Cleveland Sports Forum

Phase One: Long long ago as a minor leaguer, Brantley was considered an inadequate defender in the OF and it was suggested 1st base would be his defensive home. And his bat was not rated as 1st base quality.
Phase Two: Since then he turned into a more than adequate OFer and his bat was good enough to rate 3rd in MVP voting.
Phase Three: But now his injury history may turn him back to 1st base. His power has been slow to return since the first long-lasting injury and rehab. IF he is healthy and able to play 1st base, is a 300 hitter who hits 15 homers what you want at first?

Some players sustain injuries and snap back and perform at the level they were at before the injury.

Some don't.

Brantley seems to be one of those that don't.

Over 2 years since Brantley wasn't nagged by injuries.

Kipnis might be another that injuries keep from regaining old form.

GM Seagull eats the $1M buyout and lets Brantley walk.

I'll eat my half of that.

Hosmer at 1st

I would only do that if a deal was already worked out with Brantley before declining the option.

Of course this forum did not see the need to pick up Rajah Davis 2 years ago or Austin Jackson last off season.

If you can get a better deal with Brantley then you do it. If not his option is peanuts.

You talking about a multi-year deal with Brantley?

He has no leverage but he won't sign for Davis or Jackson money.

No way, Jose.

They'll be plenty of FAs out there.

Never said he would sign for Jackson or Davis money. Said that posters here thought that neither player were needed. Discussion was that Jackson would not make the team and was a waste of money.

Brantley is worth 11 million. If he will sign for less after declining his option then run with it. If he will not then pay the 11 million because it is a short term contract and it is not that out of line with his production.

Might agree with you if he was healthy. He's not. Hasn't been for 2 years.

Tribe won't pay $12M for a 1 year contract to a questionable, injury-prone player. Not in October/November.

Looking for a productive outfielder on a multi-year deal. They'll be a bunch of FAs on the market.

One year contracts are given out late in the Spring to guys that can't find multi-year deals.

I'm with Rusty here.

For me, if this year was a recurrance of the shoulder injury then I don't re-sign him. The ankle is completely unrelated and very unlucky.

Dan O'Dowd: "There's no such thing as a bad one year contract".

Amen. It's a no brainer in the team's eyes (I would bet) anyway, no matter what we say. They will pick it up.

Who will replace Mickey Callaway? Cleveland Indians start search for new pitching coach Monday

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Indians will start interviewing candidates to replace pitching coach Mickey Callaway on Monday. There is no shortage of internal and external candidates.

Callaway, after five years of leading a record-setting Indians' pitching staff, is set to be hired by the Mets to be their manager. Callaway, it should be noted, worked in the Indians' minor league system for three years before he got the job after interviewing with new manager Terry Francona and Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations, following the 2012 season.

To say Callaway leaves behind a choice assignment is an understatement. Over the last five years, the Indians have become a pitching powerhouse. This year, on the way to winning 102 games in the regular season, they led the big leagues in ERA for the first time since 1954. They led the AL in ERA for starters and relievers.

They set an MLB record for strikeouts with 1,614, while walking the fewest batters in the big leagues. They had three pitchers - Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer - win 17 or more games, while striking out 196 or more batters.

The good part for the incoming pitching coach is that except for a few potential free agent defections - Bryan Shaw, Joe Smith, Boone Logan, Josh Tomlin - the core of the staff should be back for 2018.

So who will replace Callaway? Let's take a look at some possible candidates.
Are there any future MLB managers on the Indians' staff?

Potential internal candidates:

Jason Bere: He just finished his third year as the Tribe's bullpen coach. He spent nine years before that working in the team's front office, focusing on instructing and evaluating pitchers in the farm system. Bere pitched 11 seasons in the big leagues, going 71-65 with a 5.14 ERA. He appeared in 211 games, 203 as a starter.

Ruben Niebla: The Indians' minor league pitching coordinator just finished his 17th year with the team. He finished the 2012 season as the Tribe's big-league pitching coach after Scott Radinsky was fired. The Indians then hired Callaway before the 2013 season.

Niebla, reportedly, has drawn interest this offseason for a big-league coaching opportunity with another team.

