Moves the Indians should make for the 2nd half

[FFRva]

Does anyone believe the primary motivator behind moving Cesar is not wanting to pay him for his production?

I think it's clear the primary motivator behind moving Cesar is that he doesn't fit with the core of our next group that can carry us towards contention, so you get what you can for him and let the young guys play here and start to sort out what you have.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[sportscoach]

Ender Inciarte, yay or nay on a pickup?

 

[CDAV45]

Ender Inciarte, yay or nay on a pickup?

Hell nay!

 

[Derek]

Ender Inciarte, yay or nay on a pickup?

He's 2015 Michael Bourn

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Mike Tauchman was dfa'd by the Giants. He's a good fielding OF, but light hitting. Sorta like Zimmer but strikes out less.

 

[CATS44]

Now that the trading is done, and the die is..unfortunately...cast on the 40 man...

What should the Tribe do?

Work to extend JRam.
Ditto Franmil.

Do you know who has the highest wRC+ among DHs who were not born in Japan?

La Mole, and it isn't close. Extend him now.

Whatever they do, don't rush Bieber and Civale. Shut them down, if its in their best interest. With the kind of injuries they have, they are both at least somewhat questionable in terms of effectiveness next year...and without both at their normal level next year, 2022 will be a wasted year. Take no chances.

Find somebody...anybody, except Chang...to play first base. If Naylor is not full go by Opening Day, we don't have a back up to play first. I'm not talking about a fill in for a day or two....somebody who is a legit 1B, in case Bradley is hurt or falls off a cliff, which isn't out of the question.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

So it looks like the primary and maybe only goal of the rest of the year is evaluating the young players on the roster.

The main issue is the outfield. Antonetti said Straw will be the every day centerfielder and Mercado, Zimmer, Johnson, and Harold Ramirez will be playing left or right. The rest of the season will be used to evaluate those four and make decisions for next year.

Can Mercado and Zimmer hit enough to play a corner OF spot? (I seriously doubt it).

Can Harold be more than a .280 singles hitter with no power who is a defensive liability?

Is Daniel Johnson ready to play in the bigs? If not, will he ever be? He just turned 26.

Are any of these guys in the long term plans? My guess is no, not at this point in time. But they'll get a chance to make their case over the last 62 games.

Same for Owen Miller and Ernie Clement. And JC Mejia and Eli Morgan. In the bullpen I'd like to see Stephan and Garza get more opportunities.

Once the Clippers' season is over we could also see Nolan Jones and Andres Gimenez get some major league at-bats.

Obviously not all of these guys will make a case for being included in the future plans, but hopefully a few of them will.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

We don't have any players on our roster that looks like a + corner outfielder. On potential, we could have a couple in Nolan Jones and George Valera. But Valera is still a ways away. Jones should start in the OF for Columbus the rest of the way. That's his fastest ticket to MLB.
September call up for sure.

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

I want to see Alex Call for a month. His strike out rate plummeted in the minors and his prospect shelf life is about done at age 26. Give him 100 ABs and see if he has figured something out.

 

[sportscoach]

I want to see Alex Call for a month. His strike out rate plummeted in the minors and his prospect shelf life is about done at age 26. Give him 100 ABs and see if he has figured something out.

I think someone like LHP Perez will get the last 40 man spot... I don't mind seeing Call/Brooks getting up to the pros...

 

[Alabuckeye]

My only fear with shutting down Bieber and Civale till 2022 is that I’d be successive seasons where their innings counts are way down. How does that affect their ability to pitch 200 plus next year

 

[CDAV45]

Now that the trading is done, and the die is..unfortunately...cast on the 40 man...

What should the Tribe do?

Work to extend JRam.
Ditto Franmil.

Do you know who has the highest wRC+ among DHs who were not born in Japan?

La Mole, and it isn't close. Extend him now.

