• Changing RCF's index page, please click on "Forums" to access the forums.

Cleveland Indians 2018-2019 Offseason Outlook

Do Not Sell My Personal Information
If the Yankees get Manny Machado, my goodness.

I know nobody wants to hear it or go into the topic, but this sport needs a goddamn salary cap. It's downright insane that the Yankees will likely add him and then trade for Kluber.

Nobody is beating them with that lineup, and the rotation would be top notch if they can add Kluber from the Indians.

Boston and New York will be the power houses with the Dodgers waiting for the winner in the world series for the next 3 years.

I guess it makes sense to rebuild for a year or two.
 
CavsRules said:
If the Yankees get Manny Machado, my goodness.

I know nobody wants to hear it or go into the topic, but this sport needs a goddamn salary cap. It's downright insane that the Yankees will likely add him and then trade for Kluber.

Nobody is beating them with that lineup, and the rotation would be top notch if they can add Kluber from the Indians.

Boston and New York will be the power houses with the Dodgers waiting for the winner in the world series for the next 3 years.

I guess it makes sense to rebuild for a year or two.
Click to expand...
But.. but.. but anything can happen in baseball!!! Just get in they say :chuckle:. I know it's true, but not for Cleveland.

Our current group of chokes aren't beating the mega Red Sox, Astros, and if the Yankees go that route, there's just little chance with our resources. We'll always be the 4th best team regardless. Hell, we was the 5th best team because the As were better than us.

Baseball is very hard to win a championship, especially for a team like Cleveland and how they operate. That's why we haven't won in 70 something years and probably won't for another 70 years.

I should start treating baseball as an entertaining hobby instead of hardcore believing in winning a world series. Probably would enjoy the sport better. But then again it's hard to continuously get hyped up for trading Cy Young's and losing very good players in their prime.
 
Last edited:
Real Deal said:
But.. but.. but anything can happen in baseball!!! Just get in they say :chuckle:. I know it's true, but not for Cleveland.

Our current group of chokes aren't beating the mega Red Sox, Astros, and if the Yankees go that route, there's just little chance with our resources. We'll always be the 4th best team regardless. Hell, we was the 5th best team because the As were better than us.

Baseball is very hard to win a championship, especially for a team like Cleveland and how they operate. That's why we haven't won in 70 something years and probably won't for another 70 years.

I should start treating baseball as an entertaining hobby instead of hardcore believing in winning a world series. Probably would enjoy the sport better. But then again it's hard to continuously get hyped up for trading Cy Young's and losing very good players in their prime.
Click to expand...
We were like the 9th best team in the playoffs when we went to the World Series (post injuries)
 
Perfect storm after the last perfect storm in 97.

The Indians dominated in October 2016 because they got hot at the right time. Not because of some mythical perfect storm.

Hope they find some heat in 2018, don’t spent the year bitching that you know they’ll never win and then parade around here like a moron when they don’t do something that’s incredibly difficult.
 
Another 30 more years will be 100, hopefully we're around to talk about it. I'm sure 2016 will always be mentioned, even before 1997.
AZ_ said:
Perfect storm after the last perfect storm in 97.

The Indians dominated in October 2016 because they got hot at the right time. Not because of some mythical perfect storm.

Hope they find some heat in 2018, don’t spent the year bitching that you know they’ll never win and then parade around here like a moron when they don’t do something that’s incredibly difficult.
Click to expand...
 
Real Deal said:
Our current group of chokes aren't beating the mega Red Sox, Astros, and if the Yankees go that route, there's just little chance with our resources. We'll always be the 4th best team regardless. Hell, we was the 5th best team because the As were better than us.
Click to expand...

Are they chokes or are the other teams significantly better? If they're significantly better, why knock the character of the Indians players?

Real Deal said:
But then again it's hard to continuously get hyped up for trading Cy Young's and losing very good players in their prime.
Click to expand...

The last three times they've traded an ace it's worked out pretty well. The Colon deal is one of the best trades in team history, the Lee deal got us 9 years and counting of Carrasco, and the Sabathia deal netted us 10 years of Michael Brantley. I get that it sucks that players have and will leave, but that's the nature of MLB.

On a side note, I keep seeing people complaining about the Indians trading Kluber, even though they...you know, haven't traded Kluber. They'd be foolish NOT to listen to offers, and that's what they are doing. Almost all reporting has them asking for a monster haul in return, so they're going to either keep him or deal him for a package of players any reasonable fan won't be mad at.
 
Steve_424 said:
The absolute perfect storm would have been Carlos Carrasco being healthy.
Click to expand...
And Brantley... and Bauer

I really don’t understand the perfect storm comment. If anything it was a perfect storm to get bounced in round 1. We had bullpen days in the playoffs and started Ryan Merritt lol. That’s a messy storm
 
Steve_424 said:
Are they chokes or are the other teams significantly better? If they're significantly better, why knock the character of the Indians players?



