Guardians Rumors

Injury Notes: Hill, Ethier, AGon, Bailey, Melancon, Mariners, Kluber, Gray

By Jeff Todd | May 12, 2017 at 9:38pm CDT

Here’s the latest on some notable health situations from around the game:

The Dodgers have updates on a number of players. Lefty Rich Hill is going to return as a starter, but if his blister issue recurs then the team will consider moving him into some kind of relief role, manager Dave Roberts tells MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM (Twitter link). The timeline remains a ways off for outfielder Andre Ethier, meanwhile. He’s still not able to run without feeling pain in his back, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports, making it seem unlikely he’d be able to return early July. Finally, first baseman Adrian Gonzalez is expected to begin a rehab assignment next week, Alanna Rizzo of Sportsnet LA tweets. He may only require two or three games before returning.
On the other side of the city, the Angels are sending righty Andrew Bailey for a visit with Dr. David Altchek, as Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The reliever “felt something” in his shoulder during a recent throwing session. Shoulder issues have kept him on the DL all year.
Further north, the Giants have cause for hope that closer Mark Melancon will require only the brief DL timeline the club had charted when he was taken off the active roster. As Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Twitter, Melancon is reporting reduced symptoms in his forearm. The righty will test things out by playing catch tomorrow.
Continuing up the coast, the Mariners also have a smattering of health updates of note, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reports. Key young talents James Paxton and Mitch Haniger are moving in the right direction, with the hope still being that they’ll return before the month is out. Reliever Steve Cishek is also close. But Felix Hernandez is going to rest his ailing shoulder a bit more, leaving his timeline somewhat cloudy, and it’s still not clear what to expect from Hisashi Iwakuma.
Indians righty Corey Kluber is moving slowly in his rehab, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. Out with lower back issues, Kluber has begun throwing from flat ground but still hasn’t taken the hill. Manager Terry Francona did say that the team is seeing progress, though perhaps the biggest test is yet to come.
Rockies staff ace Jon Gray is also taking longer than had been hoped, as Nick Groke of the Denver Post writes. Gray is still in a walking boot while his broken left foot heals, though the hope seems to be he’ll be ready to shed that soon. While Gray has been able to continue throwing, he’ll obviously need to boost his conditioning and ensure his foot is at full health before undertaking at least some kind of rehab assignment.

Yankees Acquire Yoiber Marquina To Complete Nick Goody Trade

By Jeff Todd | May 5, 2017 at 3:34pm CDT

The Yankees have acquired righty Yoiber Marquina from the Indians, the clubs have announced. His transfer completes the offseason trade that sent righty Nick Goody to Cleveland.

Marquina, 21, has yet to appear this season and just underwent Tommy John surgery, as the Yankees announced in their press release. But he showed promise last year at the Class A level, throwing 31 1/3 innings of 3.16 ERA ball with 12.4 K/9 against 4.0 BB/9. Marquina is still developing after moving to the mound from behind the dish, as Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs has written, but he seems to be a reasonably intriguing arm — so long as the health issues can be overcome.

That seemingly represents a relatively strong return for a player who had been designated for assignment, as was the case for Goody — suggesting there may have been interest from other teams at the time. But Cleveland is faring rather well in the deal thus far. Goody, who has long shown plenty of swing-and-miss ability in the upper minors and even the majors, has been sensational in the early going. Through nine innings over six appearances, he has allowed no earned runs and just five total baserunners while recording nine strikeouts.

Indians Place Corey Kluber On 10-Day DL

By Jeff Todd | May 3, 2017 at 2:35pm CDT

The Indians have placed righty Corey Kluber on the 10-day DL with lower back discomfort, per a team announcement. He’ll be replaced for the time being by righty Joe Colon.

Kluber has reportedly been dealing with the back issue throughout the early portion of the season, so it seems the hope is that some rest will help him move past it. He has struggled somewhat thus far, perhaps due in part to the nagging discomfort.

Though Kluber is still carrying a strong 9.9 K/9 on the year, he has allowed more walks (3.1 BB/9) than usual and has coughed up seven long balls through 37 1/3 innings. His velocity has dropped a bit, with his four-seamer sitting at 91.5 mph and his sinker averaging 92.1 mph.

