Cleveland Sports Forum

the White Sox picked up some really top prospects in their housecleaning and made some very astute draft picks. That required them to unload Chris Sale in his prime. We're not digging that deep a hole and therefore don't acquire such top notch returns. I agree that I like the way the organization is managed but it does threaten to keep us in the "solid competitor" ranks. Need some good luck with healthy pitchers and we'll have a top notch rotation next year.
I am big fan of "league-average hitters" like Rosario and great up the middle defenders like Straw. But to challenge for the top ranks they'll need much more offense in the corners than they have now.

Where does Amed Rosario fit in the Cleveland Indians’ plans beyond this season?



CLEVELAND, OH - AUGUST 21: Cleveland Indians shortstop Amed Rosario (1) rounds third base as he attempts to score from first base on a double during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians on August 21, 2021, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

By Zack Meisel Aug 25, 2021 49

CLEVELAND — One minute, Amed Rosario was swinging a table tennis racquet. The next, he was trading barbs with Franmil Reyes, accusing the burly slugger of cheating at cornhole, even though both players were standing behind their wooden boards.

He played ladder toss, then entered the fray on the Wiffle ball field, serving as catcher, umpire and even call-disputing manager. He walked across the Little League complex and sparked laughter with his bellyflop at the top of the cardboard box sledding hill.

Rosario was involved in every activity on Sunday afternoon. And later that evening, he was the catalyst for Cleveland’s offense, the way he has been all month.

Rosario slugged a two-run homer in the first inning to provide Cal Quantrill with more backing than he needed as the Indians capped their sweep of the Angels with a victory in the Little League Classic. Rosario has recorded one of the league’s most productive Augusts at the plate and has rated as one of Cleveland’s best hitters this season, not that there’s a ton of competition for that title. He and Myles Straw have formed a potent (and speedy) duo atop DeMarlo Hale’s batting order since Straw’s arrival at the trade deadline.

And yet, it’s quite difficult and puzzling to try to pinpoint how or where Rosario fits on Cleveland’s roster next season and beyond.

Rosario has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining. He’s earning $2.4 million this season. That salary figure will increase in 2022.

He has registered a .289/.331/.421 slash line, but because of a low walk rate and a lack of power, his .753 OPS sits just 3 points above league average. He does lead the American League with six triples. His walk rate and chase rate both rank in the ninth percentile in the league. His strikeout rate, however, is above average. Rosario has also stolen 12 bases in 12 attempts, and he ranks in the 98th percentile in sprint speed.

As has been the case for much of his career, Rosario has fared much better against left-handed pitching.

Rosario vs. RHP in 2021: .264/.302/.368 slash line
Rosario vs. LHP in 2021: .338/.387/.523 slash line

He has thrived with runners in scoring position.

Rosario with runners in scoring position: .327/.361/.510 slash line
Rosario since switching to shortstop full time: .312/.349/.446 slash line

Rosario is only 25. He was once a top-five prospect in the sport. Could he develop more?

He probably shouldn’t play shortstop on a daily basis. He has recorded minus-9 defensive runs saved at shortstop and minus-2 in center field, per FanGraphs. Only two players in the league have fared worse. Statcast’s Outs Above Average metric places him in the 17th percentile, defensively, in the league.

So what should the Indians do with Rosario? There seem to be four options.

What about just keeping him at shortstop?
Should they just suck it up defensively and keep him at shortstop until another player forces his way into the equation? These sorts of decisions often get worked out on their own — someone suffers an injury or thrives at a level that demands attention — but it’s a convoluted situation. The team is attempting to learn about Andrés Giménez, Owen Miller and Ernie Clement at the moment. Gabriel Arias is next in line. Tyler Freeman isn’t too far behind him. Brayan Rocchio, like Freeman, has advanced to Double-A Akron.

No one has accomplished enough to unseat Rosario at this point. But there’s a long list of well-regarded middle-infield prospects awaiting a turn, and several — Giménez and Arias, for starters — are considered more equipped to handle shortstop. The question is, will any of these candidates excel at the plate? That would make this decision much simpler. So far, Rosario is the only middle infielder of the bunch who has.

