Cleveland Sports Forum

That will clear a spot for the new catcher.

I was reading a tweet yesterday if Miller was moved that every middle infielder has a spot in the minors and majors next year.

Tweet said that Miller was being moved to make room for Arias and Freeman as utility players next year.

Now if they can dump Straw.....

Straw was signed to a multiyear deal before Kwan blossomed.

Kwan and Straw are the same player except Kwan can hit a HR now and then.

Make room for Reynolds

Bye bye Owen.
Some prospects disappoint

civ - Miller had a pretty decent approach at the plate. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he becomes a useful player who hits for a good average. He was just a rookie.

But he did need to be moved with Arias - Freeman and of course the rest of the glut of middle infielders.

His offensive struggles were surprising
Not nearly consistent enough
His defense was sloppy
Maybe playing for his home state team will be a stimulus?

Chris Antonetti, Mike Chernoff check 2 items off 2023 wish list: Guardians takeaways

Updated: Dec. 15, 2022, 4:32 p.m.|Published: Dec. 15, 2022, 3:33 p.m.


By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- No baseball executive in charge of making their team better is ever satisfied that they’ve done all they can do in the middle of December. After all, opening day isn’t until March 30.

Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations for the Guardians, said exactly that Thursday when the team officially announced the signing of catcher Mike Zunino to a one-year $6 million deal. What Antonetti said is that the organization filled two big holes on a roster that last season won 92 games and the 11th AL Central Division title in franchise history.

No. 1, they signed a hitter in free-agent first baseman Josh Bell to a two-year $33 million deal.

No. 2, they signed Zunino to handle the bulk of their catching and bring along rookie Bo Naylor.


“I do think we’ve accomplished a few of our priorities heading into the offseason,” said Antonetti. “We wanted to make sure we improved our offense and added a bat somewhere and also address our catching situation. We feel with these two moves we’ve been able to do that.

“We’ll continue to assess opportunities as we go through the balance of the offseason to see if there are other ways in which we can improve the team.”

The Guardians hit the second fewest home runs in the big leagues last season. Bell and Zunino should help improve that ranking.

Here are some other takeaways:

No. 1: Health update on Zunino’s left (non-throwing) shoulder, which required surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, limiting him to 36 games last year with the Rays.

Antonetti said Zunino is hitting off a tee and playing catch at 120 feet. He said he should be ready to start (exhibition games) in early March.

No. 2: Zunino’s injury is rare

“Mike is one of the few players who had the thoracic outlet in the non-throwing arm, which is unique,” said Antonetti. “His symptoms were more when he was receiving the ball, so the process of elimination where they look through different neck issues and do a variety of different diagnostic testing and in the end determined it was the thoracic outlet that was causing him problems.”

No. 3: Will the Guardians add another catcher

Antonetti said they believe Zunino can catch the bulk of the innings in 2023, but added, “It is an area where we’ll continue to look at additional eternal options to see if it makes sense to bring anyone else in. But we do expect Mike to be able to catch regularly for us.”

The Guardians have rookie catcher Naylor and Bryan Lavastida on the 40-man roster and signed Meibrys Viloria to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

No. 4: The Guardians cast a wide net in their search for a catcher after Austin Hedges became a free agent at the end of the World Series.

Antonetti said the Guardians were engaged with most of the free-agent catchers and the trade candidates, including Sean Murphy, and free-agent Christian Vazquez. On Monday, Murphy was traded from Oakland to Atlanta, while Vazquez signed a three-year $30 million deal with the Twins.

On Tuesday word broke that Zunino and Cleveland had reached a one-year agreement.

“Cleveland was early in the whole process, I would probably say three weeks before the winter meetings,” said Zunino on a Zoom call with reporters. “I had a phone call with Mike (Chernoff, general manager), Tito (Terry Francona) and Sandy (Alomar, catching coach) giving me the rundown of the organization, gauging some interest, sort of seeing what would be a potential fit. I left it feeling very good.”