Steve Karsay: He just finished his second season as the Tribe's Class AAA Columbus pitching coach and sixth with the organization.

Karsay pitched 11 years in the big leagues, including a four-year stop with the Tribe. He was 32-39 with a 4.01 ERA with 41 saves in the big leagues.

Potential external candidates:

Kirk Champion: He was a finalist for the job that went to Callaway before the 2013 season. He was Francona's pitching coach at Class AA Birmingham in the White Sox organization. Champion is the White Sox's director of minor league instruction.


John Farrell: Farrell was just fired as Boston's manager after five seasons. He led the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2013 and three AL East titles. He has a long history with Francona and the Indians, the organization that drafted him in 1984 and brought him to the big leagues.

Farrell was Francona's pitching coach in Boston from 2007 through 2010. Before joining Francona, he was the Indians' farm director from 2001 through 2006. Farrell went 36-46 with a 4.56 ERA in an eight-year big-league career.

There is a chance Farrell could also join the Cubs. Theo Epstein, their top baseball man, hired him as Francona's pitching coach in Boston.

Farrell might need some time away from the game to regroup or he could seek another manager's job.

Jim Hickey: After 11 years with the Tampa Bay Rays, Hickey was relieved of his duties after the 2017 season. Hickey was one of the most successful pitching coaches in the big leagues during his tenure with the Rays.

There is a good possibility he could rejoin former Tampa Bay manager Joe Maddon as the Cubs new pitching coach.

Chris Bosio: The Cubs fired Bosio after they were eliminated in this year's NLCS by the Dodgers. There reportedly was a rift between him and Maddon. Bosio has been credited with helping develop several pitchers on the Cubs that helped them beat the Indians in the 2017 World Series.

Bosio pitched 11 years in the big leagues, going 94-93 with a 3.96 ERA.

Dave Righetti: The Giants let Righetti go after 18 years as their pitching coach. He helped develop the pitching staff that won World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014. During his tenure in San Francisco, his pitchers threw five no-hitters and Tim Lincecum won two Cy Young awards.

Righetti pitched 16 years in the big leagues. He went 82-79 with a 3.46 ERA and 252 saves.

Mike Maddux: When the Nationals fired manager Dusty Baker after they failed to advance past the NLDS earlier this month they fired his entire staff as well. Maddux has a good reputation and is used to working with high-profile starters such as Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg in Washington and Yu Darvish in Texas.

Maddux, the brother of Hall of Famer Greg Maddux, pitched 15 years in the big leagues.

Callaway instrumental in Tribe's turnaround
Staff's numbers improved during his five years as pitching coach
By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | 12:50 PM ET

CLEVELAND -- Mickey Callaway blew Indians manager Terry Francona away during his interview to be Cleveland's pitching coach five years ago. Francona did not know Callaway previously, but his blend of energy, knowledge and passion made it clear that he was the man for the job.

Callaway never stopped impressing Francona, who began touting his pitching coach over the past few years as a future manager. That future arrived on Monday with the official announcement that the Mets have struck a three-year deal to make Callaway their new manager.

"He's so good," Francona said during a sit-down with local reporters last week at Progressive Field.

MLB Network Insider Joel Sherman first reported on the decision to hire Callaway.

Now that the move is official, Callaway becomes the second member of Francona's first staff in Cleveland to be hired as a manager elsewhere. Kevin Cash was the bullpen coach under Francona in 2013-14 with the Indians before being hired as the manager for the Rays prior to the '15 season. When Cash left Cleveland, the Indians hired Jason Bere as its new bullpen coach. Bere will likely be considered for Callaway's former position after working with the pitching coach for the past three seasons.

John Farrell, who was recently dismissed from his role as manager of the Red Sox, was the pitching coach under Francona during his time at the helm in Boston from 2007-10. Francona and Farrell remain close friends, but Cleveland will likely look elsewhere to fill its pitching coach vacancy.

Both Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations, and Francona declined to comment on Sunday.

Indians pitcher Josh Tomlin, who is the longest-tenured player in the organization and has worked with a handful of different pitching coaches over the years in Cleveland, was not surprised to hear that a team targeted Callaway to manage.

