Cleveland Sports Forum

The Cleveland Indians insist the 2022 payroll will increase; if so, how, and on what?



CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 21: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Indians waves to the crowd prior to a game against the Los Angeles Angels at Progressive Field on August 21, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio

By Zack Meisel 3h ago 25

CLEVELAND — Now that the Cleveland organization has revealed its new name and hushed any whispers about relocation with its blueprint to extend the ballpark lease, it’s time to revisit everyone’s favorite discussion topic: payroll.

Owner Paul Dolan told The Athletic last month that the club will increase its payroll this winter. Other team executives have expressed a similar sentiment.

A few factors are driving that objective.

One, there’s really nowhere to go but up. The club’s 2021 Opening Day payroll sat just below $50 million — only the Pirates started lower — and it shed more salary at the trade deadline. Only a small group of players is earning more than the league minimum this year.

Cleveland will be further removed from the pandemic-disturbed 2020 season, which it has cited as justification for the 2021 payroll, a figure that’s about even with the club’s budget from 2003. However, Cleveland’s payroll decreased in the two years before the pandemic, too.

A new minority investor could infuse extra cash into the operation. Dolan continues to hold conversations with potential candidates, but nothing is imminent on that front, sources said.

The new collective bargaining agreement could also play a role in payroll. The Athletic reported last week that, in advance of the expiration of the basic agreement on Dec. 1, Major League Baseball made its first proposal to the union on an economic plan, which included a $100 million team-salary minimum.

So there are plenty of factors to fuel a higher payroll, but given the team’s recent spending trajectory, skepticism may reign supreme in Cleveland, and understandably so. The point of emphasis here, though, is exploring what a higher payroll actually means. There’s a substantial difference between, say, a $65 million payroll and a $95 million payroll.

It’s not so much whether the payroll will increase. The question is: How would payroll increase?

First, remember, there’s no one on the books for 2022.

Two players have club options for next season. José Ramírez’s option is worth $12 million (it increased by $1 million based on his placement on MVP ballots in recent years). Roberto Pérez has a $7 million club option tied to a $450,000 buyout.

The Indians preserved the catcher pairing of Pérez and Austin Hedges for nearly $9 million this year. Would they keep the two for nearly $11 million next season?

Six players are eligible for arbitration: Hedges, Shane Bieber, Franmil Reyes, Amed Rosario, Nick Wittgren and Bradley Zimmer. If the team opts to keep all six, those players could earn (this is some back-of-the-napkin estimating) $20 million to $25 million. It’s possible Cal Quantrill (and, though a long shot, Harold Ramirez) qualifies for Super Two status and becomes arbitration-eligible as well. It’s also possible that one or two of those aforementioned players is non-tendered or traded.

The 2022 rotation seems all but set. Bieber, and maybe Quantrill, are arbitration-eligible, but Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, Triston McKenzie and Eli Morgan are in line to make the league minimum (which, this year, was $570,500).

In the bullpen, only Wittgren would be slated to earn more than the minimum next season, unless the club re-signs Bryan Shaw or Blake Parker. It has been the standard operating procedure for Cleveland to extend spring training invitations to a couple of veteran relievers. Especially if James Karinchak can’t solve what’s ailing him, perhaps the team would explore a trade for an established reliever this winter.

Obviously, the lineup has holes in need of attention. We’ll get to those in a minute.

If the Indians stick with internal options for their batting order — let’s say they exercise Ramírez’s option and keep one of the two catchers — they’d be looking at a payroll slightly lower than the one they carried into the 2021 season. That would leave them with plenty of wiggle room to get creative, even if the payroll increase they have suggested is more of a bump than a boom. One would think that would grant them, at minimum, $20 million or so to play around with. So what could they do with it?

How about a Ramírez extension? He’s interested, but probably at a fairer price than his 2017 deal, which will likely wind up paying him $52 million over seven years, with half of that sum coming in the form of team options for 2022 and ’23. For a possible comparison, Jose Altuve landed a seven-year, $163.5 million extension from the Astros when he was a similar age.

The Indians might have some leverage since Ramírez has the two affordable options, which would prevent him from reaching free agency until he turns 31. They could scrap those options and spread out a higher salary across, say, five years, though such a deal would be unmapped territory for this franchise. Then again, they couldn’t have more payroll flexibility than they do now.

How about a Bieber extension? Discussions didn’t progress very far after his Cy Young Award campaign. Will the tenor of the talks change after an injury-marred season? The parties will surely sit down in the spring, but how much progress they make could depend on how motivated Bieber is to lock something in, and that’s difficult to forecast.

Regardless, there should be plenty of opportunities for trades or free-agent signings.