What about a super-utility role?
Think Mike Aviles, but with a much more capable bat and much smaller calf muscles.

Here’s the thing about a super-utility role: It’s great for when a team has established regulars at each position. Assigning Rosario to a super-sub role without having any idea who deserves to fill the starting roles, however, seems like a backward strategy. This would be more sensible if, say, Arias and/or Giménez emerged next spring as everyday players.

What about a trade?
In a general sense, Rosario has probably enhanced his trade value this season. When the Indians acquired him in the Francisco Lindor/Carlos Carrasco trade in January, he was coming off an abysmal 2020 season, one that he implored evaluators to ignore. He insisted that his 2019 campaign, in which he posted a .755 OPS and tallied 15 home runs, 30 doubles, seven triples and 19 stolen bases, more accurately reflected his skill set. And, well, he has duplicated that season.

Rosario in 2019: .287/.323/.432 slash line
Rosario in 2021: .289/.331/.421 slash line

But would he prove more valuable to another team than he is to Cleveland? It would likely require a club desperate for a shortstop. At least one team expressed lukewarm interest at the trade deadline. The issue is, Carlos Correa, Marcus Semien, Javier Báez, Corey Seager and Trevor Story will all be free agents after the season. Is there a team that would prefer to trade rather than spend to satisfy that need?

From Cleveland’s perspective, why trade one of the few competent bats in your lineup, unless you’re obtaining another MLB-ready player in return? It wouldn’t make much sense to dump Rosario for a prospect, given the team’s intent to contend next season. Selling high on Rosario wouldn’t be impossible, but it seems tricky to make it worthwhile for both sides.

What about a new position?
Could Rosario learn a new position like he did this spring? The team gave him only a couple of weeks to learn center field. That experiment didn’t last long. Surely, he could handle second base or left field if he had all winter and spring to prepare, right? Rosario lives about 20 minutes from the team’s complex in the Dominican Republic, and he has demonstrated a willingness to learn to play wherever the club requests. Is his offensive profile as valuable when he’s not playing a premium position, though?

No matter where Rosario winds up, Cleveland’s front office still needs to add some thump to the lineup this winter.

Cleveland Indians: 2 Columbus bright spots that should finish 2021 in Cleveland
by Kyle Edmond16 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7



Cleveland Indians, Anthony Gose


As we head down the stretch of the 2021 season, the Cleveland Indians are in an interesting position. While the postseason seems like a long shot, it’s not completely out of reach. In the same instance, the team needs to find answers for the future. Take into account the fact that rosters will expand soon and it’s really just a guessing game for how the front office will navigate the last month-plus of the season.

Luckily, the Tribe have a couple players that could assist both sides of the equation. They’ve impressed enough to deserve a shot to prove themselves in the majors, but they also could fill holes in Cleveland. The biggest issue is that neither one is on the 40-man roster.

Currently, the Tribe have 39 players on the 40-man roster with a few players set to come back soon from the 60-day injured list. That means that adding these players could get a little hairy, especially with the 40-man decisions that will need to happen prior to the Rule 5 Draft. However, it’s still worth the consideration to try and figure out a way for these two to break into the big leagues.


It’s an interesting story of how Anthony Gose got to Columbus. At 31-years old, he was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft — as an outfielder. In fact, it wasn’t until the 2017 season, at the age of 26, that Gose began pitching in the professional ranks.


He represented Team USA at the Olympics in Tokyo and while he’s struggled a bit in Columbus the Olympic bid is a bit promising. At this point in his career, bringing him up for the rest of the season wouldn’t lock the team into keeping him next year. Taking him off the 40-man at the end of the season to open a spot up wouldn’t hurt the future outlook of the club, even if another team picks him up off waivers. Not for a 31-year old who’s never pitched in the majors at this point.