Pitching Injury Notes: Shields, Rodon, Hamels, Volquez, Kluber, Nats

By Jeff Todd | May 2, 2017 at 11:21pm CDT

The White Sox will put righty James Shields on ice for a bit after he experienced soreness while throwing, as Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago writes. Shields is on the 10-day DL with a lat strain that hasn’t improved as rapidly as had been hoped. While it would obviously be preferable to have the veteran in the rotation, it seems a slow and steady course will now be required.

Here’s more on some pitching health issues from around the game:

It has been a long wait for the White Sox as young lefty Carlos Rodon, who hasn’t yet pitched in 2017 due to a biceps injury. Skipper Rick Renteria was somewhat coy when asked about the southpaw, as Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports on Twitter. While Renteria emphasized that the club was “very happy” with Rodon’s progress, he declined to say whether the 24-year-old has been cleared to work off of a mound.
Southpaw Cole Hamels was scratched from his outing for the Rangers today, as Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweeted. Oblique tightness was given as the reason, though the severity isn’t yet clear. Texas can scarcely afford anything less than a healthy and effective Hamels as the team seeks to dig itself out of the AL West basement. The veteran has managed just 4.1 K/9 on the year, less than half his career average, with a 7.5% swinging-strike rate that’s well off his typical pace (12.3% lifetime). That said, he still carries a 3.03 ERA through 32 2/3 innings.
Also leaving with an injury today was Marlins righty Edinson Volquez. As MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro writes, Volquez had an incredibly unusual stat line, compiling an unprecedented combination of eight walks and nine strikeouts through 4 1/3 innings before departing with a thumb blister. After the game, manager Don Mattingly said that Volquez could miss his next scheduled outing, as Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets.
Corey Kluber of the Indians failed to make it through his start, too, as MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports on Twitter. The righty was dealing with lower back issues that have been a nagging problem of late. He had struggled through three innings before being pulled. Kluber is off to an uncharacteristically slow start to the year, with a 5.06 ERA through 37 1/3 innings.
The Nationals have thrived despite subpar work from their bullpen, but the team would no doubt prefer to see some improvement. It would surely help to get Koda Glover and Sammy Solis back from the DL, though as Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports (Twitter links), the outlook seems better for the former than the latter. Glover, who’s out with a hip issue, says he expects to return after the minimum ten days on the DL. But Solis has yet to begin playing catch. While there’s still no reason to fear a significant injury, elbow nerve inflammation has yet to subside.

AL Central Notes: May, Jackson, Jimenez, Smith

By Steve Adams | May 2, 2017 at 9:08am CDT

The White Sox announced that Opening Day center fielder Jacob May has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. A corresponding roster move will be made tonight. As CSN Chicago’s Dan Hayes writes, May winning the Opening Day gig in center was a surprise that was fueled by a strong spring performance, but his 2-for-36 start to the season ended his first taste of the Majors. “He might have been a little overmatched,” manager Rick Renteria said of May. “That’s just the bottom line. You want to make excuses for it. Might have been a little overmatched right now. … His energy has always been the same. It’s very consistent. He’s done everything for the work in the field and working with the guys in the cages and everything else we could have asked of him.” With May in Triple-A, Leury Garcia figures to continue to receive quite a bit of time in center field. The 26-year-old is off to a .306/.323/.484 start to his season through 65 plate appearances.

Steve Delabar Suspended 80 Games For Failed PED Test

By Steve Adams | April 24, 2017 at 3:48pm CDT

Right-handed reliever Steve Delabar, who signed a minor league deal with the Indians this winter, has been suspended 80 games after testing positive for the banned substance Ostarine, the league announced Monday. Delabar hasn’t been active with the club in Triple-A due to the pending suspension, the Indians added in their own announcement.

The 33-year-old Delabar has fallen off the radar somewhat in recent years, but he’s a veteran of six Major League seasons, most recently tossing eight innings with the Reds in 2016. Delabar was an All-Star with the Blue Jays back in 2013 and served as a very effective member of Toronto’s relief corps from 2012-13 before declining in 2014-15. (Of anecdotal note, MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince reminds, on Twitter, that the Jays initially acquired Delabar from the Mariners by trading a fairly promising young outfielder by the name of Eric Thames to Seattle.)