Middle infield and starting pitching are the strengths of this free-agent class, two areas where the Indians have assembled depth. They already have too many middle-infield candidates to cycle through, and pending free agents such as Carlos Correa, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Trevor Story and Javier Báez might command more money than Cleveland would prefer to dole out to any one player.

The outfield market, though, could be an area of concentration. It doesn’t have marquee names, but Michael Conforto is especially interesting. He’s the youngest and, perhaps, the most talented of the bunch. There’s also Mark Canha, Starling Marte, Chris Taylor, along with potentially AJ Pollock (player option) and Nick Castellanos (opt-out clause). All but Conforto and Castellanos are on the wrong side of 30, but a short-term deal for one of those guys who don’t sit atop teams’ wish lists (maybe Taylor or Canha) could make sense. (We’ll explore this in greater detail during the offseason.)

Cleveland will presumably spend a lot of time and energy this winter on the trade market. The front office would love to consolidate some of its younger talent in an effort to conquer the approaching 40-man roster crunch. A long-term outfield solution would be the primary target, though obtaining such a player is no simple task. Also, the club’s dream candidates would probably fall into the pre-arbitration or early-arbitration stage of their careers, so that might not have a sizable impact on the payroll.

Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, for instance, will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter. (The Indians inquired about Reynolds and Cincinnati’s Jesse Winker earlier this summer.) Arizona’s Ketel Marte is under team control for $8.4 million, $8 million and $10 million the next three years.

There are, of course, other options of varying ages and prices who could be obtained, but Reynolds and Marte are examples of “aim high” trades the Indians could pursue before the late-November 40-man roster deadline.

If Cleveland is truly intent on supplementing the payroll this winter, there will be ample budget space to add an established player via trade and/or to spread some money around on a solid free agent or two.

(Photo of José Ramírez: Nick Cammett / Diamond Images via Getty Images)

Pluto this time since Meisel doesn't write for the Athletic on weekends:

What about Bobby Bradley? Who’s at second? Pitching plans – Terry Pluto’s Tribe scribbles
Updated: 5:26 a.m. | Published: 5:25 a.m.

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my notebook as the Tribe heads into the final weeks of the season.

1. Bobby Bradley will be back soon after a knee injury. He’s been out since Aug. 6. This is a key part of Bradley’s career. First base is wide open for him to secure for 2022.

2. But who is Bradley? Is he the guy who had a tremendous start in June, batting .254 (18-for-71) with eight homers, 17 RBI and a .954 OPS. He hammered homers to the opposite field.


3. Or is he the Bradley who is batting .177 (14-for-79) since July 1. More important, he’s struck out 41 times in 79 at bats. He had three homers and eight RBI in that span.

3. The Tribe knows the 25-year-old Bradley will strike out a lot – perhaps 30 percent of his at-bats. They cherish his power. They love his attitude. They asked Bradley to lose weight and improve his defense. He did just that. They remain upbeat on him, but he has to cut down on some of those strikeouts and hit the ball more to the opposite field as he did when first promoted.

4. The Tribe is pleased with the progress made by Josh Naylor from his very serious leg fracture and torn ligaments after his June 27 collision with infielder Ernie Clement. At this rate, Naylor should be ready for spring training. But it’s still early in the process. Naylor was a first baseman in the minors and could possibly compete for that job in 2022. But the team would love Bradley to grab the spot because of his power.

HE'S DETERMINED
Cleveland Indians right fielder Bradley Zimmer reacts after hitting a solo home run.cleveland.com


5. The rise of Bradley Zimmer’s power stroke is remarkable. Before the All-Star break, he had two extra-base hits in 119 plate appearances. Zero homers, batted .219. Since the All-Star break, he’s had 120 plate appearances: six homers, 10 extra-base hits, batting .266. He’s hit some monster homers of more than 450 feet.

6. Zimmer is finally healthy after three years of various injuries. He was more open to working with the hitting coaches this season, and it paid off. He was a top prospect in 2018 when he was the opening day center fielder. Just as first base is wide open for Bradley, right field can be claimed by Zimmer.

7. The Tribe is thrilled with Myles Straw, who is playing the best center field fans have seen since the days of Kenny Lofton and Rick Manning. Analytics rates him as the best CF in baseball, and that matches the eye test. He’s a legitimate leadoff hitter. Straw in CF and Zimmer in RF sets the Tribe up to have one of the best defensive outfields in baseball. It was one of the worst early in the season.

8. Zimmer and Straw also give the Tribe speed on the bases. Zimmer is 35-of-40 in stolen bases for his career. Straw is 37-of-45, including 4-of-5 since joining the Tribe. Straw also is batting .292 since traded by Houston to Cleveland.


9. The Tribe plans to fill both second base and shortstop with internal options in 2022. Amed Rosario has had a terrific season at the plate. His attitude, his hustle and his bat has been impressive. His defense has been just OK at short, a spot where defense is critical.