While his 5.00+ ERA in Triple-A isn’t exactly a sign to call someone up or necessarily a bright spot, there’s little risk in giving Gose a shot. The team could very easily cut Bryan Shaw, another player that’s not part of the future plans, to clear a spot for Gose just to see if anything is there. In reality, the team would be smart to do this with Shaw for pretty much any player in Columbus.

Oscar Gonzalez, OF

While Gose isn’t a true bright spot, Oscar Gonzalez has shined enough to cover both of them. He started the season in Double-A, playing in 49 games with a strong slash line of .330/.367/.601 in addition to 12 doubles and 13 home runs. That was more than enough to get the call to Triple-A Columbus.

Since that call, Gonzalez has just kept slugging. Over 41 games in Columbus, nearly the same as Akron, the sample has just been consistent with a slight, and expected, regression with the rise in level. With the Clippers, Gonzalez is batting .302/.335/.494 with eight doubles, a triple and seven home runs.

Given the mess that has been Cleveland’s outfield, Gonzalez could be a huge upgrade down the stretch. The addition of Myles Straw has been promising and before Harold Ramirez went on the injured list he seemed like a solid option as well. Beyond that, the outfield is wide open, meaning there’s probably at least two outfield spots up for grabs.

It remains to be seen how Josh Naylor will be used when he returns, and when that will be. Bradley Zimmer fooled us for a bit, but as fallen back down to Earth and beyond that there’s just question marks.

Gonzalez has the potential to step up and immediately win a starting job in Cleveland’s outfield. He has a very well rounded game that could be a gigantic upgrade for the Tribe’s outfield down the stretch of the 2021. He might not hit .300 like he is in Columbus, but even a .260 batting average would be an upgrade at this point and that seems like something Gonzalez could provide.

Useless tidbit - I always thought Gose resembled Michael Brantley. Lefty too.

Oscar G should see if he could get his hairdo to develop like Oscar G[amble]. That was one of a kind'
but even with his current hairstyle I'd like to see him get some LF time with in Cleveland in September.

The weight of the beard helps keep the head down.

Cleveland Indians: 3 players you should be prepared to lose this offseason
by Kyle Edmond16 hours ago Follow @kyleedmond7



Cleveland Indians, Bryan Shaw

There’s a little over a month left in the 2021 season and that means that attention is slowly drifting towards the upcoming offseason. For some teams, the postseason provides a more clear focus at the moment, but majority of the league is in the planning process for the winter months.

In the case of the Cleveland Indians, who will shift to the Cleveland Guardians once the offseason begins, this offseason will bring a different atmosphere than fans might be used to seeing. For starters, the name change will surely be a talking point as we get ready to see the Guardians take the field for the first time, but also how the team approaches the offseason will be something to watch in itself.

The Tribe have made it known that their current goal is to save payroll. The team has had one of the lowest payrolls in the league throughout the season and have found ways to shed big contracts. From moving Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco before the season to Cesar Hernandez at the deadline, saving money is the key.

What will that mean for the offseason? Well, with the roster most likely trending even younger into the 2022 season, fans shouldn’t expect the Tribe to back up the truck for any free agents. If any big deals happen, they should be to secure in-house stars like Shane Bieber. If anything, the team might look to shed even more money.

So, while not all of these three players are necessarily breaking the bank, they haven’t performed well enough for the Cleveland front office to find them worth the investment heading into 2022. And for that reason, fans should be prepared to lose them in the coming months one way or another because odds are they won’t be in a Cleveland uniform on Opening Day.

Roberto Perez, C, Cleveland Indians
It’s been a rough season for Roberto Perez. Due to multiple injuries, the defending two-time Gold Glove winner has played in just 34 games this year for Cleveland. Even when he’s been healthy he hasn’t been the same player. After being error-free in 2020, Perez has four errors this season with a fielding percentage of .987, the lowest mark of his entire career.

Now, part of that could be due to the injuries and not finding chemistry with the pitchers. However, the last time he had that many errors was in 2018 when he had five and that came in nearly double the amount of innings behind the plate than he has this year.

