Recap: Reporter Zack Meisel discussed the Indians’ postseason hopes and more
Zack Meisel
I think the Indians should talk trade with Toronto. Toronto is all hitting and weak pitching and Cleveland is the opposite. Thoughts.
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:17pm
@Kevin S. And much of that hitting fits the pre-arbitration profile the Indians covet. Makes sense to me.
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Kevin S.
Sep 25, 4:25pm
Bieber who they won’t keep could be the start with Bichette coming the other way. Build from there
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:29pm
@Kevin S. Okay, well that's just not happening
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Kevin S.
Sep 25, 4:33pm
It’s the start of the trade. Bichette has Tatis stats. Bieber is at optimum value right now. He will never be higher. You get Bichette, Biggio and a player for Lindor and you have a balanced team. They will never win with imbalance and there are no offensive saviours on the farm. Even Lindors trade could turn out disappointing.
Brad V.
Sep 25, 4:34pm
@Kevin S. Bieber, the 25 year-old Cy Young, with 4 years of club control beyond this year, is already on the block?! lol
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Kevin S.
Sep 25, 4:37pm
And it is a team that will never win as configured. There is no offence. Lindor will be gone. Santana is done. Will they pay Ramirez and Hernandez. Obviously Bieber is a stud. But they won’t win with an unbalanced team.
Linda S.
Sep 25, 4:38pm
Absolutely not!!!
Patrick T.
Sep 25, 4:49pm
No way, Kevin S!
Kevin S.
Sep 25, 4:54pm
Next year outside of Ramirez and maybe Reyes there is not one offensive player who would start for a contending team. Certainly not in Minnesota or Chicago
Cody K.Sep 25, 4:03pm
Hello, with arod not being able to buy the Mets and the dolans looking to sell hopefully can you see arod buying the tribe?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:11pm
@Cody K. I'll shoot J-Lo a text and get back to you
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Linda S.
Sep 25, 4:15pm
Hi Zack, which team do you think the Indians have the best shot against in the first round? The worst?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:04pm
@Ben C. It seems as though they'll match up against either the Twins, White Sox, Yankees or A's. I'd say the White Sox and A's would be their ideal choices. If they're hosting the Yankees, I wonder if that's preferable to going to Minnesota. The Yankees haven't seen Bieber or Plesac. One key is, it's probably preferable to be in the 2/7-3/6 side of the bracket, otherwise you're likely tasked with going through both the Yankees and Rays before you get to the ALCS.
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Ben C.
Sep 25, 4:08pm
@Zack Meisel Thanks Zack! I’d love them to avoid the Twins at all costs.
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Brian R.
Sep 25, 4:05pm
Why do you think Frankie Lindor struggle so much in the clutch? Have you observed anything about his personality over the years to suggest he would be afraid of the moment? It's become incredibly frustrating
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:15pm
@Brian R. It's the opposite; he wants those moments. It's a tough thing to evaluate because of the sample size and the fact that every situation is different. But it's hard to ignore that it's gone on for two years. .172/.296/.310 this year in 71 PAs. .202/.295/.312 last year in 133 PAs. Early on this year, I chalked it up to the team being so desperate for offense that he just put way too much pressure on himself to deliver. Regardless, they're going to need that to turn around by next week.
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Matt W.
Sep 25, 4:00pm
Will the radio broadcasters go on the road for the playoffs?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:09pm
@matt W. I was under the impression broadcasters were continuing their regular season routines during the playoffs, but just to double check, I sent out a bat signal. Will update here if I hear back before the end of the chat.
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:11pm
Confirmed: Staying in CLE
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Matt W.
Sep 25, 4:05pm
Why can't this Indians team consistently score runs? It's a great line up on paper.
Kevin S.
Sep 25, 4:12pm
It’s not a great lineup. Santana is in decline and every player after Reyes should be a backup player not a starter. Exception is Perez whose defensive value and handling pitchers makes him a starter regardless of average. Trade with Toronto who have many good batters we’ll under 30. Several under 25.
1
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:17pm
@matt W. Well, the bottom 4/9ths of the lineup has been rather horrendous. The top 5/9ths looks good on paper, but at least two of those five have been ice cold at all times. And they don't hit for enough power to make up for that. They're 27th in the majors in slugging, so it usually requires a bunch of hits strung together to produce a multi-run inning (a la the 7th last night), and that's tough to do when only a couple guys are in a groove at a time.
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Matthew C.
Sep 25, 4:54pm
Not a question, just a fun thing: After the Rockies and Diamondbacks play their doubleheader today, Cleveland will be the only team who has not played a 7-inning game this season.
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:57pm
@Matthew C. [checks forecast] Phew. We're clear. They did play that double header in late July before the 7-inning rule was instituted.
Michael J.