No. 5: What does the Zunino signing mean for Bo Naylor

The addition of Zunino allows the Guardians to do what’s best for Naylor instead of forcing him into a situation when he’s not quite ready. At the winter meetings, the Guardians indicated Naylor would probably open the year at Class AAA Columbus.

“The important thing is we wanted to be able to make those determinations with Bo based upon what was best for him and based on what was best for the team,” said Antonetti, “and not have the circumstances force that as best we can.”

Antonetti added, “To be really clear, we are excited about Bo Naylor’s future and what we think he can continue to develop into.”

Zunino said that he will be an “open book” for Naylor if and when he joins him on the big league club.

“I just want to help him grow,” said Zunino. “I want to be a mentor to him. I’m looking forward to meeting him. I’m gonna speak to him hopefully before spring training and just start that relationship.”

No. 6: When will the Guardians fill their vacancies at bullpen coach and hitting analyst?

Antonetti said an announcement could be coming as soon as Friday. After bullpen coach Brian Sweeney left to become Kansas City’s pitching coach, and hitting analyst Justin Toole left to become Seattle’s director of player development, Antonetti said the vacancies would be filled internally.

Big Hype Prospects: Alvarez, Muller, Ruiz, Naylor, Westburg
By Brad Johnson 2 | December 16, 2022 at 12:57pm CDT

Our coverage of in-the-news prospects continues. A couple signings and the Sean Murphy trade give us plenty of fodder to chew upon. The Braves did an excellent job of converting unneeded role players into a premium upgrade. We’ll touch on several of the former-Braves now enjoy new homes with the Athletics and Brewers.

Francisco Alvarez, 21, C, NYM (MLB)
(AA/AAA) 495 PA, 27 HR, .260/.374/.511

The Mets continue to fortify their Major League roster, building out a resiliency of depth they’ve lacked for… the entirety of my living memory. The Mets have always been a club of “just enough,” a formula that rarely works in a 162-game season with extended playoffs.

The addition of catcher Omar Narvaez to veterans James McCann and Tomas Nido seemingly gives New York the opportunity to promote Alvarez if and when they believe he is ready for a regular starting role. That could be immediately out of Spring Training or later in the season. Cynically, it’s worth noting the Mets might gain an extra season of club control by holding Alvarez back until late April. Due to his age, there’s appeal to such an approach.

The recently-turned 21-year-old had a brief cup of coffee to finish 2022. He flashed trademark power, discipline, and a tendency to whiff. At this early stage of his career, he might be a tad too disciplined – a common issue for precocious, discipline-oriented sluggers. Minor league pitchers are exploitable in ways Major Leaguers are not. A second stint in Triple-A – where he compiled 199 plate appearances with a 121 wRC+ – could help him to add a touch of targeted aggression to his approach. Otherwise, he risks carrying over-30 percent strikeout rates early in his career. The tools are there for more acceptable whiff rates. Even without that adjustment, he profiles as an above average hitter.

Then there’s the matter of defense where some of his mechanics are a tad unconventional. This is made necessary by his stocky build. He doesn’t squat as deeply into his crouch as most catchers. Without runners on base, he uses a kneeling approach. There are questions about his blocking (when kneeling) and pitch-framing (when squating). Even his arm, which is at least 60-grade, could play down if opponents correctly guess when he squats and kneels.

Kyle Muller, 25, SP, OAK (MLB)
(AAA) 134.2 IP, 10.63 K/9, 2.67 BB/9, 3.41 ERA

The highest-rated prospect dealt by the Braves in the Sean Murphy trade, Muller has performed well against Triple-A competition for two straight seasons. With the Braves contending and enjoying considerable rotation depth, Muller hasn’t received many opportunities in the Majors. In total, the southpaw has made 12 appearances, 11 starts, for a total of 49 innings with a 5.14 ERA. Muller has a four-pitch repertoire. Three pitches grade out as average or better. His changeup is considered a platoon pitch. His ascent has been slowed by poor command. Although his low walk rate last season seems a positive development, none of the contacts I reached out to believe his command has truly improved. As of now, he profiles as an inefficient fifth starter or high-upside reliever.

