Cleveland Sports Forum

Cleveland Indians: Rumblings from GM Meetings -- Terry Pluto


By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

terrypluto2003@yahoo.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Talkin' about the Cleveland Indians:

1. The Indians returned home from the general managers meetings in Orlando. This is where some preliminary trade talks begin. Several teams expressed an interest in the Tribe's catchers -- Roberto Perez and Yan Gomes.

2. Both catchers are under favorable long-term contracts. Perez is signed through 2020, making only $3.6 million in the last season. The team also has options for 2021 and 2022. He batted .207 (.664 OPS) with 8 HR and 38 RBI in 217 at bats.

3. Gomes is signed through 2019, making $7 million in the final season. The team also has options for 2020 and 2021. He batted .232 (.708 OPS) with 14 HR and 56 RBI.

4. Combined, Perez and Gomes hit 22 HR, driving in 94 runs. The batting average (.222) was low, but there was some run production. Both are elite defensive catchers. Tribe catchers combined to throw out 43 percent of stealing base runners, tops in the American League. They allowed only 48 wild pitches, second fewest in the A.L. They also had the second-fewest passed balls.

5. In the right deal, the Indians can trade a catcher. They have Francisco Meija waiting. He batted .365, which was fourth best in the Arizona Fall League. He also had an .873 OPS with 2 HR, 8 RBI. Meija was playing third base, but his natural position is catcher.

6. The Indians are cross-training Meija in case they want him at third. But they also know if they trade a catcher, Meija can join the remaining veteran in Cleveland in 2018. Meija batted .297 (.835 OPS) with 14 HR and 52 RBI at Class AA Akron.

7. The Indians aren't saying this, but I'd be shocked if the Tribe ends up signing Jay Bruce, Carlos Santana or Bryan Shaw. All three free agents received a lot of interest from other teams at the meetings.

8. The general manager meetings are where agents and teams get a sense of what the market will be for the different players. Analytics driven teams really like Santana because of his consistent on-base percentage and his durability. He has averaged 154 games per season since 2013. His defense has dramatically improved at first base.

9. If the Indians make a big move, it will be on the trade front. Teams asked about starting pitchers. Mike Clevinger was a popular name. So were Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer and others on the big-league staff. The Indians aren't saying this, but I expect the starter they are most willing to deal is Danny Salazar.

10. For all his up-and-downs, Salazar is 30-22 with a 3.79 ERA over the last three seasons. He can't be a free agent until 2021. When healthy, he can be an All-Star, as he showed in the first half of the 2016 season.


11. This name also received some sincere interest: Shane Bieber. The third-round pick in 2016, he has a career 10-5 record and 2.55 ERA. Bieber, a 22-year-old right-hander walked only 12 in 197 innings. That's right, 12 walks ... in 37 games!

12. Bieber throws in the low 90s and has a good slider. He has struck out 183 in 197 career innings. His control and poise on the mound could lead to a fast advancement. He ended last season with a 2-1 record and 2.32 ERA in nine starts at Class AA Akron.

13. Several teams also asked about Greg Allen, the 24-year-old who had some nice moments with the Tribe in September. Allen is a switch-hitter, a good center fielder with speed. He was 21-of-23 in stolen base attempts for Class AA Akron. He batted .264 (.701 OPS) with 2 HR and 26 RBI in 73 games for the Rubber Ducks. He had a broken hand after being hit by pitch early in the season.

14. I have a feeling a team is going to make Austin Jackson a very good offer. The Indians want to stay away from a long-term commitment with Jackson, who has had several injury issues the last few seasons. He batted a career-high .318 (.869 OPS) with 7 HR and 35 RBI in 85 games for the Tribe last season.

15. Suppose Jackson leaves via free agency. I have a new/old name from the free-agent market. It's Rajai Davis, who batted .249 (.693 OPS) with the Tribe in 2016. He also led the American League with 43 steals.

16. The Indians outfield could have a lot of lefty hitters in 2018: Bradley Zimmer, Jason Kipnis and Lonnie Chisenhall. A right-handed batter, Davis hit .235 (.641 OPS) with 29 steals between Oakland and Boston last season. He's 37 and really not much of a center fielder.

17. Davis was a favorite of Terry Francona and others when here in 2016. He could be a guy looking for a chance to play anywhere in 2018. That was the case with Jackson a year ago, when he signed a minor-league deal with the Tribe.

18. Former Indian (2016) Mike Napoli is looking for a job. He batted .193 (.713 OPS) with 29 HR and 66 RBI. He played 90 games at first base for Texas, the rest of the time he was a DH. Not sure what he has left, but he is a right-handed batter. He missed the final two weeks of the season with a "stress reaction" in his leg, according to ESPN.

19. I've heard rumblings of Bryan Shaw getting three-year offers in the $20 million range from some teams.

20. I will be speaking Nov. 28 at 6 p.m. at the Perry Sippo Library in Canton. You can register here. It's free!

I liked this question and answer from Hoynes column:

[

Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians should go get Giancarlo Stanton. I heard he has one year remaining on his contract with the Marlins. With him in the lineup both Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana are replaced. -- Frank Moscioni, Frederick, Colo. Hey, Frank: Some advice between friends. Whoever told you Stanton has one year left on his contract, never listen to him again. Stanton has 10 years and $295 million left on his contract.