Sep 25, 3:52pm
Why do you think they left Roberto Perez in to run in the top of the 10th on Tuesday? It seems like the benefit to having 3 catchers on the roster is the ability to pinch run/pinch hit if the situation calls for it. I get that he wasn't even the tying run, but I'd still rather see a fresh Mercado out there on 2nd than Bebo after he's already caught 9 innings.
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Brian R.
Sep 25, 4:03pm
@Michael J. If it was a 1-run game then Sandy definitely would have replaced him
1
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:05pm
@Michael J. I believe I asked the same question out loud when the inning started. Never got a chance to ask Sandy about it because of the madness that ensued afterward. My guess is he didn't want to burn a player who he might have used as a pinch-hitter.
Ryan L.
Sep 25, 4:07pm
Three unrelated questions:
(1) Any chance the team picks up Brad Hand's or Carlos Santana's option and/or resigns Cesar Hernandez?
(2) What is Tito's role the rest of the season?
(3) Did the team have an idea Clev might break down before trading him? That trade is looking pretty good, right now, particularly if Quantrill becomes a starter. (Will he become a starter on this team?)
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:25pm
@Ryan L. 1) No to Santana's option, though that doesn't necessarily mean his CLE tenure will end. They could exercise Hand's option and flip him like they did Kluber. I'd be surprised if Hernandez returned, but I really don't have any idea what the free-agent market will look like, so I wouldn't say 0%.
2) As this very moment, cheerleader. He's in the team's bubble just in case (and so he can still interact with everyone even if not in the dugout), and he said he's trying to get back to full strength to help out, but they're taking it day by day. He won't manage this weekend.
3) There's always a bit of fear about his delivery because it's so unorthodox and violent, but I don't think they knew he would specifically injure himself a few weeks later, no. They do want to see Quantrill as a starter and Quantrill would prefer to start if given the choice.
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Jessica G.
Sep 25, 4:07pm
What kind of contract is Santana expected to get next year and is there mutual interest in making something work for him to stay?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:32pm
@jessica G. Tough to know what free agency will look like this winter. It seems like every team will cry poor (shhh, don't mention the massive deal the league and Turner Sports announced yesterday). Santana has always talked about wanting to play in Cleveland until he's 90, so maybe he'd be willing to work something out on the team's terms... if the team will have him back. They could also turn to Josh Naylor, Bobby Bradley or Jake Bauers.
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Jessica G.
Sep 25, 4:39pm
Thanks. I sure hope they figure something out. He's getting up there but with the likelihood of Lindor and Hand being gone next year and a fairly young roster, Los would give them some solid vet leadership.
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Kelly M.
Sep 25, 4:05pm
Not that he’d receive any votes, but is Sandy Alomar eligible for the Manager of the Year Award as an acting manager?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:41pm
@Kelly M. Based on conversations with other writers, I *think* he's eligible, but I don't have a definitive answer. It's a good question, and one Manager of the Year voters are going to need to solve in the next couple days.
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Brian W.
Sep 25, 4:15pm
Name 1 under the radar hitter and pitcher that needs to step up for the team to make a deep run.
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:47pm
@Brian W. These aren't under any radar, but for hitter: They need at least one of Reyes, Santana or Naquin to catch fire. For pitcher: They need Karinchak to pull a 2016 Miller/Allen.
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Brian W.
Sep 25, 4:16pm
Any updates on how players fared at Eastlake?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:49pm
@Brian W. Difficult to assess fairly, just because they were playing fake games and there wasn't anything at stake and we weren't allowed there so we can only go by whatever vague reports are provided. The 12 players included on the taxi squad can at least reveal (in some instances) which players the team thinks could help them right away.
Brian W.
Sep 25, 4:17pm
If Cesar Hernandez would take the exact same contract he had this year would the Indians offer it to him?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:50pm
@Brian W. Ask me again in six weeks. This winter is really difficult to predict, from a league-wide lens.
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Alex J.
Sep 25, 4:19pm
Who do you think starts in the outfield for the first round? I would go with Luplow, Mercado, Naquin/Naylor
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:52pm
@alex J. It seems like DeShields is their guy in CF. You'll see Luplow against lefties and Naquin and Naylor against righties. There's still an opening in LF against lefties.
Alex J.
Sep 25, 4:57pm
Do you think platooning our outfielders so frequently is what has contributed to their lack of production?
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 5:06pm
@alex J. It's taken time for some guys to get going (Luplow has been much better in September), and it's tough when we're evaluating small sample sizes and the team is trying to mix and match to find the right combinations. Like, Daniel Johnson received 12 at-bats. We shouldn't be drawing any conclusions about him yet. Oscar Mercado has had a rough year, but it's a tiny sample in the grand scheme.
Brett N.
Sep 25, 4:57pm
What is the case for Hedges being on the roster ahead of Zimmer? Zimmer obviously did not hit much, but his stats are comparable to the other outfielders on the roster. But he is valuable as a late inning defender, pinch runner... or even as a guy who has a non zero chance to hit one out. Carrying 3 catchers just seems pointless.
