Tribe Offseason Thread

• IggyPride00

  

  To all of you mocking me, Kluber is eligible for salary arbitration starting after next year.
  
  He will start getting huge raises (which he deserves).
  
  Teams "control" a player for 6 years, but the last 3 of those 6 are all arbitration years. For a Cy Young award winner, those will be large and progressively larger numbers.
  
  Learn some more about the CBA before you get yourselves into a froth of excitement about being able to ridicule me.
• HitsRus

  

  It's difficult to believe the Tribe could look at last year's near playoff miss and not wonder "what if" we had just one more big bat in the lineup?...but from the sounds of it, Chris Antonetti is not in the market for one.
  
  GM Chris Antonetti told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman). “I think what we would look for from the free-agent market is something to complement our roster,” Antonetti said. “I don’t think we are going to be in the free-agent market to add a cornerstone player.”
• BR1986FB

  HitsRus;1674002 wrote:It's difficult to believe the Tribe could look at last year's near playoff miss and not wonder "what if" we had just one more big bat in the lineup?...but from the sounds of it, Chris Antonetti is not in the market for one.
  
  GM Chris Antonetti told reporters (including MLB.com’s Mark Bowman). “I think what we would look for from the free-agent market is something to complement our roster,” Antonetti said. “I don’t think we are going to be in the free-agent market to add a cornerstone player.”

  In other words, another "lightning in a bottle/reclamation project."
  
  Pisses me off SO much. They were talking about the Tribe on the radio this morning and a caller called in and made a simple, but valid, point....bring in someone who can help you get ONE more win a month and you're in the playoffs. Just one win per month.
• Wooball

  

  You are describing a 6.0 WAR player. There were only 9 players in the AL with a WAR 6 or above.
• BR1986FB

  Paul Hoynes (Plain Dealer) mentioned the possibility of the Tribe bringing back Masterson as a FA?
• HitsRus

  

  Never can have enough pitching.. And he could come cheap.... Which us just about right for the Tribe.
• BRF

  

  HitsRus;1674074 wrote:Never can gave enough pitching.. And he could come cheap.... Which us just about right for the Tribe.

  
  Laughing gas?
• BR1986FB

  If they can dump this albatross, good riddance...."bro"
  
  http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/2014/11/farewell-brohio-indians-looking-trade-nick-swisher/
• TBone14

  

  Tribe and As in discussion involving a trade for Brandon Moss. Don't have his numbers handy but had to be better than the gaping hole in right field since Choo left
• Laley23

  

  If only he was a righty...sigh.
  
  He does hit 25-30 HRs a year though
• HitsRus

  

  Moss hit .234 with 25 HRs and 81 RBIs. A's looking for middle infield prospects and pitching .... Tribe has some of both to spare.
• Laley23

  

  HitsRus;1681926 wrote:Moss hit .234 with 25 HRs and 81 RBIs. A's looking for middle infield prospects and pitching .... Tribe has some of both to spare.

  Unfortunately, I feel we would be giving the better player already (even as prospects...especially if its Ramirez). There has to be someone else we could get for the value we have to trade.
  
  But what do I know...I thought the Mark Reynolds signing was great. lol
• BR1986FB

  HitsRus;1681926 wrote:Moss hit .234 with 25 HRs and 81 RBIs. A's looking for middle infield prospects and pitching .... Tribe has some of both to spare.

  He has decent numbers, minus BA, but this sounds like the typical Tribe reclamation project. Moss is coming off of hip surgery so no clue what they'd be getting.
• TBone14

  

  I don't know if you guys are Jonah Keri fans but I think he's a pretty good baseball writer. Does a lot for Grantland. Either way, he wrote a MLB trade value ranking list. Not necessarily the best players but based on age, contract..etc...who would fetch the most value in a trade.
  
  Few Tribe guys made his list. Here are the writeups.
  
  25. Yan Gomes (NR), C, Cleveland Indians
  Aside from the minor leaguers, Gomes is probably the player on this list who has the least name-recognition among casual fans. That won’t be the case for long. Toronto drafted Gomes in the 10th round in 2009 and dealt him in 2012 for Esmil Rogers, a trade the Jays surely regret, and one that contributed to their decision to spend $82 million on Russell Martin this offseason. Gomes has quietly grown into one of the AL’s best all-around players, bashing 21 homers and posting a .278/.313/.472 line in 2014 while displaying strong pitch-framing skills and playing generally excellent defense. He’s 27 years old, he’s owed a paltry $20.95 million over the next five years, and the Tribe would need to spend only another $20 million to lock him up through 2021.
  If the Indians were as good at signing free agents as they are trading for unheralded prospects, they’d be a damn dynasty by now.
  