Jim Thome, Omar Vizquel on Cooperstown Hall of Fame ballot


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Former Indians teammates Jim Thome and Omar Vizquel are among the 19 new candidates to appear on the 2018 ballot for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Thome ranks eighth all-time with 612 homers. He's one of five players in big-league history with at least 500 homers, 1,500 runs, 1,600 RBI and 1,700 walks. Babe Ruth, Barry Bonds, Mel Ott and Ted Williams are the others.

Vizquel, who played 24 seasons, played the most games ever at shortstop with 2,709 and has the highest fielding percentage ever at the position at .985. Vizquel won 11 Gold Gloves and had 2,877 hits, 404 steals and 1,445 runs.

Thome and Vizquel are joined by four other high-profile first timers - third baseman Chipper Jones, outfielder Andruw Jones and left-handers Jamie Moyer and Johan Santana. Chipper Jones was the NL MVP in 1999 and hit 468 homers for the Atlanta Braves. He is one of nine players in history with at least a .300 batting average, 400 on-base percentage, .500 slugging percentage, and 400 homers.

Andruw Jones won 10 Gold Gloves and hit 434 homers. He played 17 seasons, spending most of his career with the Braves.

Moyer pitched for 25 seasons and won 269 games. At 49, in 2012, he became the oldest player in history to win a game. Santana won two Cy Young awards for the Twins and threw a no-hitter for the Mets on June 1, 2012. In a career shortened by injuries, he went 139-78 with a 3.20 ERA.

Other first-time candidates include: Chris Carpenter, Scott Rolen, Kerry Wood, Livan Herandez, Hideki Matsui, Jason Isringhausen, Brad Lidge, Johnny Damon, Aubrey Huff, Carlos Lee, Orlando Hudson, Kevin Millwood and Carlos Zambrano. Wood, Damon and Millwood spent time with the Indians. Wood pitched for them from 2009 and 2010, Millwood won the AL ERA title in 2005 and Damon played briefly for the Tribe in 2012.

Here is the complete ballot: Bonds, Carpenter, Roger Clemens, Damon, Vladimir Guerrero, Hernandez, Trevor Hoffman, Hudson, Isinghausen, Andruw Jones, Chipper Jones, Jeff Kent, Lee, Lidge, Edgar Martinez, Matsui, Fred McGriff, Millwood, Moyer, Mike Mussina, Manny Ramirez, Rolen, Santana, Curt Schilling, Gary Sheffield, Sammy Sosa, Thome, Vizquel, Billy Wagner, Larry Walker, Wood and Zambrano.

In the last election Hoffman fell five votes short of being elected. He received 74 percent of the vote when 75 percent was needed to enter the Hall. Guerrero was 15 votes short, while Martinez (58.6), Clemens (54.1 percent), Bonds (53.8) and Mussina (51.8) were named on over 50 percent of the ballots.

Over 425 members of the Baseball Writers Association of America are expected to vote. Their ballots must be returned by Dec. 31. The results will be announced by Hall of Fame President Jeff Idleson on Jan. 24, 2018.

Cleveland Indians legend Jim Thome's case for Hall of Fame made by clean power (DMan video)
Updated 5:20 PM; Posted 6:00 AM
DMan talks Jim Thome, Hall of Fame candidate
4 shares

https://youtu.be/wBSZ6O4D4Tg


By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Jim Thome never did get that (World Series champion) ring out of a lengthy MLB career that began with the Indians in 1991.

Thome did, however, put in:

2,543 games over 22 years
.402 on-base percentage
.554 slugging percentage
.956 OPS
612 homers
1,699 RBI
1,583 runs
1,747 walks
17 postseason homers in 71 games
Indians-best five triples in 1996

Those numbers have a National Baseball Hall of Fame look to them. Thome and former Tribe teammate Omar Vizquel are on the ballot for the first time.

I am privileged to be one of the BBWAA voters for the Hall. We are not supposed to reveal our ballots publicly until after the results are announced in January, and I have adhered to that policy in my years as a voter. It does not mean, though, that we are precluded from talking or writing about the candidates.

We are allowed to indicate which way we are leaning.

Thome's strong numbers case for the Hall of Fame is buttressed by the lack of controversy surrounding him. At the top of that list: He never was linked in any credible way, shape or form to PEDs. That Thome was a clean slugger in the Steroid Era should count for something. From my perspective, it must count for a lot of something.

Thome earned what he got by spending endless hours in the cage, swinging and tinkering and swinging and tinkering, in search of the perfect mechanics.

How do I know with absolute certainty that Thome is clean? I can't possibly know with absolute certainty, no observer can, because we're not Thome. But I can be 99.99999 percent certain because I've known of the man since he was a minor leaguer in 1991. I am confident in my ability to spot a phony, a cheater, a PED user -- and the Thome I know of is none of those.

