over 30, and outside of Cookie, none of those hurlers are the core to the pitching staff.

In two years, the Tribe is much younger, and still very much a contending team. Besides Ramirez (27) and Lindor (26), the everyday core group of players consists of these guys–

OF/DH Franmil Reyes (25)
CF Oscar Mercado (25)
OF Jordan Luplow (26)

And two more spots, currently filled by Santana and Hernandez could be filled by others next season. Don’t forget Nolan Jones (22) and Tyler Freeman (21) could be knocking on the door for big league jobs in spring training a year from now.

Could those be the spots they will be taking?

The pitching staff is similarly built with young arms like Shane Bieber (25), Aaron Civale (25), Zach Plesac (25), and Mike Clevinger (29).

And the bullpen could be anchored by young arms like James Karinchak (25), and Emmanuel Clase (22).

Don’t forget, some other arms are coming like Scott Moss (25), Cam Hill (26), and Kyle Nelson (24).

The Tribe farm system is ranking higher these days, mostly because of an influx of players who will (hopefully) play at the Class A level.

The front office’s plan has worked in terms of the getting younger part. Whether the talent level of the young players stays the same is still up for debate.

And while we wish they had been more proactive in using the money saved from the changeover, the moves needed to be done.

Let’s hope we will get an opportunity to see that this summer.

The Kluber Deal Isn’t Over Yet.

Our thoughts on the Indians’ trade of two time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber? Let us know when it is complete.

Yes, we understand the deal with the Rangers has been completed with the Tribe getting reliever Emmanuel Clase and OF Delino DeShields Jr. in exchange for Kluber, but what Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff do from here is what will form opinion on the transaction.

We don’t have a huge problem with the concept of dealing Kluber, even though he is arguably the best pitcher Cleveland has had since Bob Feller. You deal from strength, and starting pitching is the Indians’ strength.

In reality, we thought Kluber was going to be moved a year ago, coming off a 20 win season, because the Tribe had holes to fill, and moving the veteran right-hander could have filled at least a couple of those needs.

They kept him and Trevor Bauer going into the 2019 season, and now both are gone, bringing Franmil Reyes, Clase, DeShields, and Logan Allen, a top 100 prospect as recently as before last season, and Scott Moss. Both Allen and Moss are southpaws, and could be in Cleveland this season.

Cleveland needs help in the bullpen, and Clase could team with James Karinchak to form a high octane duo to set up Brad Hand. Clase has a 100 MPH cutter, and Karinchak is a strikeout artist. No question the Indians needed some power arms in the back end of the bullpen.

DeShields isn’t really a factor for us. He had a 672 OPS last season, and away from the hitter’s haven that is (was) Globe Life Park, that figure drops to 519. It is hard to imagine him making an impact on Terry Francona’s roster in 2020.

Those two in themselves don’t qualify as enough return for a man who was one of the best starting pitchers in baseball as recently as 2018.

The reason we say we can’t evaluate the move right now is the roughly $14-15 million saved by Cleveland in the deal. If as Antonetti says, that cash will be used to strengthen the roster, then it could be a great move.

The Indians still have holes at either 2B or 3B (Jose Ramirez will play the other spot), and they could certainly use another proven bat in the outfield. If the front office uses the saved money to fill those areas, then the ballclub might be better off in the long run.

Without Kluber, the Cleveland has a projected starting rotation of Mike Clevinger, Shane Bieber, Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Civale, and Zach Plesac. The also have Adam Plutko, Jefry Rodriguez, Allen, Moss, and hopefully Triston McKenzie available in AA and above.

At least one and maybe more could be candidates for the bullpen too.

The ball is now in the hands of the front office. Use the newly found money to supplement the major league roster.

Of course, we thought they would do the same thing last winter, and they wound up just trimming the payroll from where it was in 2018.

After winning 93 games a year ago, the Cleveland Indians shouldn’t be looking at a rebuilding mode, they should be looking at chasing down the Minnesota Twins.