Given the depth of Cleveland’s bullpen, it didn’t seem especially likely that Delabar would resurface on their big league roster in the near future, though a strong performance and/or injuries at the Major League level could certainly have created an opportunity. In 194 2/3 Major League innings, Delabar has a 4.07 ERA with 11.2 K/9, 4.7 BB/9 and a 36.6 percent ground-ball rate.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Bonifacio, Mondesi, Hosmer, Kipnis

By Steve Adams,Jeff Todd and charliewilmoth | April 22, 2017 at 8:34am CDT

Twins vice president and assistant general manager Rob Antony appeared on Darren Wolfson’s 1500 ESPN Podcast earlier this week (audio link, with Antony talking Twins aroung the 35:00 mark) and covered a number of topics. Antony talks about the current lack of bench options and an unfortunate early injury to Byung Ho Park, Phil Hughes’ early lack of velocity, Jose Berrios’ timeline back to the Majors and the possibility of once again demoting the struggling Byron Buxton.

Antony adds that “there was never any thought” of eating some of the money on Ervin Santana’s contract to facilitate a trade. “I think he’s on a really good contract, and he’s pitched that way,” says Antony. “You look up his numbers since the midway point of last season or almost the course of almost the last entire year, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the league, and he does it day-in and day-out.” Indeed, Santana has a 2.99 ERA over the past calendar year and a ridiculous 2.06 ERA in his past 22 starts dating back to June 19 of last year.

Here’s more from the AL Central…

The Royals announced on Friday that they’ve optioned Raul Mondesi and Paulo Orlando to Triple-A Omaha and recalled left-hander Matt Strahm and outfield prospect Jorge Bonifacio from Omaha. Bonifacio, the younger brother of veteran big leaguer Emilio Bonifacio, rates as the organization’s No. 12 prospect at MLB.com, No. 10 over at Fangraphs and No. 9 on the lists from both Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law. He’s pegged mostly as a corner outfielder with a nice hit tool but questionable power and limited defensive prowess. The demotion of Mondesi is obviously something to which the Royals were not hoping to resort with their top-regarded minor leaguer, but his .103/.167/.179 batting line through 46 plate appearances may have left them with little choice. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez first reported that Bonifacio was on his way up.
Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer rates as one of the upcoming offseason’s most interesting free agents, but he isn’t a particularly good player and should consider accepting a qualifying offer if the Royals extend one, FanGraphs’ David Cameron argues. Hosmer has been well below average offensively over the past year, exacerbating mediocre overall hitting with a glaring tendency to ground into double plays, Cameron writes. Overall, Hosmer’s production is comparable to that of Mitch Moreland, who mostly went overlooked on the free-agent market last winter and ultimately signed a $5.5MM deal with the Red Sox. Hosmer is still young and could potentially improve, but there have been few recent indications of that happeneing. It will be interesting to see how teams value him next winter.
Second baseman Jason Kipnis is back for the Indians, as Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer reported on Twitter. He had been slowed by a shoulder injury, but will now try to pick up where he left off in a solid 2016 season in which he hit a career-high 23 home runs. Yandy Diaz, who had filled in at third, is heading back to Tripe-A to clear room. He struggled to a .236/.295/.255 batting line in his first 61 MLB plate appearances.

Francisco Lindor Reportedly Turned Down Roughly $100MM Extension

By Steve Adams | April 21, 2017 at 5:00pm CDT

4:57pm: Lindor says that he could imagine reaching a long-term deal at some point, but that the time wasn’t right to do so over the winter, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets. The talks that did occur are “in the past,” says Lindor.

9:18am: There were reports during Spring Training that the Indians had attempted to work out a multi-year extension with star shortstop Francisco Lindor, but details on the talks never surfaced. This morning, Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci reports that Lindor turned down an offer that would’ve paid him “around $100 million.” Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer adds that the Indians did indeed make a “substantial” offer to Lindor, though he wasn’t able to confirm the $100MM figure (Twitter links). Furthermore, Hoynes says that there are no active extension talks with Lindor or any other player at this time.