Esteury Ruiz, 23, OF, OAK (MLB)
(AA/AAA) 541 PA, 16 HR, 85 SB, .332/.447/.526

The other notable prospect in the Murphy swap, Ruiz had a season to remember in the minors. Neither the Padres nor Brewers gave him many opportunities in the Majors despite rostering him for a considerable chunk of the season. All told, he attempted 102 steals and succeeded 86 times (84.3%) over a total of 576 plate appearances. With new rules on the way, Ruiz could find himself among the stolen base leaders if he hits enough to merit a starting role.

That last detail is in doubt. Despite incredible minor league numbers last season, a half dozen public scouting reports all point to a reserve role. The Athletics undoubtedly hope experience will unlock at least a second-division starter upside – as they attempted with Cristian Pache last season. While he’s drawn some (very) lazy comps to Alfonso Soriano for his combination of power and speed, Ruiz’s hit tool is suspect. He’s shown an ability to work counts and avoid strikeouts, but he seems to do this at the expense of exit velocity. As such, his power plays down in games since he’s so rarely taking his best swing.

Bo Naylor, 22, C, CLE (MLB)
(AA/AAA) 510 PA, 21 HR, 20 SB, .263/.392/.496

Between the lost 2020 season and a terrible 2021 campaign, Naylor found himself entering last year with much to prove. He recovered his prospect panache by adjusting his swing mechanics and now profiles as the Guardians catcher of the future. He even made eight plate appearances for Cleveland, though he went hitless with five strikeouts. The defense-oriented Guardians opted to bring in Mike Zunino on a one-year, $6MM deal to bridge the gap.

Naylor has rare speed for a backstop. The last catching prospect to display similar wheels was Daulton Varsho. The last such catcher to stick at the position as a longterm starter was J.T. Realmuto. Naylor’s defense doesn’t draw rave reviews, but it’s merely below average. A scout I questioned believed he can be an average defender. Cleveland’s preference for elite defensive catchers might lead to a position switch for trade for Naylor. I keep thinking back to Varsho, an acceptable but unexceptional catcher who turned into a gold glove center fielder almost overnight.

Jordan Westburg, 23, SS, BAL (MLB)
(AA/AAA) 622 PA, 27 HR, 12 SB, .265/.355/.496

One of my beats last year was with an Orioles blog, Baltimore Sports and Life. At the end of the season, there were two schools of thought regarding the Orioles 2023 middle infield. One group (including me), advocated for signing one of the four free agent shortstops, moving Gunnar Henderson to third base, and using Jorge Mateo and Ramon Urias at second base until prospects arrived. Others were ready to hand the keys directly to Westburg (or the next guy below) and save the budget for one of the top pitchers on the market.

Baltimore GM Mike Elias opted for Door #3, choosing to ink Adam Frazier on a one-year rebound contract eerily reminiscent of the deal handed to Rougned Odor prior to last season. While Frazier won’t truly block Westburg or others, his presence will help delay the need to promote them. Nevertheless, Westburg is seemingly ready. He spent most of last season in Triple-A where he posted a 129 wRC+. As a hitter, he’s a well-rounded pile of 50-grades. He might be going down a Willy Adames-like path – not a household name but better than a typical core performer. He’s a tad stretched defensively on the left side of the infield, but he should be an above average defender at the keystone. While there’s utility risk here, it’s a premium version of it – in the same way that Chris Taylor, Tommy Edman, and Jake Cronenworth are “utility men.”

Four More

Joey Ortiz, BAL (23): One of my favorite Peripheral Prospects, Ortiz isn’t all that highly rated nationally. The Orioles love him. He’s contact-oriented and gets to more game power than you might expect based on his size. He’s trained as a utility man who profiles as a plus defensive second baseman and acceptable elsewhere. He might just beat Westburg to the Majors. Ortiz is already on the 40-man roster.