My conviction on Thome was solidified one last time during an in-person interview I did with him in September 2011. Here is the relevant segment:

DMan's World: You have said you never would take performance-enhancing drugs for any number of reasons, foremost among them: You couldn't look your dad in the eye. Has Chuck Thome ever asked you if you've been at least tempted to do it?

Jim Thome: No.

DW: Has the subject of PEDs ever come up between you two?

JT: No. Never.

DW: Does it bother you when select critics opine that your accomplishments might be tainted because of the Steroid Era, even while you are clean?

JT: I've had to answer these types of questions a lot. Look, I was in a time where steroids happened. There's no denying it. But I don't think you can go through life and worry every day about what other people say or think. You go about your business, you do what you do, you believe in what you believe in. Having said that, I don't see why 600 homers -- or 400 or 500 -- ever need to have an asterisk when you did it the right way.

DW: Are you rankled, though, by the cheaters who muddied the waters for the clean ones?

JT: It's not for me to judge people, it's not for me to say this or that. People make decisions and have to live by those decisions. I made my decision to play by the rules and I can feel good about it.

Everyone on the Indians was doing steroids but Thome ! .....What a joke !

MLB put hammer down to Braves today. A dozen of their former international prospects are available to sign.

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By Jonathan Mayo / MLB.com | @JonathanMayo | November 21st, 2017

For weeks, rumors and whispers swirled about what penalties the Atlanta Braves would incur based on violations of baseball's rules on signing international amateur free agents. Official word was handed down on Tuesday afternoon, and the consequences are severe.

In addition to being severely limited for the next several international signing periods, a dozen players previously under contract by the Braves have been made free agents by the Commissioner's Office. The list, which includes seven players from the 2016-17 signing period who received seven-figure bonuses, is headlined by No. 38 overall prospect Kevin Maitan.

Maitan was the No. 1 prospect on MLBPipeline.com's Top 30 international prospects list when that signing period began July 2 (he was later supplanted by Luis Robert) and signed with the Braves for $4.25 million. Compared to superstars like Miguel Cabrera, Maitan's high price tag came with considerable expectations. His pedestrian pro debut (.241/.290/.340 in 42 games, mostly in the rookie-level Appalachian League) had some back off from those initial glowing reports, but he's still just 17 years old with a world of talent at his finger tips.

That, of course, leads to the logical next question: What happens to Maitan, and the others, now? Simply put, they are all available to the other 29 Major League organizations to sign. But they are once again international amateur free agents, meaning there are some stipulations teams will have to follow.

By going back into the international amateur free agent pool, teams will have to use their bonus pools for such players to sign Maitan or any of the others. Since the signing period began back in July, millions of dollars have already been spent, so teams will be somewhat limited. The top five teams in terms of remaining pools, as of Tuesday, are:

Texas Rangers, $3.535 million
New York Yankees, $3.5 million
Minnesota Twins, $3.245 million
Pittsburgh Pirates, $2,2266,750
San Francisco Giants, $1,835,000

The Giants, like 11 other teams, are limited after going over their pool last year and can only offer any individual player $300,000, which would likely keep them out of any potential Maitan sweepstakes. The Mariners ($1,557,500) and the Marlins ($1.49 million) are the only other organizations with seven-figure bonus pools remaining that aren't capped at $300K per player.

Any team wanting to pursue any of these prospects will get a little help. Major League Baseball has given an exemption to any team signing players who became free agents. The first $200K of the subsequent bonuses for any of the 12 former Braves prospects will not be subject to signing pools. In addition, as a special stipulation for these players, teams have the option of counting the bonus toward the current (2017-18) signing period or the following (2018-19) one, though teams can't combine pool money.

That wrinkle could become important as teams try to figure out how to spend what they have, not only on these new free agents, but also on Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani. With a new agreement on a posting system tentatively in place, it appears the road is paved for the two-way star to come to the Major Leagues in 2018. Any signing bonus for Ohtani would also count toward this period's bonus pools, so being able to push a Maitan bonus, for example, to 2018-19, could allow teams to pursue both talents.

The dozen new free agents are eligible to sign beginning on Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. ET during a special signing period that will end on Jan. 15, 2018 at 5 p.m. ET. If a player hasn't signed by Jan. 15, he is ineligible to receive a signing bonus from any club. If a player hasn't signed by May 1, 2018, he has the option of re-signing with the Braves, albeit with no bonus. All 12 players are required to find new representation for this process.

There will be opportunities to scout these players as well. Maitan arrived in Panama on Monday and is expected to play in games in their winter league. Additionally, MLB will hold public workouts for all 12 players on Nov. 27-28 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Private workouts at team academies are also allowed.

Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLBPipeline.com. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanMayo and Facebook, and listen to him on the weekly Pipeline Podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Jonathan Mayo @JonathanMayo
Rules for signing former Braves prospects:
*Dec. 5-Jan 15 window
*$200K exemption for any bonus
*Team can pick '17-'18 signing period or '18-'19
*Showcase for 12 players planned for end of Nov.

Much too complicated for me.

Just tell me who's works for Cleveland.

I don't care who doesn't.