Lindor’s rejection of the reported $100MM figure — or anything even close to that figure, for that matter — means that the rising superstar turned down an extension that would’ve shattered the current record for a player in his service class. Lindor, 23, entered the year with just one year, 113 days of Major League service time. As MLBTR’s Extension Tracker shows, the previous record for an extension for any player in the one-plus years of service bracket is Andrelton Simmons’ seven-year, $58MM contract, signed with the Braves prior to the 2014 season.

It’s certainly possible that the $100MM figure wasn’t entirely guaranteed and is including the value of some option years, but it does seem all but certain that such an offer would’ve set a new record. Also of note is that the years of the extension offer aren’t included in the Verducci report; a $100MM offer over a term of eight years would be considerably different than $100MM over the next 10 seasons, for instance. The number of free-agent years involved in the deal as well as option years and no-trade provisions all come into play when negotiating extensions, meaning a rough value of the overall package doesn’t provide enough context to fully judge the offer.

And while it’s undoubtedly difficult for Indians fans to stomach the fact that Lindor wouldn’t take what would’ve been far and away the largest contract in franchise history, it’s also not entirely stunning to hear that he rebuffed the team. Lindor did, after all, receive a healthy $2.9MM bonus as the No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 draft, so he started his career in a considerably better place than most of his peers. Beyond that, as Verducci notes in the heart of his column, the free-agent market is moving forward and figures to do so substantially between now and the time that Lindor reaches free agency in the 2021-22 offseason.

The 2018-19 free agent class is stocked with premium talent and figures to be headlined by Bryce Harper and Manny Machado. The common consensus is that each of those players could command at least $300MM, and the possibility of a $400MM contract for either, given that their youth — each will be 26 when entering free agency — will lead to contract offers of extreme length. Lindor won’t be quite so young when he reaches the open market, but he’ll hit free agency at the age of 27 as he heads into his age-28 campaign. That’s still quite young for a player to reach the open market, and Lindor of course figures to do quite well for himself in arbitration over the five years between now and the open market, though he won’t qualify for that process until the completion of the 2018 season.

Notably, Verducci did speak to Lindor’s agent, David Meter, and while Meter understandably didn’t get into any specifics on what was or wasn’t offered, he didn’t take a firm stance against ever agreeing to a long-term deal. “It’s just one of those things we’ll look at on a year-by-year basis,” Meter tells Verducci. “I don’t think it’s very productive to draw a line in the sand.”

While that lends some mild optimism about the possibility of an extension further down the road, it also likely means that the Indians will be required to substantially increase their offer if they’re to have any chances of getting an agreement in place. By the time next offseason rolls around, Lindor will be just one year removed from arbitration eligibility. And though he’d already established himself as one of the game’s elite young talents with a .306/.356/.454 batting line through his first 1122 plate appearances (accompanied by premium baserunning and defense), there are still signs that the best is yet to come. Lindor has already homered four times in 2017 after hitting 15 all of last year, and he’s off to a .351/.415/.684 start to his season through 66 plate appearances. It’s unlikely that he sustains that pace, but any improvement in his production, paired with the increasing proximity to arbitration, will only serve to further escalate the price tag on a Lindor extension.

Offseason In Review: Cleveland Indians

By Steve Adams | April 20, 2017 at 1:45pm CDT

This is the latest entry in MLBTR’s Offseason In Review series. The full index of Offseason In Review posts can be found here.

After narrowly missing a World Series championship in one of the most entertaining Game 7s the sport has ever seen, the Indians entered the winter with a clear focus on returning to that stage.

