Tribe Talk 11.22.16: My Cleveland Indians Offseason Plan

By Alex Hale, @ThatCLESportGuy

The Indians enter the 2016 Offseason at a crossroads in the organization.  After falling 1 win short of the franchise’s first World Championship since 1948, the Indians are now dealt with the task to improve their team and hopefully find the missing pieces to finish the mission in 2017.  Now as we all know the Dolans have been cheap in the past on free agency and Chris Antonetti has been unwilling to trade away prospects in order to fill those missing pieces.  This offseason the Dolans and Chris Antonetti have the opportunity to break that trend and go for it in 2017.  What makes this possible is the arrival of the Indians new Minority Owner, John Sherman.  For years the Dolans have been trying to find someone who could bring in the extra capital they need in order to spend.  On top of this, this offseason finally takes the contracts of Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher off the books.  If there was ever a time for the Dolans to spend, it is now.

Now as I normally do each offseason, I show my own Offseason plan if I was the Indians General Manager.  Now as we go into this, we’ll explore 3 areas, Free Agent Options, Trade Options, and Roster Options.  At the end I’ll explain what I would do if I was Indians General Manager.


Free Agent Options

Re-sign CF Rajai Davis- The almost Indians immortal legend has to be a top option for the Indians to bring back.  It couldn’t be understated how welcome of an addition Rajai’s ability to run the bases was for the team.  In a way his ability to steal bases carried over into the rest of the team.  While I wouldn’t expect Rajai to lead the AL in steals again next year, but the energy and leadership he brings to the Indians has to be brought back to the Indians in 2017.

Potential Contract- 1 year $8 million

Sign Matt Holliday- The Indians might need to look for a replacement for Mike Napoli and Matt Holliday is probably the best veteran bat on the market outside of Napoli.  Outside of his injury-plagued 2015 season, Holliday has hit 20 HRs every year since 2006.  Holliday is one of the more respected players in the game and would instantly replace the leadership that Mike Napoli brought to the Indians in 2016.  While Holliday won’t be able to play 1B every day, at his age this is where the benefit of playing in the American League will come into play.  The Indians could go forward with Carlos Santana at 1B full time and making Holliday the everyday DH.  The bottom line is there’s a lot of competition for Mike Napoli’s services and probably will be out of the Indians price range.  Holliday will be a cheaper alternative that can provide the same impact in the lineup.

Potential Contract- 1 years $10 million

Sign Trevor Plouffe- The former Minnesota Twin (and Indians killer) became a Free Agent recently after the Twins out-righted him.  The Indians will need to find a backup 3B/Utility player to provide a spark off the bench and Plouffe is a perfect fit for that role.  Plouffe has played just about everywhere on the field and throughout his career for the most part has had a reliable bat.   His power and run production dropped off from 2016, but he’s only a year removed from a 22 HR/86 RBI season in 2015.  The Indians will need a guy who can give Jose Ramirez some days off in 2017 and Plouffe (primarily a 3B) is a perfect fit.  One thing to note here, outside of Target Field, Plouffe has hit the most home runs at Progressive Field over any other road ballpark he’s played in.  It might not mean much, but for what the Indians will need from him, he’ll provide what they need.

Potential Contract- 1-2 years $5 Million a year

Sign SP Henderson Alvarez- If there was a pitcher that Mickey Callaway could revive that would solidify his place as the top Pitching Coach in baseball, this is the guy.  Only 26 years old, Alvarez is one of the most intriguing SP options out there.  He was outstanding in Miami creating a 1-2 punch next to the now late Jose Fernandez.  He even threw a No-Hitter against the Tigers in 2013.  Unfortunately in 2015 underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a tear in his shoulder.  He pitched 33 innings in the minors for Oakland before having shoulder surgery again.  Now the Indians probably won’t have to offer much, they might even be able to offer a Minor League invite to Spring Training.  The upside on him is still there and if I was GM, I would definitely explore the possibility of giving him another chance.

Potential Contract- Minor League Invite

Sign RP Javier Lopez- Honestly in a perfect world, I’d make a strong case to add Greg Holland to the bullpen, but because of the uncertainty of his return from Tommy John Surgery, I’d opt to get Lopez in the mix.  As Indians fans learned in the postseason, the Indians could use an extra lefty reliever to go with Andrew Miller.  While it’s possible Miller could be made the Closer in 2017, this move is to prevent overusing Miller in lefty/lefty matchups.  Lopez has consistently been one of the Giants more reliable relievers, especially against lefty hitters.  Lopez in his 13 year career has held lefty batters to a .208 average with an OPS of .626.  Add a lefty specialist like Lopez to the Tribe in 2017, the Indians bullpen could be at a completely different level compared to everyone else.