MLB Free Agency: Every Team’s Worst Ever Signing

https://googleweblight.com/?lite_url=ht ... t=mdo_us_d

When I saw the headline, I was hopeful that we might finally find out


One last take on what happened to Cleveland Indians' Corey Kluber in the ALDS
Updated 12:32 PM; Posted 12:31 PM
45 shares

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Still wondering what happened to Corey Kluber in the AL Division Series? You're not alone.

Was it a reoccurrence of the back injury -- or some other ailment -- that put him on the disabled list for much of May? When asked the question after he won his second Cy Young award in four years on Nov. 15, Kluber said no player is 100 percent after a 162-game season.

The Indians, for their part, say he went through his physical at the end of the season without a problem and is following his normal offseason workout program.

Or did Kluber just not pitch well in Game 2 and 5 against the Yankees? Athletes are human after all. But after going 5-0 with a 0.84 ERA (four earned runs in 43 innings) in September, the two ALDS starts were startling none the less.

Kluber went 0-1 with a 12.79 ERA in ALDS. He allowed nine earned runs on 12 hits in 6 1/3 innings. Kluber walked only two batters and struck out 10, but allowed four homers. Two of them coming in the first inning. In the regular season, he allowed four first-inning homers in 29 starts and 203 2/3 innings.

It's doubtful anyone is ever going to find the real reason for Kluber's postseason flop, but let's add one more theory to the equation - Kluber simply hit the wall. He was gassed, cooked, deep fried more than a month before your Thanksgiving turkey.

Kluber, in the last four years according to Elias Sports Bureau, has pitched more innings than any pitcher in the big leagues. He's pitched 917 innings from 2014 through 2017, including the postseason.

Washington's Max Scherzer, who won the NL Cy Young last month, is second with 904 2/3 innings followed by Jon Lester of the Cubs at 879 1/3, San Francisco's Johnny Cueto at 855 2/3 and San Francisco's Jeff Samardzija at 846 2/3 innings.

In Kluber's last start of the regular season, he went five innings against the White Sox, allowing one run on six hits. Manager Terry Francona said he was getting under the ball and the White Sox's young hitters were able to get some good swings off him.

Was that the first sign that Kluber was on fumes as his release point began to get lower and lower? Not sure who would have noticed because Kluber went 5-0 with a 0.71 ERA in his previous five starts in September. In fact, Kluber was named AL Pitcher of the Month in September.

Kluber threw 235 2/3 innings in 2014. He threw 222 innings in 2015 and 215 in 2016. Kluber added 34 1/3 innings and six more starts to his 2016 totals as the Indians reached Game 7 of the World Series. This year he threw 210, including the postseason.

There are so many possibilities as to what happened. The only thing we do know for sure is that Kluber did not pitch like Kluber in the postseason.

Well received: Baseball America named catcher Francisco Mejia as one of its top 10 prospects in the just completed Arizona Fall League. Mejia, who made his big-league debut with the Indians in September, was rated the sixth best player in the AFL.

Mejia went to Arizona to learn how to play third base. He didn't play there a lot in games, but did get a lot of practice at the hot corner. Meanwhile, Mejia finished fourth in the league with a .365 (23-for-63) batting average. The switch-hitter hit two homers and drove in eight runs in 15 games.

Yankee lefty Justus Sheffield (2-2, 3,10) was ranked the AFL's fourth best prospect. The Indians traded Sheffield, Clint Frazier, Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen to the Yankees for Andrew Miller on July 31, 2016. Sheffield walked just three batters in 20 1/3 innings in the AFL, consistently throwing between 94 mph and 96 mph with a slider between 84 and 87.

Tribe left-hander Sean Brady didn't make the top 10, but he showed well in Arizona. He went 2-1 with a 2.798 ERA in six starts. Brady, a fifth-round pick in 2013, struck out 16 and walked five in 22 2/3 innings.

Back to work: Yandy Diaz has joined Caracas in the Venezuelan winter league. He's hitting .357 (10-for-28) with one homer and seven RBI in 10 games. Diaz went to Caracas to play third base, a position he could be playing for the Indians next year.

Diaz, who opened last season as the Tribe's third baseman, made 37 start there. He played 42 games at third, 21 in left field, nine in right field and one at second base for Class AAA Columbus.

Free agents: Indians minor league players who have declared free agency at Columbus include: utility man Michael Martinez, infielder Ronny Rodriguez, left-hander Chris Narverson, outfielder Jordan Smith, outfielder David Lough, right-hander Jarrett Grube, right-hander Joe Colon, left-hander Tim Cooney, right-hander Travis Banwart, catcher Adam Moore, infielder Josh Wilson, right-hander Carlos Frias, right-hander Jeff Johnson and right-hander Enosil Tejada.

Tribe players who declared free agency at Class AA Akron include: right-hander Perci Garner, outfielder Luigi Rodriguez, third baseman Yonathan Mendoza, right-hander Robbie Aviles, catcher Juan De La Cruz and left-hander Luis Lugo.

Ronny Rodriguez hit .291 (130-for-447) with 17 homers and 64 RBI for Columbus last season. Lugo went 8-7 with a 4.35 ERA in 26 games, including 25 starts at Akron. He struck out 93 and walked 55 in 134 1/3 innings.

