A Brief History Lesson for Cleveland Indians’ Front Office Haters

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Feb 18, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians general manager Chris Antonetti speaks to the media during MLB media day at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the opinions of a forgetful Internet, the Cleveland Indians’ front office has been exceptional

Mark Shapiro had the unenviable job of taking over as the Cleveland Indians’ general manager after the departure of John Hart, who many fans still identify as synonymous with the Tribe’s winning ways of the 1990s. He inherited a team whose fan base, right or wrong, would never fully appreciate the moves he made for this franchise. 

Shapiro’s arrival coincided with the team’s sale to Larry Dolan, forever linking Shapiro with Dolan and his “cheap” and “oft-rebuilding” ways. Due to his connect with Shapiro, protégé Chris Antonetti has been dealt a similar hand in Cleveland despite the duo being the crux of a front office that has built — and taken steps to sustain — the foundation for a young and competitive team.

There is a perception of incompetence. Shapiro and Antonetti deal with fans who question their ability to evaluate young talent on a daily basis.

But it’s all ridiculous.

The accusations and assertions are unfounded, as both Shapiro and Antonetti have pulled off a number of brilliant moves to help shape the current roster. Sure, Shapiro and Antonetti whiffed badly on the acquisitions of Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn — both moves that are handicapping the franchise financially now — but no one could have predicted such a significant slide so early in their deals.

While fans are frustrated — and rightfully so — by the Tribe’s lackluster performance through June, it’s senseless to chastise the front office and rally behind some ridiculous banter about the leadership’s inability to find an answer.

Here’s a brief history lesson for all the Indians’ front office haters.

Next: Bringing in Slamtana

Carlos Santana

acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for 3B Casey Blake

Say what you will about Santana, but this trade is one of the defining moves of Shapiro’s time in the front office.

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Getting a high-upside middle of the order bat in return for an aging Blake was a huge steal for the Indians. At the time of the trade, Keith Law wrote the deal off as one the Dodgers would be regretting for a long time. Santana was ranked 13th on Law’s Top 100 prospects and 26th on Baseball America’s Top 100. According to Law:

After hitting a combined .330/.435/.569 in high-A — walking more than he struck out — he projects as a middle-of-the-order, switch-hitting run producer…Given his tremendous control of the strike zone and above-average power, he has very little to do to turn into an above average big league catcher, but there’s a high probability he develops into much more.

It was an outstanding move by Antonetti in exchange for a player who turned 36 before the end of the 2009 season. Steve Dilbeck of the LA Times once wrote, “It might not exactly rank up there with Fred Claire’s trade of Pedro Martinez, but if there was one deal General Manager Ned Colletti would like to have back, it was when he sent catching prospect Carlos Santana to the Indians.”

Struggling mightily this season, it’s easy to gloss over the impact Santana has made with the Tribe over the last few seasons. While he’s been putrid with runners in scoring position this season, the 29-year-old now first baseman is still playing well above league average at his position and offers the Indians a lot more good than he does bad.

Blake played a little more than three seasons with Los Angeles before retiring after the 2011 season.

Next: Paging Dr. Smooth

Michael Brantley

acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers for SP C.C. Sabathia

While Matt LaPorta headlined this trade back in 2008, Brantley emerged as the Tribe’s selection as the player to be named later. At the time of his arrival, Shapiro immediately pegged Brantley as much more than just a throw-in piece, saying (via Paul Hoynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group):

We like him because he gives us a combination of plate discipline, speed and athleticism. We think he can help our run production with his discipline at the plate and speed on the bases.

Fast forward to 2015, Brantley has been just that for the Indians over the last two seasons. Shapiro was absolutely spot on with his evaluation of Brantley in literally every regard. Brantley was a legitimate MVP candidate last season, as he hit .327 with 20 home runs and 23 stolen bases. Brantley was one of the best hitters in baseball with runners in scoring position.

Even better than all that, the Indians signed Brantley to a team-friendly four-year extension worth $25 million last February and hold a club option for $11 million in year five.

Side Note: It’s hard to knock the Indians’ front office for missing on LaPorta given the fact that LaPorta was widely regarded as a coveted prospect by many top baseball scribes and evaluators.