Potential Contract- 1 year, $3 million


Other Options- UTIL Steve Pearce (BAL), 1B James Loney (NYM), IF Luis Valbuena (HOU), OF Jon Jay (SD), OF Austin Jackson (CWS), OF Carlos Gomez (TEX), OF Dexter Fowler (CHC, longshot)


Trade Options

Trade for Joey Votto- Let’s get the most unrealistic trade possibility out of the way.  First off Votto would be an outstanding fit for the Indians as it would give the Indians the ability to permanently move Carlos Santana to the DH role and more importantly gives the Indians the proven big bat they’ve been searching for in the lineup.  It would take some cash coming from the Reds to even make this trade possible as he’s got another 7 years and well over $100 million left on his contract.  This trade probably would tap out any flexibility they Indians have this offseason, but it makes them a legit contender right out of the gate to repeat as AL Champions and potentially be an even more dangerous threat to the Cubs in a potential World Series rematch.  Again this is almost completely unrealistic, but I’m throwing this in here because unlike Jose Abreu/Miguel Cabrera who are in the division, Votto is on a rebuilding Reds team in the NL.  The cost on prospects would be extremely high as you won’t get Votto for cheap.

Potential Trade- Indians acquire 1B Joey Votto from Cincinnati in exchange for SP Trevor Bauer, 1B Bobby Bradley, SP Triston McKenzie, OF Greg Allen

Trade for Kevin Pillar- Now let’s come back down to earth with the more realistic names the Indians could look at.  Pillar was a guy the Indians were interested in last year as a potential everyday CF.  While Pillar won’t blow you away with his bat, what makes him valuable is his speed and fielding ability.  Pillar has Gold Glove ability in CF and I believe the ability to be a leadoff hitter for the Tribe.  What’s best about Pillar is he would be under team control through 2020.  I don’t think we’ve seen the best out of Pillar yet and I think the connections between Chris Antonetti and Mark Shapiro could make for real dialogue to make a trade happen.  On top of that, I don’t think you would have to sacrifice the entire farm to get him, which for the Indians is even better.

Potential Trade- Indians acquire CF Kevin Pillar from Toronto in exchange for OF Greg Allen and SS Yu Cheng-Chang

Trade for Charlie Blackmon- A lot of Indians fans might look at the Rockies Outfield and would prefer Carlos Gonzalez, but I would look to his counterpart in Charlie Blackmon.  Now for his career Blackmon for the most part had his numbers inflated by the Coors Field effect (.334/.261 Home/Away average split), but in 2016, it seemed like he really was figuring things out as his numbers went significantly up hitting a career highs .324 with 29 HRs and 82 RBIs.  His steals in 2016 went down from 43 in 2015 to 17 in 2016.  The one number that gives me hope is Blackmon hit .313 away from Coors Field, which was a significant jump from 2015 (.238).  Could it just be a career year for Blackmon or is it a sign of things to come?  He’s under team control until 2018, so the Indians would have to blow away the Rockies as some believe they might be competitive in 2017.

Potential Trade- Indians acquire CF Charlie Blackmon and RP Adam Ottavino from Colorado in exchange for CF Bradley Zimmer, SP Brady Aiken, and SS Yu Cheng-Chang

Trade for SP Chris Archer- I know what you’re thinking on this…”We got enough starting pitching, why get Archer?”  Here’s my response, why not get Archer?  The Indians have enough depth at the position to potentially create a 3 headed monster of Kluber/Carrasco/Archer at the top of their rotation.  While it would take either Salazar or Bauer along with multiple prospects, this trade only solidifies the stranglehold the Indians will have in terms of pitching in the American League.  While the former Indians prospect led the league with 19 losses last year, he was playing for a mediocre Tampa Bay team that pretty much relied on him to throw a shutout every start.  His stuff is off the charts striking out 485 batters the past 2 years and pairing him with Kluber alone is a nightmare for everyone who opposes the Indians.  The Indians would be crazy to not explore this.

