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** OFFICIAL ** Cleveland Guardians thread - spring training (1 Viewer)

The Man With No Name said:
INDIANS TO CALL UP TOP PROSPECT LINDOR

SS Francisco Lindor, Keith Law's No. 6 prospect entering this season, will make his big league debut Sunday in Detroit. Lindor is hitting .279 this season at Triple-A, and .400 in June with 6 multi-hit games.
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Now #IndiansTwitter can stop with the #FreeLindor hashtag.

 
The Man With No Name said:
Peak said:
The Man With No Name said:
Now just 5 back of KC and MINN. Chance to get to .500 tonight for first time since they were 2-2 on April 10. Kluber on the mound.
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For as great as #Klubot is pitching, the team just cannot get the runs to support him!
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Kluber - Worst run support in the majors

http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/pitching/_/sort/runSupportPerStart/type/expanded-2/order/false
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At least he got 9 last night.

 
Jason Kipnis had some strong words yesterday after the sweep by the White Sux.

"We've been playing like [crap], "There's no way around it. It's embarrassing. There's no fight. [We're] giving up early. We've got people worrying about their own things. Nobody is held accountable. It's just not the way we're going to do business here.

"So, we held a team meeting today to rein the guys back in, get us back to where we need to be, get our heads straight, get our heads out of our [behinds] and start playing like a better baseball team."
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"Everybody acted like it was just an impossible mountain to climb," Kipnis said. "The game was over before the bottom of the first. And it can't be that way. ... When things are going wrong, how are you going to handle it?"
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#IndiansTwitter speculated that the main targets were Moss and Santana, along with Bourn (because of his attitude).

 
Indians are talking to one of their usual trade partners - the Cardinals - about Brandon Moss. The talks are considered "significant". One rumor is that the Indians get Rob Kaminsky in return.

 
Tom Servo said:
Indians are talking to one of their usual trade partners - the Cardinals - about Brandon Moss. The talks are considered "significant". One rumor is that the Indians get Rob Kaminsky in return.
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UPDATE: Trade now official.

But his inconsistency at the plate proved to one of biggest factors in the Indians surrendering what remains of this season to retool for next year.

Moss led the Indians with 15 homers and was second with 48 RBI. But he had a slash line of .217/.288/.407 and led the team in strikeouts by a wide margin with 106. Michael Bourn is second with 70.

Here's what Moss did month-by-month: .238 (15-for-63) four homers, 14 RBI in April; .240 (24-for-100) four homers, 14 RBI in May, .211 (20-for-95) four homers, nine RBI in June and .177 (14-for-79) with three homers and 13 RBI July.

Moss is hitting .190 (8-for-42) since the All-Star break. He had the most at-bats of any Indians player with runners in scoring position, but was hitting only .185 (20-for-108).
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Oof. And if the rumor is true that he was selfish, then :bye:

 
Giovanny Urshela's fourth career homer and first career go-ahead long ball lifted the Indians to a 2-0 victory in 12 innings at Angel Stadium. Carlos Carrasco allowed 1 hit over 9 scoreless innings and became the first AL starter since Bobby Witt in 1994 to allow two or fewer hits in consecutive starts

 
Trading Bourn and Swisher clear the decks for Indians future.

Fortunately, this isn't a deal for the Indians that should be looked at as "lump sum comparisons." Instead, it's important to look at the deal with regards to flexibility going forward, especially when taking into account the moves that they also made prior to the non-waiver deadline.

After talking with both EHC's Steve Orbanek and Did the Tribe Win Last Night's Mike Brandyberry, it's clear that the estimated $9-10 million dollars the Indians are paying the Braves the offset their remaining contracts approximates the remainder of their salaries in 2015. In other words, Chris Antonetti figured out a way to DFA Bourn and Swisher, while getting Braves' president of baseball operations, John Hart to foot the bill for their 2016 salaries.

I know what you're saying, "Jim, you aren't taking into account the Chris Johnson salary, you idiot." Bear with me for a moment. Prior to the deadline, the Indians dealt Brandon Moss to the St. Louis Cardinals for top prospect, Rob Kaminsky. Moss was on the books this year for $6.5 million on his current one-year deal. While the Indians could have released him in 2016 to avoid paying his cost, it was more likely that they would have either re-signed him to another one-year deal to avoid arbitration, or allow him to go to arbitration, which isn't an Indians' tendency. What would his cost have been? Likely between $8-9 million dollars.

Chris Johnson's cost in 2016 is $7.5 million.

