The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Indians gave it a go, but now real work begins
The Indians lost Michael Brantley in free agency last November, traded Edwin Encarnacion, Yan
Gomes and
Yandy Diaz over the winter, started
2019 with Francisco
Lindor and
Jason Kipnis injured and one week into the season lost starting pitcher Mike Clevinger for 10 weeks with a back injury.
They got only seven starts from two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber before a fractured right forearm led to him missing the last six months, dealt with pitcher Carlos Carrasco missing three months battling leukemia, lost Jose Ramirez for 27 games with a broken hand late in the season, were without Tyler Naquin all of September with a knee injury that required surgery and lost Kipnis for the last two weeks with a broken hand.
And one more — closer Brad Hand pitched only one time after recording his 34th save on Sept. 8, and that was in a blowout loss to the Phillies after 12 days rest. A tired arm made him useless the last three weeks of the season when the Indians were fighting for their playoff lives.
All that happened, and yet the Indians managed to win more games in 2019 than last season when a 91-71 record earned them the Central Division title by 13 games over Minnesota. They lost their final five games and still finished 93-69.
That the Indians were in the wild-card chase with three games left in the regular season is a tribute to their tenacity and the leadership of manager Terry Francona.
Players such as rookie outfielder Oscar Mercado, outfielder Jordan Luplow, catcher Roberto Perez and pitcher Aaron Civale exceeded expectations. Franmil Reyes, acquired in the trade that sent pitcher Trevor Bauer to the Reds, homered 10 times and drove in 35 runs in 51 games with the Indians. That projects well for a full season. Young pitchers Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber proved they belong at the top of the rotation.
But the fact is the Indians were like a limping marathon runner who stopped 25 miles into the 26.2 race. They gave everything they had to run those first 25 miles, but just couldn’t take another step.
It showed especially in losing 8-3 and 8-0 to the White Sox and then 8-2 to the Nationals while the Rays, the team they were chasing, swept a pair from the Yankees and beat Toronto.
“Some of (the younger players) we didn’t even know,” manager Terry Francona told reporters in Washington D.C. after the Indians lost the finale, 8-2, to the Nationals. “We learned none of them will back down from a challenge.
“Are we where we want to be? No. We’re not going to quit until we get there, and I think we have guys that feel the same way, so we’ll keep plugging away.”
The only question that matters now is, where do the Indians go from here?
Kipnis will be a free agent this winter. So will Yasiel Puig.
The Indians have a club option on Kluber for $17.5 million. He turns 34 on April 10. Will missing essentially the entire season rejuvenate his arm? Is he worth a $17.5 million risk?
Fixing the bullpen has to be a priority. The Indians need at least one setup man. That will not be inexpensive.
Lindor had another monster year. He settled before getting to arbitration and signed a $10.55 million contract for 2019. He’ll likely get a boost of at least $8 million if the 2020 negotiation reaches arbitration.
Indians owner Paul Dolan hasn’t signaled whether he’ll want another salary purge like the one the Indians went through last year. A purge will occur naturally with Kipnis’ $14 million coming off the books plus another $17 million if Kluber’s option isn’t picked up. Some of that will be negated by the huge raise Lindor is sure to get.
Fortunately for the Indians, Ramirez is signed through 2021 with club options in 2022 and 2023. Perez is signed through 2020 with two club options. The combined raises Ramirez and Perez are due in 2020 will cost the Indians $3 million. Both players are bargains. Perez will earn $3.5 million and Ramirez $6.25 million next season.
The Indians lost the ALDS to the Yankees in five games in 2017 and were swept by the Astros in the ALDS last year.
It is inconceivable to imagine going through another injury-plagued season like the one just experienced.
But a healthy Indians team without changes doesn’t guarantee any real success for 2020, and that’s the real dilemma for team president Chris Antonetti.