Cleveland Sports Forum

Indians make offer to Carlos Santana, but they have a lot of competition
Updated 9:39 PM; Posted 9:38 PM
Carlos Santana - Defensive 2017 - Highlights

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - At least six teams are in pursuit of former Indians first baseman Carlos Santana.

The Indians are one of them. In fact, they have made Santana an offer, but currently his agents are waiting for the market to form. Yes, Giancarlo Stanton is off the books, but there are a lot of other offensive players on the market including outfielder J.D. Martinez and first baseman Eric Hosmer.

It should be noted that the Indians made Santana a qualifying offer of $17.4 million, which he turned down, to ensure they'd get draft pick compensation if he signs with another team.

It's unclear if Santana will sign before or after them. What is clear is that Santana, his agents and the Indians are being patient. Both sides appear willing to wait and see which way the market turns for the switch-hitter.

While the Indians' offer was considered a required first step in negotiations, it wasn't enough to get Santana to return to Cleveland. The Indians have been assured that if Santana does receive an offer to his liking, the Indians will be given a chance to counter it before he makes his final decision.

Santana said at the end of last season that he would love to return to the Indians. He has spent his whole big-league career with them, covering seven plus seasons. But it's also evident that Santana, 31, is out for the best contract he can get.

The Indians' payroll will exceed last year's franchise record of $124 million because of raises and arbitration. The amount of money they have available to sign free agents is limited.


Boston, Philadelphia, Texas, Seattle and San Diego have reportedly shown interest in Santana. The Mets were also linked to him, but that seems to have faded.

If the Indians don't sign Santana, they'll need a replacement at first base. Prospect Bobby Bradley doesn't appear to be ready, but there has been talk of Michael Brantley, recovering from right ankle surgery, making the move from left field to first. Edwin Encarnacion could play first and Lonnie Chisenhall could offer some platoon help.

Realistically, if Santana doesn't return, the Indians could be forced to find a replacement through trade or free agency. Free agency is the easiest route. All it costs is money, right? But it's money the Indians don't have.

Still, there are plenty of free agent candidates available including: Mitch Moreland, Mike Napoli, Matt Adams, Yonder Alonso, Chris Carter, John Jaso, Adam Lind and Mark Reynolds. The Indians would prefer to add a right-handed hitter either at first base or one of the corner outfield spots.

Austin Jackson, another free agent, helped fill that role for the Indians last season. Jackson hit .318 (89-for-280) with an .869 OPS in 85 games. The Indians have an interest in bringing Jackson back as well, but that could take time.

The problem with trying to make a trade in this era of analytics is that all 30 teams have the same information. All teams have scouts, analytical departments and computerized systems to analyze and organize that information.

In the past, there were differences in the way teams evaluated players. One team may have valued a player as a potential All-Star, while the team that owned that player didn't think that highly of him. It created more opportunities to make deals and favored teams that took the best advantage of their information gathering resources.

Now tools like Statcast can measure how fast a player can run, how hard a player can throw, how many inches his fastball moves. And every team has access to that information. It has made the art the deal more difficult.

There are still ways to make trades. The Stanton deal is an example. The Marlins sent the Yankees the NL MVP because they wanted to dump salary and rebuild. The Yankees were willing to take a large chunk of that salary because they're in a win-now mode.

Another way to make a deal is if the Indians, with an excess of starting pitching, found a team that not only needed starting pitcher, but had an excess of outfielders. If they hit right-handed so much the better.

Sound implausible? That's what baseball is all about.

TFIR wrote: They had Klubot going in the deciding game.

And I was there to witness it

Tribe eyes ways to improve at Winter Meetings
Club looking for reinforcements at first base, in lineup, in bullpen
By Jordan Bastian MLB.com @MLBastian
Dec. 5th, 2017

CLEVELAND -- The Indians are coming off one of the best regular seasons in club history, but the team's quick exit from the playoffs has left a bitter taste lingering. Even with a strong foundation in place for next year, Cleveland knows it needs to strengthen its talented cast.

"Our goal," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations, "no matter where we stand presently, is to try to find ways to improve."