Major League Signings

Edwin Encarnacion, 1B/DH: Three years, $60MM (plus 2020 club option)
Boone Logan, LHP: One year, $6.5MM (plus 2018 club option)
Total spend: $66.5MM

Trades and Claims

Acquired RHP Nick Goody from Yankees in exchange for PTBNL
Acquired RHP Carlos Frias from Dodgers in exchange for cash
Selected LHP Hoby Milner from Phillies in Rule 5 Draft (returned to Phillies)
Claimed LHP Edwin Escobar off waivers from the D-backs (released to allow him to sign in Japan)
Claimed 1B/3B/OF Richie Shaffer off waivers from the Reds (later outrighted to Triple-A)
Claimed LHP Tim Cooney off waivers from the Cardinals (released, re-signed to minor league deal)

Notable Minor League Signings

Austin Jackson, Michael Martinez, Erik Kratz, Chris Colabello, Steve Delabar, Kelvin De La Cruz, Adam Moore, Chris Narveson, Wily Mo Pena (since released), James Russell (since released)

Extensions

Brandon Guyer, OF: Two years, $5MM (plus 2019 club option)
Roberto Perez, C: Four years, $9MM (plus 2021-22 club options)
Jose Ramirez, 3B/2B/OF: Five years, $26MM (plus 2022-23 club options)

Notable Losses

Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, Chris Gimenez, Coco Crisp, Jeff Manship, Tommy Hunter, Jesus Aguilar

Indians depth chat | Indians payroll outlook

Needs Addressed

As one would expect of a team that took the Cubs to the limit in Game 7 of the World Series, the Indians entered the offseason with relatively few needs. The entire rotation was set to return, and the team also possessed some upper-level depth options in the minors. Replacing Mike Napoli at first base and finding a suitable left-handed relief option to join Andrew Miller in the bullpen were Cleveland’s top two priorities. President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti, GM Mike Chernoff and the rest of the Indians front office — minus now-former assistant GM Derek Falvey, who was hired away by the division-rival Twins as their new chief baseball officer — did so in a big way.

Cleveland waited out a surprisingly slow market for top slugger Edwin Encarnacion (more on that pursuit below) and, much as they did in acquiring Miller from the Yankees this past summer, surprised many by adding one of the marquee names on the market. The cost fell shy of expectations for Encarnacion but remains a relatively steep investment for the tight-budgeted Indians, who entered the 2017 season with a club-record $124MM payroll, thanks largely to Encarnacion. Though he’s off to a slow start, April has historically been Encarnacion’s worst month by a wide margin, and his bat should more than offset the loss of Napoli, who returned to Texas for a third stint with the Rangers.

It was a similar story with Logan, as the early market for left-handed relief pitching was extremely steep. After Brett Cecil landed four years and just over $30MM from the Cardinals and Mike Dunn scored $19MM over a three-year term with the Rockies, Logan and fellow southpaw Jerry Blevins looked to be in line for solid multi-year contracts. That never panned out, however, as each languished on the free agent market longer than expected. And while many believed the Indians to be tapped out after their signing of Encarnacion, ownership gave the green light to spend a bit more cash.

Logan was signed to a somewhat surprising one-year deal in February, further proving the point that it typically behooves players (especially relievers) to sign early in free agency. He can still take home a total of $12.5MM if the option is exercised, but waiting out the market and securing a quality ’pen piece on a one-year deal was a nice move by the Tribe’s front office.

With some uncertainty surrounding the health of Michael Brantley as well as the departure of Rajai Davis — who signed back with the Athletics — Cleveland added some notable names on minor league contracts. Both Austin Jackson and Michael Martinez made the club and are serving as reserve pieces early in the season, though one has to imagine that the recently demoted Tyler Naquin will eventually resurface and challenge for one of their roster spots.

Finally, as has long been a hallmark of the cost-efficient Indians, Cleveland pursued extensions with a number of its young players. While efforts to lock up burgeoning superstar Francisco Lindor fell short, the team was successful in hammering out three multi-year deals. Brandon Guyer’s $5MM extension gives the club a quality outfield platoon option at a very reasonable rate through at least the 2018 season and possibly through 2019.

The Perez extension, too, bolsters the Cleveland bench for the foreseeable future. While some may raise an eyebrow at extending a pre-arb catcher that batted .183/.285/.294 in the preceding season, Perez is regarded as a superlative defensive backstop. He also flashed some offensive ability in 2015 when he hit .220/.348/.402 with seven homers in just 220 plate appearances. The price for catcher defense has continually risen in recent years, and Perez can likely justify the deal with his glove alone even if the bat never comes around. If it does, though, Cleveland should have a nice bargain on its hands.