Hopefully, they will add to the roster so they can return to the post-season in 2020.

Tribe Is A Different Team, Are They Better?

The Cleveland Indians were involved in a blockbuster trade Tuesday night, trading starter Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati in the three team deal that netted the Tribe slugging outfielders Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes, left handed prospect Logan Allen, and two lower level prospects.

Certainly, president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff addressed the club’s offensive issues, the Indians rank 10th in the AL in runs scored. It was needed to keep the team in the playoff race.

The question is did they damage the club’s biggest strength, the starting rotation.

During the winter, we advocated for trading a starting pitcher because of the rotation depth, but at that time, Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco were healthy, and you had five above average starters.

While we understand Bauer wasn’t having the same success he had a year ago, he still is one of the league’s better pitchers, and there was a certain comfort of knowing when he went to the mound, and the same can be said about Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber, Cleveland has a pretty good chance of winning.

Now, instead of three nights out of five with that feeling, you are down to two.

This isn’t to denigrate Zach Plesac, who has made just 12 big league starts, and has pitched pretty well, but he doesn’t have the experience or the track record to garner that confidence.

As for the other two spots, right now they are being filled by Adam Plutko, who is a really a hit or miss proposition at this point, and Danny Salazar, who hasn’t pitched in a big league game since 2017.

And as for the return of Corey Kluber from his broken arm, remember, he wasn’t pitching well when he got hurt, and he will have missed three and a half months by the time he returns.

If anyone knows how he will perform when he gets back, please send us the winning numbers for the next Mega Millions drawing.

Yes, the Indians will score more runs, but the fear is instead of losing 2-0 against good teams, they will now lose 7-5.

Could the Tribe have updated the offense without giving up Bauer, possibly by getting a couple of rentals, which by the way, Puig is? We will never now.

Allen is a top 100 prospect in the game, but he has struggled in the majors with San Diego and at AAA this season, so it is doubtful he will help the big league club in 2019.

We are all for trading from a strength, but we didn’t feel the Indians had an excess of starting pitchers, not with the injury to Kluber and Carlos Carrasco’s illness.

Perhaps we’d feel differently if the Indians’ upgraded the bullpen, but they didn’t, so we don’t think Terry Francona can lean on his relievers to make up for the absence of Bauer.

Remember, Bauer’s ability to throw around 120 pitches per start helped protect the bullpen, and there is no one who will take over in the rotation who is capable of that.

Did this trade make the Indians a better team than they were on Monday? We can’t be certain.

The Tribe is better offensively, but their rotation isn’t as deep, and their bullpen isn’t any better, and that’s a big factor.

For the Indians to overtake Minnesota or win a wild card berth, the key will be how well the starting pitching is. If Plesac can continue his strong rookie season, if Salazar can show a glimpse of the pitcher he was in 2013-mid 2016, if Kluber can return to his Cy Young form.

As we well now, that word, “if” might be the biggest word there is.

The Time To Act For Tribe Is Now

As we wrote about a week ago, the next two weeks will say a lot about how the rest of the baseball season will play out for the Cleveland Indians.

Between now and when the best players in the sport descend on Progressive Field on July 9th, the Tribe plays 23 games against teams with some of the worst records in the game.

Yes, they have four in Texas next week, and two more against Cincinnati right before the All Star Game, but the rest of the slate is filled with contests vs. the Tigers, Royals, and Orioles.

We know baseball is a sport designed around series, so the teams themselves are best served by taking each game as it comes, but we don’t have to do that.

It’s not far-fetched to think the Indians could go 15-8 in those 23 games, which would make their record 48-40 heading into the Midsummer Classic.

Does it make sense to sell at that point?

Then, after the All Star Game, Terry Francona’s squad has three with the Twins at home, followed by more games against Detroit, Kansas City, and Toronto, before ending the month with a series against Houston.

This means with the trade deadline coming at the end of July, Cleveland could be a good way above the .500 mark.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is it will be difficult unless the attitude of the front office and Francona changes.