Two teams have made offers to Cleveland Indians free agent reliever Bryan Shaw
Updated Nov 25; Posted Nov 24


phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The hunt for free-agent Bryan Shaw is gaining speed.

Two teams have made multiyear offers for the durable Shaw, who spent the last five seasons with the Indians. In those five seasons, Shaw made more appearances (378) than any reliever in the big leagues.

The two offers are for at least three years each.

The identity of the two teams has not been confirmed, but the Mets are believed to be one of them. They have shown interest in Shaw since he hit the open market and Mickey Callaway, Shaw's pitching coach with the Indians, is the Mets new manager.

In three of the last four years, Shaw has led or tied the AL in appearances. This past season he tied Kansas City's Peter Moylan with 79 appearances for the league lead. In those 79 appearances, Shaw went 4-6 with a 3.52 ERA and three saves. He struck out 73 and walked 22 in 76 2/3 innings.

The opposition hit .247 against Shaw last season with lefties hitting .234 and righties .254. The Indians were 51-28 when he pitched.

Shaw is ranked second in relief appearances in Indians' history.

In negotiations to date, Shaw has let it be known to interested teams that he is not interested in waiting for reliever A, B or C to sign before he signs. He has made it clear that if the deal is right, he'll sign whether the market for relievers has been set or not.

When the Indians were knocked out of the postseason in the ALDS, it was clear that they would not be able to keep Shaw based on what he was going to get on the open market. Several online sights projected that he'd sign a three-year deal worth $20 million to $25 million.

The Indians are already paying lefty Andrew Miller $9 million for 2018, while mlbtraderumors.com projects that closer Cody Allen could top $11 million in arbitration in January. To add Shaw's new contract to the back end of the bullpen was probably too much for the Tribe to bear.

Non-tender deadline: Who's on the bubble for Cleveland Indians regarding 2018 contracts?
Updated 7:31 PM; Posted 7:29 PM

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have seven players eligible for arbitration and they must tell them by 8 p.m. Friday if they intend to offer them contracts for 2018.

The players in question are closer Cody Allen, right-hander Trevor Bauer, outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall, right-hander Danny Salazar, right-hander Zach McAllister, right-hander Dan Otero and outfielder Abraham Almonte.

The seven players, according to mlbtraderumors.com, could earn over $34 million in salaries on one-year deals thanks to the leverage of arbitration. Here's what the players are projected to make: Allen, $10.8 million, Bauer $7.7 million, Chisenhall $5.88 million, Salazar $5.2 million, McAllister $2.4 million, Otero $1.4 million and Almonte $1.1 million.

Any player not offered a contract becomes free agent.

Allen, Bauer, Chisenhall and Salazar are expected to be offered contracts. That leaves McAllister, Otero and Almonte on the bubble. Those three did not make the Tribe's AL Division Series roster against the Yankees.

McAllister has become a durable reliever since moving to the bullpen full-time in 2015. This year he reached 50 or more appearances for the third straight year, striking out 66 in 62 innings. Right-handers hit .189 (24-for-127) against him.

Otero was 3-0 with a 2.85 ERA in 52 appearances this year. He struck out 38 and walked nine in 60 innings. In the last two years with the Tribe, Otero has induced 16 double plays in 56 chances against right-handed batters for the highest percentage in the AL.

It will be interesting to see what the Indians do with McAllister and Otero. They're already short in the bullpen with Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith filing for free agency.

The switch-hitting Almonte wasn't much of a factor last season. Almonte, slowed by injuries, appeared in only 69 games. He hit .233 (40-for-172) with three homers and 14 RBI.

If the Indians don't offer McAllister, Otero and Almonte contracts, they could try to sign them for less money or trade them before Friday's deadline.

Allen, eligible for free agency after 2018, looms large in the bullpen in the light of the expected loss of Shaw and the possibly Smith. He's had three straight seasons of 30 or more saves and is the franchise leader in strikeouts (484) and appearances (386) for a reliever. Allen, a free agent at the end of the 2018 season, ranks fourth in franchise history with 122 saves, 17 behind leader Bob Wickman.

It's probably too late to try and sign Allen to a multiyear deal, but what about Bauer? He's under team control for the next three years and is coming off a breakout season in which he went 17-9 with a 4.19 ERA. Bauer was 10-1 with a 2.60 ERA in his last 14 games.

The Indians signed starters Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco to multiyear deals early in the 2015 season after they had big years in 2014. Kluber signed a five-year $38.5 million deal, while Carrasco signed a four-year $20 million deal.

While Almonte may be expendable in the jigsaw puzzle that is the Indians' outfield, they have to keep Chisenhall. He had his most productive offensive season despite going on the disabled list three times and they need someone to play right field because it appears unlikely that Jay Bruce will return. Chisenhall, like Allen a free agent after the 2018 season, could prove to be an interesting trade chip as well.

Salazar, 27, turned in another season that was equal parts tease and frustration. He went 5-6 with a 4.28 ERA, while making two trips to the disabled list.