The big move for Cleveland, though, was agreeing to terms on a long-term pact with perhaps its top breakout star of the 2016 campaign. Ramirez, still just 24 years of age, went from light-hitting utility man to Cleveland’s everyday third baseman last year with an excellent .312/.363/.462 batting line to accompany his 11 homers and 22 steals. He can play virtually anywhere on the diamond, as evidenced by his shift to second base this season in the early absence of Jason Kipnis. Ramirez struck out in just 10 percent of his plate appearances last year and continues to suggest that his power is still developing; he’s already homered four times in 2017.

Questions Remaining

As mentioned above, when a team comes within inches of winning the World Series and retains the vast majority of that roster, there aren’t going to be many questions. In Cleveland, the biggest unknown surrounding the team is simply health.

No one knows what to expect out of Brantley after he missed nearly the entire 2016 season due to a shoulder injury that has now required two surgeries. But the Indians made it to Game 7 last season despite receiving zero production from Brantley, arguably their best all-around player, so anything he’s able to contribute in 2017 is just a bonus. To date, he’s batted .289/.373/.489 through 12 games, reminding everyone what an excellent player he was prior to his injury.

In the rotation, Cleveland will hope for better health from Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, each of whom suffered late-season injuries that compromised the team’s postseason pitching depth. Both right-handers have front-of-the-rotation upside if they’re able to stay on the field. Combining them with Corey Kluber makes for a lethal 1-2-3 atop Cleveland’s starting five. Trevor Bauer remains somewhat enigmatic both on and off the field, but his talent is undeniable even if his results are inconsistent. Josh Tomlin finished poorly in 2016 and is off to a worse start in 2017, so if there’s one potential need, it’s at the back of the rotation.

With Cody Anderson lost to Tommy John surgery, the top depth options in Cleveland are Mike Clevinger and Ryan Merritt (who achieved folk hero status with a tremendous spot start in Toronto during last year’s ALCS). If Cleveland is going to go outside the organization anywhere on the summer trade market, my bet would be on an effort to shore up the fifth spot in the rotation. Of course, both Bauer and Tomlin have had plenty of productive stretches, and each could quickly turn his season around.

Deal of Note

Entering the winter, Encarnacion was arguably the top bat available in free agency, and the notion of him signing with the Indians would’ve been little more than a pipe dream. Deep-pocketed clubs like the Red Sox, Yankees, Blue Jays and Rangers were all connected to the slugger, and the Astros, who have become increasingly more aggressive with their spending, were also prominently linked to Encarnacion. When Encarnacion reportedly rejected a four-year, $80MM offer from the Blue Jays, the assumption was that he’d top that guarantee by a fairly wide margin.

Instead, Encarnacion surprisingly saw his market shrivel in a hurry. The Blue Jays, like many other teams and most pundits, assumed that Encarnacion was gone once he said no to that $80MM figure and pivoted to switch-hitting slugger Kendrys Morales on a three-year, $33MM deal. Boston, instead of spending big in an effort to replace David Ortiz, signed a quality defensive first baseman (Mitch Moreland) and moved Hanley Ramirez into primary DH duties. The Yankees made sense and were often linked to Encarnacion, but they went short-term in picking up Matt Holliday. Ditto for the Astros, who in addition to bringing Carlos Beltran back to Houston, traded for Brian McCann.

With most of the big-spending clubs suddenly lacking a place to put Encarnacion, it became wholly unclear as to where he’d end up. The Rangers were a common thought, but Texas was continually said to be averse (or fiscally unable) to adding another high-priced multi-year contract to its payroll. There was speculation about the Rockies, who had gone outside the box to sign Ian Desmond to a five-year, $70MM deal as their primary first baseman, but the oft-suggested trade of an outfielder (which would’ve moved Desmond to the outfield and freed up a space for Encarnacion) never materialized.