Whatever they do, don't rush Bieber and Civale. Shut them down, if its in their best interest. With the kind of injuries they have, they are both at least somewhat questionable in terms of effectiveness next year...and without both at their normal level next year, 2022 will be a wasted year. Take no chances.

Find somebody...anybody, except Chang...to play first base. If Naylor is not full go by Opening Day, we don't have a back up to play first. I'm not talking about a fill in for a day or two....somebody who is a legit 1B, in case Bradley is hurt or falls off a cliff, which isn't out of the question.

They should absolutely attempt to extend JRam, Franmil, and Bieber. If they can't get JRam extended then they should look for suitors after the season. If Bieber and Franmil can't be extended then no worries. Neither are FA until 2025.

With such outstanding defense in CF is it possible that Reyes gets the RF gig? That would create some flexibility for MC to pick up a 1B/DH instead of focusing strictly on RF.

Wholeheartedly agree that Bieber and Civale need not be rushed. There just isn't a good reason to do so and the risk far outweighs the desire to see them pitch ASAP.

I tell ya CATS, I'm struggling putting the puzzle pieces together. For instance, how in the hell does Amed fit in? I think you, me, and several others assumed he would be our CF starting next season. I think we all agree that he shouldn't be our SS, so what's his role? How do they envision using Jones when he's ready? I'd love to see Jones and Reyes occupying the corners, but that squeezes guys like HRam, Zimmer, Mercado, Johnson, and even Naylor out. Speaking of Naylor, I was never sold on his abilities and now I'm doubtful that he can fully return to form. That's was a devastating injury, but if anybody can get back to 100% it will be Josh. Kid is as hard nosed as they come and his hockey background shines through his demeanor. Pretty much balls to the wall with no regard for self. Type of guy you want beside you in battle.

 

[DCTribefan]

Hire her to throw out first pitch at every home game.

 

[MadThinker88]

We don't have any players on our roster that looks like a + corner outfielder. On potential, we could have a couple in Nolan Jones and George Valera. But Valera is still a ways away. Jones should start in the OF for Columbus the rest of the way. That's his fastest ticket to MLB.
September call up for sure.

Maybe not...

In the past the AAA season was over the 1st weekend of Sept unless the team made the playoff.
This year the AAA season goes to at least 9/19 and last I heard there was an extra week being added on as a post-season for everyone.

In the past MLB rosters could expand dramatically (out to 40 players).
Now it is only a couple more players (IIRC to 28 total)..

I think we can agree - wherever he is at, Nolan Jones should be playing every day (or damn close to it).

It will be interesting to see what players will get pulled up in Sept. My guess it will be more pitching as multiple guys will be likely up against inning limits..
With so many arms injured during 2021 (in the mlb & the minors), keeping the remaining arms healthy will be key for 2022..

 

[Gson]

with the trading deadline now in the rearview mirror.. rosterbation moves will begin to trickle in... this is a time when a hidden gem or a better than what the Indians currently have on their roster may become available.. IF the CLEFO is willing to go against the conventional wisdom of years gone by:

e.g.: many / most first time DFA'ers go unclaimed and are then sent off their parent clubs' 40 man roster and sent to a AAA/minor league asignment.. This understanding or gentlemen's agreement (w/ apology to Kim Ng) permits the parent club to keep their guy without issue.. The behavior is often reciprocated by many teams.. The player returned to the minors then cannot be returned to the parent club without exposure to waivers or becomes a MiLB free agent shortly thereafter..

With the current situation the Tribe is in.. having a guy or two exposed to waivers claimed.. especially a guy holding a 40 man roster spot.. is encouraged..

That said.. there is a specific player that was just DFA'd that the Indians might consider.. immediately.. Domingo Acevedo.. a former NYY drafteee/signeee with a blazing FB and less than average (even for an MiLB'er) secondary offerings.. He'd slot right into the middle of the pen going into 2022 IF the CLEFO player development group can fix him.. IDK if they can... but the raw material to work with is well worth the nothing cost..

Thoughts?...