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Cleveland Indians 2018-2019 Offseason Outlook

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Excruciating.

Lolololol.
Oh man, that was a zinger.
You're right, slashing payroll during a window of contention isn't excruciating: it's delightful and should be celebrated by fans waiting 71 years for a title.
Are you Andre Knott's burner account?
 
Lolololol.
Oh man, that was a zinger.
You're right, slashing payroll during a window of contention isn't excruciating: it's delightful and should be celebrated by fans waiting 71 years for a title.
Are you Andre Knott's burner account?

Its the same old tired bitching from Cleveland fans. There are over 200 free agents and we are still shopping players to improve our outfield, why bitch right now we are slashing payroll when there is ZERO FUCKING EVDIENCE we intend to go into the season with the current payroll. What we know we were maxed out were the Dolans wanted to spend last year so we changed things around on payroll to open up signing a free agent or making a major trade.

THE OFFSEASON IS NOT CLOSE TO OVER, YES CRAZY SINCE 6 WEEKS AWAY FROM SPRING TRAINING, BUT ITS BEEN A DRAWN OUT OFFSEASON.

Fact, we had the 15th highest payroll, yet we had the 21st largest market and the 21st highest attendance. We spent a smidge over average yet fans wont come to games even though we are contenders. The Dolans are not cheap, just not high spenders like Gilbert. We are spending more on our payrolls than market or attendance would suggest we should.

Does it suck we are not Boston or NY, yes I would love to have an open checkbook, but without profit sharing that salary caps bring, this just wont happen in baseball.

Can you stop with the popular Myth that we don't spend appropriately or we wont spend the 18mill we saved?
 
Its the same old tired bitching from Cleveland fans. There are over 200 free agents and we are still shopping players to improve our outfield, why bitch right now we are slashing payroll when there is ZERO FUCKING EVDIENCE we intend to go into the season with the current payroll. What we know we were maxed out were the Dolans wanted to spend last year so we changed things around on payroll to open up signing a free agent or making a major trade.

THE OFFSEASON IS NOT CLOSE TO OVER, YES CRAZY SINCE 6 WEEKS AWAY FROM SPRING TRAINING, BUT ITS BEEN A DRAWN OUT OFFSEASON.

Fact, we had the 15th highest payroll, yet we had the 21st largest market and the 21st highest attendance. We spent a smidge over average yet fans wont come to games even though we are contenders. The Dolans are not cheap, just not high spenders like Gilbert. We are spending more on our payrolls than market or attendance would suggest we should.

Does it suck we are not Boston or NY, yes I would love to have an open checkbook, but without profit sharing that salary caps bring, this just wont happen in baseball.

Can you stop with the popular Myth that we don't spend appropriately or we wont spend the 18mill we saved?

https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/201...is-baseball-winter-for-tribe-terry-pluto.html

"the Indians are not going to take $14 million or $21 million or whatever big number you want to use and add it back into the payroll. Fans don’t want to hear how the Tribe has run up significant deficits in the last two seasons. I outlined that a few weeks ago."

Don't shoot the messenger.
 
For fans waiting 71 years for a title they sure do a shitty job of showing up when they've got a good shot at it.

But as someone else pointed out, the 200 something free agents still out there suggests more movement is coming.

The off-season and that fabled 71-year wait doesn't hinge on a second basemen who completely shit himself at the plate last year and can no longer effectively play his only position.
 
https://www.cleveland.com/tribe/201...is-baseball-winter-for-tribe-terry-pluto.html

"the Indians are not going to take $14 million or $21 million or whatever big number you want to use and add it back into the payroll. Fans don’t want to hear how the Tribe has run up significant deficits in the last two seasons. I outlined that a few weeks ago."

Don't shoot the messenger.

Same article goes on to talk about 1 more big move. I like Pluto and I believe what he says. But we are not done spending and not done making moves. Maybe we don't add the full 20 million we are saving, but we will bring in another outfielder or two.
 
Pluto explicitly states that the Indians are not signing a free agent outfielder, hence the gauging of Kluber's value in the trade market.
Also, most reports indicate that the chances of them trading Kluber or Bauer are getting slimmer by the day.
Pluto mentioned in the beginning of the offseason that the team didn't want to trade significant prospects to improve the 25 man roster, so forget about Castellanos or Haniger.
 
I don't think Dozier himself is the point of frustration, it's just difficult to be patient.

It also hurts to know that the Indians weren't close to the Astros or Red Sox, and that was before losing Brantley, Gomes, Miller, Allen, Donaldson, Encarnacion, and Alonso. I love Santana and I'm high on Bauers, but they clearly aren't as good as last year's team, which, again, wasn't near good enough to win it all.

It seems that instead of going all in to try to win it all, they're trying to go half way - be good enough to win the Central and maybe be decent a few years longer.

This comes with the backdrop of an All-Star Game that I'm worried they will botch (the lottery is pissing season ticket holders off already), a Fan Services team that is mostly awful, and the Browns taking back over as the primary option for fans buying tickets.

I'd argue the way to go is to go all in now and try to win a title over the next 2-3 years before Lindor walks. But it doesn't seem that's the plan. It also seems like we may look at 2016 with more and more regrets - it may have been the only chance with this group and starting pitchers in particular.
 