Potential Trade- Indians acquire SP Chris Archer from Tampa Bay in exchange for SP Danny Salazar, SP Brady Aiken, CF Will Benson, and 2B Tyler Kreiger

Other Trade Options- CF Andrew McCutchen (PIT), CF Jacoby Ellsbury (NYY), 1B Jose Abreu (CWS)



Roster Options

Move 3B Yandy Diaz to 40 man roster- Most years, I’d have a few options for this area, but this year this is the only roster move I’d make.  Yandy Diaz has transformed himself into a solid prospect for the Indians at 3B who someone will grab in the Rule 5 Draft in the December Winter Meetings.  While he doesn’t have the best defensive game, his ability to hit has really improved year to year and I was stunned he wasn’t part of the September Call-ups.  The Indians have numerous 40 Man spots they can open up (Michael Martinez specifically) to give Diaz a roster spot.  Again with the emergence of Jose Ramirez as the everyday 3B for the Indians going forward, the Indians must be able to have some depth behind him now going forward and Diaz is an excellent fit in that role with the ability to even play some OF if asked.  Indians can’t let him get away.


Now that we’ve seen all the options, it’s time to put everything together and see what I would do if I was Indians General Manager.

Re-Sign Rajai Davis
Sign Matt Holliday
Sign Javier Lopez
Trade for Kevin Pillar
Trade for Chris Archer
Move Yandy Diaz to 40 Man Roster

Obviously we can’t go overboard in terms of salary, so this could be the most viable option for the Indians.  I think the speed and energy of Rajai Davis needs to be brought back in 2017 and would be affordable.  To protect the Indians from a potential Michael Brantley setback, I would go for the Kevin Pillar trade option for multiple reasons.  He’s a good defender, has good speed, and I don’t think we’ve seen the best of his hitting ability yet, plus he won’t probably cost a lot in terms of trade value.  By saving prospects to get Pillar, I go big on the trade market and bring Chris Archer back to Cleveland.  While I would lose Salazar, Archer has proven to be a Cy Young contender and putting him next to Kluber only makes the Indians a tougher out in a potential playoff series.  To improve the bullpen, adding Javier Lopez would give the Indians another lefty for matchup purposes, saving Andrew Miller for later in games.  In order to save money from all the moves I’d be making, I’d put Yandy Diaz on the 40 Man Roster and hope he can be a Trevor Plouffe like addition for the bench.  Lastly I’d replace the loss of Napoli with Matt Holliday, I mean why Party At Napoli’s when, “It’s Holliday Season” all year long?  This would be what I would do if I was Indians GM.  I think these moves put the Indians in excellent position to get back to the playoffs and make another run at a World Series Championship.


While some may believe the Indians have no money to spend, I have to believe being so close to a World Championship and the fact that a lot of potential Season Ticket sales might happen in 2017 (Thanks Browns!), this might be the time for Dolans to put their money where their mouth is.  Remember fans, in 2009, Paul Dolan said, “When We Win, We Will Spend”.  Well Mr. Dolan, you were one win away from a World Championship.  I’m not asking you to break the bank and spend a lot of money, but be flexible and know by showing the fans you’re willing to spend the money and go for it, the fans will come.  As much as the Browns sucking has brought down this city, the Indians resurgence has the fans reminiscing of the summers of the Mid-Late 1990s.  They’re starving for an Indians World Series Championship and all it will take is investing a little more.  We’re close Tribe fans, it’s time to fill in the final pieces.

Krunch Time With Katelin: The Cleveland Indians Black Friday Shopping List

By Katelin Marshall, @KatelinKnowsCLE


As we all know the Cleveland Indians don't have the highest payroll in Major League Baseball so at times they have to go bargain hunting. This past year it was signing Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis for a about 15 million between the two...and it worked out. Both had career years with the tribe and are due for a upgrade in their pay. So, who's going to be this year's Napoli or Davis?

*note There is a chance that the Indians re-sign both Davis and Napoli but with lack of free agent depth at first it seems like Napoli will get paid more than the Tribe are willing to offer. Also any "Major" move would likely happen in a trade.

Rajai Davis ($6-8 Million for one-year): Davis re-signing seems like a logical fit. Coming off of a year where he was the league leader in stolen bases with 43...at the age of 35. Davis became the oldest player to lead the league in stolen bases since Ricky Henderson did it in 1998 with 66 stolen bases at the age of 39. Davis is an excellent base runner, solid defender, and in the right position a good player to platoon with against lefties. Davis is another one of those players Terry Francona loves because he can play all three outfield positions (even though he only played one game in right field last year).