The offseason has been slow to develop around Major League Baseball, and the Indians will likely remain patient on the free-agent front as they weigh their needs. During the upcoming Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff will continue their search for reinforcements with four days of face-to-face dialogue.



The Indians have the opportunity to head into 2018 with the majority of its MLB-leading pitching staff intact and appear primed to contend for a third consecutive American League Central title. With Carlos Santana, Jay Bruce, Bryan Shaw and others hitting the open market, though, there are holes that could be filled. The Indians will need to attempt to do so with less monetary wiggle room than a year ago.



Club needs

First base: Maybe. It's complicated. On the surface, first looks like a need with Santana on the free-agent market. Internally, though, Cleveland might consider moving left fielder Michael Brantley to first and having him split time there and at designated hitter with Edwin Encarnacion. If the Indians want to keep Jose Ramirez at second base, then that kind of move for Brantley would open the door for Jason Kipnis to play left. Or Brantley could stay in left, Kipnis could return to second, Ramirez could move back to third base and then third baseman Yandy Diaz could get a look at first base. Outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall is also an internal possibility for first base. There are a lot of moving parts.

Offense: Cleveland could use another hitter -- especially one who hits from the right side -- to help balance out the lineup. With both Santana and Bruce on the open market, the Indians lost some thump. Given the position flexibility that exits on the roster right now, the Indians could target help for corner infield, corner outfield or DH.

Bullpen: The Indians had Shaw, Joe Smith and Craig Breslow hit the free-agent market this winter. Shaw is the biggest potential loss for Cleveland's bullpen, which led the Majors in ERA last season, and looks like a candidate to net a multiyear deal. For the Indians, it would be more realistic to try to re-sign Smith to help shore up the relief corps. Cleveland still has depth internally, but it could stand to add some arms to lengthen out the 'pen.



Who they can trade if necessary

RHP Danny Salazar: Salazar is 27, eligible for arbitration, under control for three more seasons and had a strikeout rate of 12.7 per nine innings in '17. That's a lot to like and reason enough for teams to have interest in the hard-throwing right-hander. That said, Salazar has dealt with arm issues for the past two seasons and has yet to reach his potential. Dating back to the start of July in '16, Salazar has a 5.20 ERA and 1.48 WHIP in 147 innings.

C Yan Gomes or C Roberto Perez: Gomes is set to earn $5.95 million in 2018 and is under contract through '19, with team options for '20 and '21. Perez is set to earn $1.62 million in '18 and is under contract through '20 with team options for '21 and '22. Both are top-notch defenders, but have had their share of offensive issues. And now, catching prospect Francisco Mejia is waiting in the wings. Cleveland also added catcher Eric Haase to the 40-man roster this winter. Gomez or Perez could be dangled as trade bait.

Top prospects

The Indians' Top 10 prospects per MLBPipeline.com are (in order) Mejia, right-hander Triston McKenzie, first baseman Bobby Bradley, shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang, third baseman Nolan Jones, outfielder Quentin Holmes, outfielder Greg Allen, outfielder Will Benson, shortstop Willi Castro and righty Aaron Civale. Mejia and Allen reached the Majors last September and could impact the big league club again in '18.

Members of the Indians' Top 30 prospects list who are currently on the 40-man roster include Mejia, Chang, Allen, Castro, right-hander Julian Merryweather (No. 12), lefty Shawn Morimando (No. 16) and lefty Ryan Merritt (No. 21). Merritt will head into Spring Training out of Minor League options, so he will be competing for a spot on the Indians' Opening Day pitching staff. Mejia spent time playing third in the Arizona Fall League to increase his versatility.



Rule 5 Draft

The Indians' 40-man roster is at capacity, meaning the club would need to clear a spot if it wants to make a pick in the Rule 5 Draft. Last year, Cleveland took lefty Hoby Milner, but he did not make the roster and was returned to the Phillies. Prior to selecting Milner, the Tribe had not made a Rule 5 pick since 2012 (Chris McGuiness). In addition to the prospects listed above, the Tribe added Eric Stamets to its 40-man roster earlier this offseason to protect him from being exposed to the Rule 5 process.