In the end, the bidding war for Encarnacion came down to the Indians and Athletics — as unlikely a pairing as we’ve ever seen for two teams duking it out for one of the game’s top free agents. Cleveland pushed its offer to three years, and Encarnacion cited a winning organization and closer proximity to his family in the Dominican Republic as reasons for choosing the reigning AL champs over Oakland. Encarnacion’s contract is the largest in Indians franchise history — a testament to the unexpected nature of the match between the two sides and to Cleveland ownership’s desire to return to the Fall Classic. If Cleveland does succeed in bringing home its first World Series title in nearly 80 years, the Dolan family won’t complain one bit about their investment in Encarnacion.

Overview

The Indians entered the offseason with very few holes on what was one of the most complete rosters in Major League Baseball, and they addressed their top needs with some of the biggest upgrades possible. It’s still feasible that the back of the rotation could use some augmenting some June or July, but despite the team’s 7-7 start, the Indians are the clear favorite in the American League Central division. It’ll be a surprise if they don’t return to the postseason. And if they can in fact return, this time with a healthy trio of Kluber, Carrasco and Salazar, they’ll enter October with a good chance of becoming the second AL Central team in the past five years to manage back-to-back World Series appearances.

Let’s open it up for everyone to weigh in (link to poll for Trade Rumors app users)…

How would you grade the Indians' offseason?

A 51.40% (993 votes)

B 34.11% (659 votes)

C 9.27% (179 votes)

F 3.05% (59 votes)

D 2.17% (42 votes)

Total Votes: 1,932

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Quick Hits: Agency News, Robert, Hochevar, Thames, Lindor

By Mark Polishuk | April 18, 2017 at 1:25pm CDT

The CSE Talent agency announced that it has purchased Arland Sports, with Arland founder Jason Wood taking over as the president of CSE’s baseball division. Arland Sports’ client list includes such notable big leaguers as Jake Odorizzi, Devon Travis, David Phelps and Andrew Benintendi. It isn’t known whether these players or any of Arland Sports’ other clientele will be joining Wood under the CSE umbrella, so stay tuned for any potential representation changes via MLBTR’s Agency Database. Here are some more news and notes from around the game…

Early indications are that Cuban outfielder Luis Robert will be cleared for free agency during the current international signing period, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports, though nothing has yet been finalized. If Robert is cleared before the stricter international bonus rules come into play during the next signing period (which opens on July 2), he stands to score a much larger payday than he would if his free agency isn’t granted until after the end of the current signing period on June 15. Robert had a private workout for the Astros in the Dominican Republic and he is scheduled for workouts with the Athletics and Reds next week; the Padres, Cardinals and White Sox are also expected to bring the 19-year-old in for workouts. Chicago is the only one of those six teams that hasn’t already exceeded its 2016-17 bonus pool limit, though Badler has reported that the White Sox may be the favorites to sign the highly-touted Robert.
Luke Hochevar could potentially sign with a team in the second half of the season, though MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan hears that “2017 is more than likely a wash for him.” Hochevar underwent thoracic outlet syndrome surgery last August and was originally projected to be ready when Spring Training camps opened in February. Hochevar’s surgery, however, was “much more complicated” than a similar procedure for Royals prospect Kyle Zimmer (who had his TOS surgery last July and is back pitching in the minors), and thus Hochevar is apparently facing an extended recovery time. The 33-year-old Hochevar already missed all of 2014 due to Tommy John surgery, though the former first overall draft pick posted strong numbers in 2013, 2015 and 2016 out of the Kansas City bullpen.
Eric Thames is one of the early stars of the 2017 season, as the Brewers slugger is leading the league in homers (seven), runs (15), and slugging percentage (an even 1.000) while also hitting .405 and posting a .479 OBP through 48 plate appearances. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale profiles Thames’ unique personality and unlikely career path, as he bounced around several MLB organizations before becoming a Ruthian superstar in South Korea from 2014-16.
Francisco Lindor would be short-changing himself by signing an extension worth anything less than $100MM, Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan opines. Lindor is off to a huge start in 2017, and while he is five seasons away from free agency, the Indians shortstop is putting himself in line for a massive payday. Assuming Lindor keeps producing all season, Passan argues that Lindor could ask for something in the realm of Mike Trout’s six-year, $144MM deal from the Angels.

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