MR. HUSTLE
Cleveland Indians shortstop Amed Rosario slides safely into second after hitting a double to right center against the Cincinnati Reds.cleveland.com

10. Baseball’s last full season was 2019, when Rosario batted .287 (.755 OPS) with 15 HR, 30 doubles and 72 RBI. This season, Rosario is again batting .287 (.746 OPS) with 22 doubles, eight homers and 44 RBI. When they made the Francisco Lindor deal and asked for Rosario, the Tribe believed his 2019 season was a gauge of Rosario as a player. That seems to be the case. And he is only 25.




11. Lindor missed more than a month with an oblique injury. He’s just returned to action. He’s batting .224 (.685 OPS) with 11 HR and 36 RBI for the Mets. He is being booed by fans.

12. Just a thought: Since the start of the 2020 season, Lindor is batting .238 (.710 OPS) with 19 HR and 63 RBI in 558 at-bats. That’s in 150 games. His swing looked long and slow with the Tribe in 2020 and it’s been more of the same in New York. His defense remains very good.

13. Where will Rosario play next season? His bat needs to stay in the lineup. Andres Gimenez and Gabriel Arias are the internal candidates for shortstop in 2022. Arias is considered the best defensive shortstop in the Cleveland organization.

14. As for second base, the Tribe will use the rest of the season to look at Yu Chang and Owen Miller. Ernie Clement could be a possibility, but he’s viewed more as a utility player. Chang is showing some life at the plate, hitting .271 (.918 OPS) is 14 games since the All-Star break. He batted .176 prior to that. Chang will be out of minor-league options in 2022, so the Tribe needs to decide if he’s in their plans.


15. Finally, there is Oscar Gonzalez, who is batting .322 (.882 OPS) with eight HR and 21 RBI in 43 games for Class AAA Columbus. The 6-foot-4, 240-pound right-handed hitter has split the season between Class AA and AAA. His combined stats: .326 (.922 OPS) with 21 HR and 62 RBI. He has 77 strikeouts compared to only 17 walks. The 23-year-old is an outfielder with power.

Cleveland Indians: Yu Chang turns it around

Since Chang was recalled on Aug. 13, he’s been a different player. In 14 games, he’s batting .275 (.962 OPS). He’s hit four homers after hitting two before the All-Star break. His OPS+ jumped from a first-half total of 38, to 153!

Naturally, this is an extremely small sample, but at the very least, Chang is showing a pulse, much like Bradley Zimmer is doing in right field. Zimmer is one of a few players playing their way into the 2022 lineup.

Zimmer and Chang have to realize that this is the end of the line and if they’re going to be a part of the organization moving forward, they’ve got to produce. There’s a glut of middle infielders waiting for their turn, which puts pressure on Chang.

There can be no letting up for the native of Taiwan. He’s out of options and with talent sitting behind him, the Tribe can’t afford to give him a roster spot, like they did with Jake Bauers in April.

Traditionally, the Indians don’t like starting off prized prospects on Opening Day, so if Chang plays well the rest of this year and then has a good camp, it’s very possible he can continue to be a part of the club.

Oscar: He has 77 strikeouts compared to only 17 walks. True but that's an improvement over his earlier career. This is his best season since he was the MVP of the Arizona Rookie League.

On Zimmer...The general feeing is it takes 2000 major league at bats to truly judge a players hitting ability. Zimmer is at right around 600, which equals one full season. I too have written him off but see the potential starting to show. I'd definitely keep him. It seems to me that Francona isnt a big fan of Zimmer so I wonder if that will play into his future here?

Also, I read every day and post rarely. Thanks for all the content and all the info you all post here. Is there another forum or site you all use that is similar to this? I worry when this place goes dark occasionally that it wont come back. Thanks again!

Hi Pat. Please feel free to share your opinions. There are very few posters here now. this s the only place I post other than askng questions at BAseball America chats.

The undoing of James Karinchak’s 2021 season for the Cleveland Indians



Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak reacts after he hit Chicago White Sox's Jose Abreu with a pitch during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Friday, July 30, 2021. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

By Zack Meisel 3h ago 16

CLEVELAND — Pick your arbitrary endpoint. Perhaps late May, when James Karinchak first exhibited signs of being mortal. Maybe mid-June, when the league cracked down on pitchers’ use of sticky substances. Or the All-Star break, the reprieve that preceded the roughest stretch of Karinchak’s career.

No matter the timeline of choice, the results paint the same picture: Karinchak has been scuffling for a while. And Cleveland’s pitching team, a collection of experienced coaches and data-deciphering analysts, determined the reliever, once routinely called upon to extinguish the opposition’s best bid for a rally, needs to press the reset button at Triple-A Columbus.

Let’s begin this dive into Karinchak’s undoing with the not-so-secret storyline that has followed his every blown save and barrage of walks over the last couple of months.

