Cleveland Sports Forum

civ ollilavad wrote:not a cause and effect

I agree probably not a cause and effect but this much is fact:

Instead of shelling out $300 mill. for Harper they spent $140 mill on Corbin.

Exactly, Lindor is a very special player. Ability, premium position, leadership and great attitude. You do not let this guy walk unless he wants to leave. Lindor will not want to leave and I think the Tribe will pay this player.

I recall a saying I think from Branch Rickey who said to Ralph Kiner after he hit 49 (?) home runs and wanted a raise, "Son, We didn't win the World Series with you, we can afford to not win the World Series without you!!!!!

rusty2 wrote:Exactly, Lindor is a very special player. Ability, premium position, leadership and great attitude. You do not let this guy walk unless he wants to leave. Lindor will not want to leave and I think the Tribe will pay this player.

Love your optimism rusty. You know me, I'm pretty much the same on everything Tribe.

Not this one though. If I'm in Vegas I'm putting major money on Lindor not finishing out with the Tribe. Manny II.

Everybody here would love to have Lindor finish his career as an Indian.

Ain't gonna happen.

Can the Indians win without him?

Yup.

I think that this is exactly the correct strategy for this year except change Bauer for Lindor.

The Indians opened up shop last offseason on Bauer, Kluber etc - but they did not get an offer they felt was worth acting on. So it's one thing to open up shop but no way you move unless it is worth your while.

Well I agree with Rusty. As I posted a while back, I get it, we all get it. We’ve been Indians fans long enough to know the score. Our stars always leave. Noted.

But Lindor is different. Not only a star player at a premium position, but extremely marketable. Always smiling, always having fun. Always doing the right thing.

Matter of fact, there should be a huge billboard on the side of the building where LeBron’s dumb ass used to hang with Lindor on it already.

I wouldn’t want to be the GM that let that talent walk and see him enshrined in Cooperstown with a NY on his cap. Demoralizing. Huge step back for organization. Back to the 60’s and 70’s again.

No disagreeing he is the most "valuable" commodity the team has had in ages, probably since Rocky Colavito. Rocky had to hold out to try unsuccessfully to get a couple thousand dollar raise. Times have changed; as noted above Lindor stays only if gets BIG bucks and if he wants to stay.

Will Dodgers pursue Lindor? Sources say yes

By Jon Paul Morosi @jonmorosi

MLB.com

2:13 PM EDT

In five seasons under Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ thriving homegrown core has been supplemented by half-season rentals and targeted free-agent signings -- but generally not blockbuster moves with multiyear ramifications.

That could change this winter.

Sources say the Dodgers are expected to pursue a trade for Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor as one possible addition to an offense that managed only a .303 on-base percentage during this month’s National League Division Series loss to the Nationals.

The Dodgers’ 2020 planning remains in the early stages, but the team is said to be more open-minded to a shakeup than in recent offseasons. Lindor, coming off a fourth consecutive All-Star selection, would bring star power, on-field energy and consistent production at shortstop.

Incumbent shortstop Corey Seager would become a trade candidate -- though perhaps not to Cleveland -- if talks between the Dodgers and Indians gain momentum. Seager, 25, has yet to replicate the offensive numbers from his NL Rookie of the Year Award season in 2016, partially due to injuries. Seager spent nearly one month on the injured list this season with a strained left hamstring after missing almost all of '18 after Tommy John surgery on his throwing elbow.

The Dodgers also could add Lindor while keeping Seager, if they shift Seager to third base while moving Justin Turner across the diamond to first base. (Turner has declined defensively relative to his career-best 2016, according to advanced metrics.) However, that strategy would complicate the efforts of manager Dave Roberts to ensure Max Muncy and Gavin Lux receive enough starts on the right side of the infield.

Seager ranked eighth in adjusted OPS this year among Major League shortstops but was an outlier in a Dodgers lineup that prizes plate discipline. He swung at 51.1 percent of pitches he saw in 2019, according to FanGraphs.com. That was the highest percentage of any Dodgers hitter with at least 100 plate appearances.

Both Lindor and Seager will be eligible for free agency after the 2021 season. According to projections at MLB Trade Rumors, Lindor will likely make in the neighborhood of $16 million via arbitration this season, and Seager somewhere in the $7 million range. The Indians have made no apparent progress on a long-term extension for Lindor, and many in the industry believe there is a good chance he will be dealt before next Opening Day.

In that case, the Dodgers are a natural suitor. Lindor, a switch-hitter, would help the Dodgers achieve coveted platoon advantages, and the Dodgers’ farm system -- viewed as one of the best in baseball -- should give Friedman the prospect capital to put together a compelling offer.

Lindor, one of the game’s most charismatic personalities, surely would embrace the chance to play in Los Angeles, and his omnipresent ebullience could help the Dodgers move beyond their latest postseason disappointment.

