The 2020 Cleveland Indians

[CATS44]

For conversation sake -- anyone down for JD Davis for Plesac based deal?

As the general framework, it makes some sense.

By no stretch of the imagination is he a defensive stalwart, but Davis could end up in left or third, and fill the future hole at first.

He's a RH power bat without big splits.

But it would take somewhat more to acquire Plesac. A young SP under long term control is worth more than a corner bat, unless that bat is elite. Davis is merely good.

 

[CATS44]

He doesn't have his endurance right now, so why not put the two guys who are having trouble going 2ish times through the lineup together. They have different styles, but both guys work hard and want to be out there, so why is that a bad idea?

Because Plutko isn't very good?

If we are gonna go with a straight piggy back, we have better options than Plutko.

Ask yourself this...

If Cookie moves to the pen, who do you want to replace him in the rotation?

My guess is that Plutko is not your answer.

If the team wants to go to a piggy back, TMac-Cookie looks a lot better.

 

[LL3]

As the general framework, it makes some sense.

By no stretch of the imagination is he a defensive stalwart, but Davis could end up in left or third, and fill the future hole at first.

He's a RH power bat without big splits.

But it would take somewhat more to acquire Plesac. A young SP under long term control is worth more than a corner bat, unless that bat is elite. Davis is merely good.

Davis ( also with inexpensive years of control) is probably a more solid commodity, while Plesac is still a bit tbd. We ( collectively) are probably overvaluing Plesac’s 3 starts this season...hope he can keep it going and continue to adjust/ improve.

 

[LL3]

Because Plutko isn't very good?

If we are gonna go with a straight piggy back, we have better options than Plutko.

Ask yourself this...

If Cookie moves to the pen, who do you want to replace him in the rotation?

My guess is that Plutko is not your answer.

If the team wants to go to a piggy back, TMac-Cookie looks a lot better.

I dunno...cannot see Triston staying in majors to throw piggy back starts, with service time considerations. If Triston can throw a few more good games, he probably has a spot of his own. If not, back to Eastlake.
Plesac is probably your man if we have to replace Cookie in the rotation...CC probably then taking on a Bullpen role with a little leverage....but obviously just speculation on my part.

 

[Gson]

Davis ( also with inexpensive years of control) is probably a more solid commodity, while Plesac is still a bit tbd. We ( collectively) are probably overvaluing Plesac’s 3 starts this season...hope he can keep it going and continue to adjust/ improve.

...three starts this year.. 21 starts last year.. and a pretty solid improvement, across the board for Plesac.. In short.. overvaluing a young controllable starting pitcher who is improving.. is at least open to debate..

W/R to sample size.. 125 or so AB's in his first exposure and the current season sandwiched around a pretty solid 2019 for JD Davis is only slightly/marginally more or about the equivalent to Plesac's 2019 + 2020 for sampling..

Value.. as stated is pretty solid..

W/R to any added value or additional prospects.. IMHO, both sides adding would be appropriate.. From the Mets, no doubt in my mind.. Franky Alvarez is THEE ONLY prospect for the Indians that they must acquire.. if that means adding a well thought of prospect.. DO IT..

 

[Obscured By Clouds]

He doesn't have his endurance right now, so why not put the two guys who are having trouble going 2ish times through the lineup together. They have different styles, but both guys work hard and want to be out there, so why is that a bad idea?

Why not make the team better by moving Carasco to the pen and having Plesac brought back up instead of tinkering with some hybrid starter thing between Carasco/Plutko when we have 30 games to go?

 

[TFIR]

Agree. Carrasco to pen and Plesac up to replace him. Assuming Sunshine stays.

 

[Obscured By Clouds]

Interesting piece from Pluto.

Terry's Talkin' Tribe: Truth about trades, money & the future – Terry Pluto

With the Major League trading deadline coming Monday, it's time to look as what the Cleveland Indians can (and can't) do.

www.cleveland.com

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Interesting piece from Pluto.

Terry's Talkin' Tribe: Truth about trades, money & the future – Terry Pluto

With the Major League trading deadline coming Monday, it's time to look as what the Cleveland Indians can (and can't) do.

www.cleveland.com

Yeah, a lot of good stuff. Clevinger is likely to be traded after the season if not this weekend. Hand and Santana's team options will not be picked up.