The league enacted the foreign substance ban on June 21, but for weeks, teams knew it was coming. Those around the club have not specifically pointed to Karinchak as a culprit, but his spin rate trends suggest something changed drastically midseason.

Pitching coach Carl Willis wouldn’t label Karinchak — or any other pitcher — as a dedicated consumer of Spider Tack or Elmer’s glue or maple syrup. But he did say on Saturday that “sticky stuff, generally speaking — if it didn’t make a difference, they wouldn’t have made it illegal.”

OK, back to the arbitrary endpoints.

In his first 21 appearances this season, Karinchak posted a 0.44 ERA, as he limited the opposition to one run on three hits across 20 2/3 innings. He issued seven walks and tallied 38 strikeouts. Opponents logged a .045/.149/.106 slash line against him. He was the kingpin of an effective bullpen tasked with covering for a starting rotation that quickly crumbled, thanks to injuries to its mainstays and inconsistency from its newcomers.

Since May 23: 6.42 ERRA in 33 2/3 innings, .246/.367/.485 opponent slash line, 25 walks, 39 strikeouts

Since June 21: 5.96 ERA in 22 2/3 innings, .241/.356/.471 opponent slash line, 15 walks, 21 strikeouts

Since July 16: 8.40 ERA in 15 innings, .283/.389/.517 opponent slash line, 10 walks, nine strikeouts

Cleveland’s decision-makers can feel comfortable about Emmanuel Clase in the closer role. Prior to suffering a shoulder injury this month, Nick Sandlin appeared equipped to handle high-leverage situations. Much about this bullpen, however, is unsettled entering 2022, and that now includes Karinchak, the human embodiment of a can of Red Bull who stormed onto the scene last season with a sky-high strikeout rate and a propensity to unleash primal, celebratory screams.

So, what has changed?

It’s impossible to ignore his plummeting spin rate. It’s probably more complex than that, though, even if that’s the primary source of his struggles.



As the season has unfolded, Karinchak’s fastball has morphed from an imposing offering to a pitch prone to being launched into the outfield seats. Of the nine home runs he has surrendered this season, eight have come on fastballs.

Karinchak had seemingly mastered the art of tunneling his fastball and curveball. He would deliver the two pitches from the same release point, spawned from a funky delivery, and a hitter would have no inkling as to what was heading his direction: an upper-90s heater that deceptively takes off as it reaches the plate, or a curveball bound to plunge toward the dirt? Karinchak’s ability to keep hitters in the dark produced scores of uncomfortable, hapless swings.

Hitters haven’t been fooled as frequently in recent weeks. They have instead pounced on his fastball and they have resisted the temptation to chase his curveball. Willis noted Karinchak’s decrease in spin efficiency, which has taken the bite out of his fastball. From a hitter’s viewpoint, the pitch used to appear to rise as it whizzed toward the plate, a perfect complement to his sharp curveball.

As Willis and his cohorts examined Karinchak’s mechanics on Edgertronic high-speed cameras, they identified that “he’s just not squaring up the ball at release. That last little click, he’s not behind the baseball. That can start with the beginning of the delivery. It can start with (the) takeaway (from his glove). But his arm path, getting behind the baseball a little bit sooner is going to allow him to square it up, create that efficiency and create that ride again.”



Karinchak’s fastball whiff percentage, by month:

April: 50.0 percent
May: 25.8 percent
June: 25.8 percent
July: 19.4 percent
August: 14.6 percent

His velocity has remained pretty steady. He’s averaging 95.9 mph on his fastball this season. It has just become a much less daunting pitch.

Opponents vs. Karinchak’s fastball, by month:

April: .077 average, .115 slugging percentage
May: .133 average, .433 slugging percentage
June: .148 average, .296 slugging percentage
July: .300 average, .567 slugging percentage
August: .320 average, .600 slugging percentage

As a result, the guy who racked up strikeouts by the bushel has resorted to relying on other means of escaping innings without damage. When he throws a pitch in the zone, hitters aren’t swinging and missing like they used to. That, naturally, can lead to nibbling and an uptick in walks. And, as Triston McKenzie learned earlier this season, hitters can opt for patience over aggressiveness and simply wait for a pitch they can punish. His walk rate ranks in the fifth percentile in the league. His chase rate ranks in the 14th percentile.

“He seems to have not been himself for a little while now,” Willis said, “in terms of some of the pitch profiles we’ve seen, which obviously leads to results that we’re not accustomed to seeing as well. So at the end of the day, the decision was made with the basis and foundation of what’s best for James Karinchak and how we can get James Karinchak back to himself.”