They split with the Reds despite scoring just four runs in the pair of games. The lineup, beyond Carlos Santana hitting in the three hole, is filled with a lot of guys who are very proficient at making outs.

And this is as good a time to change this as there is.

Oscar Mercado’s success, and make no mistake, he hasn’t been great, merely solid, should have Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff, and Francona looking at Columbus for some help.

Since the end of April, Leonys Martin is hitting .193 with 3 HR, 8 RBI, and has drawn seven walks (in 31 games). Usually reliable vs. right-handers, he has a .294 on base percentage and a 696 OPS in 2019.

Jason Kipnis is batting .218 for the season, and .224 since May 1st. His OPS vs. righties? Try 646.

Jake Bauers has hit .148 over the last 28 days with 28 strikeouts in 81 at bats.

It’s time to end this madness.

Greg Allen is eligible to be recalled from Columbus this weekend, and he was hitting a bit the week or so before he was sent down.

Make your outfield rotation Mercado, Allen, Jordan Luplow, and Tyler Naquin, and give them extended opportunities. It’s doubtful they can be worse than Martin and Bauers.

We would bring up Bobby Bradley, even though we have concerns about his strikeout rate. His numbers indicate he is not simply piling up numbers at Huntington Park in Columbus.

As for second base, why not give Mark Mathias an opportunity. He has an 816 OPS at AAA, and gets on base (.354). And he’s been better on the road.

What to do with the others? Bauers can be sent to AAA to relocate his batting stroke. As for Kipnis and Martin, the season is just about half over, so just designated them for assignment. If you have to release them, which is likely, then so be it.

We don’t think they can help the Indians going forward.

We understand it is a very difficult decision. On the other hand, by and large, players know who should be playing, and our guess is there were puzzled looks in the clubhouse last week when Allen was sent out.

This is a critical stretch for this baseball team, and the front office can’t wait any longer to make a tough decision.

The Tribe’s Off-Season Plan And Where It Went Wrong

After being swept in the 2018 American League Division Series by the Houston Astros, the front office of the Cleveland Indians developed a plan.

They looked at the roster, which featured a starting lineup of position players all over the age of 30, with the exception of the team’s two stars–Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez.

We believe they felt the hitting was incapable of improvement except for the pair of young players, and so they set out on making the roster younger.

Oh yeah, at the same time, ownership wanted them to cut the payroll.

One of the team’s best offensive players, Michael Brantley, was a free agent. We believe he was a guy the baseball people wanted to resign, but the move to cut the players’ salary prohibited that.

So, Brantley, the professional hitter the team desperately needed, went off to Houston, leaving a big hole in the lineup.

You see, the Tribe was very top heavy last season. For the most part, when the Indians scored runs, it was because of Lindor, Ramirez, Brantley, and slugger Edwin Encarnacion, the only players with OPS over 800 on the roster.

Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff knew this, and that’s why they traded for Josh Donaldson at the end of the season. They needed another productive bat (or two).

They also knew Encarnacion declined from his first season with the Tribe (881 OPS in ’17, compared to 810 in ’18), and he would be 36 years old in 2019. So, they took the opportunity to move him and get a younger, though with less powerful hitter in Carlos Santana, who has been very good (840 OPS) thus far.

The brass also moved Yan Gomes (31), Yonder Alonso (32) in deals, and let Melky Cabrera (34) walk as a free agent. Coincidentally, the first two also were very well paid, so they saved money.

The also gave up on right-handed hitting Yandy Diaz, with his ability to get on base and a hitter who hit the ball hard, although on the ground. Still, Diaz didn’t make outs, he got on base.

The front office did bring in some young players, like Jake Bauers, a top prospect with Tampa (for Diaz), and Jordan Luplow, a good prospect for the Pirates. But, they didn’t bring in another proven bat, to lengthen the lineup.

The entire hope was that Bauers and Luplow, and perhaps Greg Allen, would step in and perform right away and give the batting order some oomph.

