2020 finish: 35-25, 2nd in AL Central, lost 2-0 in ALWC against the Yankees
Key additions: Amed Rosario (trade NYM), Andres Gimenez (trade NYM), Eddie Rosario (FA MIN)
Key subtractions: Francisco Lindor (trade NYM), Carlos Carrasco (trade NYM), Brad Hand (FA WAS), Carlos Santana (FA KC)
It’s the end of an era in Cleveland. More ways than one. First off, the team announced that they will be dropping the “Indians” name after the 2021 season and are currently pursuing another team name. They said they will not be known as the Cleveland Baseball Team (similar to the Washington Football Team). Personally, I hope they change back to Spiders. I know they were awful when they were the Spiders before, but I feel in today’s age, you could come up with some pretty cool logos. I could also see Rockers since the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland. The other era that ended is the Francisco Lindor era. After 6 years, and entering his final year of his contract, the Indians knew he was getting too expensive and likely wouldn’t be able to re-sign him. So they shipped him and Carlos Carrasco to the Mets. Will Cleveland rock in 2021?
The Indians offense is going to look quite different this season. Gone are Lindor and Carlos Santana. Andres Gimenez, whom they acquired in the Lindor trade, will take over starting duties. He debuted for the Mets last year and did fine. He is quick and can steal bases. He should be able to get 20 swipes but he may have a hard time getting on base. He doesn’t walk much and will likely hit about .250. Jake Bauers will do his best Carlos Santana impression. Bauers has had 2 different stints in the majors, both have been less than stellar. He hits well in the minors but can’t seem to translate it in the big leagues. If he gets 15 home runs, I’ll be surprised. Cesar Hernandez re-signed this offseason. Hernandez doesn’t do anything special or flashy, but he gets the job done. He plays hard and can give you a little bit of everything. Then you have Jose Ramirez. He has quietly become one of the best players in the game. In the last 4 years, he has 3 top 3 MVP finishes including runner up last year. I don’t think he finishes the season with the Indians though. With them cutting payroll, I think Ramirez is the next one to go. If they trade him, they need to make sure they get a good hitting prospect with some power. They do have Nolan Jones waiting in the wings, so they don’t necessarily need to get a 3B, but they need to make sure they get a hitter to replace him.
In the outfield, Eddie Rosario comes over from the Twins in free agency. Rosario has garnered MVP votes in the past two seasons so it was a surprise to hear that the Twins let him go. The Indians are going to rely on similar production from him and get on base in front of guys like Ramirez and Reyes. In centerfield, they could go one of two ways. Bradley Zimmer has played there before or they could move Amed Rosario from short to center. I think the latter is more likely to happen. Zimmer is more of a 4th outfield at best. Amed has a total of 3 innings logged in the outfield in his career but that will likely change this year. It seemed he was really turning the corner in 2019 but took a step back last year. I think he can bounce back but there’s no guarantee he plays every day unless he produces early. Franmil Reyes, nicknamed Franimal, can put up monster power numbers. He smacked 37 home runs in 2019 and 9 last year (which would have been about 24). For a bigger guy (he’s 6’5”, 265lbs), he hits for contact too as he hit .275 last season. He’s improving both his K rate and walk rate. If he continues that up, he could be in line for a big season.
Projected lineup via Fangraphs
Cesar Hernandez 2B
Eddie Rosario LF
Jose Ramirez 3B
Franmil Reyes DH
Josh Naylor RF
Jake Bauers 1B
Roberto Perez C
Andres Gimenez SS
Bradley Zimmer CF (likely Amed Rosario)
If the Indians are going to go anywhere this season, it’ll be dependent on their pitching. Shane Bieber had a historic season last year. He captured the major league pitching triple crown, something that hasn’t happened since Johan Santana in 2006. He tied Yu Darvish with 8 wins, led with 1.63 ERA and struck out 122 batters. This obviously won him the Cy Young, but I think he should have finished higher in MVP (finished 4th). He is only 25 and the sky’s the limit with him. Zach Plesac had a pleasant season even though he was disciplined for covid protocols. Plesac is the nephew of former big league pitcher Dan Plesac. Zach had a 2.28 ERA in 8 starts. He looks like a bright spot and a nice #2 guy. Aaron Civale was expected to make a big jump forward in 2020 after posted a 2.34 ERA in 2019. That didn’t happen as he regressed to a 4.74. Nothing really went right for him. He became a very hittable pitcher, actually leading the AL in hits allowed. He also allowed nearly 3 times as many home runs. I think he can get back in the right direction but it’s going to take some work. He’s looking sharp this spring. Someone not looking sharp though is Triston McKenzie. He was nearly unhittable last year in his debut season. So far this year he has a 7.53 ERA. This definitely will improve come the regular season. He could be a rookie of the year candidate. He has an electric fastball but can be wild at times.
Projected rotation via Fangraphs
Shane Bieber
Zach Plesac
Aaron Civale
Triston McKenzie
Logan Allen
James Karinchak – closer
Prospects you should know
Nolan Jones – knocking on the MLB door. Power is starting to develop, but needs to improve against lefties.
Triston McKenzie – debuted last year and turned heads. Wiry frame but big fastball! Could make a big jump this season
Worst case scenario – The offense struggles, Ramirez gets traded, 4th place is not out of the question.
Best case scenario – I think the days of competing for the division title are over, but they could fight for a wild card. Pitching carries them.
My prediction: 3rd in AL Central