(Photo: Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press)

As Willis and his cohorts examined Karinchak’s mechanics on Edgertronic high-speed cameras, they identified that “he’s just not squaring up the ball at release. That last little click, he’s not behind the baseball. That can start with the beginning of the delivery. It can start with (the) takeaway (from his glove). But his arm path, getting behind the baseball a little bit sooner is going to allow him to square it up, create that efficiency and create that ride again.”

Jensen Lewis and Manning were talking about this the other day. They were actually referring to Mejia but this of course applies to all pitchers.

Pitchers have to repeat their delivery - we all know this. Karinchak's delivery is so violent I don't know how he can ever be consistent with it. There is a rhythm to a delivery and his is so crazy. And so is his balance.

I am wondering if they are going to simplify it - the way they did with Carrasco back in the day.

The Cleveland Indians are already the clear winners of the Myles Straw trade
by Kyle Edmond2 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7



Cleveland Indians, Myles Straw
The Cleveland Indians are already the clear winners of the Myles Straw trade
Exactly one month ago, on July 30, the Cleveland Indians and Houston Astros agreed to a trade deadline deal with the clock ticking down to 0:00 to make moves. The agreement saw Cleveland send Houston relief pitcher Phil Maton and catcher prospect Yainer Diaz for outfielder Myles Straw. Despite being just a month later, it’s becoming quite clear that Cleveland may have fleeced Houston in the deal.

Typically it takes multiple seasons to figure out winners and losers of trades, but the early return just seems to lean heavily to Cleveland. No disrespect to Maton or Diaz, they can still be key assets for Houston, but what Straw is doing for the Tribe is something the club has needed for a very long time.


Anyone who has followed Cleveland over the last handful of seasons, at least, understands the organization’s struggle to find a centerfielder. The list is nearly as long as the Cleveland Browns quarterbacks before Baker Mayfield. It includes Delino DeShields Jr., Greg Allen, Oscar Mercado and Leonys Martin – and that’s just from 2019 and 2020 and is far from everyone.

The position has been a spot on the field that has just been a rotating door. Until now. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves, we did that with Mercado in 2019, but Straw is making it rather difficult to not get excited about the possibility of what could be.

Turning 27-years old in November, Straw will be under team control through the 2025 season and is already lighting it up for Cleveland. Since arriving to the 216, Straw has played 28 games and has entrenched himself at the top of the batting order.


Over those 28 games, Straw is slashing a solid .276/.339/.405 with nine doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and five stolen bases. He’s also been able to draw 11 walks. As for when he’s slotted at the top of the order, Straw is slashing .267/.336/.363 on the season.

Straw has been just as strong in field, too. He has just one error since coming to Cleveland and has flashed the leather almost on a nightly basis with highlight reel catch after highlight reel catch. It’s a skill-set combination that the Tribe have simply just lacked in center field. They’ve been able to find either an offensive centerfielder or a defensive one, but have lacked someone who can do both, and do it all consistently.

Now, while Straw has been a great addition to Cleveland’s lineup, it’s only one side of the equation. Just because he’s doing well doesn’t mean that the Cleveland Indians won the trade. However, in this case, Houston hasn’t received much on their end of the deal. At least not yet.

Of the two players the Astros received, Maton is the only one that has played in the majors for the Astros. It hasn’t been a large sample size, with just 11.1 innings pitched, but that might be due to the struggles Maton has endured during that time on the mound.

With Houston, Maton has an ERA of 6.35 with just 10 strikeouts while his WHIP is up at 1.676. What’s odd is that Maton has given up just one home run, meaning that his runs are coming from consecutive base hits, not round trips.

As for Diaz, he’s been playing pretty well. He’s played a total of 20 games in the minors since the move and saw a lot of success in High-A. He slashed .333/.382/.767 over eight games with four home runs and 10 RBI. The problem with him is finding his position. He’s been moved around a decent amount and just doesn’t have a natural spot.

Depending on how Diaz turns out, there’s still time for Houston to catch up in this trade, but the immediate return is clear that Cleveland got the better end of this deal. Straw is becoming a key piece of Cleveland’s future outfield while Maton has struggled in his limited appearances and could fall out of any role in Houston.

We’ll check back in with this deal down the road to see how things are going on both sides, but as it currently stands it really seems like Cleveland may have fleeced Houston in this trade.

Don't agree with the "fleece" thing. It lacks context.

1. Houston has tons of outfielders. Room needed to be made.
2. Cleveland has tons of arms - Maton just one of them.
3. Houston has a way of working with pitchers - they may have seen something to upgrade Maton

A good trade helps both teams by trading from excess to fill an area of need. Boom.

The hitting tweaks behind Bradley Zimmer’s resurgence for the Cleveland Indians: Meisel’s Musings



CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 26: Cleveland Indians right fielder Bradley Zimmer (4) hits a 2-run home run during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians on August 26, 2021, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

By Zack Meisel 3h ago 14

CLEVELAND — Bradley Zimmer stepped into the batter’s box in September 2019 for his first major-league action in 15 months. He stood almost completely upright, his elbows tucked into his body and his hands even with his chin.