Big contracts they might unload

2B/OF Kipnis: Kipnis is a man without a clear spot on the field right now and is set to earn $13.7 million in 2018 and $14.7 million in '19, with a $16.5 million team option for '20. When the second baseman returned from injury down the stretch last season, Kipnis played center field in place of Bradley Zimmer (on the DL at the time). When healthy, Kipnis has been an All-Star caliber player, so the Indians might bank on him having a strong bounce-back season. But if the team needs to shed salary to help another acquisition, this is one possible avenue.



Payroll summary

A year ago, the Indians made a big splash by signing Encarnacion to the largest free-agent contract (three years, $60 million guaranteed) in franchise history. The team's payroll also climbed to around $130 million, which is the highest it had ever been. This winter, it looks like Cleveland lacks the same kind of flexibility. The payroll for 2018 projects to include roughly $30 million in raises via arbitration and guaranteed deals. All contracts considered (arbitration, guaranteed deals and pre-arb renewals), the Indians are already looking at a payroll in the neighborhood of $126 million even before any external additions.

Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on Twitter @MLBastian and Facebook.

Cleveland Indians Terry Francona says Brantley is still an outfielder; Kipnis still positionless

Updated Dec 11, 5:53 PM; Posted Dec 11, 5:53 PM

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Manager Terry Francona said Michael Brantley is still an outfielder and Jason Kipnis still doesn't have a position. No big shock there, but there has been speculation that Brantley could move to first base depending on how he responds to the right ankle surgery that he underwent at the end of October.

"James Quinlan (head athletic trainer) visited with Michael a couple of weeks ago and he's doing well," said Chris Antonetti, Indians president of baseball operations.

Said Francona, "Michael is itching to go right now."

But will he stay in left field or move to first? Brantley hasn't played first since he was in the minors with Milwaukee.

"Brantley is open to whatever we would like him to do," said Francona. "He just wants to know ahead of time so he can prepare. Again, we have to wait to see where we are as a team. It's nice to know guys are willing. But I think right now, he's an outfielder."

Regarding the displaced Kipnis, Francona said, "I don't know if I have a good answer for that right now. We all know Kip is a really good player, which is fortunate for us. Some of it may come down to what is best for our team. When we know, we'll certainly communicate to our guys.

"I just don't know that you can tell somebody something before you know."

It's possible the Indians could trade Kipnis. Teams such as the Angels and Toronto are looking for a second baseman and the Indians have been listening to offers. The Blue Jays, however, recently acquired shortstop Aledmys Diaz from St. Louis. They'd still like to add more help in the middle infield, but preferably someone who can play second and short. Kipnis has played second almost his entire career.

When asked if Kipnis could play first, Francona said he probably could, but didn't appear to be overly enthusiastic about the idea.

What about Frazier? For those asking, it does not appear the Indians will try to reacquire outfielder Clint Frazier now that Giancarlo Stanton is a Yankee. The Indians traded Frazier and three others to the Yankees for Andrew Miller in 2016. Frazier was the Tribe's No.1 pick in 2013.

If the Indians are going to deal from a position of strength, in other words move a starter such as Danny Salazar or Mike Clevinger, they have to get an established right-handed hitter.

Numbers game: Francona has surrendered his No. 17 to catcher Francisco Mejia. Francona will switch to No.77. It's the second time Francona has given his number to a player since becoming manager of the Indians after the 2012 season.

When the Indians acquired Nick Swisher in 2013, he gave him No. 33.

Francona said that he'd heard Mejia wanted No. 17 and he had no problem giving it up. He rarely wears a jersey during games anyway.

For those looking for hidden meaning - such as if the manager is giving Mejia his number it must mean the Indians are getting ready to trade Roberto Perez or Yan Gomes -- Mejia will only wear No.17 in spring training and in the big leagues.

It's official: The Indians announced that they've signed utility man Michael Martinez to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Faces in the crowd: Former Indians Lary Sorensen, Dennis Cook, Jamie Carroll and Reggie Jefferson are attending the meetings. Sorensen is announcing baseball and football games at Wake Forrest. Cook is working with the Italian National baseball team. He'll also be a pitching coach in the Cape Cod League this summer.