Steve Pearce ($5-6.5 Million per year for two years): Pearce seemed like the logical move for the Tribe this past trading deadline and fans were shocked to hear Guyer's name and not Pearce's. But Pearce is one of the best utility men in the game. He can play first, corner outfield, second base, and third. He's not a big power guy but given the right situations he can give the Indians between 12-15 home runs, and hit around the .260 mark.

James Loney ($7-9 Million for one-year): Yes, James Loney is still playing baseball...and still at a high level. Loney is known for solid defense at first, fairly high average, and not striking out. He also has 23 games of post-season experience majority of them dating back to his time with the Dodgers. This past year with the Mets Loney hit .265 in 100 games. A small sample size but going back to his three years with Tampa from 2013-2015...Loney did hit for averages of .299, .290 and .280 in 158, 155, and 104 games respectively. The down sides to Loney is his lack of power and he is prone to hit into double plays.

Javier Lopez ($2.5-4 Million for one-year): Lopez is a great match left-hander for the Tribe's bullpen. Lopez has four world series rings, three with the Giants and one with the Red Sox in 2007 with...Terry Francona as his manager. Adding Lopez with Shaw, Miller, and Allen makes the game even shorter. The one thing the bullpen lacked this season was a match up lefty. Miller did a great job but he has better numbers against right-handers and Miller might take over the closing duties full time in 2017.

Adam Lind ($8 Million for one-year): Lind might have the best chance to be this year's Mike Napoli. Someone who had an off-year and is looking of a one-year deal to help restart his career. Last year with Seattle, Lind only hit .239 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI. He doesn't have any post-season experience so that might hinder his chance of becoming an Indian. Another down for him is that he doesn't hit well against left handed pitching. He would likely be platooned with someone else, but with the Indians roster that shouldn't be a problem.

Jon Jay ($8-11 Million per yr, for two/four years): Jay is one of the better defensive outfielders in the league. Jay can play all three outfield positions but has spent most of this career in Center. Jay has a career average of .287 (and that includes an off 2015 season when he hit .210 in 79 games. This past year San Diego acquired him from the Cardinals for Jedd Gyorko. Jay hit .291 in 90 games with the Padres before suffering a broken forearm. He is a high strike out/low walk player so there is some risk in that but he keeps a high on-base-percentage because he is prone to getting hit by pitches. In 2014 he lead the league in that category with 20. Jay has been link to the Indians by a few different websites...MLBtraderumors.com predicts him signing with the Indians.

It will be interesting to see what the Indians do this off-season. Coming off of an improbable World Series run without three of their top players, this off-season might be kind of quiet. Whether that's good or bad we will see. But what we do know is the Indians aren't going to break any piggy banks  this off-season.

Tribe Talk: Cleveland Indians 2016 Preview #Indians

Its Tribe Time, Once Again
By Alex Hale, @DaSportsGenius7

As Spring Training comes to a close, that means that Opening Day is only a week away and the Indians Opening Day roster is starting to take shape.  The Indians going into the season look to be one of the dark horses in the American League and a potential threat to the defending World Champion Royals in defending their AL Central crown.  While the Indians have stiff competition from other teams in the division, the Indians certainly look ready for the challenge.  But before we talk about this year’s Indians, we need to take a second to look back at last season in order to set our expectations for this year.

2015 Indians Review

While Sports Illustrated last year crowned us as the World Series Champions, a slow start in April and the loss of Yan Gomes set the Indians back early on.  Corey Kluber would struggle to get any run support and the 2014 Cy Young winner went winless for the first month and a half but finished strong.  Jason Kipnis had a great start to the 2015, but he tailed off in the second half.  Outside of Kipnis’ strong start, the only consistent bat was Michael Brantley.  The biggest story obviously was the arrival of the much-hyped Francisco Lindor and was exactly as advertised.  The Indians defense was vastly improved and Lindor was at the head of it.  Lindor more importantly surprised people with his hitting ability, especially showing signs of power in his power.  With Giovanny Urshela and Lonnie Chisenhall providing much upgrades defensively for their positions, both need to prove more offense for the Indians in 2016 to really make some noise.  In a nutshell, the 2015 Indians got exactly what the doctor ordered.  Identifying having a good clubhouse atmosphere and finally having the core players step up as the leaders will benefit the Indians moving forward.