Manager Terry Francona shouted to Ty Van Burkleo, Cleveland’s hitting coach: “Van Bo, what the hell is he doing?”

Van Burkleo replied: “We’ve talked about it. Be patient.”

Zimmer went hitless in 13 at-bats during that late-season cameo. His stance looks nothing like that now. This has been a years-long evolution, and it’s finally paying dividends.

Four years ago, when he broke into the majors, Zimmer crouched at the plate, with his hands near his chest and his front foot set back to create an open stance.







Two years ago, he resembled someone attempting to emulate a statue to discourage a pesky wasp.





Now, he stands tall and confident, his bat positioned behind his head, with his hands near his helmet.



Zimmer dealt with injuries and setbacks that stalled the progress of those changes and delayed his return to regular, major-league playing time.

Since July 8, he has posted a .282/.350/.468 slash line, one of the few examples of a position player who has seized an opportunity during Cleveland’s post-trade deadline evaluation period. Zimmer has still racked up strikeouts (45 in 140 plate appearances during that stretch, a rate of about 32 percent). That’s more tolerable when it’s accompanied by actual production, though.

He has 11 extra-base hits in that span, compared with only three in his previous 172 plate appearances, dating back to 2019.

“You miss time like that and you essentially get forgotten,” Zimmer said. “It’s always next guy in the line, so unfortunately, the game doesn’t really wait for you. So you have to grind through it and make your presence known.”

Van Burkleo noted that Zimmer’s hand placement has been instrumental during his recent surge, as well as getting “his lower half engaged and started on time.” It all works in concert, Zimmer said, to improve his contact point so he can make solid, timely contact.

“I have long arms,” Zimmer said, “so it’s a blessing and a curse. The theme, motto of the year for me is just ‘short to the ball.’ You work on that stuff in the cage and it translates eventually.”

Statcast started measuring home run distances in 2015. Here are the longest home runs slugged by a Cleveland hitter since then:

471 feet: Bradley Zimmer
466 feet: Edwin Encarnacion
465 feet: Bradley Zimmer
463 feet: Mike Napoli
462 feet: Franmil Reyes

“Crazy power,” Van Burkleo said. “It’s always been there. … It’s really staying connected through the finish. It’s a beautiful swing when he does that and it’s very efficient. The power has always been there, but if you’re late, it doesn’t show up. There are more groundballs. There’s more rolling over.”

Zimmer obliterated a Jordan Lyles fastball up in the zone Thursday and deposited it in the back of the right-field mezzanine, the second deck perched above the main concourse. Van Burkleo said he’s only seen one similar home run at Progressive Field, socked by Tyler Naquin off Kansas City’s Chris Young in June 2016. That ball sailed toward the grasp of a fan who reached over the railing in the front of the section. The home run measured 419 feet. Zimmer’s blast Thursday registered at 465 feet.

“I’ve seen a couple in batting practice,” Van Burkleo said. “Bobby Bradley hits them up there every now and then. I try to get him not to because it’s not helpful.”

With another steady month, Zimmer could play his way into the front office’s plans for 2022. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter. Entering Sunday’s action, his wRC+ sat at 104, indicating he’s created offense at a level 4 percent better than league average this season. He’s fared much better in recent weeks, and that degree of production paired with his elite speed (97th percentile) and high defensive grades (94th percentile) could provide some value, even if in a fourth outfielder-type role.

Quote to note
“My confidence in myself has been there the whole time. I just needed to show it and pitch with it instead of having that confidence internally and pitching a little scared. It definitely helps. I know how good I can be. I know how good I have been. And I also know it’s a very small line from confidence to pitching scared. So for me, it was just go out there and attack these hitters and get in a rhythm. The better rhythm I got into, the better everything started happening. The results and confidence just skyrocketed all the way to the sixth inning.” — Logan Allen, who limited the Red Sox — the team that drafted him — to one run on one hit in six innings Friday night.


Logan Allen recorded five strikeouts and one walk against the Red Sox. (Ken Blaze / USA Today)
Final Thoughts
1. Aaron Civale will make another rehab start Wednesday. If all goes well, he could return to the active roster after that. Shane Bieber is scheduled to throw a multi-inning bullpen session Tuesday and could throw a simulated game by the end of the week. The next step after a simulated game or two is usually a rehab outing. Roberto Pérez is expected to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday.

There’s no timetable on Josh Naylor, who continues to recover from his serious leg injuries. The club is hopeful he’ll be ready to compete in spring training, but president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said “it’d be a little premature to give a specific timetable. He’s got a few hurdles to clear before we get more clarity on that.”

