Cleveland Indians 2018-2019 Offseason Outlook

[Amherstcavsfan]

I very much disagree. Something happened with Bauers, but his first half last year was very good then he fell off a cliff in the 2nd half. He at least showed he could potentially belong. Luplow hasn't shown anything in the MLB yet.

Obviously, late season Greg Allen is the best solution. If you could get that, then you get a very solid hitter with +speed.

 

[sportscoach]

Call me crazy but I don’t think the pen is that bad..... there's just some uncertainty. I mean, we thought our pen was loaded going into this past season and it imploded-- that's the danger of investing heavily in the bullpen.

- Hand is a stud.

- Olson is a loogy. Cimber is a roogy. Need a bounce-back from both guys.....

- Ben Taylor and Jon Edwards had really good years in Columbus.

- I think Hu, Rodriguez and Cole all have really filthy stuff so I'm curious to see what type of role they'll have in the bullpen seeing as they all could potentially start and have started at the MLB level. If their stuff ticks up as full time relievers, the Tribe have a really strong nucleus in the pen.

- One more veteran piece would be nice.

There's some question marks for sure but should the Indians be correct in their talent eval, they're in pretty good shape.

Thats the whole issue with the bullpen is the uncertainty of it. We just want to win it all, but we are full of unproven guys at the big league level in the bullpen. Outside of Hand and Otero, none of the other guys have much of a track record and some of the guys you mentioned haven't even pitched from the bullpen much.

I feel we need to get a veteran setup guy for Hand who can close once in awhile, maybe a Tyler Clippard type of guy on a one year deal. I think having the closer and setup to essentially start spring training would be nice, then the rest could fall from there as the other guys compete for the other 5/6 spots.

I am also hoping we can bring in guys like Diekman, Oliver Perez, Sipp, Madson etc on the minor league deals to compete to make this roster would be nice. We only have Olson and Hand from the left side as well on the roster. Then all the other left handers in camp, Orlan, Josh Smith, Kaminsky have never even played in the bigs. We need to bring in as many left handed pitchers as we can I feel.

I am still hoping we bring back Tomlin on a minor league deal and other guys like a Fister, Shields as well on one.

 

[Steve_424]

They have 10-15 million to play with for the entire team for the entire year...they aren't going to exceed last years payroll figure.

So there wasn't a snowballs chance in hell they were going to burn most to all of that available room to play with on 1 guy to plug only 1 hole, especially on a long term contract.

People need to understand...payroll is being dictated not by the Dolan's supposed penny pinching...they are keeping space free, especially long term space, for 1 reason and 1 reason alone.

They are most certainly not out of the free agency picture this winter, no matter what Hoynes might say. They are slow playing stuff waiting to jump on vets who end up taking a 1 year deal to play the free agency game next winter, like they did with Napoli and Davis in 2016.

And only way we sign Marwin is if he caves on his length. He is 100% in play if his asking price shifts towards the 2/16 range, I know that for a fact...

Lindor?

 

[Kevalier]

Almost guaranteed.

And it's pretty much a virtual certainty that they sign someone to an MLB deal for the bullpen before the winter is over, if not 2 guys.

I’m skeptical that they do pull off a trade for a stud reliever at the deadline since it would likely cost a top prospect and the front office has no interest in furthering weakening the farm system.

 

[sportscoach]

I very much disagree. Something happened with Bauers, but his first half last year was very good then he fell off a cliff in the 2nd half. He at least showed he could potentially belong. Luplow hasn't shown anything in the MLB yet.

Obviously, late season Greg Allen is the best solution. If you could get that, then you get a very solid hitter with +speed.

Luplow has never gotten a chance to actually play everyday at the big league level (Look at Aguilar who when given a chance made the most of it). Pittsburghs greatest strength last season was their OF. He didn't have a chance to uproot any guy there at the end of the day. From his interview about being traded to Cleveland, it sounded like Cleveland actually tried to get him last season/Cleveland has been scouting him for awhile. He was a guy who wasn't drafted out of high school, yet went 3rd round in the draft. No one ranked him in the pirates organization as a top 20 prospect, but he made the big league club whose depth was in OF at the time. I think he will actually prove you guys wrong and earn the starting LF spot this spring. I am sure for once you guys hope I am right lol

 

[BimboColesHair]

Lindor?