Jeter Downs, BOS (24): When the Red Sox acquired Downs in the Mookie Betts trade, he was an up-and-comer with impressive minor league stats. With Boston, he developed a serious swinging strike problem – and a commensurate 30 percent strikeout rate. Questions about his hit tool predated the trade, but this outcome feels like a total developmental failure. Now in DFA limbo, Downs looks like somebody another org might be able to salvage.

Freddy Tarnok, OAK (24): It’s been a slow burn for Tarnok who has long profiled as a future big leaguer even without flashing standout skills. He has a four-pitch repertoire, but his secondaries need further refinement. The short path to the Majors is via the bullpen where his velocity might play up. Oakland can afford to be patient.

Royber Salinas, OAK (21): The last notable prospect acquired by Oakland for Murphy, Salinas has starter caliber stuff and poor command. The instinct among evaluators is to move him to relief and watch him take off. He’s entering his Rule 5 evaluation year which could force the Athletics hand.

https://youtu.be/21M4ph5T4EU

Mike Zunino PC today.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/ra ... e4d8d52367

I know you guys like rankings.

Bell ranked pretty high.

Zunino nowhere in sight

If Zunino is in the physical shape next year that he was last year he will not rank anywhere again.

I guess i've got to rag on the FO to get them to come back from vacation.

Antonetti's interview sounded like they were done til "pitchers and catchers"

Still got a bunch of kids knocking on the door and not much pop in the outfield.

Twinkies and White Sox still wheeling and dealing.

Where's our Christmas present?

Guardians seek shelter from the storm of MLB’s money tsunami: The week in baseball

Updated: Dec. 17, 2022, 12:27 p.m.|Published: Dec. 17, 2022, 12:05 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Mets’ estimated payroll for the 2023 season is $420 million. It is more than the combined payrolls of the Rays, A’s, Orioles, Royals, Reds and Pirates for the same season.

Steve Cohen, the Mets owner, is already on the hook for $75 million in penalties for blowing past the last luxury tax threshold of $293 million that was part of the last basic agreement.

Six teams will start the upcoming season with a payroll less than $75 million.

The Mets have spent most of Cohen’s money on pitchers:

Closer Edwin Diaz: five years, $102 million.
RHP Justin Verlander: two years, $86.7 million.
RHP Kodai Senga: five years, $75 million.
LHP Jose Quintana: two years, $26 million.
RHP David Robertson: one year, $10 million.

Following the 2021 season, Cohen signed right-hander Max Scherzer to a three-year $130 million deal. Not to ignore the rest of the roster, this winter the Mets re-signed outfielder Brandon Nimmo to an eight-year $162 million deal and catcher Omar Narvaez to a one-year $8 million deal.

It has been a wild and free-spending offseason for MLB’s ruling class. Travis Sawchik, from FanGraphs, crunched the numbers and figured out that six teams are responsible for 75% of the $2.52 billion spent on free agents so far this winter. The six teams are the Mets, Yankees, Rangers, Giants, Padres and Phillies.

Much of the money -- besides the millions thrown at outfielders Aaron Judge and Nimmo -- has gone to starting pitchers and shortstops.

The starting pitching market runs a lot deeper than Jacob deGrom signing with Texas for five years and $185 million with Texas; Carlos Rodon, six years for $162 million with the Yankees and the shorter, but just as expensive deals for Verlander and Chris Bassitt, three years and $63 million with Toronto.

Middle of the road starters such as Sean Manaea (two years, $25 million with the Giants), Jameson Taillon (four years, $68 million with the Cubs), Taijuan Walker (four years $72 million with the Phillies), Zach Eflin (three years, $40 million with the Rays), Ross Stripling (two years, $25 million with the Giants), Kyle Gibson (one year, $10 million with Baltimore) and Noah Snydergaard (one-year, $13 million with the Dodgers) have shaken the money tree hard.

From a shortstop’s point of view, this has been a two-year heater. Starting with Corey Seager’s 10-year $325 million deal with Texas after the 2021 season, things have seldom been better for shortstops.