I don't think Dozier himself is the point of frustration, it's just difficult to be patient.

It also hurts to know that the Indians weren't close to the Astros or Red Sox, and that was before losing Brantley, Gomes, Miller, Allen, Donaldson, Encarnacion, and Alonso. I love Santana and I'm high on Bauers, but they clearly aren't as good as last year's team, which, again, wasn't near good enough to win it all.

It seems that instead of going all in to try to win it all, they're trying to go half way - be good enough to win the Central and maybe be decent a few years longer.

This comes with the backdrop of an All-Star Game that I'm worried they will botch (the lottery is pissing season ticket holders off already), a Fan Services team that is mostly awful, and the Browns taking back over as the primary option for fans buying tickets.

I'd argue the way to go is to go all in now and try to win a title over the next 2-3 years before Lindor walks. But it doesn't seem that's the plan. It also seems like we may look at 2016 with more and more regrets - it may have been the only chance with this group and starting pitchers in particular.

Very well said.
 
I don't think Dozier himself is the point of frustration, it's just difficult to be patient.

It also hurts to know that the Indians weren't close to the Astros or Red Sox, and that was before losing Brantley, Gomes, Miller, Allen, Donaldson, Encarnacion, and Alonso. I love Santana and I'm high on Bauers, but they clearly aren't as good as last year's team, which, again, wasn't near good enough to win it all.

It seems that instead of going all in to try to win it all, they're trying to go half way - be good enough to win the Central and maybe be decent a few years longer.

This comes with the backdrop of an All-Star Game that I'm worried they will botch (the lottery is pissing season ticket holders off already), a Fan Services team that is mostly awful, and the Browns taking back over as the primary option for fans buying tickets.

I'd argue the way to go is to go all in now and try to win a title over the next 2-3 years before Lindor walks. But it doesn't seem that's the plan. It also seems like we may look at 2016 with more and more regrets - it may have been the only chance with this group and starting pitchers in particular.


Baseball is weird. Hot teams win the playoffs. If we win the central, its anyone's game in the playoffs and even a team not as good as last year can win it all. You have just decreased your odds some, but still have a decent shot.

I am not saying I am happy about having a lesser team or denying this team wont be as good, but a few breaks, a young player or two stepping up, and we can win it all. We have a great starting pitching staff and two of the top 5 MVP candidates. We aren't as deep as other teams, but in a very weak central, we will make the playoffs and then have a shot if healthy to win it all.
 
Baseball is weird. Hot teams win the playoffs. If we win the central, its anyone's game in the playoffs and even a team not as good as last year can win it all. You have just decreased your odds some, but still have a decent shot.

I am not saying I am happy about having a lesser team or denying this team wont be as good, but a few breaks, a young player or two stepping up, and we can win it all. We have a great starting pitching staff and two of the top 5 MVP candidates. We aren't as deep as other teams, but in a very weak central, we will make the playoffs and then have a shot if healthy to win it all.

I'd feel better about it if I was confident in Kluber looking more like 2016 than 2017/2018 in October and if Jose woupd show up in the postseason. Anything can happen for sure, but it's hard to see with upgrades to the outfield and bullpen.
 
I'd feel better about it if I was confident in Kluber looking more like 2016 than 2017/2018 in October and if Jose woupd show up in the postseason. Anything can happen for sure, but it's hard to see with upgrades to the outfield and bullpen.

Agreed, I actually would love to trade Kluber to get a stud outfielder and prospect back. I am not confident in Kluber's arm moving forward and our starting pitching staff is deep enough to win the central.

Then use some of the found money (not all) to sign a better than average outfielder or third baseman with power....who I have no idea, but it can only be about 10 million. I would like to find another bullpen arm or two also.

So yeah not satisfied, and had our best shot in 2016 to win it all, but you never know in baseball.
 
Agreed, I actually would love to trade Kluber to get a stud outfielder and prospect back. I am not confident in Kluber's arm moving forward and our starting pitching staff is deep enough to win the central.

Then use some of the found money (not all) to sign a better than average outfielder or third baseman with power....who I have no idea, but it can only be about 10 million. I would like to find another bullpen arm or two also.

So yeah not satisfied, and had our best shot in 2016 to win it all, but you never know in baseball.

I'm for a Kluber trade for the same reasons, as I'd be confident in Bauer/Carrasco/Clevinger/Bieber in the Playoffs.
 
Dozier was a 1.0 WAR player whose OPS dipped below .700 last year and now we're going to overrate him as a "Top 4" hitter because the Indians didn't sign him.

That's fair, but if we're not going to pay players who performed in 2018 and we're also not going to target bouce-back players, who exactly does that leave as targets? The elusive "consistent performer at a discount" unicorn or typical Indians target with injury risk? Out of the 200 FAs available, who fits that criteria? I'm guessing status quo but could be surprised I suppose.
 
if we're not going to pay players who performed in 2018 and we're also not going to target bouce-back players

This is a huge assumption because the Indians didn't pay Brian Dozier $9m
 
2 yrs $24m for DJ LeMahieu

Didn't expect him to get nearly that much
 

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