ABOUT FRANCISCO LINDOR TRADE
1. The Indians ended up cutting the payroll. They will save at least US $ 30 million in the negotiation that sent Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets. Team president Chris Antonetti said the negotiation “gives us the financial flexibility to reinvest in the team that will make us more competitive”.
2. Indians are not going to use all of the $ 30 million of the deal for players, but part of them. I heard that one of his main targets is the second free agent Cesar Hernandez, who played so well for the Tribe in 2020. The 30-year-old hit back 0.283 (0.763 OPS) with 3 HR and 20 RBI. He led the American League with 20 doubles last season.
3. I’ll throw it in there: it’s a long shot, but what about Michael Brantley? He’s a free agent. I heard that the Indians plan to talk to him. Since leaving the Tribe, he has played two seasons in Houston. As usual, Brantley hit 0.300 … it’s 0.309 (0.867 OPS) to be exact. Brantley is 33 years old. My guess is that some team will offer you a profitable business for several years. Indians may end up looking for free agents like Eddie Rosario or Jackie Bradley.
4. The Indians received the Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario inland camps as part of Lindor’s business. The Tribe could go with Gimenez soon and Rosario second. Rosario has been an obstacle in his career, but the Indians believe he can easily adapt to second place.
5. The Tribe thinks that Gimenez, 22, may be the first stopping point for a long time. They love your glove, considering it elite. Gimenez started 22 games in short for the Mets. He also played 19 games on second base and 10 on third base. But selling is your main position.
Andres Gimenez (60) celebrates with his teammates after making a home run. (AP Photo / Frank Franklin II)AP
6. The tribe also believes that Gimenez was rushed to the majors. He jumped from Class AA to the big leagues. Gimenez hit a respectable 0.263 (0.732 OPS) with 3 HR and 12 RBI out of 118 in bats. He had 8 out of 9 on stolen bases. The Indians think he can be a great base thief. The Indians don’t say that, but I believe they consider Gimenez to be a key player in commerce.
7. If the Indians sign Hernandez, they can send Gimenez to Class AAA to play regularly. They could open with Rosario in short and Hernandez in second. So, they could mention Gimenez at the beginning of the 2021 season. Indians tend to be patient with their best prospects.
8. Rosario was ranked # 8 prospectus in all baseball by Baseball America in 2017. ESPN ranked him # 3 on their list of candidates. The 25-year-old has the athletic build to be a good regular player. In 2019, he hit 0.287 (0.755 OPS) with 15 HR and 72 RBI.
9. But in 2020, Rosario hit 0.252 (0.643 OPS) and, at the end of the season, Gimenez was playing more shortstop. Rosário doesn’t walk much, just four times in 147 plaque appearances in 2020. He has 50 out of 75 on stolen bases, only 67%. You want to have at least more than 80%. The Indians believe that he has a lot of natural ability and needs time to assemble it. At the very least, he is a respectable midfielder in the big league.
Carlos Carrasco stretches during the last day of summer camp at Progressive Field, July 23, 2020.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
10. Why did the Indians put Carlos Carrasco in the business? First, Mets wanted right-handed. Although the Mets, under new direction, are expected to make Lindor a massive offer to sign a contract extension, he can still play the season and reach the open market. Signed for two more seasons and an option for 2023, Carrasco is linked to the Mets, even though he loses Lindor after 2021.
11. I heard that the Indians talked to Carrasco with various teams. Although he was wanted, the demand was not high. The teams were concerned that Carrasco will turn 34 on March 21. He is a leukemia survivor. The illness took him out of much of the 2019 season.
12. In relation to baseball, it is also important to be careful when the Indians change a veteran pitcher. Yes, Trevor Bauer was excellent in 2020 for the Reds. But he shot badly in Cincinnati after being traded within 2019. Corey Kluber launched a game after being traded to Texas. Mike Clevinger made four starts in San Diego, then injured his elbow and will miss 2021 due to Tommy John’s elbow surgery.
13. The Indians were willing to negotiate with Carrasco not only to move the two-year deal worth $ 27 million, but also because of its wealth of initial pitches. They are likely to open the season with a rotation led by Cy Young winner Shane Bieber. Then come Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac. Those are the big three. They will likely fill the final two slots on this list: Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill and Adam Plutko.
14. The Indians also have several young beginners that may be a factor at some point in 2021: Scott Moss, Logan Allen, Sam Hentges and Eli Morgan. Let’s add Joey Cantillo to the list. He was acquired in the Clevinger deal with San Diego. The 21-year-old southpaw has a record of 13-7 and 2.51 ERA in minors. It is not thrown above class A, but it can develop quickly.
The Cleveland Indians’ initial pitcher, Triston McKenzie, plays against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
15. Of the second set of starting possibilities, my favorite is Moss. He is a 26-year-old southpaw who was a famous hitter at the University of Florida. He was drafted in 2016. His record in the minor career league is 41-17 with an ERA of 3.28. He had an ERA of 1.93 in four matches for the AAA Columbus Class in 2019.
16. The other two players that the Tribe received in the deal are Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene. Both have been away from the majors for several years. Both were rated among the Mets’ top 10 potential customers by various rating systems. Greene did not play a professional ball. He was chosen for the second round by the Mets in 2020. Wolf was the choice for the second round of the Mets in 2019. Both were high school players when drafted.
17. The 1.80m Wolf was so highly valued by the Mets that they gave him a signing bonus of $ 2.1 million – $ 800,000 more than “snapped in” for a second round pick. He was going to Texas A&M until the Mets showed him the money. Wolf’s average fastball is about 93 mph, and hit 96. Remember, he’s only 20 and is still adding strength. His professional career consists of 12 eliminations in eight rookie ball entries in 2019. His best shot is said to be the slider.
18. Greene was the 69th choice in the 2020 draft, an athletic outfielder from Corona High, California. He is a six foot six-foot scout. The Indians scored low in the first round / high in the second round in Wolf and Greene. They resigned themselves to younger prospects because they thought they would have more value than the prospects who were offered them as alternatives.
RECENT TERRY PLUTO COLUMNS
Doodling about Francisco Lindor’s deal with the Mets
No, Kevin Stefanski, this is not fair!
Browns post-game doodles
Browns fans, can you say PLAYOFFS?
Trying to convince me of the Browns beating Pittsburgh
Terry’s Talkin ‘4-2 Cavs
Pre-game doodles: abandoning the Same Old Browns label
The Browns finally have a BIG game, how are we going to react?
A variety of Cleveland Indians face masks available online today. (Fanatics.com)
New Indian masks for sale: this is where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed facial covers for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a pack of 3 ($ 24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charities.
Buy equipment for Indians: Fanatics, Nike, Amazon, Lids