What is Bryan Shaw?
There is no shortage of disagreements about Indians setup man Bryan Shaw, so the IBI's Gage Will decided to delve deeper into the numbers to more fully define Shaw’s value ...

Gage Will - Jul 3, 11:00 AM
0

Every time Bryan Shaw enters a game, Indians fans are immediately required to start bickering about his value. Or, so it seems.

The 29 year old reliever in his 5th year as an Indian creates more disagreements than any reliever should. So, naturally, I want to know why. Some Indians fans see him for what he is: a slightly above average reliever. Other Indians fans cannot shake his notable meltdowns from memory, including an unfortunate extra inning appearance in the World Series in which he allowed the game winning runs.

The Workhorse Shaw

It’s no secret Shaw is used frequently. Terry Francona does not hesitate handing him the ball in any type of situation, using him as the utility bullpen arm. This is likely due to the nature of his skill set. He isn’t too good to waste in a game with a 1-2 run deficit, a la Cody Allen or Andrew Miller, and he is good enough to warrant getting the ball in a game with a 1-2 run lead. This creates the perfect scenario for him to appear often.

Appear often, he does. Since his arrival in Cleveland in 2013, no reliever in baseball has appeared in as many games as Shaw. His 338 games pitched over 4.5 seasons averages out to Shaw being utilized every 2.15 games. In addition to overall appearances, Shaw has shouldered a significant inning workload at 321 innings. This mark is 2nd overall in Major League Baseball, behind only Tony Watson of the Pirates, who was a premier reliever from 2014-2015.

The Effective Shaw

We are aware that no one has been called upon to make the trek from the ‘pen to the mound as much as Shaw since 2013. This alone indicates that Francona believes he is effective. What do the numbers say, though?
Overall, it is difficult to dispute Shaw’s value as a reliever. When compared to the average reliever from 2013-2017, he stacks quite favorably in categories like ERA, FIP, WHIP, and batting average allowed. He isn’t a high strike out guy and can occasionally run into some command problems, though. The strikeout to walk ratio (2.61) is not exactly what you’d like to see from an above average reliever, but is very medoicre.

None of these numbers will blow anyone away, but lend credence to his frequent usage. Among Tribe fans, there is animosity for his usage in important spots. This animosity resonates from narratives that he is not clutch, or performs poorly when it matters most. These narratives are not entirely off base, either.

The High Leverage Shaw

As a fan with an affinity for advance metrics and research, I generally do not buy the argument that an athlete’s performance in critical situations is indicative of his or her ability to be clutch. In a high variance sport such as baseball, numbers can be distorted based on simple randomness. Additionally, confirmation bias tends to skew these arguments, as people create lasting images of athletes based on personally memorable moments and subconsciously compare the athlete to these moments in future situations.

This is why numbers are important. The numbers in high leverage situations hate Bryan Shaw. Well, numbers don’t have feelings towards people, but if they did, these particular numbers would want to disassociate themselves with Shaw as quickly as possible.

The chart above represents Shaw’s numbers in high leverage situations compared to the league average reliever in any situation. The disclaimer associated with these numbers is that they are based on a limited sample size of 71.2 innings. This isn’t a large enough indicator to make any broad-sweeping conclusions about Shaw’s abilities in crucial moments.

However, there is an observable trend. During high leverage situations, Shaw’s profile changes quite significantly. He goes from a league average strikeout guy to a below-average strikeout guy, in addition to issuing fewer walks. One inference can be made: in the most important at-bats of each game, Shaw has at least a slight inclination to pitch to more contact.

What is Bryan Shaw?

You can make your assumptions about his abilities in the clutch based on the information above if you’d like. If you choose to believe that he is not a clutch pitcher, I will concede that his FIP does climb from 3.50 to 3.85 if the situation is classified as high leverage. A hike like that could be random variance based on the small sample size. I would advise against using ERA as a measuring stick, though, because Shaw’s FIP indicates that his high leverage ERA should be much lower.

