Mark (San Antonio): What would you say George Valera's ultimate hitting upside is? Is it really Cano at corner OF? More or less.?

Teddy Cahill: The comp we've had on him since he was an amateur is Juan Soto. Now, that was before Juan Soto posted a .923 OPS in the big leagues as a 19-year-old, but that's the idea for Valera.

Ok so I asked for too much in this comp:

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Some of your Rocchio comments sound like Francisco Lindor scouting reports when he first signed [and Rocchio is younger]. Think Rocchio could be that good?

Teddy Cahill: I do not. I think Francisco Lindor is an elite player - as in, top five player in baseball. If I thought Rocchio was that kind of player, he'd rank a lot higher in this top 10.

Jay (Cle): Did the Indians ever give an explanation as to what Brady Aiken was up to this past season? Too soon to consider him a bust or is his best bet for a future as a reliever now?

Teddy Cahill: Jim Ingraham just wrote about Brady Aiken's story for us. You can catch up on Aiken's 2018 here:

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... regrouping.

I don't want to slap the bust label on him yet but it's hard to be optimistic at this point. That said, I don't see why reliever would be his future right now. If all the stuff the Indians have been working with him on to get his velo back works, then there's no reason he can't go back in the rotation. If it didn't, well, it's hard to see how going to the bullpen would really help much.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Aaron Civale? Still a chance to be a major league starter following in Bieber's footsteps?

Teddy Cahill: It's not so much following in Bieber's footsteps because he never made the velo jump that Bieber did, but Civale still has a chance to be a starter. That said, it's really hard to break into this rotation. Even if the Indians were to open a spot, McKenzie is coming soon. Sam Hentges isn't that far behind. Cody Anderson is still out there. Not to mention a reclamation project like they've had success with in the past. My guess is when Civale makes his Indians debut it will be in the bullpen but he's going to keep starting and maybe he is able to break through there.

Me again:

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Obviously the Indians are rebuilding their system nearly from scratch. With a shallow top and a deep bottom how does the system rate overall?

Teddy Cahill: I'm not good at predicting our farm rankings and it's not something I'm particularly involved in. Generally, however, without high-end prospects, it's hard to have a top-half farm system. So when the rankings come out, I think you'll see Cleveland in the 20s. But I think the group of prospects the Indians have in the lower levels is very exciting. I don't want to say it's unrivaled, because it isn't, but I think if you lined up every team's prospects in low A and below, Cleveland would come out much, much better.

comments on a local favorite:

JR (Dayton): What does the scouting report for OU Bobcats legend Mitch Longo look like? Could he have a chance in the near future?

Teddy Cahill: I think that's actually Mayfield Wildcats legend Mitch Longo (Cleveland high school baseball represent). He's an intriguing player with a pretty good feel for hitting. But he faces a tough profile because he doesn't have big power and he doesn't run well enough for center field. I'm very interested to see how he does this year in Akron.

comments on a trade I didn't like

Johnny (Cleveland): Another question regarding Mercado: That was a really interesting trade at the deadline as a rare prospect for prospect deal. The Cards gave up Mercado, a pretty much big league ready OF and gained Torres and Capel, both a little farther away but not on the 40 man and possibly higher ceilings. Where would those guys have ended up were they still with Cleveland? Could this be a trade that turns out pretty badly for the Indians if one or both of Torres and Capel reach their potential?

Teddy Cahill: Capel is interesting, but probably a tweener outfielder. Capel last year ranked No. 15 in Cleveland and probably would be in about the same spot. Torres probably finds a home somewhere in the teens, given the reports we had this summer. I don't think anyone will regret this trade when it's all said and done, but it's certainly possible. But that's true any time there's a trade.

one of my favorites; need a Richie Palacios question, too


Warren (New London): Raynel Delgado got off to a great start in the Arizona League, but faded in August. Do you think he was tiring, or just finding his true level? What position do you see him settling in at, or does he profile best as a multiple position guy?

Teddy Cahill: I think he was a high school player making his professional debut and we shoulnd't worry about what he did this summer. But, yes, he wore down late in the season. As a Florida prep product, he'd been playing since January and needs to get stronger, an area that the Indians are already working with him on. His tools play on the left side of the infield. We'll see whether that's SS or 3B, but he's an intriguing player either way.