2016 Indians: What To Watch For

Francisco Lindor

Let’s address the Elephant in the room right now.  Lindor, along with Carlos Correa are being tabbed by National Media as the next Alex Rodriguez/Derek Jeter rivalry when it comes to the position.  Lindor excelled both offensively and defensively in his rookie year, and in my personal opinion was robbed of the Rookie of the Year.  As great as Lindor is, I’ll use the comparison former Indians GM Jon Hart said the night the Indians drafted Lindor calling him, “An Omar Vizquel who can hit”.  I urge Indians fans not to expect Lindor to win the MVP award this year, but I expect a Gold Glove season and a potential All-Star debut.

Pitching Staff

We all know the Indians pitching staff is among the best in the bigs, the major question is will the Indians get the emergence of a 4th starter (Bauer, Clevinger, Tomlin, or Anderson) to go with the 3-Headed monster in Kluber, Carrasco, and Salazar.  While Kluber did have a bad start last year, the numbers didn’t reflect his continued effectiveness.  If the Indians can score runs for Kluber, then Kluber could easily win 20 games and get back into Cy Young Award discussions.  But a lot of people have talked about Carlos Carrasco as the pitcher who could shock people and emerge as the true ace.  Carrasco has improved each of the last 2 years, if he continues this, nothing will shock me.  But my money is on Danny Salazar to be the one everyone fears.  Salazar hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential, I expect Salazar to tap into his changeup as a bigger weapon and will emerge as one of the top pitchers in the American League.

Tyler Naquin

Well it’s now official, Tyler Naquin after being the Indians 1st Round pick in 2012 will finally debut for the Tribe on Opening Day.  Naquin has torn up Spring Training and rightfully won the job, especially after Abraham Almonte was suspended.  Naquin was known coming out of Texas A&M to be a very polished hitter who may not stand out in one area, but does everything well.  Naquin should be the Indians everyday Center Fielder in 2016.  What Indians fans should know is Naquin is a huge upgrade defensively in Center Field and compared to Almonte, an upgrade offensively.  I’m gonna be bold here, but my money will be on Tyler Naquin to win Rookie of the Year.

The New Guys

In the offseason, the Indians turned down plenty of opportunities to get offensive help through trade and instead went out and got veterans Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis, and Juan Uribe to help bring not just some extra offense, but clubhouse leadership.  Napoli is the one I’d focus on.  Napoli although his numbers say he did poorly, Napoli turned things around in September and ended the year strong.  He’s shown in Spring Training he was worth the investment, Indians fans better hope he was.

Indians Financial Situation

Nobody will discuss this, but I’m putting it out there.  If the Indians are in the playoff hunt in July, Indians Owners Larry and Paul Dolan are going to have to make a very tough decision.  As we all know, the Dolan's have been very reluctant in past years to invest into the team when we needed to make a big splash.  This will be the ultimate test for the Dolan's, and if they were to finally invest in this team, the Dolan's could finally earn the trust of Indians fans everywhere.  If not, this fan base will make sure the Dolan's never hear the end of this, especially if it costs the Tribe a playoff run.

Terry Francona

Guys, I know we all love Terry Francona and what he’s brought to the Indians, but if Francona can’t get the Indians over the hump this year, questions need to be answered.  Is Francona the right guy to push the Indians where they need to go.  In my personal opinion, another .500 season isn’t good enough to keep his job.  As unpopular it is for me to say this, but Francona is on the hot seat with me and he should be with the Indians.


The Next Generation

This season for the Indians does look to be a very promising one, but the Indians fans really should take the time to go see the future of this team in the Minors while they still can.  The Indians future is extremely bright and these are a few names the fans should check out.

Clint Frazier

While Bradley Zimmer is probably the next big hype prospect up on the Indians, Clint Frazier is the “crowned jewel” of the entire Farm System.  Frazier struggled at the beginning of last year, but ended extremely well and it extended into the Arizona Fall League.  He probably is going to start the year at AA Akron, and I expect him to be there for the entire season with maybe a late season AAA call up.  Frazier’s pure hitting ability and love for the game make him a future star when he finally arrives in Cleveland.