Next: Enter Cy Kluber

Corey Kluber

acquired from the San Diego Padres for SP Jake Westbrook

Cleveland cleared house in July 2010, ridding themselves of veteran players such as Jhonny Peralta, Russell Branyan and Kerry Wood all within a matter of days. It was a lost season by all accounts and Antonetti really began building a foundation of young players — both position players and pitchers — who could join the big league club in a matter of years.

At the time of his acquisition, Kluber was 24 years old. Pitching in Double-A, Kluber was 6-6 with a 3.45 ERA. He led the Texas League in strikeouts with 136 over 122.2 innings and was coming off a three-start run where he was 3-0 with a 1.73 ERA. While he wasn’t a highly-rated prospect in the Cardinals organization, Antonetti had done his homework, saying (via Paul Hoynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group):

He throws between 88 mph and 95 mph and sits at 91-92 mph. He has an average to above-average fastball and a plus breaking ball. He has the ability to miss bats. He gives us another upper level starter who hopefully can be part of our major league rotation at some time.

Again, literally every piece of that has come to fruition in the big leagues. Last year’s Cy Young winner, Kluber has become a bona fide ace in the Indians’ rotation while Westbrook never returned to his dominate form in more than three seasons with the Cardinals.

Next: Acquiring another solid arm

Trevor Bauer

acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks for OF Shin-Soo Choo

It may be hard to remember now, but there was a time where Cleveland and its farm system was void of any impactful starting pitchers. The Tribe ranked 29th in ERA in 2012 and there was little in the way of help on the way, so Antonetti and Shapiro made the move to turn the Indians’ final year of team control of Choo into an elite pitching prospect and potential staff ace.

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Now more than two years later, Bauer seems to have hit his stride at the big league level. He has posted a 6-5 record with a 3.96 ERA in 84 innings pitched. Still just 24 years old, Bauer has all the makings of a front-end starter who has the stuff to make an impact in the big leagues for the next 8-plus years.

This acquisition came at little cost, as Choo never would have stayed in Cleveland after 2013. It only helps the case here that Choo’s performance has declined drastically over the last two seasons. He is currently hitting .225 in years two with the Rangers.

Next: More pitching depth

Zach McAllister

acquired from the New York Yankees for OF Austin Kearns

Talk about adding pitching depth for no cost.

In July 2010, the Tribe acquired another impact arm as a player to be named later in the deal that sent Kearns to New York. At the time of the move, McAllister was the fifth best pitcher in the Yankees’ farm system. Fetching a prospect of that caliber in return for an aging and unproductive veteran was a huge win for the Tribe.

While McAllister never panned out as a starter, the native Midwesterner has found a home in the Indians’ bullpen. He is 2-1 with a 2.29 ERA in 35.1 innings as a relief pitcher this season while limiting hitters to a .226 average against him. Still just 27 years old, McAllister has a promising career ahead of him in the Indians bullpen.

Kearns, on the other hand, was out of the league after the 2013 season. He returned to Cleveland for the 2011 season before joining the Miami Marlins for the final two seasons of his career.

Next: Right-handed bats

Yan Gomes and Mike Aviles

acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for RP Esmil Rogers

The Indians were plagued by their inability to hit left-handed pitching and their inability to find a productive back-up for All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera in 2012. Addressing both issues with one early offseason move, the Tribe landed Aviles, along with Gomes as a throw-in player, in exchange for Rogers.

Two seasons later, Aviles is a significant contributor at seemingly every position for the Indians. He has hit .252/.284/.357 in three seasons with the Tribe, but makes his mark with his ability to play six different positions.

Gomes has made a quick – and maybe even unexpected – progression to become the team’s starting catcher. While he has struggled to recover from an early-season injury, Gomes is a .274 hitter with the Indians and, when healthy, he is among the best backstops in the game.

Like Brantley, the Indians front office pounced on the opportunity to lock Gomes up with a long-term extension, signing the Brazilian catcher to a team-friendly six-year deal worth $23 million.

Rogers went to Toronto an posted a 5.06 ERA in parts of two seasons before being dealt to the New York Yankees, where he currently pitches in Triple-A.

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