In essence, what the Indians have done is DFA'ed Swisher and Bourn, gotten John Hart to pay off their 2016 salaries, and traded Brandon Moss's salary for Chris Johnson's, and acquired Rob Kaminsky. When you add Mark Rzepczynski and David Murphy to the equation, things begin to get a little more fun.

David Murphy had a $7 million club option for 2016, with a $500 buyout. Rzepczynski was making $2.4 million this year, with two arbitration seasons left. Like Moss, the Indians could have just released him, but it was more likely that he was in tune for a $4-5 million contract on top of that. You can safely say that the Indians gained roster flexibility, saved in the realm of $35 million off their 2016 payroll, and acquired Kaminsky and Eric Stamets and Abraham Almonte, if you consider him a worthwhile (in the Murphy deal).
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Bob Toth: Trade benefits both clubs.

Meanwhile, the Indians do the Braves a favor by taking infielder Johnson’s $7.5 million off of the books in 2016 and $9 million from their 2017 obligation, while also owing at least $1 million in 2018 to buy out his potential $10 million team option. Cleveland also sent a sizable amount of money south as part of the deal, once reported as $10 million on the day of the trade, but thought to be more in the ballpark of $15 million, as reported by MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince on Twitter Saturday afternoon.

In essence, the Indians extended some of their wasted spending into an extra season to lighten the burden placed on the 2016 campaign, while also gaining an additional roster spot not tied up to the tandem of Swisher and Bourn. The money sent, regardless of what it might be, will likely offset the much smaller contract more in line with the league minimum, filled by any of the slew of minor league players awaiting their opportunity at Triple-A Columbus to crack the MLB roster for an extended stay.

Now, with both guys gone, the Indians can take a good look at Johnson and find out if and where he fits on the roster moving forward. The team could benefit from a versatile right-handed bat off of the bench, but what he provides is not as significant at his primary third base position with the right-handed hitting Giovanny Urshela on the roster as the team’s starter. He could spot first baseman Carlos Santana, who has struggled against lefty pitching with just five extra base hits and no home runs in 146 plate appearances this season as a right-handed hitter. He will also reportedly see some time in the outfield, where he has logged exactly one inning of work in his professional (not just Major League…) career.

Johnson was hitting .235 for the Braves in 56 games after missing time with a broken bone in his left hand. Just two seasons ago in 2013, he hit .321 and finished second for the National League’s batting title.

In the event that he does not fit on the club, Antonetti may find it easier to move Johnson and the $17.5 million owed over the next three seasons in the offseason to a club that can take on that burden while ridding himself altogether of the remnants of the bad Bourn and Bro-hio bids.

The trade itself, while not buying the club too much additional financial flexibility, does give the team the roster flexibility now to see some of the younger kids from Columbus to gauge what role, if any, they can have on the club for next season, especially knowing that the spots of Mike Aviles and Ryan Raburn may very well be up for grabs on the bench.
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The Man With No Name said:
Us fans don't give a crap about money. We just want to win Period.

Need better players. Money can help. But talent is what wins.
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I understand what you're trying to say, but we don't get better players next year with Swisher and Bourn on the books. And when we splashed for them, didn't we have a lot of salary relief that same offseason?
 
Only 2 games under .500 now. I'm not saying they're going to make the playoffs (I don't think they will), but they're real exciting to watch now.

I honestly believe Bourn was the cancer in the clubhouse.
 
I checked baseball reference just now; on May 5th the Indians were 9-16 and 7.5 games behind. Assume a .500 record or thereabouts (13-12) at that point. If that were so, we'd be 81-74 right now and 1 GB in the wild card chase.

That's why I hate people who say "It's early" when they start sucking right out of the gate. :hot:

 
Imagine what a kid like Lindor might have meant. Then again, maybe he woulda sucked like everyone else in April and we never would have seen what we have seen.

So excited to see Jose Ramirez get plunked. Twins might punk out to not get anyone suspended. Goldhammer just suggested Jose flip his bat afterwards. One of the best things he's ever thought of. Really want Jose to do that.

 
Just as a note, Lindor is not eligible for a Gold Glove. IIRC, he needed to play in 70 of the first 128 games, and only played in 66.

 
Tribe goes dumpster diving by giving Joba Chamberlain a non-roster invite to spring training.

 
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2016 Indians Hall of Fame inductees:

Jim Thome

Albert Belle

Frank Robinson

Charlie Jamieson - member of the 1920 World champion team

Ceremony takes place 7/30 at Jacob's Field. The first 15,000 fans get a Thome HoF bobblehead.

 
Tribe signs Juan Uribe to a one year, probably traded at the deadline deal.

Apparently they're not satisfied with Urshela's bat.

 
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