Bobby Bradley

When fans talk about the next stars of the Indians, Bobby Bradley might be the best 1B prospect the team has had in years.  Reminiscent of a young Ryan Howard, Bradley’s pure power is amazing and if Bradley can cut down on the strikeouts, he could be right up there with the Indians next core of stars with Lindor, Naquin, Zimmer and Frazier.  I expect him to start in High-A Lynchberg, but he should arrive in Akron by year’s end.

Brady Aiken

Before I talk about Aiken, I’d like to thank the first 16 teams that picked before the Indians for passing on Aiken.  The former #1 Overall pick in 2014 didn’t sign with the Astros and later would have Tommy John Surgery due to injury.  Aiken is the best pitching prospect the Indians have had in quite possibly the past 20 years.  While he won’t start the year right away, when he does he’ll probably be in Lake County and every start is MUST WATCH.  He has a great fastball that sits in the mid/low 90s, but more importantly already has advanced secondary pitches, especially a devastating curveball.  He might not arrive until 2018, but Indians fans need to enjoy him in the minors.

Triston McKenzie

I have to make room for my favorite prospect in the Indians organization.  The Indians 2nd pick in the 2015 draft after Brady Aiken, McKenzie was signed to a $2.3 million contract to get him out of his commitment to LSU.  McKenzie his tall and extremely lanky, will need to add some bulk as he makes his way up, but his delivery is smooth and consistent.  With his current frame, he throws a low/mid 90s fastball, but that could go up as he gains some bulk.  His curveball is already advanced for his age to go with a developing changeup.  He’s years away from Cleveland, but he might be better than Aiken when its said and done.


2016 Projection

The Indians must start out strong to begin the 2016 season.  The first month will be the Indians biggest challenge and will determine the rest of the year for the team.  We all know the Indians can end strong, but can they keep it up for the 6 month journey that is baseball’s season?  It’s imperative that the Indians WIN ON OPENING DAY.  For the past 3 years, the Indians consistently fail in front of a jam packed Progressive Field.  We know Progressive Field will be jammed Opening Day and against David Price and the Red Sox, it’s going to be a tough challenge.  If the Indians can win that game, its small but it shows the improvement the Indians have made.  The AL Central is stacked with the emerging young Twins, the Chris Sale/Jose Abreu tandem in Chicago, the bottomless pockets of Mike Ilitch and the Tigers, and the defending World Champion Royals.  The Indians cannot be intimidated or let one game let them down on their quest for another playoff birth.  I expect this year the Indians to finally make that jump and put themselves in position to get in the Playoffs.  It will be a long and trying season for the Indians and its fans, but my firm belief is keep the faith in this team, these group of guys are destined to take the next step.

Final Record: 88-74, 2nd in AL Central, Wild Card Game

Tribe Talk 2.20.16: The Pros & Cons of Juan Uribe #Indians

By Alex Hale, @DaSportsGenius7

While Pitchers and Catchers reported for Spring Training earlier this week, the Cleveland Indians were not done making final adjustments to their roster.  On Friday afternoon, the Indians signed veteran IF Juan Uribe to a 1 year deal worth over $4 million.  The Indians plan on having Uribe fill in the role at 3B after Giovanny Urshela struggled offensively last year.  While I do have a lot of problems here with this signing, in fairness to the Indians we're going to give Tribe fans a fair analysis of the Indians signing Uribe with the Pros and Cons of the Indians latest move.

Pros:

- Uribe is a savvy veteran clubhouse presence-  Look at the teams Uribe has played with over the past few years, since 2009, Uribe has played with consistent playoff teams in the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, and was a member of the 2010 World Champion San Fransisco Giants (and even earlier a member of the 2005 WS White Sox).  Uribe has been with multiple winning teams and knows what it takes to get to the playoffs and more importantly, how to win in the playoffs.  Indians really have been lacking that kind of a presence since Jason Giambi left.  It's small things like having clubhouse leaders that really can make all the difference.

- Uribe is an offensive upgrade compared to Giovanny Urshela- If we look by the stats, yes Uribe is a major upgrade at 3B.  But at the same time, critics can say Giovanny was a rookie and he can always improve in Year Two.  The bottom line is the Indians are a team that can win the division, and arguably the American League pennant right now.  The Indians can't sit around forever waiting for Giovanny to learn how to hit at the big league level.  Uribe has been known to have some pop in his bat and still has the ability to hit 15 HRs a year.

