The Cleveland Indians are entering a full-blown identity crisis. Not only are they about to pull off a level of roster turnover rarely seen outside of Miami, it's also quite likely an announcement will be made at some point that the ballclub on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario will cease to be named the Indians after the 2021 season.
Even offering to rename the team the Cleveland Lindors won't be enough to re-sign their star shortstop. It's a virtual lock he won't play another game in an Indians uniform. That also means that one or two members of next year's roster won't be known until they're named as part of the package for Lindor. At this point, only Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes and Roberto Perez are guaranteed to repeat as members of next year's starting lineup, and even Ramirez might not be playing the same position. They've already parted ways with their closer and the rumor mill has them dealing another starting pitcher. Even if COVID-19 never existed, 2021 was going to be the Dolans' fourth straight year of cutting payroll. It might be the most they spend in free agency during that stretch though, simply because of all the holes they'll need to fill.
Looking at the positional breakdown:
Catcher Roberto Perez was the only team option Cleveland picked up ($5.5M). Sandy Leon is gone, as Cleveland tripled down on defensive whizzes who can't hit when they acquired Austin Hedges midseason. With Perez's next team option worth $7M, this is clearly Hedges' apprentice year before he takes over in 2022.
First Base Carlos Santana's $17.5M option was declined, but he's the one veteran I wouldn't be surprised to see return. When Santana left in free agency in 2018 both sides quickly regretted it. If he's willing to take a large enough pay cut, Cleveland could decide this is one spot not worth puzzling over. However, Bobby Bradley has tape measure power if he can make contact often enough and repeating AAA isn't likely to benefit him.
Second Base Cesar Hernandez used his one year deal in Cleveland to price himself out of town. Yu Chang has served as the never-used emergency shortstop for the past couple of years, but even if he can hit MLB pitching, he doesn't project as an everyday guy on that side of the bag. The other possibility is moving Ramirez back to second.
Shortstop Chang could get an opportunity to play his way off the position, but with a deep market for serviceable shortstops, it's likely Cleveland signs a stopgap while the prospects sort out a pecking order. Cleveland has an abundance of promising shortstops in the system, but none of them have proven themselves beyond A-ball yet.
Third Base Jose Ramirez will anchor the infield and the heart of the lineup. It's been said in the past he prefers third base, but it's possible they move him to second for the benefit of top prospect Nolan Jones.
Left Field Aside from a short playoff hot streak, Josh Naylor hasn't looked like a long-term answer, but since Cleveland's long list of outfielders have all looked like 4th outfielders at best this should be Naylor's to lose. Jones is expected to outfield reps in spring training, an experiment that could extend into the first month or two of the season before getting a shot in Cleveland.
Center Field Delino DeShields still has one more year of team control, although they would certainly like to see Oscar Mercado take the position if he can hit somewhat higher than .128. Even with the trade of Greg Allen, there's no shortage of shit to through against the center field wall with Bradley Zimmer and Daniel Johnson.
Right Field A platoon of Jordan Luplow/Tyler Naquin should in theory create a pretty good player.
Designated Hitter Franmil Reyes at DH is one thing they don't need to ponder. There was a lot of discussion last off-season that Reyes could be more useful spending some time in the outfield. He ended up playing 5 innings of defense. If Bradley isn't the starting 1B, he'll wait in the wings for emergency DH at-bats.
Pitching Staff:
Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie can be expected to take regular turns in the rotation. Even with mass turnover and a lineup that will be searching for legit major leaguers, this rotation should keep Cleveland from bottoming out. A playoff spot seems unlikely, but 3rd place almost seems guaranteed.
What upsets me the most with ownership are the rumors that Carlos Carrasco will be traded. His team friendly contract (2/$24M or 3/$38M) makes him valuable, but it's also what makes it a crime to trade him. Carrasco turned down the potential to make a lot more money a few years ago by signing an extension that looked like it would give him the opportunity to retire as an Indian. No player is more involved in the community. Now he's seen as just another trade chip... one more opportunity to throw a log on the outfield fire.
If Carrasco is traded, Cal Quantrill would get the first shot at the rotation, but there's a long list for tryouts: Logan Allen, Scott Moss, Jefry Rodriguez and Mr. Replacement Level Adam Plutko.
There's no point discussing a bullpen in detail this early, but even with Hand out it's a more stable facet of the team than the starting lineup. James Karinchak will get the opportunity to grab the closer's role, with Nick Wittgren as the fallback option. Emanuel Clase, the only thing of possible value in the Corey Kluber trade, will return from his PED suspension to make his Cleveland debut. Oliver Perez hits free agency but should be affordable if the two sides are interested in staying together. He does offer a leadership role to a very young team.