To make matters worse, Perez can’t find his groove at the plate. While it’s a small sample size, he still is slashing just .136/.246/.318, the lowest average of his career. Normally bad hitting is something that can be overlooked for catchers, but Wilson Ramos has shown that there’s a better offensive option in-house right now.

Taking all that into account and it seems like Perez would be on a short-leash as is in Cleveland. However, he has a very hefty club option for next year at $7 million. Given his injuries this season and struggles on the field and I have a hard time believing that Cleveland would pick up that option. Especially when they could re-sign Ramos for much cheaper and get equal, if not better, production.

Bryan Shaw, RP, Cleveland Indians
There was one point in the season where it seemed like maybe Bryan Shaw was back to his old ways, holding down the seventh inning for the Tribe. That didn’t last long and the question now is if Shaw will even make it to the end of the season in Cleveland.

The bullpen as a whole has started to struggle of late and that could be attributed to the high usage over the last few months when the starting pitching was up in the air. Being that Shaw is on a one-year deal and will be 34-years old heading into next season, odds are he won’t be part of the club’s future plans.

The month of August has been a bit better for Shaw, but when he gets hit, he gets hit hard. He most recently gave up three runs on three hits in just an inning of work. While those outings happen, they should be limited and Shaw hasn’t exactly done that.

For the purpose of a veteran presence, Shaw has some value. However, for a team that is trending younger and younger, bringing Shaw back doesn’t make sense. He hasn’t proved to be valuable enough to offer a contract and his role next year should be given to an up-and-comer like Nick Sandlin.

Bradley Zimmer, OF, Cleveland Indians
What is happening with Bradley Zimmer right now is almost like watching the Tyler Naquin situation all over again. Zimmer will be 29-years old entering the 2022 season. While he has multiple years of arbitration remaining, the team showed with Naquin that it might not matter.


It seems like Myles Straw and Harold Ramirez are most likely locked into spots in next year’s outfield. Prospects Oscar Gonzalez and George Valera will soon be knocking at the door, meaning that players like Zimmer, Oscar Mercado and Daniel Johnson could be pushed aside. The question is just when.

Of those three, Zimmer has the least amount of team control left, set to become a free agent in 2025. However, Cleveland could trade or release him at any point and that might be a route they consider.

On the year, Zimmer is slashing .240/.342/.350 with five doubles and five home runs on top of 10 stolen bases. That might be enough to be a depth player, but given what the Tribe need they might be more inclined to give that role to Mercado or Johnson. Both are younger and have a bit more upside if they can tap into their potential.

Of the three on this list, Zimmer is the most likely to stay, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot right now. The outfield is a mess, but as Naquin showed us last year, that doesn’t mean players are automatically safe.

Is this guy paying attention to Zimmer?

He is finally showing what he can do with steady at bats - not interrupted by ridiculous injury after injury. And as a result with increased confidence.

He's still not a finished project either. But he fields, throws, runs and is making more consistent contact which is by far the main issue (not including staying healthy.)

My money is on Zimmer having a very definite role next season - hope I'm right.

Someone would give Zimmer a job if he's let loose. Finally looks capable of being a major leaguer; the overall stats for the year are mediocre but have been improving, especially the power. Johnson has begun htting too but he's not nearly the defender nor basestealer.. I'd keep Brad.

Oh yeah civ look at Zimmer splits - it's all about the last 60 days.

You can't look at the whole year - this is a developing asset that has finally broken through in my judgement.

They don't all develop at the same pace.....#cliche

Guys who hit 450+ foot bombs and steal bases like he does do not grow on trees.

Put him in the outfield with Straw and that right center gap is no place to be hitting a ball for if you are on the opposing team.

Zimmer batted 5th yesterday behind Franimal. Trust me, the team knows what they have here.

I will note that Mercado hit 5th behind Reyes a couple days ago and Ramos hit cleanup a day when Reyes was off.
But that said I think Zimmer has developed into a keeper