 

[sportscoach]

I’m skeptical that they do pull off a trade for a stud reliever at the deadline since it would likely cost a top prospect and the front office has no interest in furthering weakening the farm system.

Depends on who we trade at the end of the day and for who. We have a million middle infield prospects in our MLB top 30 right now (via MLB.com's list as a quick reference) and some of them we just signed in the international free agency. With Lindor and Ramirez being staples at the big league club, if the FO feels the difference between getting to the World Series is someone like a Miller (just as an example) and we can get them without giving up Jones, McKenzie, Valera, etc, but can package around a Chang/Bradley instead, I think they will make the deal.

Now if the best guy they can get with the package would be like a Clippard (just using his name as an example) then they won't make the trade. If they make the trade like they did with Hand last year, it will be for a relief pitcher who has team control for a couple seasons at least, who can make the difference in the playoffs. I mean you sign a Clippard in free agency, he has a good season and you add into the mix another proven stud/all-star setup man with the rotation we have, that would make us a very strong contender especially if the guys like Allen become solid everyday players like we hope they can be.

to me this season doesn't ride on the backs of who we know, it rides on the backs of the unknowns. Only 9 players in my mind have their spots guaranteed right now, Kluber, Bauer, Clev, Carrasco, Hand, Perez, Santana, Lindor, Ramirez, while guys like Martin, Kipnis, Bieber more than likely have made the roster. That pretty much means half the roster on a playoff team are up for grabs. Now we all expect guys like Allen, Bauers, Olson, Cimber, Otero etc to make the roster, but a bad spring/off season, could put them in the minors/off the roster to start the season. I feel we are going to go out of camp with the best 25 players and guys who have contracts like Kipnis could be cut/traded if they don't produce. (Bieber/5th starter may not start with the big league club, just because they may not start for two weeks if they do, so its possible they start in the minors to keep themselves game ready/on a schedule)

 

[BimboColesHair]

I’m skeptical that they do pull off a trade for a stud reliever at the deadline since it would likely cost a top prospect and the front office has no interest in furthering weakening the farm system.

They will.

I don’t think it will be a stud like Miller or Hand, but they’ll grab a good backend non-closer if they find themselves in contention come deadline time. That is barring some internal option all of a sudden becoming Cody Allen part 2.

And their farm is fine. Most talent I’ve ever seen in the Indians farm system from AA on down. Lot of studs in their lower levels.

 

[MoFlo]

Call me crazy but I don’t think the pen is that bad..... there's just some uncertainty. I mean, we thought our pen was loaded going into this past season and it imploded-- that's the danger of investing heavily in the bullpen.

- Hand is a stud.

- Olson is a loogy. Cimber is a roogy. Need a bounce-back from both guys.....

- Ben Taylor and Jon Edwards had really good years in Columbus.

- I think Hu, Rodriguez and Cole all have really filthy stuff so I'm curious to see what type of role they'll have in the bullpen seeing as they all could potentially start and have started at the MLB level. If their stuff ticks up as full time relievers, the Tribe have a really strong nucleus in the pen.

- One more veteran piece would be nice.

There's some question marks for sure but should the Indians be correct in their talent eval, they're in pretty good shape.

I'd say there's quite a bit of uncertainty.

Do you trust Tito to stick with Cimber as a ROOGY? How many times have we blasted him for using guys in their weak spots (Guyer vs RHP is the biggest example that comes to mind).

I just expect a team that fully expects to compete for a world series to have more certainty when it comes to their roster, especially in an area in which they struggled last season.

And yes, I know they can still improve upon it, as there is more off-season to go. I'm just basing it off of the report by Hoynes.