As a result of my aversion to calling athletes clutch or not clutch, I believe the Shaw issues run a bit deeper. He struggles to pitch with runners on base. This notion does not rely on any narrative and is instead based upon his statistics in such splits.
Pitching with runners on is a problem for Shaw, as demonstrated by his FIP, K/9, and wOBA (weighted On Base Average) allowed statistics above. His first year with the Tribe (2013) offered no evidence of this, but the subsequent years trended towards this conclusion. In fact, Shaw is better with the bases empty in all three of the chosen statistical groups in each season from 2014 to 2017, without exception.

Throughout Shaw’s tenure in Cleveland, his overall FIP with runners on base drops from 3.81 to 3.25. That’s over half a run better when he doesn’t have to worry about a baserunner. He fans 7.89 hitters per nine with runners on compared to 8.6 with the bases empty. The wOBA allowed difference is not much, but there is a spike from 0.275 to 0.290 when bases are occupied.

Let’s stop the arguing and understand Bryan Shaw for what he is: A slightly above average reliever with a significant decrease in value when bases are occupied. Perhaps Terry Francona should employ a new strategy with Shaw and allow him to pitch until he allows baserunners, then hand the ball over to one of the other above average arms in the Tribe bullpen.
Author

Gage Will @

That's nice.

He gone!!!

We had the same debate over Eric Plunk in the 90s. Now it's the Rockies' issue and we'll have to find someone with at least as much skill and dependability to replace Shaw. That won't be Zach McAllister. I don't put a lot of faith in Dan Otero for high leverage situations. Nick Goody?

Carlos Santana mulling multiple offers
Updated 7:11 AM; Posted Dec 12, 8:24 AM

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Carlos Santana remains a hot ticket on the free agent market.

Several teams have made offers on the switch-hitting first baseman who has spent his whole big-league career with the Indians. Santana's agents are said to be deep into discussions with several teams.

The Indians are still in the race for Santana, who is their career leader in home runs and RBI for a switch-hitter. Santana remains open to returning and the team still wants him back. Finding common ground, however, remains a hurdle.

Eric Hosmer is said to the top free agent first baseman available this winter. He's 28, three years younger than Santana, and could be looking for five to seven-year deal.

Santana, 31, may be more attractive to teams because they could sign him to a shorter contract. He turns 32 on April 8.

The Indians have already made what amounts to two offers to Santana. They made him a three-year, $36 million offer, according to Jon Heyman of Fanrags.com, before he filed for free agency. After Santana filed, they made him a one-year, $17.4 million qualifying offer to ensure they get draft pick compensation if he signs with another team.


Should $17.4 million be a starting point for a new offer, the Indians are going to have to go higher to keep Santana. A three-year deal at that amount would be $52.2 million. Last winter the Indians signed free agent Edwin Encarnacion to a three-year, $60 million deal. It was the franchise's biggest free agent contract.

It's unclear how close Santana is to signing. The Indians seem intent on waiting out the market. They have also received assurances from Santana's agents that before they sign with another team, they'll give the Indians a chance to counter the offer.

Boston, San Diego, Texas, Seattle, Philadelphia and Colorado are some of the teams that have been linked to Santana. The Yankees had interest before they traded for Giancarlo Stanton. The Mets have kicked the tires as well.

Santana's attributes are well known. He's a switch-hitter with decent power, plate discipline and a strong on-base percentage. Last season he improved defensively as well. He was a Gold Glove finalist at first base, an award that went to Hosmer.

In the last seven years Cincinnati's Joey Votto and Santana rank first and second in the big leagues in walks with 771 and 689, respectively. Last season Santana ranked fourth in the AL in walks (88), seventh in times on base (242), 13th in on-base percentage (.363) and 18th in extra base hits (63).

A driving force behind the Houston Astros winning the World Series this year was their improved defense, reduction in strikeouts and an increase is runs and slugging percentage. They led the AL in runs, ranked second in homers, first in slugging percentage and struck out the fewest times in the league. Defensively, they finished ninth in fielding percentage.

Whoever signs Santana will get a player adept at doing those things.

Regarding Shaw - he is what he is.

IMO in OUR bullpen, he was a very useful guy. High leverage? We had Cody Allen and Andrew Miller for that.

And this guy overall sucked up a ton of innings (from both starters and other relievers) in above average fashion for years and years.

Not a great reliever no. And on a team with Allen and Miller (#spoiled fans) he stood out even more.