The last three times they've traded an ace it's worked out pretty well. The Colon deal is one of the best trades in team history, the Lee deal got us 9 years and counting of Carrasco, and the Sabathia deal netted us 10 years of Michael Brantley. I get that it sucks that players have and will leave, but that's the nature of MLB.

On a side note, I keep seeing people complaining about the Indians trading Kluber, even though they...you know, haven't traded Kluber. They'd be foolish NOT to listen to offers, and that's what they are doing. Almost all reporting has them asking for a monster haul in return, so they're going to either keep him or deal him for a package of players any reasonable fan won't be mad at.
Click to expand...
You seriously can't turn the tables on a 3-1 lead with home field advantage and a 2-0 lead. That's choke. Lindor basically said it himself, talked about the key word 'finish' a lot.

You can find ways to sweet talk the Tribe but those were choke jobs. We simply didn't finish the deal. Yeah injuries caught up to us, but Naquin losing the ball in the lights? Come on man.

The Indians window is still open. Trading Kluber to the goddamn Yankees?? Gtfo. That headline alone is what put me in a pissed off Indians offseason mood.
 
Real Deal said:
You seriously can't turn the tables on a 3-1 lead with home field advantage and a 2-0 lead. That's choke. Lindor basically said it himself, talked about the key word 'finish' a lot.

You can find ways to sweet talk the Tribe but those were choke jobs. We simply didn't finish the deal. Yeah injuries caught up to us, but Naquin losing the ball in the lights? Come on man.

The Indians window is still open. Trading Kluber to the goddamn Yankees?? Gtfo. That headline alone is what put me in a pissed off Indians offseason mood.
Click to expand...

2017 sure, but no way I'll call the 2016 team chokers. They had to start Ryan friggin Merritt in an ALCS game, Kluber aand Tomlin pitched 3 rounds on short rest, Miller/Allen had crazy workloads...they just ran out of gas.
 
Real Deal said:
You seriously can't turn the tables on a 3-1 lead with home field advantage and a 2-0 lead. That's choke. Lindor basically said it himself, talked about the key word 'finish' a lot.

You can find ways to sweet talk the Tribe but those were choke jobs. We simply didn't finish the deal. Yeah injuries caught up to us, but Naquin losing the ball in the lights? Come on man.

The Indians window is still open. Trading Kluber to the goddamn Yankees?? Gtfo. That headline alone is what put me in a pissed off Indians offseason mood.
Click to expand...

It's less choke and more injuries finally catching up to to the team that postseason.

Should we have finished them off? Sure.

But with our SP injuries + having to pitch Kluber on 3 days rest for the 2nd time in the series, it was bound to catch up to us.

It was a slight miracle we even made it to a 3-1 series lead in the WS considering what the circumstances were and our awful injury situation in the postseason that year.

You can call it "sweet talking" if you want, but whatever you call it, it's reality. That team, with the injuries they were dealing with heading into and throughout that postseason, had no business being up 3-1 in the World Series. It was bound to catch up to us at some point.
 
Nov. 30, 2018 Non-tender deadline
Dec. 9-13, 2018 Winter Meetings in Las Vegas
Dec. 13, 2018 Rule 5 Draft

Important dates coming up that everyone needs to know about for baseball.

Slight realistic predictions coming up:

Neil Ramirez is really our only candidate that could be non-tendered, but that day will make more free agents.

If Kluber or Carrasco gets traded, it will more than likely be at the winter meeting, so that week is likely going to be an extremely busy week for the Indians. I feel it is a high probability Kipnis will be traded this week as well to the highest bidder.

Teams will be deciding their 40 man rosters type of thing here soon and Indians have 35 at the moment on theirs.

I am expecting the Indians to try and outright Hoyt, Edwards and non-tender Ramirez. making it 32.

Guys like Bobby Bradley, Hentges are a likely sure bet to be added. I expect Kaminsky, Marabell and/or Krieger also to be added to the 40 man roster.

Currently our backup middle Infielders are Stamets and Moroff, who aren't great hitters and never will be, so I wouldn't be surprised for the rumors if a guy like Dietrich of the Marlins be in the trade rumors for us. Also we may target a middle infielder and/or bullpen arm in the Rule 5

If we are making a big splash for a trade (aka for an all-star) I would bet the package would be around Chang, who is going to try and make the team out of spring training if kept.

Diaz will split this offseason between 3B and 1st base. It is possible if we move EE and/or Alonso during the winter meeting, he may get the 1st/DH spot full time, leaving Chang to be the full time 3B.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Video

Episode 3-15: "Cavs Survive and Advance"

Rubber Rim Job Podcast Spotify

Episode 3:15: Cavs Survive and Advance
Top