  
  16. Michael Brantley (NR), OF, Cleveland Indians
  15. Corey Kluber (NR), SP, Cleveland Indians
  I mentioned the Indians’ impressive prospect-thievery skills earlier, and here’s further proof: They got Brantley as a throw-in for CC Sabathia and got Kluber as an afterthought in a random Jake Westbrook–Ryan Ludwick three-way exchange. Not too shabby!
  In 2014, Brantley blossomed from a decent all-around player to a .327/.385/.506 one-man wrecking crew who might be even better than his 7.0 WAR indicated. Brantley’s batting average on balls in play spiked to a career-high .333 in 2014, but there’s reason to believe that might not be a fluke: According to ESPN Stats & Info, he ranked eighth in the majors in hard-hit average, trailing only David Ortiz, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Andrew McCutchen, Adrian Beltre, Edwin Encarnacion, and Lucas Duda. At $19 million over the next three years (with an $11 million club option for 2018),1 the 27-year-old has emerged as a cornerstone.
  As impressive as Brantley was, though, he took second billing to fellow breakout sensation Kluber, who tossed 235.2 innings, punched out 269 batters, posted a 2.44 ERA, and won the damn Cy Young. Kluber is 28, Indians property for four more seasons, and isn’t even arbitration-eligible yet. Brantley and Kluber earned two of the top four spots on my fake AL MVP ballot for 2014, and should continue earning that kind of recognition for years to come.
  
  Link to the article: http://grantland.com/features/2014-mlb-trade-value-rankings-part-2/
  
  Tl;dr
  
  Top 5:
  
  5. Bumgardner
  4. Sale
  3. Goldschmidt
  2. McCutchen
  1. Trout
• HitsRus

  

  I'll take Kluber over Sale any day of the week. Chris Sale is a Tommy John waiting to happen.
• HitsRus

  

  Unfortunately, I feel we would be giving the better player already (even as prospects...especially if its Ramirez).

  Talk of Gonzalez...Tribe AA SS at Akron.
• Heretic

  

  HitsRus;1682183 wrote:I'll take Kluber over Sale any day of the week. Chris Sale is a Tommy John waiting to happen.

  I'd agree with that. The only knock on Kluber that I could imagine at this point is that, as a young guy, he hasn't had sustained success (one great year after being, what, average/respectable previously). But I think he has more of a potential for long-term success than Sale.
• BR1986FB

  Heretic;1682190 wrote:I'd agree with that. The only knock on Kluber that I could imagine at this point is that, as a young guy, he hasn't had sustained success (one great year after being, what, average/respectable previously). But I think he has more of a potential for long-term success than Sale.

  Kluber has ice in his veins. Dude doesn't get too high, nor too low. He has the personality/excitability of a saltine cracker. As long as he keeps his location, he'll have sustained success.
• HitsRus

  

  BR1986FB;1682192 wrote:Kluber has ice in his veins. Dude doesn't get too high, nor too low. He has the personality/excitability of a saltine cracker. As long as he keeps his location, he'll have sustained success.

  That is the perfect disposition for a pitcher....and because of that he'll have a great chance to "keep his location."
  As a youth baseball/softball coach for 20+ years, it took me a long time to trust 'demeanor' over 'stuff', and that kind of mental toughness is the #1 thing I try to teach my pitchers.
  So many times, I seen a guy/gal with great stuff/speed just wilt because of pressure and adversity. The ability to focus on the the next hitter/next pitch to get the hitter out is paramount to success. One of the most classic examples that most Cleveland fans could relate to was Bob Wickman. Wickman didn't have great stuff, compared to guys like Mariano Rivera but he was highly successful as a closer simply because of his ability to shut out the distractions and keep them from interfering with his command. The game could be hanging by a thread, the bases could be loaded because the shortstop just booted the ball, and the stadium could be on fire, but you could count on Wickman to deliver his best pitch.
• lhslep134

  

  We just acquired Brandon Moss for MILB INF Joe Wendle
• Laley23

  

  I like it because of what we have up. Skeptical he will provide much more than an alternative though.
• lhslep134

  

  I love the trade. He's a left handed power hitter who loves to pull the ball and we have a short RF. He had a WRC+ of 148 in the 1st half last year, being named an All-Star. Just needs to stay healthy, but he could be a legit middle of the power bat. And all we did was give up a player at a crowded minor league postion, middle infield.
• Laley23

  

  That's why I like the trade.
  
  Still would've much preferred a RH bat. But this has potential
• TBone14

  

  Since the start of 2013, Moss is #13 in home runs in MLB with 55.
  
  Last year, he hit 25 with 81 RBI in 147 games, which was his career high for games played.
  
  His games played is alarming.
  
  Played 133 games for Pittsburgh in 2009. Hit only 7 HR with 41 RBIs. Then, in 2010 and 2011, he combined to play only 22 games.
  
  He had a career transformation in Oakland (steroids?). Somehow finding power after 2 seasons basically without playing. His career high in home runs going into 2012 was 8. In 2012, he was great in only 84 games. Slugging 21 bombs and 52 RBIs in basically half a season.
  
  2013 he played 145 with 30 and 87.
  2014 he played 147 with 25 and 81.
  
  So trending in the right direction. We don't give up too much. I like it.
• Footwedge

  Only problem with landing Moss...don't we enough left handed hitters on this team? Also hoping they can move Swisher.