Meanwhile, here are some guesses about our plans:
Indians Scribbles: Carlos Santana, trade rumbings -- Terry Pluto
Updated 5:22 PM; Posted 3:00 PM
By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer
terrypluto2003@yahoo.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Scribbles in my Cleveland Indians notebook as they return from the winter meetings and Carlos Santana signs with Philadelphia:
1. The Indians thought they were close to at least one trade, possibly two. I believe at least one of the deals was with the Chicago Cubs. It's no secret the Cubs want starting pitching. The Indians have six big league starters. If you count Ryan Merritt -- that makes seven.
2. The Cubs have an excess of position players. Kyle Schwarber and Javier Baez are two names mentioned in connection with the Tribe. Baez is a middle infielder. In the 2011 draft, the big debate in the Tribe front office was between selecting Baez or Francisco Lindor. The Indians picked Lindor at No. 8. Baez was the next selection, the Cubs grabbing him.
3. Schwarber is a 24-year-old outfielder. He had knee surgery in 2016. The lefty hitter is marginal defensively. He hit 30 HR with 59 RBI in 486 plate appearances in 2017. He also struck out 150 times, batting .211 (.783 OPS). Assuming the Indians lose Jay Bruce, it's possible Schwarber could fill that role.
4. I heard the Indians asked about Ian Haap, who is a very interesting player. He is only 23. As a rookie, Haap batted .253 (.842 OPS) with 23 HR and 68 RBI in 413 plate appearances. He played second base and the outfield. He's a switch hitter. He was a first-round pick in 2015. There is a lot of common ground for the Tribe and Cubs to talk trade. Something could easily happen between the two teams in the next few weeks.
5. The Cubs recently signed free agent starter Tyler Chatwood to a three-year, $38 million deal. He was 8-15 with a 4.69 ERA with the Colorado Rockies last season. His career mark is 40-46 with a 4.31 ERA. He had Tommy John elbow surgery in 2008 and again in 2014. Salazar should have real appeal to the Cubs, despite his injury history and inconsistency.
6.With the signing of Carlos Santana by the Phillies ($60 million for three years), it makes the Indians even more likely to be active in the trade market. It's why I think there could be a deal for a hitter with the Cubs.
7. Santana was a very consistent hitter with the Tribe, but it's hard to make a strong case for paying him $20 million annually to stay here. He received an Edwin Encarnacion contract.
8. One of the reasons the Indians signed Encarnacion a year ago was protection against Santana leaving after the 2017 season. He is not a regular first baseman, but can play there at times. He had one error in 23 games in 2017. In 2016 with Toronto, he played 75 games at first.
9. As of now, the Indians also have Michael Brantley and possibly Lonnie Chisenhall who can play some first base. I've thought Yandy Diaz could play there if that was designated as his one position.But I still expect the Indians to sign and/or trade for a hitter.
10. The Indians knew Bryan Shaw would be well paid. The reliever signed a three-year, $27 million contract with the Rockies. That wasn't a surprise. They also knew Joe Smith would attract a lot of interest. He signed a two-year, $15 million deal with Houston. Smith's lucrative contract did surprise many people in baseball.
11. The Indians know they will miss Shaw and Smith, but they were not going to match those deals. They want to keep money available in case they have a chance to re-sign Carlos Santana or acquire someone else.
12. The Tribe has Andrew Miller and Cody Allen for the back-end of the bullpen. Middle relievers are Nick Goody, Zach McAllister, Dan Otero and Tyler Olson.
13. If they don't trade Salazar, they will have seven starters. I'm keeping Ryan Merritt on the final roster. He is out of minor league options. They could put anyone from Mike Clevinger to Josh Tomlin to Salazar to Merritt in the bullpen.
14. The Tribe knows it's easier to find starters than relievers. And starters can be converted into relievers. So that's part of what will be happening in training camp. The Indians will be looking for some young arms to help in the bullpen.
15. Because they have Miller and Allen, they have two established closers. So they don't need someone to pitch the ninth inning and deal with the pressure of closing. The question will be what pitcher can earn the confidence of manager Terry Francona, who loved Shaw.
16.There are some vague Jason Kipnis rumors -- mostly with the New York Mets. Not sure what to make of that. He is guaranteed $30 million over the next two seasons. Former Tribe pitching coach Mickey Callaway is the Mets new manager, so that could be part of the interest in Kipnis.
17. The Indians love to bring in players such as Melvin Upton Jr. He signed a $1.5 million deal, not guaranteed. In 2016, he batted .238 (.693 OPS) with 20 HR and 61 RBI between San Diego and Toronto. He also stole 27 bases. Last year, he suffered a major thumb injury and needed surgery. He played only 12 games in Class AAA.
18. Upton is 33. He has had an up-and-down career after being the No. 2 pick in the 2002 draft. A right-handed hitter, the Indians would use him vs. lefty pitchers -- much as they did Austin Jackson last season. They did talk to Jackson, but the free agent outfielder is waiting to see if someone makes him a good deal.