The "extraordinary losses" Antonetti said the team will incur this season will come home to roost. We could be saying goodbye to Lindor, Clevinger, Hand, and Los after the season, although Carlos likes it here and I assume he would sign with the Tribe unless there was another offer that was substantially higher.

 

[Obscured By Clouds]

Yeah, a lot of good stuff. Clevinger is likely to be traded after the season if not this weekend. Hand and Santana's team options will not be picked up.

The "extraordinary losses" Antonetti said the team will incur this season will come home to roost. We could be saying goodbye to Lindor, Clevinger, Hand, and Los after the season, although Carlos likes it here and I assume he would sign with the Tribe unless there was another offer that was substantially higher.

As he points out, the market during the off season is likely to be shit for players. Good chance players like Santana and Hand are looking at well bellow market offers.

Also think it's interesting he points to Hand as the one to be moved, not Clevinger.

 

[jup]

As he points out, the market during the off season is likely to be shit for players. Good chance players like Santana and Hand are looking at well bellow market offers.

Also think it's interesting he points to Hand as the one to be moved, not Clevinger.

Hand walks at the end of the year unless they pick up the $10 mil option, because you aren't giving him a QO when you can have him for $10. So they would get absolutely nothing for hand. Trade him now and you get something unless you think he is so valuable to finishing off the playoff run this year.

Clevinger you can trade from now until the end of next years trade deadline for less money (probably $7 ish in arb versus $10 for Hands option). And in particular you can trade this off season when teams are reshaping their rosters.

With Hand being the more expensive, zero return at seasons end, his replacement on your 40 man performing well, and his departure probably not detracting from your chances at a post season run, seems like an easy choice. Just not sure what you get for him, but something is better than nothing when you are trying to maximize assets for a small market team that was already constrained before COVID.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Interesting Fangraphs column on Yandy Diaz.

Yandy Díaz and the Groundball Revolution

Once the poster child for a batter who needed to get the ball in the air, Díaz is now succeeding with a completely different approach.

blogs.fangraphs.com

After making a successful effort to pull the ball more in the air more often last year he's back to hitting ground balls, mostly to the opposite field, just like he did in Cleveland. He's making it work, though.

Good news! Through 124 plate appearances this year, Díaz has leveled up. He’s managed a 137 wRC+, good for 0.8 WAR, which puts him on a 4 WAR pace in a full season. That’s All-Star production...And while Díaz is hitting more grounders, he’s hitting them to the opposite field. No one in baseball bests him in the percentage of his 15-degree-and-lower balls sent the opposite way.

They go on to point out that ground balls hit the opposite way are much more likely to find their way into the outfield than pulled ground balls. So hitting a lot of oppo ground balls raises his BA. Also, he's extremely adverse to chasing bad pitches which results in a lot of walks, hence his amazing .426 OBP. After last year when he was doing damage pulling balls in the air pitchers are now pounding him low and away and he is either taking a walk or slapping hits to right field.

They seem to be saying there is a viable alternative to the launch angle revolution hence the title of the column.

By the way, Franmil Reyes is another big, strong right-handed bat who gets plenty of hits going the other way. He's currently hitting .307 but unlike Yandy he elevates one every now and then.

 

[Andrew Scheid]

Interesting piece from Pluto.

Terry's Talkin' Tribe: Truth about trades, money & the future – Terry Pluto

With the Major League trading deadline coming Monday, it's time to look as what the Cleveland Indians can (and can't) do.

www.cleveland.com

Predictions:
Hand is definitely gone after this season.
Clevinger's probably going to be gone by Monday.
Santana will have his option declined, but hopefully both sides can make a one-year deal for much less than $17.5 million work.
The Tribe might be "stuck" with Lindor because very few owners around the league are going to want to add $23 million in payroll for one season of control and give up a quality prospect or two.
Unless Dolan is selling blood and sperm to fulfill his payroll obligations, I'd be shocked if Lindor is salary dumped.

 

[JMcCurry08]

The part of the Pluto piece that has me thinking now......wonder if we could flip Hand for a bat by Monday. He’s got his stuff back together recently and teams value relievers

 

[Derek]

The part of the Pluto piece that has me thinking now......wonder if we could flip Hand for a bat by Monday. He’s got his stuff back together recently and teams value relievers

Our pen has been really good, but I don’t think we have any luxury guys. If we dealt Hand, I’d see us as being short handed.