When the young guys struggled early in training camp, the front office panicked, bringing veterans like Matt Joyce, Hanley Ramirez, and Carlos Gonzalez. Joyce was released in camp, signing with Atlanta, and the latter two appear to be through as productive big league hitters.

So, the plan failed in not bringing in at least one bona fide hitter to replace Brantley, and then not sticking with Bauers and Luplow immediately.

There were some veteran bats out there in free agency and in the trade market. We believe the plan was to deal Corey Kluber for a young, stud bat, but when they couldn’t get what they felt was a great return, they stopped short.

We also think if the organization could have dealt Jason Kipnis, who falls in the same category as Gomes and Alonso, he would be gone as well.

One more thing, there was one young hitter who stood out in Arizona, Oscar Mercado. Cleveland sent him to the minors to start the season, and he was very impressive, and finally was called up last week.

But, the front office didn’t trust what they saw in Mercado. Would he have hit in the bigs like he did at Columbus? We will never know.

If you were going to go young, you should have done it. The slow start in spring training by the young guys caused someone to have cold feet.

Hopefully, it works out and Bauers, Luplow, and Mercado can be productive big league hitters and the offense improves. Otherwise, the front office has a lot of issues with the moves they made last winter.

Time To Take Action For Tito, Tribe.

Another week has gone by with the Cleveland Indians apparently ignoring a big problem. Their offense isn’t good enough to win the American League Central Division.

The Tribe continues to rank near the bottom of the league in not only runs scored, but pretty much every offensive category.

Here’s the tale of the tape–

Runs scored 14th
Slugging Percentage 15th
Doubles 15th
Triples 15th (in fact, they don’t have one)
Home Runs 14th
OPS 15th
OPS+ 15th

The season will be 25% over when this trip ends in Chicago on Tuesday night, so you can’t say it’s early anymore. And with the 2nd best ERA in the league, if the Indians don’t start scoring runs soon, they are going to waste a yeoman effort by their pitching staff.

You can’t place blame many places, but really, what does that accomplish? You can’t go back in time and sign Michael Brantley, a professional hitter this lineup so badly needs.

Currently, the league average in OPS is 741. The only Indians who have a figure higher than that are Jordan Luplow (851), Carlos Santana (815), Francisco Lindor (745), and wait for it…Brad Miller (742), who was ceremoniously released when Lindor returned to the active roster.

The roster is poorly constructed with tons of left-handed hitters, so when a southpaw faces the Tribe, Terry Francona is forced to play Jason Kipnis (.148 vs. LHP) at second, and at least two of these outfielders: Leonys Martin (.171 vs. lefties with 14 strikeouts in 35 at bats), Carlos Gonzalez (.167 with 10 whiffs in 24 at bats), or Tyler Naquin (.214).

The ugly numbers continue. The league average for scoring to date is 4.65 runs. The Indians have played 10 games in May and scored 25 runs. Even the most mathematically challenged can discern that’s 2.5 per game.

They’ve scored five runs three times, and that’s the high water mark for the month.

Outside of the debacles last Sunday and Monday in which Cleveland lost 10-0 and 9-1, the pitching staff has held the opposition to four runs or less in every other game this month.

With a league average offense, that would mean eight wins. Instead, they are 4-6.

We have some suggestions as to what the Indians should do, but really, when it comes down to it, isn’t doing the same thing the worst thing they can do?

The organization, from Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff down to Francona have to stop burying their heads in the collective sands and start doing things differently.

Here are our recommendations:

End the Gonzalez experiment. The veteran didn’t have good numbers away from Coors Field last year, and it is time to start giving time to Jordan Luplow, who has an 874 OPS in AAA.

Let’s find out what the 25-year-old right handed hitter an extended shot at a job.

Bring up Oscar Mercado. Let’s not make Mercado the savior, but he had a great spring training, and outside of a 1 for 25 stretch at AAA, has been very good there, hitting .303 with a 909 OPS.