Harold Ramirez will travel with the team to Kansas City and Boston this week and will likely be activated from the injured list. Teams can expand their rosters to 28 players beginning Wednesday.

2. A guy who started the season in Cleveland’s bullpen — Cal Quantrill — leads the team in innings pitched. What would Antonetti have said if someone told him in April that Quantrill would enter September as the team leader?

“I would have had you walk me through how that would have been possible,” he said.

Quantrill has totaled 116 2/3 innings this season. His career high for any professional season is 148, recorded in 2018, when he split time between the Padres’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates.

3. Yu Chang hit a home run in three consecutive games last week: two to right field and one to right-center. He credited Reyes and the team’s hitting coaches with encouraging him to concentrate on using the opposite field.

All three home runs came on off-speed pitches that never found their way into the strike zone. Chang clubbed a slider from Rangers southpaw Taylor Hearn and changeups from lefties Jake Latz and Eduardo Rodriguez. His three other home runs this season all came on fastballs — two yanked to left and left-center and one hit to center off former teammate Adam Plutko.

(Top photo: Frank Jansky / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Francisco Lindor proving Cleveland right for trading him away
by Alicia de Artola12 hours ago Follow @PenguinOfTroy

The Cleveland Indians should feel pretty good about trading Francisco Lindor away given how this latest Mets controversy is unfolding.

It’s been almost nine months since the Indians traded Francisco Lindor to the Mets. They have every reason to feel like they won the trade.

Lindor has slumped at the plate and missed time with injury. Now, he’s damaged his reputation further by taking part in the “thumbs down” celebration.



Francisco Lindor is part of the Mets thumbs down controversy

What’s been going on with Lindor in New York? He was one of a few Mets players who celebrated with a thumbs down, later revealed to be a signal of booing back at fans who have booed the players.

“When we don’t get success, we’re going to get booed. So they are going to get booed when we get success,” Javier Baez explained.

Regardless of how you feel about fans booing players, the players responding like that isn’t going over well in New York.

While Baez is at the center of things right now, Lindor is taking his lumps too.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post laid into Lindor in a recent column titled “Francisco Lindor – not Javy Baez – is the real Mets issue.”

Lindor hasn’t handled the bright lights of the Big Apple well. The four-time All-Star has hit just 11 home runs while batting .224/.316/.370 this season. Those are all career lows.

The slumping bat hasn’t ingratiated him to Mets fans and this latest controversy won’t do anything to help his case.

The Indians aren’t strapped with a massive 10-year contract for a player who can’t seem to handle the pressure. They should also feel good about the prospects they picked up in the trade.

Lindor keeps giving Cleveland proof that the deal was a good one.

Frankie's too good a player and too good a guy for these negatives to continue forever. I assume many of his remaining 9 years with the Mets will be stellar.
At least for this year we came out with the better results. Long term depends on what Giminez can do. the kids received: Josh Wolf has been more off than on in Lynchburg; Isaiah Greene has been quite good although little power yet in Arizona.

civ - good take.

I'd add leaguewide if a team trades an expensive upcoming free agent they certainly do NOT expect equal value back. Ever. They are trying to get something they can use moving forward - instead of nothing. The player leaving has all the leverage. We got held up by Lindor. He earned the right but it is what it is.

In our case we got value and more in Amed who the Mets gave up on way to quickly. Their mistake - this guy is a professional hitter. With a more solid approach then I ever saw Lindor have. He actually knows how to adjust with hitters in scoring position. Lindor lived strictly on his talent and was actually a liability with runners in scoring position - not that that is important or anything

Lindor is a talent for sure and he thrived with the short right field fence here that he adapted to and became a power guy. His 2020 was suspect, as was Amed's. In my view the other guys are fliers and we hope one of them comes through. The Tribe has a track record of spotting other teams' minors guys with potential.

Remember, in addition, we are NOT paying Lindor $34 million a year (for 10 freaking years) and instead can allocate that elsewhere. Right there that is a win.

We move forward thanking our lucky stars that Amed Rosario is a keeper and hope the others hit.

The Cleveland Indians 2021 season is a repeat of the 2015 campaign
by Kyle Edmond16 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7


The 2021 season for the Cleveland Indians has been an interesting ride. From pretty much the entire starting rotation getting injured to deadline trades, the season has been packed full of events that have derailed any sort of progression towards the playoffs. Sprinkle in just an awful month of July and the Tribe are just trying to keep their head about water over a month later.

While Cleveland has been able to stay above .500 every year under Terry Francona to this point, not every year was a cake walk. Specifically, the 2015 season saw Cleveland just barely eek past the .500 mark, finishing up at 81-80 on the year.

With just over 30 games left to play this season, the Tribe find themselves in a familiar situation. Entering the Wednesday night edition of the series against the Royals, Cleveland stands at 65-64, just one game above the .500 threshold.


