Coach's Hot Take Thread!

[33Y0]

No minority owner yet. Might not be one. If not, I would expect payroll to increase only moderately, if that.

Ownership clearly said they lost tens of millions last year and that it will take years to recover financially. I'm not expecting a big payroll hike just because they changed the name.

My personnel prediction is Berto will be let go - he makes too much money and his age plus injury history the last two years will be the reasons, along with his anemic bat. Hedges will take over as the starter with Wilson Ramos as the backup. Hedges is four years younger than Berto and doesn't hit much, either, but he is hitting .270 with runners in scoring position.

I'll be honest, I'd actually be happy with Hedges and Ramos in '22.

 

[Benway]

Not a hot take, but I'm giving away a Club Seat for tonight's game:

1 Free Club seat for 7:10pm game tonight - Indians vs. A's (8/10)!

My plans changed and I have 1 seat I cannot use or exchange. (I will not be there.) You MUST have the MLB app on a smartphone to receive the ticket AND to enter the park. If anyone would like to go to the game solo, hit me up with a message. First qualified request will be granted. Endless...

realcavsfans.com

 

[yrm0019]

Probably not a hot take but it follows 33YO's thinking. What's the point of inflection for great defense/pitcher-handling as a catcher versus utterly anemic offensive performance? Are Berto/Hedges making THAT much of a difference versus a catcher that has a wRC+ above 85 and is average to slightly below average behind the dish? Are the Guards/Tribe pitchers THAT dependent upon the catchers for success? I though the org had great pitching development? Or is that only because of the catching? I appreciate great defense of any kind....but I am getting tired of 3-4 automatic outs per game out of the catching position, especially when every other stick in the lineup is barely passable.

 

[Criznit]

Do we cash in some of these prospects we've grown/traded for? If we do anything is possible with this team.

Time to move on from Amed... Or time to trade some of our MIF prospects.

 

[Alabuckeye]

Probably not a hot take but it follows 33YO's thinking. What's the point of inflection for great defense/pitcher-handling as a catcher versus utterly anemic offensive performance? Are Berto/Hedges making THAT much of a difference versus a catcher that has a wRC+ above 85 and is average to slightly below average behind the dish? Are the Guards/Tribe pitchers THAT dependent upon the catchers for success? I though the org had great pitching development? Or is that only because of the catching? I appreciate great defense of any kind....but I am getting tired of 3-4 automatic outs per game out of the catching position, especially when every other stick in the lineup is barely passable.

I suspect it's a case of knowing that you have a secret sauce, but are unsure which of the ingredients going into the sauce are the most important, so you don't wish to disturb the mix.

 

[33Y0]

I suspect it's a case of knowing that you have a secret sauce, but are unsure which of the ingredients going into the sauce are the most important, so you don't wish to disturb the mix.

And I think some of that is due in part because Yan Gomes was a very good defensive catcher. We got spoiled.

 

[BimboColesHair]

Of all the sections on RCF, this is the one that doesn't need a hot take specific thread

 

[33Y0]

Probably not a hot take but it follows 33YO's thinking. What's the point of inflection for great defense/pitcher-handling as a catcher versus utterly anemic offensive performance? Are Berto/Hedges making THAT much of a difference versus a catcher that has a wRC+ above 85 and is average to slightly below average behind the dish? Are the Guards/Tribe pitchers THAT dependent upon the catchers for success? I though the org had great pitching development? Or is that only because of the catching? I appreciate great defense of any kind....but I am getting tired of 3-4 automatic outs per game out of the catching position, especially when every other stick in the lineup is barely passable.

And let’s be honest, Berto hasn’t been stellar behind the plate. His framing has still been on par but he’s allowed three pass balls in the last handful of weeks.

 

[DarNoor]

My hot take for the day. Every time is see "Guardians", i want to throw up.

 

[Derek]

My hot take for the day. Every time is see "Guardians", i want to throw up.

Guardians

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

And let’s be honest, Berto hasn’t been stellar behind the plate. His framing has still been on par but he’s allowed three pass balls in the last handful of weeks.

...which is completely out of the norm since he went something like two years without ONE passed ball. I assume the back spasms may have been a factor. They were serious enough that he's now on the IR.

Roberto is 32 but has only played in 480 major league games over eight seasons, an average of 60 games per year. A lot of that was due to being a backup to Gomes for a few years. He doesn't have a lot of wear and tear, but he's been injured the last two years so I'm not optimistic he can be the #1 and catch 130 games a year at age 33.

The Indians would save $6.5 million if they let him go and they would open up a much needed roster spot to protect a Rule 5 prospect. Wilson Ramos is making $1 million this year so if we could sign him to the same deal next year as Berto's replacement we could reduce the payroll by $5.5 million.

I'll be surprised if they don't buy out Roberto for $450 K rather than give him $7 million.

 

[Criznit]

...which is completely out of the norm since he went something like two years without ONE passed ball. I assume the back spasms may have been a factor. They were serious enough that he's now on the IR.

Roberto is 32 but has only played in 480 major league games over eight seasons, an average of 60 games per year. A lot of that was due to being a backup to Gomes for a few years. He doesn't have a lot of wear and tear, but he's been injured the last two years so I'm not optimistic he can be the #1 and catch 130 games a year at age 33.

The Indians would save $6.5 million if they let him go and they would open up a much needed roster spot to protect a Rule 5 prospect. Wilson Ramos is making $1 million this year so if we could sign him to the same deal next year as Berto's replacement we could reduce the payroll by $5.5 million.

I'll be surprised if they don't buy out Roberto for $450 K rather than give him $7 million.

I would be shocked if they bring back Berto via his option. For as frugal a team as the Guardians are, bringing him back doesn't seem to fit.

Decline and resign or Berto rides the pine for another team down the line.

 

[Lee]

My hot take for the day. Every time is see "Guardians", i want to throw up.

Its ok, my hot take is the team will be sold in 5 years to someone who has to keep it in Cleveland. That person will hate the name Guardians and change us to the Spiders.

 

[KluberSociety]

Its ok, my hot take is the team will be sold in 5 years to someone who has to keep it in Cleveland. That person will hate the name Guardians and change us to the Spiders.

I just can't see the name changing for a while, even if it flops. Since we have already tried to sell Guardians as being representative of Cleveland, it would be almost Cleveland-rejecting in a way.

I'm no fan of the name and was against that choice from when it really first started looking like it'd become reality, but I just don't see it changing at least for a long while unless the team moves. Team name changes just don't happen except Redskins/Indians.

 

[KluberSociety]

Hot take: There is overenthusiasm toward our middle infielder youngsters, particularly Gimenez, Miller, and Freeman.

The clamoring to trade players to make room for unproven assets, or trade unproven assets because we have a surplus of unproven assets, is really puzzling to me. There's a decent chance that we won't even have enough of these players succeed to have a solid middle infield in 2022.

Gimenez has disappointing K/BB numbers in AAA (I doubt he will come back significantly better offensively), Miller seems to translate poorly to MLB, and Freeman has a fairly low ceiling which may be below a Nick Madrigal kind of player (but at least has a pretty high floor).