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 5:07pm
@brett N. I would think (and I can't say for sure because I'm shocked they've kept three catchers this long) they'd drop a catcher and add someone like Zimmer or Johnson that they could use strategically.
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Brad V.
Sep 25, 4:20pm
What are the chances we see a Scott Moss audition out of the bullpen in the Pittsburgh series? OP is really the only reliable lefty out of the pen (aside from Hand)...
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:54pm
@Brad V. That's where I thought they might try out Hentges, but it seems like it's too late to give someone an audition for a postseason role. This weekend is wide open. My guess is there will be a bullpen day Sunday. Not sure if they'll add any newcomers to the mix. (It's incredible they're still carrying three catchers.)
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Brian R.
Sep 25, 4:25pm
With Clase suspended, what is he spending his time doing?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:54pm
@Brian R. Throwing. Long walks on the beach. More throwing.
Brad V.
Sep 25, 4:30pm
Was a Nolan Jones promotion this year ever seriously considered?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 5:00pm
@Brad V. When I asked about it a few weeks ago, it didn't sound like it. He's now in AZ with a bunch of other prospects at the team's training camp.
Zack Meisel
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Dan J.
Sep 25, 4:48pm
My friend Tony has been debating me all week in regards to him wanting the Indians to play the Yankees in the first round. Can you please explain to him why Oakland, Tampa or even the twins is a better match up for the tribe in the first round?
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:59pm
@Dan J. You sure your friend's name isn't Ken Carman? To be completely honest, a three-game series is effectively a coin flip. The Yankees have significant pitching questions. They've lost four of five since their long winning streak. I will say, in my mind, it's preferable to be on the side of the bracket with the Astros and the 2/3 seeds than potentially have to get through both the Yankees and Rays to reach the ALCS.
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Elizabeth A.
Sep 25, 4:13pm
Will the team try Franmil in the outfield again next spring training?
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:37pm
@Elizabeth A. I would certainly think so. Seems like a waste not to.
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Matthew C.
Sep 25, 4:14pm
I know they're going to slash payroll because of reasons, but do you think they'll really decline Hand's modest $10m option? He's been incredibly effective this year. If they picked it up could they really not find someone willing to trade for him?
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Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:39pm
@Matthew C. I'd think they would *try* to find a taker for him so they can get something in return
Dominic A.
Sep 25, 4:09pm
Hey Zack, I’ve been intrigued by the hype around big hurler Sam Hentges. From what I’ve heard he can throw 100mph from the left side. Why aren’t the Indians all over him right now and do you think we can see him in the playoffs?
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:33pm
@Dominic A. Here's what I wrote in a piece that went up about an hour ago: I thought the Indians might experiment with 24-year-old Sam Hentges in such a role. He’s a towering lefty with a fastball that now can reach the upper 90s. Hentges is part of the Indians’ 40-player pool from which they’ll draw their 28-man playoff roster, but if he hasn’t made an appearance yet, it sure doesn’t seem as though that’s in the cards.
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Dominic A.
Sep 25, 4:35pm
I will most definitey read that. Thanks!
Edward C.
Sep 25, 4:00pm
Any word on Brady Aiken/his status/future?
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:08pm
@Edward C. Nothing since Spring Training 1.0, in which he had reported to camp but wasn't on any specific ramp-up plan. Will try to get an update in the near future.
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Edward C.
Sep 25, 4:14pm
@Zack Meisel thanks. know it's a weird season but his situation was weird to begin with!
William F.
Sep 25, 4:07pm
Is there a seed/ matchup in the first round of the playoffs that is looking most likely for the Tribe ??
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:26pm
@William F. They'll either be the 2, 4, 5 or 7. Tough to say what's likely because the Indians get the luxury of hosting the Pirates while the Twins/White Sox are facing two teams (Cubs, Reds) that have plenty to play for.
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Erik N.
Sep 25, 4:08pm
Do you think Carlos Santana stays in the cleanup spot for postseason? he has been struggling mightily and Ramirez will never see a pitch if so
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BILLY C.
Sep 25, 4:18pm
I wish Franmill would have hit his way into that spot. I'm also worried about people just pitching around him to the .170 Santana
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:33pm
@Erik N. Yeah, I don't think they'll make any changes to that order this late in the year.
Zack Meisel
23h ago
The question about whether Alomar is eligible for Manager of the Year votes: According to the BBWAA, typically whomever is receiving the official W/L on their record is the one eligible for votes, which would be Francona.
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Dan J.
Sep 25, 4:10pm
What do you see Tristen McKenzie’s role being this postseason out of the pen? You think they might try to use him similar to how Miller was used or is that too much ask of him?
Zack Meisel
Sep 25, 4:34pm
@Dan J. Too much. He's barely pitched in two years and has never pitched in relief, so don't expect him to pitch in back-to-back-to-back games or anything like that. They can use him for 2-3 innings at a time every so often. They also might still need him as a starter if they make a run.
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Eric C.