When he pitched, Salazar struck out 145 batters in 103 innings. He set a single-season franchise record (100 innings of more) with 12.67 strikeouts per nine innings. The Indians don't know if they'll start Salazar, put him in the bullpen or trade him this winter. But he'll be offered a contract on Friday.

Shohei Ohtani: Cleveland Indians signed 21 players instead of gambling on Japan's Babe Ruth
Updated Dec 2, 9:16 PM; Posted Dec 2, 8:09 PM


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Indians are on the outside looking in as the Shohei Ohtani circus is about to come to a big-league city near you.

They wouldn't confirm it, but the Indians were expected to take part in the posting process Friday for Ohtani, who has shown the ability to pitch and hit at a high level in his five years with the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan. It would be a long shot at best for the Indians, one pull on a one-armed bandit that could deliver what many believe is a franchise-changing talent.

The Indians, according to the Associated Press, have only $10,000 left in their international bonus pool to sign amateur players. The Rangers at $3.53 million, Yankees at $3.25 million and the Twins at $3.245 million have the most left in their pools to tempt the 23-year-old Ohtani.

So where did the Indians' signing bonus pool go?

They started the 2017-18 international signing period with $5.75 million. While some teams may have held back on signing players in case Ohtani decided to make the jump from Japan before the 2018 season -- the move had been rumored for a long time -- the Indians did not.

They used their pool money to sign 21 players to date. Their reasoning was two-fold.

They didn't believe they could compete with teams such as the Yankees, Dodgers and Cubs -- whose cities have more off-the-field inducements to lure Ohtani. Since Ohtani, no matter who he signs with, will do so as an amateur player, it means his signing bonus can go only as high as the Rangers' $3.53 million. If he comes to the big leagues he'll do so at the major-league minimum.

The 2017-18 signing period for international free agents starts on July 2 and runs through June 15, 2018. The Indians felt if they gambled and waited for Ohtani, and didn't sign him, they would not be able to go back and sign the players they wanted. Besides, it didn't become clear until late in the year that the Fighters were going to post Ohtani.

The 21 players the Indians signed are from Latin America.

Prominent among them are outfielder George Valera and shortstop Aaron Bracho. Valera signed for $1.3 million. Branco, a switch-hitter from Venezuela, signed for $1.5 million. MLBPipeline.com rated them 21 and 22, respectively, on its top 30 international prospect list. Baseball America rated Valera No.5 and Branco No. 17 on its list.

Other players signed include SS Jose Tena, Dominican Republic, $400,000; right-hander Roberto Hernandez, Cuba, $320,00; SS Wilfri Peralta, Dominican Republic, $300,000, SS Brayan Rocchio, Venezuela, $125,000, INF Cesar Idrogo, Venezuela, $90,000 and outfielder Marlin Made, Dominican Republic, $75,000.
AARON BRACHO INF 2017

Other new Indians whose signing bonus are not known include: outfielder Alexfri Palnez, Venezuela, right-hander Victor Sotello, Venezuela, SS Joseph Paulino, Dominican Republic; infielder Richard Paz, Venezuela, catcher Victor Planchart, Venezuela; outfielder Daniel Aguilar, right-hander Adenys Bautisa, right-hander Moises De La Cruz, left-hander Abraham Figuerora, 3B Noel Jhonkensky, outfielder Skeinling Rodriguez, right-hander Miguel Vinicio and Jerson Ramirez.

Velara, was born in Queens, N.Y., but moved to the Dominican Republic to play baseball, bats and throws left-handed. He could end up playing a corner outfield spot or first base. The Indians like his baseball instincts and swing.

The switch-hitting Bracho, 5-11, 174 pounds, could end up at second base. He makes good contact and has shown some power. He spent time in the United States this year training at Perfect Game events.

"George and Aaron project as high-ceiling offensive players with a combination of hit-ability and power to go along with athleticism," said Paul Gillispie, Indians senior director of International Scouting, when they signed in July. "We think they have the ability to impact the game both offensively and defensively.

"We're incredibly excited about this year's signing class. ... Our scouts have worked diligently over the last calendar year to identify and intimately know these players, and we're proud of the tireless effort they've put into the process."
Jos Luis Tena INF #TopProspect Franklin Ferreras Baseball Academy

Another interesting sign is Hernandez, the right-hander from Cuba. Yes, he's named Roberto Hernandez, but he's not the Roberto Hernandez, aka Fausto Carmona, Tribe fans remember.

The 6-2, 190-pound Hernandez, 16, throws between 90-93 mph. He has several off-speed pitches. Hernandez led Cuba's 15-and-under national team with a 0.81 ERA, striking out 101 and walking 31 in 78 innings.

The Tribe's bonus pool has almost run dry, but there are still some interesting players available. The penalties Commissioner Rob Manfred hit Atlanta with recently made 13 of their international players free agents. He ruled that the players could keep their signing bonuses.