DH (PA): How many of these guys are top 100

Teddy Cahill: As I say every year, my opinion only counts for so much with regards to the top 100. It's a collaborative process, so just because I think X number of these guys should be on the top 100, it matters what the rest of the staff thinks. That said, McKenzie is a lock and I think Jones makes it. I'd rank Freeman and Naylor and would consider Valera and Hentges, but I don't think the rest of the office would agree with me on that.

[which means, 2 of 100 for the Tribe, but more in the future as the kids move on up]

Moe (Chicago): What are your thoughts: should the Indians go all-in and trade some of their top prospects in order to make one last push to the World Series? There's talk that they might start trading away and doing a semi-rebuild. Could they dangle McKenzie as bait and get the final pieces to make a deep post-season run?

Teddy Cahill: The talk about the Indians making trades confuses me a lot. Not because they won't this winter but because they have gone into every offseason at least for the last decade in a mode where they'll listen to offers. That's what they do. Cleveland is a smaller market and this is a creative front office. So if someone steps up with a huge offer for Carrasco or Kluber, of course they'll consider it. But I don't think they're out they're looking to unload them for just anything. So I don't think the question should be should they go all in on 2019 or blow this team up. That's not the decision they're trying to make. I, personally, would not trade McKenzie in just about any deal. I don't think the Indians can afford to make moves like that. Top-end pitchers are too expensive, so if you can develop your own, that's massively valuable. But if there was a way to get an affordable, controllable outfielder (I don't even know who I'm describing here), the Indians should explore such a move.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Another impressive Arizona pitcher: Tahnaj Thomas, 2 questions? How impressive? And how do pronounce that?

Teddy Cahill: I'm terrible at writing pronunciations, but it's TA-nahj. And, yes, he's impressive. He's raw because he came to pitching a little late but the stuff is real. He's got mid 90s fastball, tightened up his breaking ball and is very athletic. He's one to keep an eye on.

Elliot (Youngstown OH): Can't do a Raynel Delgado question without one on Richie Palacios. Like a lot of this year's draftees he moved through several levels. What's his ceiling and what's his ultimate position?

Teddy Cahill: I don't think they're particularly similar. Palacios has good hittability, impressive bat speed and is a plus runner, but he's not going to play on the left side of the infield. He's worked on his defense and maybe he's a second baseman, but I think he probably will end up in the outfield.

Teddy Cahill: It's always a fun time talking about the Indians' system. Like I said at the top, it's a very different looking list as we go into a new era. Pitchers and catchers seem like a long way off now and the Cleveland winter is never an easy one to get through. But I think the organization is still in a really good spot, especially when you look around the rest of the AL Central. It'll be interesting to see what the Indians do this winter and if they do work some trades, you know we'll have full analysis of them here. And if you want the rest of the top 30, along with all of my reports on these players, remember to buy the Prospect Handbook. You can preorder it now here at Baseball America, and if you do, you'll get it sooner than if you wait for Amazon. Thanks again for all the questions today.

Chang No. 3 on the Arizona hot sheet. He's been hitting up a storm for the past 2 weeks

3. Yu Chang, 3B, Indians
Team: Glendale
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .313/.389/.688 (5-for-16), 5 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 BB, 7 SO, 0-for-0 SB

The Scoop: Chang played in the AFL in 2016, and he’s back for more. This time, he’s in the desert to get reps at third base, a position he started playing down the stretch with Triple-A Columbus. As his defensive home changes, his offensive profile needs to do the same. He showed the power this week with two homers and so far has put together a .931 OPS in his return to the desert.

Chang vs Diaz for 3rd base, maybe already in spring training?

If you have lots of time on your hands and want to look for hidden gems in a pile of rubbish, try the Minor League Free Agent list

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... ents-2018/

Ours are:
Cleveland Indians (19)
RHP: Mitch Brown (AA), Preston Claiborne (AA), Stephen Fife (AAA), Myles Jaye (AAA), Kieran Lovegrove (AA), Josh Martin (AAA), Nick Pasquale (AA), Mitch Talbot (AAA)
LHP: Ryan Merritt (AAA), Adam Wilk (AAA)
C: Rob Brantly (AAA), Juan de la Cruz (AA)
1B: Mike Napoli (AAA), Nellie Rodriguez (AA)
2B: Todd Hankins (AAA), Drew Maggi (AAA), Michael Martinez (AAA), Ordomar Valdez (AAA)
3B: Joe Sever (AAA)

I would think that Lovegrove and possibly Brown would be rescued from the list and put on the 40 man roster.