"You could see it from the get-go, just the confidence that he exuded through coaching," Tomlin said on Sunday night. " He kind of has an overall view on how to use a scouting report and use the information that he was given to kind of tailor-make it for each guy on the staff, especially the starting rotation."

When Francona came aboard in Cleveland prior to the '13 season, the Indians were coming off a 94-loss campaign in which their pitching staff ranked last in the American League with a 4.79 ERA. Over the next five years with Callaway leading the pitching staff, the Indians reached the postseason three times, won two division titles, captured an AL pennant in '16 and ranked first in the AL in wins (454) and ERA (3.64).

During that five-year stretch, the Indians also led the AL in strikeouts (7,248) and did so on an average of 16.1 pitches per inning (tied for the fewest in the AL).

"That's one thing Mickey harped on," Tomlin said. "Mickey would talk about, 'Do not shy away from contact, because all you guys have good enough stuff to get people out in the strike zone. So, do not shy away from it. Then, you're going to get more 0-1, 1-2 counts where batters are defensive, and you can get them to swing out of the zone eventually.'"

This past season, Cleveland's pitching staff -- led by AL Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber -- set single-season Major League records for strikeouts (1,614), strikeouts per nine innings (10.1) and WAR (31.7, per FanGraphs). The Indians' staff also led MLB in ERA (3.30), FIP (3.33) and strikeout percentage (27.5 percent).

In '13, Callaway was instrumental in helping Ubaldo Jimenez and Scott Kazmir revive their careers. Under the pitching coach's watch, Kluber went from a virtual unknown to one of the best arms in baseball. Callaway and Cash helped convince Francona to put Carlos Carrasco back in the rotation late in '14 -- a move that helped the pitcher develop into a solid No. 2 starter. Those are only a few examples of the success stories aided by Callaway.

"The first thing that I noticed when the season started our first year was his level of confidence," Francona said. "It seemed to me that it exceeded his experience. Then, as you watch him and you're with him every day, you see that that confidence allowed him to have other voices, and get input from other people, and sift through that and take what he wanted. But my goodness, he had such an impact on the pitching staff."

Cleveland Indians: Look for Michael Brantley's option to be picked up, Terry's Talkin' -- Terry Pluto


By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

terrypluto2003@yahoo.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- I expect the Cleveland Indians to pick up the $11 million option on Michael Brantley's contract for 2018.

The Tribe has until three days after the World Series to make a final decision on Brantley. But right now, they prefer to bet on Brantley coming back strong from major ankle surgery to repair damaged ligaments. He will need up to five months of recovery time.

It's been a very hard two years for Brantley:

1. He had shoulder and biceps surgeries in 2016, which limited him to 11 games.

2. He played 90 games in 2017 and made the AL All-Star team, batting .299 (.801 OPS) with 9 HR and 52 RBI.

3. He began having ankle problems in late June. He was on the disabled list for 10 days. By Aug. 8, the ankle was worse and he went on the disabled list until the final weekend of the regular season.

4. He was on the postseason roster and was 1-for-11 filling in at DH when Edwin Encarnacion was out with an ankle problem.

5. From 2014-17, Brantley is exactly a .300 hitter (.819 OPS). When healthy, he is an above average left fielder.

WHY KEEP BRANTLEY?

"The outcome with this (ankle) surgery is really good," Chris Antonetti said in a conference call with the media. The Tribe president expects Brantley to be ready by the opening of the season.

There are other reasons for the Indians to retain Brantley, who should be in his prime at age 30:

1. If they try to rework his contract, they believe Brantley will elect to become a free agent.

2. The average big league payroll is expected to be in the $145 million range for 2018. That means the average player will be paid nearly $6 million.

3. While an $11 million salary is a lot for a middle market franchise such as Cleveland, it's not especially high in the big league landscape.

4. After last season, the Yankees signed 37-year-old Matt Holiday for $13 million. He batted .231 with 19 HR and 64 RBI. The Astros signed 40-year-old Carlos Beltran for $16 million. He also batted .231 and had 14 HR and 51 RBI.