From the 2015 season to now, only Roberto Perez and Jose Ramirez have remained with the team. Bryan Shaw was on that squad, but he spent a bit of time elsewhere since then. While the 2015 season was a team that struggled, it set the stage for the next five years of success that included a World Series run the next season.

Where the similarities show through is the purpose of the seasons. The 2015 campaign was a major learning season in Cleveland. A 22-year Jose Ramirez and 21-year old Francisco Lindor were introduced to the big leagues. As for the starting rotation, no starters were older than 29 while a 25-year old Danny Salazar and 24-year old Trevor Bauer went through bumps and bruises.


As a team, the 2015 offense slashed .256/.325/.401 with 141 home runs, 303 doubles and 640 RBI. This year, the Tribe are hitting .238/.305/.412 with 169 home runs, 196 doubles and 552 RBI thus far.

Now, this year has actually been worse at the plate in many ways than the 2015 season, but that honestly should have been anticipated. In 2015 the team still had Michael Brantley, Jason Kipnis and Ryan Raburn all hit above .300 to boost those numbers a bit. This year, Amed Rosario is the only one close at .290.

As for the mound, starters struggled more than the pen in 2015 with an ERA of 3.94 compared to the 3.12 mark from the bullpen. The unit totaled 1,407 strikeouts. Again, the 2021 season is posting numbers a bit worse, but not by too much of a margin. Starters have an ERA of 4.88 with relievers at 3.66 while the group as a whole has 1,151 strikeouts so far.

Similar to the offensive side of the game, 2015 pitching had a bit better outlook than this year. The 2015 season saw 32 starts from Corey Kluber. That should be enough to sway the numbers, but Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco had 30 each as well. This year’s numbers aren’t too far off and it was done predominately by random Triple-A starters who needed to come up too early to take over because of injuries.

So, what are we getting at? What’s the point? Sure, the 2015 season was a struggle. Not as bad as this season, but the difficulty of getting to .500 was the same. What does that matter?

Well, the 2015 season set the stage for the next wave. It introduced key players like Ramirez, Lindor, Bauer, etc. It allowed the team to see where they had answers and where they didn’t and it provided the core and blueprint for what would become the 2016 World Series run.

Before we jump to conclusions, 2022 will most likely not be a World Series run. It’s been made pretty clear to this point that the 2015 team had a bit better of a season than this year. The climb back up will take a bit longer this time around. However, the path is similar.

The struggles that have come with the 2021 season and the difficulty to get to .500 is helping set the stage for the next wave. We’ve been introduced to Amed Rosario, Myles Straw and Bobby Bradley as well as the starting pitcher edition of Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie.

The acquisitions of Rosario and Straw wouldn’t have been possible without the struggles. Giving Bradley, Quantrill and McKenzie wouldn’t have been possible without the difficulties. The 2021 season has been hard to watch at times, no doubt, but it’s necessary for a small-market team like Cleveland.

This has happened before, a season very similar, and the team immediately jumped back. Will Cleveland win 94 games in 2022 like they did in 2016? Maybe not. Could they challenge for 90 wins? I think so. The team is going to be young and it’s becoming obvious that the core is being established. For that reason, this year will have been worth it in the very near future.


Cleveland Indians 3-point checklist to conclude the season
The 2021 season is starting to wind down for Major League Baseball as we enter into the final full month of the regular season. For the Cleveland Indians, this means that the time with this moniker is also coming to a close and the organization will usher in a new era as the Cleveland Guardians once this season is in the books.

With just over 30 games left in the season, the Tribe can still end the year on a high note. The postseason is pretty much out of reach at this point, but there can still be progress made in the final games of the season.

As the year comes to a close, these are three things that the Cleveland Indians need to focus on to set the stage for the Cleveland Guardians entrance.

The Cleveland Indians need to finish above .500
This seems like a simple task, but as it currently stands Cleveland is just one game above .500 at 65-64 entering September. Playing .500 baseball the rest of the way should do it, but that’s easier said than done.

Since Terry Francona arrived to Cleveland, the Tribe haven’t had a losing season. The team came close in 2015, finishing out 81-80, but they still were able to stay above .500. Now, that seems to be a streak that is in danger.

Prior to Francona, Cleveland had finished .500 or worse in five consecutive seasons. However, Francona’s first season saw the team win over 90 games and make the playoffs. The level of success has varied through Francona’s tenure and lows haven’t been unheard of, however this time just feels different.

The tearing down of the roster over the last couple seasons raises the concern of staying competitive into the future. If the team can push through and stay above .500 this season, keeping the streak alive and ending the Cleveland Indians era on a high-ish note, that would be a boost to morale around the club and could possibly create some optimism about 2022.