By Alex Hale, @TheCLESportsGuy
For the Cleveland Indians, 2017 ended in heartbreak that leaves the franchise at a crossroads. The window for the Indians to finally end a now 70 year World Series drought is still open, but is slowly closing. With the emergence of the Minnesota Twins and their rumored aggressive position this offseason, the Indians can either continue to go for it or prepare for the future rebuilding effort. The Indians have numerous Free Agents hitting the market this offseason including main stays Carlos Santana and Bryan Shaw, not to mention key trade acquisition Jay Bruce. The Indians have numerous options they can go in order to continue to improve their team and continue their reign in the AL Central.
When it comes to the Indians, the big question continues to be the amount of money that is available with the Indians. From estimates of expiring contracts and other big contracts off the books, it’s fair to estimate that the Indians have around the range of $25-$30 million to spend this offseason (with minority investor and revenue from 2017, it could be higher). The Dolan's have shown with the recent winning, they are willing to spend a bit more if it meant improving the team. This would mean the Indians would have the money to at least be able to afford one of Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana and still be able to fill out the rest of the roster with supporting pieces.
As I do every year, I’m going to take off my writer cap and place myself in the shoes of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff and say what I would do if I were in their shoes. The Indians fell short in 2017 and look to return to the World Series in 2018, it’s time to look at my 2018 Offseason Plan.
2018 Indians Offseason Plan
Re-sign 1B Carlos Santana: The Indians are in unfamiliar territory unlike previous years, the Indians are in the position in attempting to keep their own Free Agents and have multiple top tier Free Agents they would like to try to keep in Jay Bruce and Carlos Santana. Unfortunately for the Indians they won’t be able to afford to keep both after the Indians picked up Michael Brantley’s $12 million option. If forced to choose between Bruce and Santana, it’s a no-brainer for me, Carlos Santana is the top priority for the Indians. Although Santana normally struggles in the first half of the season, time after time he turns it on in the 2nd Half and played a major role in the Indians success in the 2nd Half last year. On top of that Santana has improved year after year defensively at 1B and was a finalist in 2017 for the Gold Glove award for First Baseman. Santana always is a force with the bat and has a great eye at the plate that really can’t be taught. The Indians might have to slightly overpay, but in a win-now mode with a great chance to win their 3rd straight AL Central title and contend for the AL crown against the Astros, the Indians must be willing to do what it takes to re-sign him.
Contract- 3 years, $54 million with a Mutual Option for a 4th year
Re-sign RP Joe Smith- The Indians biggest strength over the past few years have been in their bullpen, but it seems that the Indians most polarizing reliever Bryan Shaw will be leaving for greener pastures in the offseason. This would leave the Indians without one of their most consistent and reliable relievers (contrary to popular belief) and looking to replace him. Fortunately for the Tribe, they don’t really have to look that far for that replacement. In a lot of ways, Joe Smith is a better reliever than Shaw, but is a totally different reliever. Aside from Smith being a side arm pitcher, Smith doesn’t throw as hard as Shaw and it would leave the Indians without a hard throwing righty they can rely on. But the key for keeping Smith is his efficiency over the years to get batters out. With all of his ties to Cleveland and knowing he’s in a winning situation, it shouldn’t be hard to convince Joe Smith to stay and maybe get a discount out of it.
Contract- 2 years, $8 million
Re-sign CF Austin Jackson- Amazing what a change of scenery can do for a player. A year ago the Austin Jackson could barely get a Minor League deal after struggling with the White Sox in 2016, he arrives in Cleveland and establishes himself as a great spot starter in the Outfield both defensively and rediscovering his batting approach, resulting into one of his best offensive seasons in the Majors. Not to mention AJax had the catch of the year against Boston. For the Indians and their struggles with the Outfield staying healthy, it’s imperative that they re-sign Austin Jackson because of his ability to contribute on the field and at the plate. It would be costly for a 4th Outfielder, but in a “win-now” approach, if it’s not breaking the bank, it’s worth it.
Contract- 2 years, $12 million with a Team Option for a 3rd year
Sign RP Matt Albers- Remember this guy? Matt Albers was once a reliable option out of the bullpen in 2013 for the Indians and outside of one bad year in 2016, he’s been lights out since he’s left. Albers would be the perfect Bryan Shaw replacement that allows Joe Smith to still have the same role. Last year in Washington in a situation where the Nationals had no real reliable option in the bullpen, Albers was the most reliable reliever. He throws in the mid-90s which is something the Indians should be looking at when it comes to finding a Bryan Shaw replacement. The Indians lack a reliever who throws with velocity outside of Andrew Miller. While Albers doesn’t throw 100, he might be the most effective reliever who throws with good velocity the Indians are going to find. Other options the Indians could consider are Fernando Rodney, Brandon Morrow, Juan Nicasio and Addison Reed.
Contract- 1 year, $4 million
Sign 3B Eduardo Nunez- This could be a longshot, but with the 3B market being run by Mike Moustakas and Todd Frazier, this might not be as far fetched as one may think. The Indians did have interest in acquiring Nunez at the trade deadline, but the Red Sox acquired him and his bat caught fire. Rumors point to the Red Sox might prefer a power bat like a Todd Frazier at 3B, which could really open the door for this possibility. Let’s address the elephant in the room first, the Indians already have Giovany Urshela and Yandy Diaz to go with Jose Ramirez already projected as the starting 3B. Nunez would provide the Indians a proven starting 3B that would give the Indians the option to move Jose Ramirez to 2B full time next to Francisco Lindor. Nunez could also give the Indians options with him as he can play 2B and the Outfield. Nunez would give the Indians a reliable offensive bat with great speed and solid defense. This move would require a secondary move and likely a controversial one with fans.