5. The Tribe believes Brantley would easily receive $11 million a year or more on the open market.

6. Brantley's shoulder had no problems this season after the 2016 nightmare.

7. Brantley is their guy. They believe in him. It's a one-year deal, so they can let him go after 2018 if there are more injuries.

8. If Brantley has a monster 2018 season, they can give him a qualifying offer for 2019. If he signs it, they can keep him. If he wants to be a free agent, the Tribe will receive a draft pick as compensation.


THE PAYROLL

The Indians raised their payroll from about $95 million in 2016 to $125 million in 2017. They probably will increase it a bit, but there won't be a huge jump.

The Indians are projecting at least $20 million in raises for players currently on the roster. That comes from long-term deals or what arbitration eligible players are expected to receive.

If the Indians pick up Brantley's 2018 option, he'll be the third highest-paid player on the team.

Here's the breakdown:

1. Edwin Encarnacion, $18 million.

2. Jason Kipnis, $13.6 million.

3. Brantley, $11 million.

4. Corey Kluber, $10.7 million.

5. Andrew Miller, $9 million.

6. Carlos Carrasco, $8 million.

A few other issues:

1. Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce are free agents. Both made more than $12 million annually.

2. Cody Allen was paid $7.3 million. He is arbitration eligible and could receive a raise approaching $10 million.

3. Josh Tomlin has a $3 million team option. Expect the Indians to pick that up.

4. Trevor Bauer also is arbitration eligible. He was paid $3.5 million in 2017. After his 17-9 record and 4.15 ERA, he could be in for a raise to at least $7 million.

THE OUTFIELD

1. The Indians aren't sure if the outfield or first base is the best spot for Brantley. If his ankle is a problem, then he can't play in the field, period. So first base isn't an automatic answer. Brantley did play 53 games in the minors at first base.

2. The Indians are loaded with lefty hitters in the outfield. I'm putting Jason Kipnis in that category. Here's a quick list: Bradley Zimmer, Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin and Brantley. They have Abe Almonte and Greg Allen as switch hitters. The only pure right-handed hitter is Brandon Guyer.

3. Austin Jackson is a valuable right-handed hitter who can play the outfield, but he's a free agent. After batting .318 (.869 OPS) in 85 games, the 30-year-old Jackson could end up with a nice contract in 2018 from someone. He was on the disabled list twice in 2017 and had major knee surgery in 2016.

4. I really like Jay Bruce and prefer him to Carlos Santana. It's doubtful the Indians will keep both.

ABOUT MERCHANDISE SALES

The Indians say Block C caps represent 60 percent of all sales vs. 40 percent featuring Chief Wahoo.

1. The Indians have sold more Navy Block C caps compared to the Red Block C caps.

2. The biggest selling Chief Wahoo cap is the red/navy model worn at home.

Top 5 player jersey sales:

1. Francisco Lindor.

2. Kipnis.

3. Kluber.

4. Encarnacion.

5. Jose Ramirez.

Top 5 jersey style sales:

1. Lindor's alternate navy jersey.

2. Lindor's home white jersey.

3. Alternate navy jersey (no name).

4. 1975 Replica (red) jersey.

5. Road gray jersey.

Mets manager Mickey Callaway thanks Cleveland Indians, who are already looking for his replacement
Posted on October 23, 2017 at 8:47 PM


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - How convinced were the New York Mets that they'd found the right man to be their new manager?

After narrowing a field in excess of 35 candidates to six, they conducted a first round of interviews. A second round was scheduled, but it never happened.

"When we ended our first round of interviews," said General Manager Sandy Alderson, on Monday afternoon, "we decided there was only one man for the job. So rather than going to a second round of interviews, we spent the rest of our time trying to convince Mickey Callaway to come to New York."

Callaway, the Indians pitching coach for the last five years, was officially named the 21st manager of the Mets on Monday. The Indians are neck deep in the process of finding his replacement.

"Mickey is coming from a great organization," said Alderson. "He's had tremendous partnership with Terry Francona in Cleveland. We respect that organization tremendously and it's one of the reasons we have so much confidence in Mickey."