While the Dodgers’ system is not as deep as it once was, there are still plenty of good trade chips that could entice Cleveland. L.A.’s top two prospects -- Lux and right-hander Dustin May -- might be tough to pry away given that they already became key contributors in the final weeks of the 2019 season, but with the emergence of rookie catcher Will Smith, it would be easy to foresee fellow backstop Keibert Ruiz (the Dodgers’ No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline) as a centerpiece in any deal. Right-hander Josiah Gray (No. 4 prospect) and shortstop Jeter Downs (No. 5) -- both acquired from the Reds in last December's blockbuster that sent Yasiel Puig, Alex Wood and Matt Kemp to Cincinnati -- are among other possible trade pieces.

The Dodgers have won seven consecutive division titles and finished the decade with the most regular-season wins in the National League. Yet the quest for their first World Series championship since 1988 has become increasingly urgent, and a splurge for Lindor suddenly appears sensible.

Dodgers have a 21 year old middle infielder named Gavin Lux who hit about 350 this year with 26 homers between AA and AAA

Indians under no pressure for a Lindor deal. A couple of Dodger prospects won't come close.

Who ever they get in a blockbuster deal, it won't be enough to satisfy the fan base. Just hope the baseball people know what they're doing.

Hillbilly wrote:Dodgers have a 21 year old middle infielder named Gavin Lux who hit about 350 this year with 26 homers between AA and AAA

However, that strategy would complicate the efforts of manager Dave Roberts to ensure Max Muncy and Gavin Lux receive enough starts on the right side of the infield.

This is more of what the Tribe might take? Send those 2 our way.

Glad to see Niebla finally get a promotion to big club. Has been doing outstanding work with our young pitchers in minors for a while now.

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Cleveland Indians name Brian Sweeney bullpen coach, promote Ruben Niebla to big-league staff

Updated Oct 29, 2019; Posted Oct 28, 2019

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have made one promotion and one addition to their big-league coaching staff.

Brian Sweeney, entering his third year with the team, has been promoted to bullpen coach. Sweeney, who replaces Scott Atchison, who was fired at the end of the season, has been a coach on manager Terry Francona’s staff for the last two years.

Ruben Niebla, the Indians long-time minor league pitching coordinator, will join the big league staff in a newly created role. Carl Willis remains as the pitching coach.

The Indians rotation was rocked by injuries and illness last year. But they still won 93 games largely because of contributions from starters Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Adam Plutko, who all started the year in the minors.

This comes on the heels of Shane Bieber winning 11 games as a rookie in 2018 and leading the staff with 214 1/3 innings and 259 strikeouts this year. Not to mention the emergence of Mike Clevinger to ace status. The organization’s minor league pitching development program, headed by Niebla, has had a lot to do with their success.

Sweeney, 45, pitched professionally for 19 seasons. He made it to the big leagues with Seattle and San Diego before retiring after the 2013 season. His resume includes three years pitching in Japan.

He spent three years in the Phillies minor league system before joining the Indians after the 2017 season.

Niebla, 47, just finished his 19th season with the Indians, the last seven as their minor league pitching coordinator. He served as the Indians interim pitching coach in 2012 following the firing of Scott Radinsky. Niebla has been the pitching coach at just about every left of the Tribe’s minor league system.

The job description of Niebla’s new role is not known. But big league organizations such as the Indians are putting more and more emphasis on not only the development of pitchers, but the science and analytics behind it.

During the Indians last trip of the season, Francona talked about Niebla to reporters. He told them how much the organization appreciated the work that he and the development staff have done.

“We sat with Ruben the other day to make sure he understood, and I think he did, how much we value what he and his staff have done,” said Francona. "They saved our rear end.

“I think Carl (Willis, pitching coach), Atch (Scott Atchison) and Brian Sweeney (major league coach) do a great job. But they didn’t see these guys before they got here. There were other people responsible for getting them ready to come here. I think Carl has done a great job since they’ve been here, taking care of something they don’t see in the minor leagues."

Niebla has been a candidate for the Tribe’s big-league pitching coach job over the years. He’s also interviewed with other franchises. He was a finalist for the Texas job before the start of the 2019 season.

“I actually told Ruben, ‘Let’s talk because every time we talk it’s after you haven’t gotten a job. That’s not real fun,'” said Francona. "Everybody seems like they’re in a real good place (right now) so let’s talk. He’s been a team player to the nth degree and his expertise on what he does is so good.

“But everybody wants to be in the major leagues and I get it. I would never say to somebody, 'this is your strength (developing pitchers in the minors). I don’t think that’s fair. I think he’s done an incredible job.”

Jason Bere, who did a good job as bullpen coach, didn't even get a look for Callaway's job. He got pissed off and left. Atchison was nothing special and Indians made a good move letting him go.

Lots of politics going on behind the scenes.

Make room for guys like Neibla.

Is Callaway still on the street?

The Angels and Mickey Callaway are reportedly nearing agreement on a deal that would make him the team's next pitching coach.

Callaway was recently relieved of his duties as the manager of the Mets. Callaway was previously one of the game's top pitching coaches with the Indians and seems poised to resume that role with the Angels and their new manager Joe Maddon.