I agree with letting him walk - bottom line. For one thing, all those innings make him a bad risk on the 3 year deal he got.

But he did a nice job while he was here and Callaway made no secret he wanted him in NY.

I'd agree with TFIR. He was an underrated part of our bullpen depth. He is a risk for a 3 year deal.
Can we replace him with what we have available now? Not clear.

Cardinals strike deal to obtain Ozuna

By Derrick Goold St. Louis Post-Dispatch 14 min ago (…)


LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. • That progress the Cardinals felt they had toward a deal with the Marlins has accelerated to finalizing a deal for outfielder Marcell Ozuna, and the two teams are working through the details.

An agreement has been struck and the deal is being finalized, two sources described.

The deal is pending a physical, which is in the process of being scheduled. The Cardinals are known to have offered a pitching prospect as the centerpiece of a deal with the Marlins, which was reported as progressing Tuesday night by the Post-Dispatch. The Marlins have coveted Sandy Alcantara in a deal, and he was a part of the trade the Cardinals and Marlins had agreed upon for Giancarlo Stanton.

An outfielder would also be involved in the trade.

Ozuna, 27, is a two-time All-Star who hit 37 home runs and slugged .548 for the Marlins this past season. He won the Gold Glove Award in left field and claimed the Silver Slugger Award at the same position. The Cardinals view him as a likely cleanup hitter and an intimidation factor in the middle of the order.

He is eligible to become a free agent after the 2019 season.

The conversations with the Marlins about Ozuna spill out of the Cardinals long talks with Miami about acquiring Stanton. This is not the only trade the Cardinals are pursuing at the winter meetings, and they have indicated that there were a series of moves they intended to make, if possible.

With Ozuna at one of the corner outfield positions, the Cardinals are in position to shift and consider trading Stephen Piscotty to Oakland. The Cardinals would be able to move their right fielder closer to his home -- a move inspired, in part, by the chance to get him close to his mother, who was diagnosed with ALS this year.

The Cardinals have also explored trading an outfielder to Tampa Bay as part of a deal that would be centered on closer Alex Colome.

Ozuna and Carlos Martinez talked about their friendship during the All-Star Game, where they had lockers beside each other in the Marlins' home clubhouse. Ozuna was also a friend of the late Oscar Taveras.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

I was an Ocker fan. Not sure if the rest of you were. He had a sense of humor and didn't obsess about the games. And he could write.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Akron Beacon Journal had decided to invest in full coverage of the 1981 Cleveland Indians, not just home games. But the newspaper's Tribe beat reporter did not want to travel. The sports editor needed somebody flexible -- or perhaps crazy -- enough to spend an entire summer following a season that wound up being memorable for Len Barker's perfect game and little else.

Sheldon Ocker, who had been covering the NBA's Cavaliers, agreed to take on the job. He had no idea he'd be doing it for the next 33 years.

"I should have known better," he jokes now.

Ocker met all the deadlines, sat through all the rain delays, caught all the flights and, of course, covered all the highs and lows and news and notes associated with more than three decades in the life of a baseball club. Now they'll put his name not in a byline but on the most prestigious award a baseball scribe can receive. On Tuesday, Ocker was announced as the 2018 recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award in balloting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America. He will be honored with the accolade as part of the Hall of Fame's induction weekend on July 27-30 next summer in Cooperstown, N.Y.

"I was surprised," Ocker said. "I guess nobody expects that they're going to win, but I sure didn't."

The writers recognized Ocker for his indefatigable approach to the job. From that 1981 season through his retirement at the end of the Tribe's 2013 campaign, he very rarely missed a game -- both in Spring Training and the regular season.

"He had the four things every beat writer needs -- he was a good reporter, he had strong opinions, he never took a day off and he knew the best restaurants in every city on the road," said Paul Hoynes, who has covered the Indians since 1983. "More than that, he's a good friend."