Plus he has 14 stolen bases in Columbus. It might be against the grain in today’s game, but why not run as much as possible with the hitting suffering.

An outfield of Martin, Luplow, and Mercado should be very good defensively too. This would also free Bauers to play some first base, giving Santana some rest.

Mike Freeman hasn’t done a bad job as a backup infielder (he had two hits yesterday), but he’s a left-handed hitter, so Francona has no alternative to Kipnis.

This recent stretch has nothing to do with the injury to Corey Kluber. This has been a problem since day one.

The frustration from the fans and media alike is the lack of trying something different. It’s time to take action.

Oh, and by the way, this isn’t helping sell tickets, Mr. Dolan.

Tribe Front Office In A Slump Too

The front office of the Cleveland Indians is well respected among Major League Baseball. Other teams are always interviewed people within the organization for jobs, people like Derek Falvey, now running the Minnesota Twins, Neil Huntington (Pirates), and David Stearns (Brewers).

Heck, even the Cleveland Browns hired a former Indians’ executive in Paul DePodesta.

However, the current front office is in a slump, otherwise it is hard to describe the moves made by the front office since the end of the 2018 season.

We understand the ownership ordered the executives to cut the payroll, even though the Tribe has won three consecutive division titles. That alone is a head scratcher, but we have already discussed that numerous times.

As the hot stove league started, we thought we understood what Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff were doing. The ’18 Indians were getting old. Among the regulars, only Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez were under 30 years old.

So, Michael Brantley left through free agency, and Yan Gomes was dealt to Washington, in a move that could pay dividends, as Jefry Rodriguez is now very much needed as a starter with the injuries to the rotation.

They traded Erik Gonzalez to Pittsburgh for Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff. Luplow has had a lot of minor league success that so far hasn’t translated into the big leagues.

The move that was really curious was dealing Yandy Diaz, an on base machine, to Tampa for Jake Bauers.

First, let us say, we like Bauers. He works counts, shows some pop, and is second on the Tribe currently in RBIs. But Diaz has started to hit with power, hitting seven homers to date with Tampa, and is still getting on base 36% of the time.

Only Carlos Santana can say that among the regulars with Cleveland.

The organization wanted to get younger and wanted to commit to younger players, but it seems the guys brought in were lottery tickets, they didn’t go all in and get a stud, like perhaps Alex Verdugo with the Dodgers, currently hitting .346 with a 981 OPS.

We felt the extension to the plan was to deal from strength, meaning moving a starting pitcher, either Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, or Carlos Carrasco, for a package involved a stud bat.

Either the offer wasn’t there, or the front office overestimated the market value for one of their starters, but it seems like they stopped short.

As spring training wound down, the front office seemed to think it made a mistake, so they signed veteran bats like Matt Joyce, Hanley Ramirez, and Carlos Gonzalez. Only the latter is still here, and quite frankly, hasn’t been an impact bat to date.

Players like Asdrubal Cabrera, Derek Dietrich, Adam Jones, and Nick Markakis (yes, we understand he probably was only interested in re-signing with the Braves) were all available and signed for very little money.

One of them could have been signed to give the team the veteran bat missing with Brantley’s departure.

Greg Allen had a very good last two months in ’18, and a great spring training, but Terry Francona buried him on the bench early in the season, and he floundered. It is tough for a young player to be in a reserve role.

Maybe the front office is trying to show ownership that you need to spend to win, this is their subtle way of protesting the payroll cut.

The pitching moves are odd as well. Cody Anderson was brought up because the team needed someone to soak up innings after the bullpen was heavily used in the first game of a series vs. Kansas City.

Anderson was in AAA to get stretched out after Tommy John surgery to be a starting pitcher again. The right-hander was used that night for two innings, but then stayed on the big league roster for a week, instead of going back to lengthen his workload.

Now, he is starting today, and Francona is probably hoping to get four innings. Of course, they currently have nine relievers on the team.

It’s an odd way of handling things over the last eight months. Hopefully, it’s just a slump.