Even offering to rename the team the Cleveland Lindors won't be enough to re-sign their star shortstop. It's a virtual lock he won't play another game in an Indians uniform. That also means that one or two members of next year's roster won't be known until they're named as part of the package for Lindor. At this point, only Jose Ramirez, Franmil Reyes and Roberto Perez are guaranteed to repeat as members of next year's starting lineup, and even Ramirez might not be playing the same position. They've already parted ways with their closer and the rumor mill has them dealing another starting pitcher. Even if COVID-19 never existed, 2021 was going to be the Dolans' fourth straight year of cutting payroll. It might be the most they spend in free agency during that stretch though, simply because of all the holes they'll need to fill.
Looking at the positional breakdown:
Catcher Roberto Perez was the only team option Cleveland picked up ($5.5M). Sandy Leon is gone, as Cleveland tripled down on defensive whizzes who can't hit when they acquired Austin Hedges midseason. With Perez's next team option worth $7M, this is clearly Hedges' apprentice year before he takes over in 2022.
First Base Carlos Santana's $17.5M option was declined, but he's the one veteran I wouldn't be surprised to see return. When Santana left in free agency in 2018 both sides quickly regretted it. If he's willing to take a large enough pay cut, Cleveland could decide this is one spot not worth puzzling over. However, Bobby Bradley has tape measure power if he can make contact often enough and repeating AAA isn't likely to benefit him.
Second Base Cesar Hernandez used his one year deal in Cleveland to price himself out of town. Yu Chang has served as the never-used emergency shortstop for the past couple of years, but even if he can hit MLB pitching, he doesn't project as an everyday guy on that side of the bag. The other possibility is moving Ramirez back to second.
Shortstop Chang could get an opportunity to play his way off the position, but with a deep market for serviceable shortstops, it's likely Cleveland signs a stopgap while the prospects sort out a pecking order. Cleveland has an abundance of promising shortstops in the system, but none of them have proven themselves beyond A-ball yet.
Third Base Jose Ramirez will anchor the infield and the heart of the lineup. It's been said in the past he prefers third base, but it's possible they move him to second for the benefit of top prospect Nolan Jones.
Left Field Aside from a short playoff hot streak, Josh Naylor hasn't looked like a long-term answer, but since Cleveland's long list of outfielders have all looked like 4th outfielders at best this should be Naylor's to lose. Jones is expected to outfield reps in spring training, an experiment that could extend into the first month or two of the season before getting a shot in Cleveland.
Center Field Delino DeShields still has one more year of team control, although they would certainly like to see Oscar Mercado take the position if he can hit somewhat higher than .128. Even with the trade of Greg Allen, there's no shortage of shit to through against the center field wall with Bradley Zimmer and Daniel Johnson.
Right Field A platoon of Jordan Luplow/Tyler Naquin should in theory create a pretty good player.
Designated Hitter Franmil Reyes at DH is one thing they don't need to ponder. There was a lot of discussion last off-season that Reyes could be more useful spending some time in the outfield. He ended up playing 5 innings of defense. If Bradley isn't the starting 1B, he'll wait in the wings for emergency DH at-bats.
Pitching Staff:
Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie can be expected to take regular turns in the rotation. Even with mass turnover and a lineup that will be searching for legit major leaguers, this rotation should keep Cleveland from bottoming out. A playoff spot seems unlikely, but 3rd place almost seems guaranteed.
What upsets me the most with ownership are the rumors that Carlos Carrasco will be traded. His team friendly contract (2/$24M or 3/$38M) makes him valuable, but it's also what makes it a crime to trade him. Carrasco turned down the potential to make a lot more money a few years ago by signing an extension that looked like it would give him the opportunity to retire as an Indian. No player is more involved in the community. Now he's seen as just another trade chip... one more opportunity to throw a log on the outfield fire.
If Carrasco is traded, Cal Quantrill would get the first shot at the rotation, but there's a long list for tryouts: Logan Allen, Scott Moss, Jefry Rodriguez and Mr. Replacement Level Adam Plutko.
There's no point discussing a bullpen in detail this early, but even with Hand out it's a more stable facet of the team than the starting lineup. James Karinchak will get the opportunity to grab the closer's role, with Nick Wittgren as the fallback option. Emanuel Clase, the only thing of possible value in the Corey Kluber trade, will return from his PED suspension to make his Cleveland debut. Oliver Perez hits free agency but should be affordable if the two sides are interested in staying together. He does offer a leadership role to a very young team.