Ocker, 75, retired following the 2013 season after 33 years on the Indians' beat for the Beacon Journal. He was named the Ohio Sports Writer of the Year in '97 and 2000 by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association and served as the president of the BBWAA in '85 and as chair of the Cleveland Chapter 11 times. He is now the 69th winner of the Spink Award, having received 168 votes among the 426 ballots cast, including two blank submissions, via BBWAA members with at least 10 consecutive years of service. Jim Reeves (143 votes) of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and longtime Minneapolis-based baseball writer Patrick Reusse (113 votes) were also considered.


When Ocker gets to the podium in Cooperstown, he'll have more than a few stories to tell. Like the time a rookie by the name of Manny Ramirez summoned him to a table in the visiting clubhouse in Kansas City where Ramirez was sitting with Julian Tavarez.

"Can you give us a loan?" Ramirez asked Ocker.

"How much, Manny?" Ocker replied.

"Sixty thousand dollars," Ramirez said. "We want to buy two Harleys."

Ocker had to explain to the young Ramirez that sportswriter salaries aren't exactly on par with those of the ballplayers they cover.

Not all the laughs came courtesy of Manny. When things were slow on the field, Ocker would occasionally pepper the press box by drawing from his collection of cutouts from the New York Post of an old jokes column from comedian Joey Adams and reading the groaners aloud to the audience.

"Mostly they were not funny at all," Ocker said. "Which is why they were funny."

You've got to have a sense of humor to do what Ocker did for as long as he did it. But the funny thing about the baseball beat for those who do it long enough is that the lifestyle gets in your blood after a while. And for Ocker, retirement was a rude awakening.

"It took two years before I stopped packing my suitcase every other week," he joked. "You kind of have withdrawal a little bit, because you have this routine that's like the opposite of a normal person. Instead of going to Kansas City to see the Royals, you have to go to the grocery store to buy some hamburger."

And so Ocker wound up on a beat of a very different sort, working part-time as an editor and school board reporter for a company that produces community magazines in the Northeast Ohio area.

But Ocker's time in baseball was not forgotten by those who worked alongside him all those years.

"When you get voted into something by the people you've worked with for years and years, it makes it more special, because they know what you do and you know what they do and you're kind of all in the same boat," he said. "When they recognize you like that, it makes it pretty neat."

Shit !

Ozuna gone.

Guess Tribe spent too much time working on the Michael Martinez deal.

8 ways Bryan Shaw's departure feels like a bad breakup with Cleveland fans
Posted December 13, 2017 at 06:30 AM | Updated December 13, 2017 at 03:46 PM


CLEVELAND, Ohio — Workhorse relief pitcher Bryan Shaw walked away from the Cleveland Indians this week, agreeing to a three-year deal with the Colorado Rockies after five seasons as one of the most dependable arms in the Tribe’s bullpen.

It was the right move for Shaw, but one that creates a gigantic void in Cleveland’s relief corps. Manager Terry Francona even admitted at season’s end that it “might take two arms to replace him.”

While most baseball observers recognize Shaw’s departure as potentially devastating for the Indians, there are some passionate Tribe fans who appear to be pleased with the move.

Their relationship with Shaw has been tumultuous at best over the last 2-3 seasons. A preconceived notion existed among them that Shaw couldn’t handle clutch situations. Fans were not shy about being apprehensive when he entered close games. And they never quite got over Shaw allowing the go-ahead runs to Chicago in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.

Fans were quick to criticize Shaw during his Tribe tenure while overlooking his durability and overall stabilizing presence in the bullpen, and that negativity contributed partly to his move.

It’s hard not to view Indians fans in this scenario the way you would a crazy ex-boyfriend or ex-girlfriend in a breakup. Shaw walks away from the relationship the bigger, better person with his chin held high (and his wallet $27 million heavier), while Tribe fans are left to stalk his Facebook page into the wee hours of the night and delete pictures of him from their Instagram accounts.

Here are eight ways Shaw’s departure feels like every cliched excuse from a bad breakup with your crazy ex.

"It's not you, it's me."

Make no mistake, Tribe fans, it’s you. Shaw wanted out of Cleveland pretty much from the start of the 2017 season in large part due to the grief that fans gave him after Game 7 in 2016. You pretty much signed his walking papers with your mean Tweets and sports talk radio rants.

"I love you, I'm just not in love with you."