The players are: Venezuelan infielder Kevin Maitan ($4.25 million signing bonus), Venezuelan catcher Abrahan Gutierrez ($3.53 million), Dominican SS Yunior Severino ($1.9 million), Dominican right-hander Juan Contreras ($1.2 million), Dominican SS Yenci Pena ($1.05 million), Dominican right-hander Yefri del Rosario ($1 million), Cuban outfielder Juan Carlos Negret ($1 million), Venezuelan SS Livan Soto ($1 million), Colombian right-hander Guillermo Zuniga ($350,000), Venezuelan outfielder Antonio Sucre ($300,000), Dominican outfielder Brandol Mezquita ($300,000) and Dominican shortstop Angel Rojas ($300,000).

The Indians scouted some of these players before they signed with the Braves. Manfred ruled that teams could borrow against their 2018-19 bonus pool to pursue them. Maitan and Gutierrez are probably too expensive for the Tribe, but if one of the former Braves interests them, don't be surprised if they try to sign him.

Cleveland Indians: How team avoided a free agent disaster -- Terry Pluto
Updated 5:51 AM; Posted 5:50 AM


By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer

terrypluto2003@yahoo.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- It's understandable that Cleveland Indians fans are concerned about the possibility of losing Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana to free agency.

My guess is both are gone. Huge paydays probably await both.

But as one Tribe executive recently told me, who knew in early December of 2016 that Edwin Encarnacion would end up with the Tribe? The Toronto slugger was looking for a $100 million deal. He turned down $80 million from the Blue Jays. His agent overestimated the market.

Encarnacion signed a three-year, $60 million deal with the Tribe.

So the Indians are playing the waiting game with Bruce and Santana. Meanwhile, their advance planning has the roster in good shape.

1. Had Carlos Carrasco not signed an extension in 2015, he'd be a free agent right now. You can imagine the market. He was 18-6 with a 3.29 ERA last season at the age of 30. Instead, he's making $8 million for 2018. The Tribe also holds options on him in 2019 ($9 million) and 2020 ($9.5 million).

2. Josh Tomlin would be a free agent. Instead, he is under contract for $3 million. Tomlin was 10-9 with a 4.98 ERA. Over the last three seasons, he's 30-20 with a 4.29 ERA. He is a bargain in baseball's wild markets.

3. Jason Kipnis would have been a free agent. The Indians need a healthy, bounce-back season from Kipnis, who is under contract for $13.6 million in 2018 and $14.6 million in 2019. Over the last three years, Kipnis batted .276 (.792 OPS), averaging 15 HR and 59 RBI. He could either end up in left field for the Tribe, or he could possibly be traded to a team looking for a second baseman.

4. Encarnacion is under contract for two more years. After a slow start, Encarnacion produced another big-time power season in 2017, batting .258 (.881 OPS) with 38 HR and 107 RBI.

5. Michael Brantley could have been a free agent. The Indians are gambling he can come back from major ankle surgery by picking up his $12 million option for 2018.

6. When they traded for Andrew Miller during the 2016 season, they did it knowing he was under contract through 2018. That was one of the most attractive aspects of the deal with the New York Yankees.

TRADING COREY KLUBER?

The Indians don't have to worry about that because their two-time Cy Young Award winner signed a five-year, $38 million extension before the 2015 season.

Suppose that hadn't happened. Suppose the Indians were heading into this season knowing Kluber could leave via free agency a year from now. Imagine the gnashing of teeth and angst that would grip the fan base ... and the front office. Do you keep him and risk a huge loss ... or do you trade him?

Finally, imagine how it would be for the Indians to have traded yet another Cy Young Award winner a year after the pitcher was honored. It happened with C.C. Sabathia (2008) and Cliff Lee (2009) when they were dealt in the middle of those seasons after winning the Cy Young.

Instead, here's Kluber's contract situation:

2018: $10.7 million
2019: $13.2 million
2020: Team option, $13.5 million
2021: Team option, $14 million

ABOUT CONTRACT EXTENSIONS

Yes, Carrasco or Kluber could cash in if they had not signed long-term contracts early in their careers. The same is being said for Jose Ramirez, who signed a five-year contract extension with the Tribe during spring training.

"They should have waited," is what some agents and analytics people will say.

But it forgets one major fact of life: Injuries.

Not long after signing contract extensions with the Tribe, Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook were injured. Grady Sizemore signed a six-year, $23 million extension in 2006. He was a star for the first three seasons. Then major injuries hit. Knee surgeries, an elbow operation and other physical problems.

In the end, Sizemore was wise to take the security.

The same with Hafner and Westbrook. There are many other examples.

ABOUT THE INDIANS

1. It was been very quiet on the trade front across big league baseball. Maybe teams are waiting for the Winter Meetings, which start on Dec. 10. It's the same with free agency. It's like teams and agents are reluctant to make the first big deal, waiting for someone else to do it.

2. That said, I expect the Indians to look to trade for a hitter. They have a starter such as Danny Salazar to offer. Catchers Yan Gomes or Roberto Perez could be available. The same for Kipnis. The Indians also have some prospects who are very attractive.

3. The Indians added Eric Haase to the 40-man roster. The 24-year-old catcher batted .258 (.923 OPS) with 26 HR and 59 RBI at Class AA Akron. They like him as a big league prospect, at least as a backup. They also have phenom Francisco Mejia, who was named one of the top 10 prospects in the Arizona Fall League. He played some third base. He batted .365. Depth at catcher is why I expect a trade.