- Uribe knows the division- Uribe's career really took off in Chicago in the mid-2000's and knows how competitive this division is.  While Uribe has been out of the division for a while now, the one thing about Baseball is the division normally stays the same rivalry-wise.  Having Uribe could help the core of this team clearing the biggest hurdle they have left, beating Detroit when it matters.

- It's only a 1 Year deal- No matter what happens with Uribe this year, he's only signed for 1 year.  Nobody can ever complain about 1 year deals, this buys the Indians time to continue to develop Giovanny Urshela as a hitter, and more importantly buys highly touted prospect Yandy Diaz time in the minors to continue to make strides and climb up the system.  Worst case scenario with this deal is the Indians don't live up to expectations, and Uribe becomes a small trade chip at the Trade Deadline for a contender.

- He plays the entire infield- The Indians lose Mike Aviles and gain quite possibly a better version of Aviles in Uribe.  While Uribe doesn't play the outfield, Uribe has experience at the Middle Infield positions to go with his ability over at 3B.  Francona does love his versatile fielders and Uribe is an upgrade to what Francona already had in Aviles, so this is a move you gotta believe Francona is loving right now.




Cons:
- He's a significant downgrade defensively- When Juan Uribe makes multiple errors at 3B this year, don't come complaining to me.  While he does have a career .970 fielding percentage at 3B (which to the naked eye is good), comparing the number of games he's played at 3B with some of the greatest fielding 3B in the game's history is ridiculous.  Uribe has played in a fraction of the games at 3B they played.  Plus a reminder of his days in Chicago, I remember looking at him as a comparison for Jhonny Peralta, he can hit but he can be a liability defensively.  I wouldn't rely on Uribe to play gold glove defense that Urshela offered, I would instead brace for the problems we complained about defensively at 3B last year before Urshela.

- Uribe's numbers at Progressive Field are horrible- In 37 games, Uribe at Progressive Field is hitting .180 avg with 4 HRs, 17 RBIs, and a .206 OBP.  Bottom line is Uribe has never had success at Progressive Field and that's not a good sign for a guy you're paying $4 million to be an offensive upgrade.  The argument could be made here that last year, Brandon Moss was known to hit very well at Progressive Field and that really didn't help.  Only time will tell if Uribe's struggles at Progressive Field are for real or not, but at first glance...this is questionable.

- Indians are now pretty much maxed out in payroll- The Indians before the Uribe signing were on the books for around $80 million (that's not counting potential Minor League deal bonuses).  After the Uribe deal, the Indians are now pushing around $85 million in payroll, which is really at the max budget the Dolan's would like to spend. If you count maybe 2 more Minor League deals adding to the payroll in time, the Indians could be close to pushing $90 million.  The Dolan's really don't want to go over that which kills any trades the Indians could make at the Trade Deadline.  So if the Indians need another bat, Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff have to make one hell of a presentation to the Dolan's explaining why the Indians need a $100 million payroll.  Money says, the Dolan's won't budge.

- There were more pressing needs- My opinion has always been about 3B, it's a defensive position first.  If you can hit, that's a bonus.  That's why the Royals stuck with Mike Moustakas through his hitting struggles and more importantly that's the biggest trait for every great 3B in the game today (Arenado, Machado, Beltre, Seager).  All the top 3B in the league are outstanding defenders.  The Indians had one in Giovanny Urshela, but are choosing offense over defense.  The Indians could've found that offense at a biggest position of need, the Outfield.

 With Brantley out for a while and we don't know how long it'll take him to get up to speed, the Indians need a more proven bat in the outfield.  Having the speed of Rajai Davis and moving forward with Lonnie Chisenhall in RF are great, but you had Dexter Fowler and Austin Jackson available.  Fowler would've given you a better offensive upgrade, but Jackson gave you better defense, solid hitting, and his familiarity with the Tigers.  The Indians should've inquired more on those two and tried to lure one of them in, even if they got a 1 year deal.

At the end of the day the Indians did what the fans asked them to do, build a better offensive team and Uribe technically will bring that to the Indians at 3B.  In my personal opinion, I'm against the signing, I think Giovanny Urshela needs time to develop his major league game and shows all the qualities of a solid MLB hitter with Gold Glove ability at 3B.  The Indians needed to learn from their mistakes last year which was when we don't have great defense at 3B, the Indians suffer.  Let's all hope Uribe can be serviceable defensively and provide enough offense to push the Indians back to the top of the Central Division.