This offseason has seen Carlos Correa sign with the Giants for $350 million for 13 years, Trea Turner sign with the Phillies for $300 million for 11 years and Xander Bogaerts sign with the Padres for 11 years and $280 million. Free agent Dansby Swanson is still unsigned.

With the arrival of BetMGM in Ohio, Ohio bettors can register today and start betting on Jan. 1. Other sportsbooks in Ohio include Barstool Ohio, Caesars Ohio and DraftKings.

The money and the years involved are staggering. And the age old question has to be asked one more time: How do teams clinging to MLB’s lower rungs of the financial ladder compete?

Regarding starting pitchers, the Guardians don’t have all the answers, but they’ve managed to stay competitive because they knew they couldn’t compete for starters on the free agent market. Drafting Triston McKenzie in 2015 and Shane Bieber, Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale in 2016 made them look smart, but they were committed to this long before that.

Acquiring and developing Cal Quantrill, Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger was important. Bringing Eli Morgan and Sam Hentges to the big leagues as starters before moving them to the bullpen helped solidify the staff. Getting a look at prospects Xzavion Curry, Hunter Gaddis, Cody Morris and Konnor Pilkington last season provided data for the big-league coaching staff.

The rest of baseball -- the rich and poor -- has taken notice. Matt Blake, Yankees pitching coach, Ruben Niebla, San Diego’s pitching coach and Brian Sweeney, the Royals pitching coach, were all hired from Cleveland’s pitching group in the last four years.

Down below the lights are still on in Cleveland’s pitching factory. Four of their top 10 prospects, according to MLB pipeline, are starting pitchers -- Daniel Espino, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen. In the 2021 draft, the Guardians drafted 21 players, 18 of them pitchers.

It’s unknown if Cleveland’s strategy toward shortstops was as targeted as starting pitching, but over the last several years they have shopped heavily in middle infielders. If 2023 is shortstop Amed Rosario’s last year in Cleveland -- he’s a free agent after the season -- the Guardians may have to hold a lottery to see who replaces him. Andres Gimenez, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Brayan Rocchio, Jose Tena and Angel Martinez are all waiting.

The Guardians payroll is expected to push $90 million this season, a jump from $68 million in 2022.

In a game where some teams can’t top spending, the Guardians have found a way to win while controlling their payroll. It is dependent on a steady flow of talent because at today’s prices there is little hope of keeping players such as Bieber in a Cleveland uniform once they approach or hit free agency.

Beiber will be a free agent after the 2024 season.

Look into the crystal ball

Baseball America projected the Guardians starting lineup to look like this in 2026: C Bo Naylor, 1B Josh Naylor, 2B Gimenez, 3B Ramirez, SS Rocchio, LF Steven Kwan, CF Chase DeLauter, RF Will Brennan, DH George Valera, RHP Bieber, RHP McKenzie, RHP Espino, RHP Williams, RHP Quantril and Closer Emmanuel Clase.

Names to remember:

Oscar Mercado, who made the Guardians opening day roster in 2022 before signing a minor league deal with St. Louis after last season, is scheduled to play for Colombia in the WBC.

Ernie Clement, who played 63 games with the Guards in 2022, was recently designated for assignment by the A’s.

Jake Bauers, who played for Cleveland from 2019 through 2021, has signed a minor league deal with the Yankees.

Abraham Almonte, who played with Cleveland from 2015 through 2017, has signed a minor league deal with the Mets after failing to pass a physical with a Korean team.

Tommy Hunter, who pitched for Cleveland in 2016, signed a minor league deal with the Mets.

J.P. Feyereisen, drafted by Cleveland in 2014, was traded from Tampa Bay to the Dodgers after having surgery on his right shoulder.

Dan Fiorva, who caught the Indians in 1988, was rehired as the Astros quality control coach.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
Former #Guardians (C) Austin Hedges has signed with the #Pirates on a 1-year $5MM dollar contract for the 2023 season.
7:25 PM · Dec 17, 2022