4. The following players are out of minor league options: Erik Gonzalez, Gio Urshela, Ryan Merritt and Shawn Armstrong. Gonzalez and Urshela both can't make the roster, unless the Indians have multiple infield injuries during spring training. I expect one of them to be traded.

5. It's time for the Tribe to put Merritt on the roster and see what the lefty can do. He has a 23-13 career record and 3.48 ERA in Class AAA. In the last two seasons, he had a 3-0 record and 1.71 ERA in 31 innings with the Tribe. He'll be 26 in February. The Indians don't have a lefty starter. He could be very attractive to a team in a deal, but I'd like to see what he could do for the Tribe.

6. Out of minor league options is why the Indians took Kyle Crockett off the 40-man roster. Tyler Olson beat him out as a situational lefty reliever last season. Crockett was claimed on waivers by the Reds.

7. Merritt also could help in the bullpen as a lefty if he doesn't make the starting rotation.

8. Austin Jackson also is a free agent. The Indians are interested in keeping him, but at the right price. Jackson has battled knee and other injuries and played 82 games last season. I keep hearing Bryan Shaw will sign a deal worth at least $7 million annually for at least three years with someone. It won't be Cleveland.

Mike Clevinger was a delightful development for hte Indians in 2017. While the walks kept being a problem, the hits stayed low as they did in 2016, he struck out a very ood 27.3 percent of hitters, and he was one of nine starters worth more than 3 Wins Above Replacement that threw less than 140 innings. His own teammate Trevor Bauer was worth about the same number of wins and threw over 50 more innings. Given the chance, he was a very solid major league pitcher. It’s neat to think what he could turn into, especially if he could cut down on the walks. One problem though - his fastball velocity fell off in 2017, down to 92.8 mph from 94.5 in 2016. As good as he was, as good as his slider and curve and whatnot are, this is potentially a problem. At the end of the day, velocity is everything. What if this year was the best we will see of Mike Clevinger?

There’s a couple things to look at here. First, Clevinger took a big leap in innings pitched this year, up to 121.2 from 53 last year. But that’s a bit muddled since those are only his numbers with Cleveland. All told in 2017, he threw 155.2 between Columbus and Cleveland compared to 146 last year and 158 in 2015 in Akron. Certainly pitching in the majors is harder, the better thing to look at would be pitches thrown. W don’t have hard numbers, but based on the higher walk rates he’s had so far in the majors it stands to reason he’s throwing more. So he could just be tiring out more, and come back stronger in 2018.

The other thing to consider is his role this year compared to last. He started 21 games this year in 27 appearances, compared to only 10 starts in 17 appearances last year. He was expected and probably hoped to go deeper, so he couldn’t go balls to the wall. That could lead to reduced velocity, and this is just a small blip before he re-assumes the level we saw from him in 2016.

The thing about pitchers though, they always lose velocity. Eno Sarris wrote about this at Sports on Earth a couple years back. A guy’s debut is generally the hardest he throws and it’s all worse every year afterward. We already saw Clevinger fall off some. What could his age 27 season hold? Well, perhaps not so much bad news. I looked at 10 starters who, between 2013 and 2017, had seasons where they pitched at 25, 26, and 27. Here's the chart I made you:

see: https://www.letsgotribe.com/2017/12/4/1 ... ocity-drop

This is a little encouraging. At the worst, there was little fade from 25-27 for most of these guys. All of which benefit from some level of the most advanced modern pitcher care. Clevinger came up at 25 and we just saw him at 26. If he hold steady from this year and simply throws 50 more innings, he could be a 4.5-5 win player. That’d be amazing. But as Sarris noted, and as we've all seen from just watching baseball, velocity drops. Even Trevor Bauer, who works very hard to increase and maintain his velo, saw his fade just a tick from 2016 to '17, his average fastball falling .3 mph to 94.3.

Clevinger is in Bauer's sphere of influence, and was brought to those pitching wizards at Driveline Baseball last summer while they were in Washington facing the Mariners. I don't know if Clevinger trains with them, but that could have planted a seed. I do know firsthand the Indians use similar training techniques since I saw Clevinger actually using weighted balls and long toss to warm up against the Orioles this past summer. He knows velocity is king. He wants to put the work in. That, in conjunction with that chart above, gives me some hope that he won't suddenly become Tomlin Mark 2. That, and this chart:

It's not an incredible spike, but he was throwing as hard or harder in September as he was in April. And that uptick in October - based in large part from him going back to the 'pen - is a bit encouraging at least. He didn't fade. We have seen guys like Charlie Morton have a big leap in velocity because they decided to throw harder. Clevinger has shown mid-to upper 90's ability at times, could it be intent that leads to his leap? An offseason of conditioning to be able to better handle 25-30 starts could be the key to his becoming yet another ace in the Indians rotation.

He's in the right place, at least. He just has to take advantage of it.

Most pitching gurus will tell you velocity is the least important of Location, Movement and Velocity.