Cleveland Indians: Reflections on a puzzling offseason

The Cleveland Indians’ offseason was dominated by rumors, speculation and a few near-misses on the trade market. Spring Training is here, but questions remain.

Players have begun reporting to Spring Training, which means an MLB offseason nearly devoid of real baseball news has come to a merciful end.

Well, somewhat, that is. The baseball community now has a tangible distraction from the tension growing between players and owners, but with several stars still on the market, winter isn’t in the rear view just yet.

A handful of teams have made noteworthy strides toward improvement, a slightly larger handful appear to have already mailed in the 2018 season, and the remaining majority are surrounded by question marks.

The 102-win Cleveland Indians are surprisingly among those facing uncertainties, and some of them stem from the speculation and rumors that have dominated their headlines since October.

Where does Kipnis really stand?

Fans may be frustrated at the hemorrhaging of players to free agency, but the most perplexing aspect of the Indians’ offseason has been the many conflicting reports regarding Jason Kipnis.

While it appeared a few months back that the team would return Kipnis to second base, there have since been rumors that the Indians were involved in trade discussions that would either leave him without a position or send him packing altogether.

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In fact, as recently as a few days ago, general manager Mike Chernoff used the phrase, “That’s a challenging topic,” when asked if Kipnis would indeed be the starting second baseman.

This could be interpreted in one of two ways: either the Indians would prefer to trade Kipnis, or they are simply preparing to utilize him all over the field, thus declining to commit to his role at a specific position.

Kipnis’ name has been the centerpiece of several trade rumors throughout the offseason, so in a vacuum it isn’t shocking to see the front office hesitate to declare him an everyday starter at the moment.

It is surprising, however, to see how close to the vest the Indians appear to be keeping their cards when his name is brought up, especially considering how much he’s meant to the organization and the fan base during his time in Cleveland.

Blockbuster trade rumors

The marquee name on the trade market this winter has been that of Manny Machado. Conversations have died down considerably, but the Indians were in the middle of them when the Orioles were casting out lines.

From a sheer win-now perspective, any deal that could bring Machado to Progressive Field would be a no-brainer. The Indians would have to mortgage a significant part of their future in exchange for a one-year rental, but any doubt about the front office’s commitment to winning a World Series would be gone.

But again, a Machado acquisition would undoubtedly relegate Kipnis to a new position, if not a new team entirely, as Jose Ramirez would take over at second base. One can’t help but wonder if the reason Kipnis remains in an Indians uniform is the fact that Machado has yet to put one on.

The Indians were also rumored to have been in discussions regarding one of their own big names: Edwin Encarnacion. It’s rumored that the Tribe had been working on a deal with the Boston Red Sox that would have landed Jackie Bradley, Jr. in Cleveland.

Had this trade been executed, it would have been met with a variety of responses from the fan base. Bradley is younger, less expensive, and plays elite defense. Acquiring him would have alleviated most of the Tribe’s outfield concerns in one fell swoop.

On the other hand, the Indians already bid farewell to two middle-of-the-order bats in Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce. Could they really have afforded to part with Encarnacion on top of that?

The reality is that the trade discussions for Bradley and Machado were probably somewhat tied together.

The Indians could absolutely sustain the loss of Encarnacion if they acquired Machado. Moreover, in order to add Machado’s $16 million to the team payroll, they’d have to offload salary elsewhere. Getting Encarnacion’s contract off their books would allow for that flexibility. To date, neither these nor any other significant deals have come to fruition for the Tribe.

The silver lining is that upper management spent the offseason exploring creative ways to improve the team without shelling out a contract that would handcuff them in years to come. From a glass-half-empty perspective, though, the Indians are a team with clear needs, and those needs have yet to be filled.

It’s likely the team is content to see how the first months of the season play out before adding or subtracting players. Maybe they’ll attempt to pry Machado from Baltimore again in late July, this time more aggressively.

Perhaps Kipnis, fueled by several months of hearing his name for all the wrong reasons, reclaims his rightful place in the middle infield.

Next: Roundtable: The ideal infield alignment in 2018

In any case, it’s been a winter full of what-ifs. Thankfully, spring is on the horizon, and the answers are right behind it.

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