If Indians fans can’t appreciate a relief pitcher with a 3.11 ERA over five years, who averaged 72 innings, 76 appearances and 67 strikeouts each season, then there really is no pleasing them.


Shaw earned the right to go out on the free agent market and gauge his value among other teams. He’s 30 and still in his prime. The Indians probably got his best years, and now he takes a wealth of experience (including high-leverage playoff innings) to Coors Field.

"I think we should see other people."

Free agency linked Shaw to several teams, including the New York Mets and their new manager, Mickey Callaway. After working with Shaw as the Indians pitching coach for the last three seasons, Callaway knew the kind of value the right-hander could add to a bullpen, and likely pushed Mets GM Sandy Alderson to sign him.

"You deserve someone better than me"

Cleveland reached a contract extension last week with Dan Otero, who could be asked to step into Shaw’s late-inning role in the bullpen. But replacing the sheer volume of appearances by Shaw could take at least one more dependable arm. Otero’s numbers at Progressive Field have been outstanding the last two seasons. Nick Goody be the other arm Terry Francona turns to in an otherwise-Shaw situation next year, but both Otero and Goody were left off the Indians postseason roster for the AL Division Series in October.

"We're just on two different paths right now."

Shaw joins the Rockies after Bud Black’s team finished third in the NL West and earned the No. 2 Wild Card spot against Arizona. Closer Greg Holland is a free agent, and setup man Pat Neshek agreed this week to a deal with Philadelphia. While the Indians will be looking for a third straight division crown in 2018, the Rockies will have a young, talented and hungry squad ready to challenge the Dodgers for the NL crown. Shaw’s veteran presence should help solidify the Rockies’ pen.

"I just don't feel that spark."

Shaw’s career ground ball rate is nearly 51 percent. That should play well at homer-happy Coors Field, where the Rockies feature an infield led by Gold Glove Award-winning third baseman Nolan Arenado. Shaw relies on his cut fastball, which he will have to command in Colorado’s thin mountain air.

"If you love something let it go, and if it returns it was meant to be."

Would Shaw ever consider a return to Cleveland in the not-too-distant future, much the same way that Joe Smith came back to the Tribe in a late-season trade this year? You never know, but a reported $9 million per season price tag might just be enough to keep him out of Cleveland’s price range for good.

Indians kicked the tires on Marcell Ozuna; Jason Kipnis still available
Updated 10:15 PM; Posted 9:59 PM

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

phoynes@cleveland.com

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The Indians did not take part in the Giancarlo Stanton circus that traveled from Miami to Yankee Stadium. They did inquire about outfielder Marcell Ozuna, Stanton's teammate with the Marlins, but came up empty.

The Cardinals, who aggressively pursued Stanton before he signed with the Yankees, didn't miss on Ozuna. They sent four prospects to the Marlins - right-hander Sandy Alcantara, outfielder Magneuris Sierra, right-hander Zac Gallen and left-hander Daniel Castano.

The Marlins were looking for young pitching. Ozuna, linked to the Tribe over the years, had a breakout season in 2017. The right-handed hitter batted .312 with 37 homers and 124 RBI.

Ozuna, with two years of control, would have been a good fit for the Indians. He can play all three outfield positions, but the Marlins obviously liked the pitching prospects the Cardinals offered.

The Indians, meanwhile, continue to look for a trading partner for Jason Kipnis. The Angels were one of them, but they came to terms with second baseman Ian Kinsler from the Tigers on Wednesday night.

Kipnis, 30, was on the disabled list three times last season and has just over $30 million left on the last two years of his contract. That's probably not helping his trade value.


The Indians will return to Cleveland after the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday. They'll go back with a lot of information for future deals, but no much in hand.

Tuesday night, however, Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, thought he was close to a trade only to have it end via social media.

"I got an awesome (reply) last night," said Antonetti. "We were making progress on a deal. We thought we were getting close. I guess I gave him (Antonetti's opposite number) an answer he didn't like. He sent me back as GIF that was quite colorful. It was hilarious."

The Indians lost two free agents during the meetings in relievers Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith. They're still engaged with first baseman Carlos Santana and his agents are expected to leave the winter meetings with their client unsigned.

The market for Santana, as they say, is still developing.