Callaway, with no managerial experience, becomes the third current big league manager who was a pitcher as a player. He pitched in the big leagues with Tampa Bay, Texas and the Angels. Colorado's Bud Black and Cincinnati's Bryan Price are the others.

"I'm probably the most excited guy you're going to see in a long time," said Callaway, 42. "And I cannot wait to get started."

Callaway, who spent three years in the Indians' minor league system before getting the big- league job before the 2013 season, took time to thank the Indians.


"I'd like to thank the Dolan family, Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff, Terry Francona and the rest of the coaching staff," said Callaway. "I will miss them. They were integral in everything I stand for and I took qualities from all those people.

"I'd like to thank Derek Falvey (Twins) and Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins (Toronto). And last, but not least I'd like to thank my pitchers in Cleveland. When I was breaking the news to them, I was tearing up. I care so much about them and who they are as people.

"This was a very difficult decision. That was probably the hardest part of this whole decision. So thank you to all those people."

Callaway's pitching staff led the big leagues in ERA and shutouts, while setting an MLB record for strikeouts this year. They led the AL in ERA for starters and relievers and had three pitchers with 17 or more wins and 196 or more strikeouts.

The Indians, who led the AL with 102 wins this year, have already started making calls to different organizations to seek permission to talk to candidates. They're putting together an interview schedule to talk to internal candidates as well.


"Mickey made a significant impact on the organization," said Antonetti. "He had a hand in helping with the development of players and people throughout our organization. That impact extends beyond just the players, he's impacted coaches, Tito and front office members alike.

"He was a great contributor in his time here and I have no doubt he'll be successful with the Mets."

The Indians, to replace Callaway, will not only be looking for a pitching mechanic, but someone who can work with the players, coaching staff, manager and front office. The Indians work on a collaborative level, leaving no stone unturned in trying to improve and take advantage of their resources.

There is no shortage of internal and external candidates to replace Callaway. Among the internal candidates are Jason Bere, Scott Atchison, Ruben Niebla and Steve Karsay. Potential external candidates include John Farrell, Chris Bosio, Mike Maddux, Dave Righetti and Jim Hickey. Kirk Champion, who works with the Chicago White Sox, is also a possibility. He was a finalist for the job after the 2012 season when the Indians hired Callaway.

"There are a lot of qualified candidates out there," said Antonetti. "There are also a lot of organizations looking for pitching coaches right now."

The Mets are one of them. Alderson said they'll be naming a pitching coach soon.

Some say pitchers don't make good managers because they can't relate to position players. Several managers/pitchers have proven that wrong. Farrell led the Red Sox to the World Series title in 2013. He was fired at the end of this season.

The Mets weren't bothered by that when they hired Callaway.

"Mickey has always thought about the game far beyond pitching," said Antonetti. "To give you an idea, when he talked to our Fall Development group this year, he talked about leadership and the different stages of a team environment and what that looks like.

"I use that as an example that he's been thinking about large, more macro level things than just, 'Hey, how do I improve this guy's cutter?' Will there be challenges, of course. But Mickey is exceedingly well equipped to work through those challenges."

The Mets were in the World Series in 2015, but they finished fourth in the NL East this year, 27 games out of first place. Starting pitchers Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler missed big chunks of the season with injuries. No doubt there will be challenges.

Callaway told New York reporters that standing next to Francona in the Indians' dugout over the last five years has prepared him for what awaits him.

"Just being around Tito, and seeing what it takes to be a really good manager, prepares me for whatever I have to do to be a good manager," said Callaway. "He's the best out there. . .bar none. I've been around some of the best in the game and he's the best.

"He is prepared. He prepares his players. He empowers his staff to do their jobs. I couldn't have been under anybody better to prepare me for this job."
Antonetti said he did not know how long it would take to find a new pitching coach. They have organizational meetings coming and will continue to interview candidates through them.

Quite the compliment to Tito and dead right.

Think Bere might be the best choice.

He's the only candidate that's been around Callaway everyday for the past 3 years and hopefully can continue what Callaway preached.

What we don't need is a newcomer changing what has obviously been working.