seagull wrote:So far this offseason, how do you thinks the Tribe stands? Better, worse or about the same?

Unless they're content to just win the Central, I don't see anything that helps improve the post-season.

PS seagull - just having a healthy Bauer next postseason would be a major upgrade. If he put together another year this coming year like last season, he would be the game 1 starter.

In a perfect world, the Indians deal Kluber. He is the oldest and his cost is escalating. Also he is a NAME. So you deal him to get more offense. And still go with Bauer, Carrasco, Clevinger in a playoff series. You could argue Kluber killed us the last 2 postseasons anyways.

One more thing, although I believe dealing Kluber is what they would like to do, I do think Bauer would fetch the largest return. And right there may take a long while for them to sort it all out.

CIV - I think Kluber for Verdugo and a good reliever would be more than fair for the Indians and I wonder if the Dodgers would do it. I bet the Indians have proposed something like that for sure. The Dodgers have excess outfielders and they want a stud starting pitcher. But Verdugo costs nothing, is a top top prospect and Kluber is into his 30s so that is the great equalizer.

I know it's early, but I think the Tribe is a lot weaker, today, than when the season ended. I hope more moves makes them better...a lot better, rather than just trying to achieve financial predictability over the next few years.

Every year, some players over-perform and other players under-perform. The people with rose colored glasses, assume every player that had a good year will stay that way and every player that had adversity, will miraculously blossom.

Somebody slapped those glasses off my head in 1954. Been wearing regular glasses ever since.

Just an opinion but I don't think Alonso is a good DH, cant hit lefties that well and strikes out a lot, he probably wont be too happy playing the bench defensively. Bauers should be our 1B of the future unless Bradley learns to make a lot more contact.

I think no matter what you hear the Indians are actually trying to trade Bauer before Kluber.

Compared to where we were when the season ended:

Worse behind the plate offensively and depth.
Better 1B defense. Better offense.
2b-SS-3B Less infield depth, no real alternative to Kipnis on the current roster.
OF better in center, weaker in left.
DH less offense
Starting pitching. No change
Bullpen. Allen and Miller and Perez gone. Replacements to date are insignificant other than possibly Salazar.

That does not add up to improvement. Although the individual moves seem decent.

I agree that so far the team is not improved. Then again, that means nothing. It's the first quarter of a basketball game.

What actually matters is:

1. Where they are at the start of the season
2. Where they are at the trade deadline
3. Where they are at the end of next season

It's hard to be patient but this front office has made a perennial contender out of a very weak attendance city. Stay tuned.

I have faith in our front office,believe me, the one move I really don't understand yet is why give up Gomes for the players they got? There was so much time left and Gomes seemed to be coming around at the plate and behind it finally shaking off the injuries.

The FO has already almost eliminated the salary of Kluber or Bauer already this off season.

Gomes plus money from Mariners (6 Million) plus difference between Encarnacion and Santana (3 million) in 2019.

That is not considering eliminating the 5 million buyout for Encarnacion in 2020.

I like your math; if losing Gomes lets us keep both Corey and Trevor, I'm OK with it. Bauer has liked working with Perez and I trust Bauer's opinions.

Jake Bauers sound likes some spy novel hero. Who am I thinking of? Of course how would YOU know who I"M thinking of.?

I just thought we should have gotten more for Gomes. He wrote a great message to Cleveland and Tribe Fans see it if you google Yan Gomes trade.

I had try to remember what we Did get. Some OF, a kid named Johnson, right? and what else? "outfielder Daniel Johnson and reliever Jefry Rodriguez"
I will have to do my homework again on Johnson. I'm having to learn about Jordan Luplow and Daniel Johnson and Jake Bauers. This is getting to be hard work for the offseason. Max Moroff I have written off.

Now from the Seattle viewpoint:

Dipoto finalizes latest trade from hospital bed; Don’t expect Mariners to keep Encarnación


By Corey Brock Dec 13, 2018 14
LAS​ VEGAS —​ On Monday​ afternoon, Jerry Dipoto described​ the first day​ of baseball’s Winter​ Meetings​ as “boring.”​ The final​​ day or so at the Mandalay Bay Resort were anything but that for the club and, specifically, Dipoto.

Seattle’s general manager was hospitalized overnight on Wednesday with what the team called an undisclosed illness that was later revealed to be blood clots in his lungs. “It was pretty scary and quite painful stuff,” Dipoto told MLB.com’s Greg Johns via text. “I’m thankful to know there’s an issue while we can manage it.”

That didn’t stop the team from making a deal, though. With Dipoto in his hospital bed, assistant general manager Justin Hollander, with considerable help from the team’s front-office contingent, completed a three-team deal with the Indians and Rays.

The Mariners traded first baseman Carlos Santana — whom they acquired on Dec. 3 from the Phillies — as well as $6 million to the Indians for designated hitter Edwin Encarnación and Cleveland’s competitive balance pick (No. 77 overall) in June’s amateur draft. Seattle also received $5 million in return from the Rays as part of the three-team deal.

Hollander said the team would not have made the deal had the Indians not added the competitive-round draft pick.

All of this was done while Dipoto was essentially incapacitated, a point validated by a photo Hollander had of Dipoto flat on his back in his hospital bed, smiling and giving a thumbs up. Even for “Trader Jerry,” known for his proclivity for making deals, this was a new wrinkle.

“We were texting back and forth, and some of the groundwork had been laid,” Hollander said. “He (Dipoto) basically handed me the keys and said … ‘You know what I want to do. Check in when you have questions, but go with it.’”

Hollander visited Dipoto late Wednesday night, and after handling a late alteration, put Dipoto on speaker phone as the teams agreed to the deal.

“I asked him how he was doing first,” Hollander joked. “Then we talked trade and did the deal. I put him on the speaker phone.”

Hollander was promoted to assistant general manager last month, but after fellow Dipoto lieutenant Jeff Kingston took a job with the Dodgers just last week, Hollander wasn’t left alone to facilitate the deal. He received considerable help from the front-office contingent gathered in Las Vegas, including vice president of scouting Tom Allison, special assistants to the general manager Joe Bohringer and Tom McNamara, director of player development Andy McKay and director of baseball analytics Jesse Smith, as well as other members of the baseball operations group.

“These guys out there are awesome,” Hollander said. “Everyone chipped in and did a little bit more. Everyone jumped in and didn’t leave me hanging, like What am I supposed to do right now? Everyone was terrific.”

So what does the deal mean for the Mariners?

Seattle saved about $9 million in the exchange of players, and are only responsible for one season of Encarnación ($21.6 million in 2019) and a $5 million club option. As was the case with Santana, it’s likely he never appears in a game with the Mariners.

As Seattle continues with its offseason plan to gather as many long-term assets as possible, adding the No. 77 overall pick gives the team a chance to add a potential impact player to a minor-league system that has received an influx of talent since the Mariners started their trading spree — which now stands at seven total deals — on Nov. 7.

Being able to move Encarnación for another long-term asset would also assist the blueprint for the team’s future.

The Mariners could conceivably carry Encarnación into the season as their designated hitter, where his power (32 home runs last season) could give the team a boost. But chances are that Seattle spins Encarnación as they did Santana to try to acquire most long-term assets for 2020 or 2021, when the club hopes to contend again.

“It creates flexibility for us, the comp pick,” Hollander said. “No disrespect to Edwin, (but) it’s what we’re trying to do and speed up our timeline on contenting again. That’s important to us. The flexibility is valuable. We’ll see if he stays with us.”

I still don't understand why the Rays paid the Mariners $5M