I also know that this section will be quick to find this post should the Indians' pen end up being good this season. But that's ok. I stand by my reasoning for wanting a more proven bullpen.

It's ok to be worried about certain areas on this team while still realizing there's quite a bit of talent on the roster.

 

[Urban]

Call me crazy but I don’t think the pen is that bad..... there's just some uncertainty. I mean, we thought our pen was loaded going into this past season and it imploded-- that's the danger of investing heavily in the bullpen.

- Hand is a stud.

- Olson is a loogy. Cimber is a roogy. Need a bounce-back from both guys.....

- Ben Taylor and Jon Edwards had really good years in Columbus.

- I think Hu, Rodriguez and Cole all have really filthy stuff so I'm curious to see what type of role they'll have in the bullpen seeing as they all could potentially start and have started at the MLB level. If their stuff ticks up as full time relievers, the Tribe have a really strong nucleus in the pen.

- One more veteran piece would be nice.

There's some question marks for sure but should the Indians be correct in their talent eval, they're in pretty good shape.

This isn't even considering guys like Anderson and Salazar (who knows how exactly they'll be used), Otero (who gets a lot of shit but was solid for the Indians in '16 and '17) and Goody.

I don't think it's a source of extreme strength like it was from the point we picked up Miller through 2017, but I also don't think it is bottom 3 in the league like it was up until the Indians acquired Hand (29th in ERA first half, 9th in ERA 2nd half). I think it's very much middle of the pack.

 

[sportscoach]

I'd say there's quite a bit of uncertainty.

Do you trust Tito to stick with Cimber as a ROOGY? How many times have we blasted him for using guys in their weak spots (Guyer vs RHP is the biggest example that comes to mind).

I just expect a team that fully expects to compete for a world series to have more certainty when it comes to their roster, especially in an area in which they struggled last season.

And yes, I know they can still improve upon it, as there is more off-season to go. I'm just basing it off of the report by Hoynes.

I also know that this section will be quick to find this post should the Indians' pen end up being good this season. But that's ok. I stand by my reasoning for wanting a more proven bullpen.

It's ok to be worried about certain areas on this team while still realizing there's quite a bit of talent on the roster.

I don't think anyone can truly disagree with your statement, i don't like it either which is why I am hoping they find a veteran "setup" guy for Hand. I think having the late innings set and allowing the other guys to find their roles in the season, should at least make it to where the bullpen is solidified and people have their roles. That almost always seems to help out everyone.

 

[Steve_424]

I'm more worried about the offense than I am the bullpen. The Indians are typically able to find a diamond in the rough every year, and if they don't there are almost always a ton of solid middle relievers available in July.

The lineup though...

SS-Lindor
2B-Kipnis
3B-Ramirez
DH-Santana
1B-Bauers
RF-Naquin
C-Perez
CF-Martin
LF-Allen

That's just not good enough as is.

 

[BimboColesHair]

I'm more worried about the offense than I am the bullpen. The Indians are typically able to find a diamond in the rough every year, and if they don't there are almost always a ton of solid middle relievers available in July.

The lineup though...

SS-Lindor
2B-Kipnis
3B-Ramirez
DH-Santana
1B-Bauers
RF-Naquin
C-Perez
CF-Martin
LF-Allen

That's just not good enough as is.

Their lineup is still projected to be one of the top is baseball.

Issue is there is uncertainty from 5 on down, and until the season starts people will expect the worst case scenario from players who need to prove something.

 

[Phil Mixtape]

Off topic, but just looked at the schedule . . . So we're opening the season in freaking Minnesota on March 28th??? These guys do realize that Minnesota plays outside now right? Christ almighty . . .

 

[Steve_424]

Their lineup is still projected to be one of the top is baseball.

Issue is there is uncertainty from 5 on down, and until the season starts people will expect the worst case scenario from players who need to prove something.

I think everyone but Lindor, Ramirez, and Santana are question marks. I'd feel a lot better if they added one vet to the lineup - Jones, Moose, Marwin, etc.