Contract- 3 years, $24 million
Trade for OF Marcell Ozuna- The Indians after losing Jay Bruce would be best served to go out and find a potential trade option to replace him with. Marlins new Owner Derek Jeter is making it very clear early on that he has plans to completely rebuild the Marlins immediately. After the Marlins trade Giancarlo Stanton, I would think their next move would be continuing to rebuild their farm system by trading Marcell Ozuna. Ozuna really evolved this past season winning a Silver Slugger and a Gold Glove, developing into one of Baseball’s new rising stars. He’s under team control until 2020 and would give the Indians the perfect replacement for Jay Bruce for right now and moving forward. In a perfect world that would mean Michael Brantley, Bradley Zimmer, and Marcell Ozuna could be your everyday Outfield and for the Indians, that would actually be an improvement to when the season ended last year.
Trade Details- Indians trade 3B Yandy Diaz, SS Yu Chieng-Chang, OF Will Benson and SP Brady Aiken to Miami Marlins in exchange for OF Marcell Ozuna
Trade away 2B Jason Kipnis to Milwaukee Brewers for RP Jared Hughes and SP Kodi Medeiros- In the midst of the Indians trying to add pieces to improving their team in the hopes of winning a Championship, their greatest decision might be in the business of losing a key part of their team. Jason Kipnis is one of the key leaders of the Indians and in ways is the lifeblood of the locker room. In 2017 though, Kipnis couldn’t stay on the field and when he was on the field, hardly produced. It would be an extremely difficult decision to move him and it would have to be for the right offer. The Brewers are led by GM David Sterns, who has some ties to the Indians have been in the market for a veteran 2B and currently have Neil Walker going into Free Agency. Fortunately for the Indians, the Brewers could provide the Indians a solid reliever to offset the loss of Bryan Shaw. Preferably the Indians should target Jared Hughes who has been a very effective reliever over the past few years dating back to his days with the Pirates. Hughes could easily settle into Shaw’s role and fill it nicely, but Hughes alone doesn’t get the deal done. Kodi Medeiros was a top prospect for the Brewers a few years ago, but has struggled through the farm system. This could be an opportunity for the Indians to add a lower ranked prospect who has struggled and potentially fix him. If so the Indians would get the value needed to make it worth trading Kipnis away.
A Hypothetical Scenario
Kipnis for Donaldson?- This would be a dream scenario if the Indians can’t re-sign Jay Bruce and the Marcell Ozuna trade doesn’t work out. The Blue Jays have been slowly trying to rebuild the team, but the opportunity hasn’t presented itself yet. For Mark Shapiro, he’s going to want at least a veteran presence that he can depend on for leadership. Kipnis would be the type of leader that Shapiro already is familiar with and would have under team control over the next couple of years with Donaldson approaching Free Agency in 2018. For the Indians they don’t really go after guys who are approaching Free Agency so this would be something bold by the Front Office. But if there’s a player who fits what the Indians might be looking for to be the missing piece, Donaldson fits perfectly. A good defender over at 3B, who back in 2015 was the AL MVP. Even missing 49 games this year, Donaldson still hit 33 HRs and drove in 78 runs. Adding Donaldson to a lineup with potentially Edwin Encarnacion, Francisco Lindor, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana, and maybe a healthy Michael Brantley gives the Indians a legitimate lineup to challenge the Astros. I would go as far as saying the Indians should explore Josh Donaldson even if it meant giving up a couple of prospects instead.
Trade Details- Indians trade 2B Jason Kipnis and SP Shane Bieber to Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for 3B Josh Donaldson
This plan would be a bold strategy that would definitely improve the Indians on paper, but would test the Indians team chemistry early on. This is where the benefits of having Terry Francona as Manager come into play. With mostly any other manager, the team chemistry concern would be a major factor for most fans, but this is Tito’s specialty. As much as I might criticize Tito, this is where I know I can make these moves and feel good about the team going forward. With these moves the Indians lineup would look like this.
Potential 2018 Indians Lineup
3B- Eduardo Nunez
SS- Francisco Lindor
RF- Marcell Ozuna
DH- Edwin Encarnacion
2B- Jose Ramirez
1B- Carlos Santana
LF- Michael Brantley
CF- Bradley Zimmer
C- Yan Gomes
That’s a lineup that’s even more balanced than what it was a year ago, and as long as things fall into place, this lineup could be good enough to truly challenge the defending World Champion Houston Astros. The Indians strength again would be in their pitching and with the moves made would fortify their bullpen and easily offset the loss of Bryan Shaw. The Indians head into 2018 with major competition and the path back to the World Series won’t be easy, but with these moves, the Indians might just stand a fighting chance to return back to the World Series and this time win it. Bottom line for the Indians is the window is still open, in order to reclaim the AL crown, they must be able to take some chances and do what is necessary to get back to where they want to be. This offseason offers what they need and the opportunities just might fall into place for them. It’s up to the Tribe to execute on them.
