CLEVELAND, Ohio — I won’t be going to spring training until March 9, so I’m not extremely close to what is happening in Goodyear. But I’m thinking about the Indians, and so are some fans:
HEY, TERRY: Are there any contract extensions looming for Shane Bieber or Mike Clevinger?
– Alex Prebul, Toronto, Ontario
HEY, ALEX: I know the Indians offered Clevinger some type of contract extension last spring, and he turned it down. I’m reasonably certain they’d love to sign Clevinger and Bieber to long-term deals, much like they did with Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber in 2015. The Tribe usually works on contract extensions during spring training.
I’m not Clevinger’s agent, but I do know pitchers often are injured. I doubt Carrasco or Kluber have any regrets about their extensions. Both battled injuries after signing them, and Carrasco had leukemia last year.
Clevinger is 29. He had Tommy John elbow reconstruction surgery in 2013. He had a significant back injury that cost him 10 weeks in 2019. This spring he’s had what is being called “minor” knee surgery and he should be ready in April. He will be a free agent after the 2022 season. Some type of extension makes sense.
Bieber won’t be a fee agent until after the 2023 season. Pitchers get hurt. If I’m a pitcher, I want to grab one long-term deal as early as I can to guard against injury, even if it costs me a year or two of free agency.
HEY, TERRY: Who creates the MLB schedule? Why can’t the first 10 games of the season be in warm-weather cities and domes?
– Matthew Graham, Chardon.
HEY MATTHEW: I’m with you on this. Major League Baseball does the schedule. MLB will tell you no team wants to play at home in March and April. They all want prime dates in the summer when school is out. But the Indians’ schedule is outrageous.
They don’t play anywhere south of Cleveland until their 31st game of the season, at Tampa Bay. However, they play Tampa Bay April 9-12 . . . in Cleveland!
The Indians play Detroit 10 times in their first 20 games of the season!
You couldn’t design a worse schedule for the Tribe (and some other Central Division teams) in terms of asking for lousy weather and postponements.
HEY, TERRY: If you had to pick today, who would be the starting outfield when the season opens?
– Sean Krause, Avon.
HEY, TERRY: Can you convince me to be optimistic about the outfield?
– Kyle Barberic, Fairview Park
HEY, SEAN & KYLE: It’s way too early, but here’s my best guess: Most of the time, we’ll see Franmil Reyes in right field, Oscar Mercado in center and Jordan Luplow in left. The reason for Reyes in right is that he is comfortable there after playing it in San Diego.
It’s possible Luplow could play right field if Reyes looks like he can adapt to left field. The Indians like Delino DeShields Jr., and he’ll play center against left-handed pitchers.
Artie Pesh-Imam emailed about Daniel Johnson. I like him. So do the Indians. I expect him to open the season in Class AAA Columbus much like Mercado did a year ago, with a good chance of coming to the Majors this summer.
The Indians have 10 outfielders in camp. One of them is newcomer Domingo Santana. He is rated worse than Reyes in the outfield. I expect him to DH a lot. Tyler Naquin is making good progress, but is recovering from ACL knee surgery.
Some fans asked about Yasiel Puig. I don’t see him coming to the Tribe. I heard he turned down some one-year deals from different teams. It’s a tough market for some veterans. Note that Jason Kipnis signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs.
HEY, TERRY: Lonnie Chisenhall announced his retirement. Is he part of the Indians couldda/wouldda/shouldda lore of unrealized potential?
– Heath Florkey, Dayton
HEY, HEATH: Chisenhall is only 31. He has been haunted by injuries for years, playing only 29 games the last two seasons. He was the No. 29 overall pick in the 2008 draft. He had trouble defensively at third. He turned into a platoon player in right field against right-handed pitching.
He played all 688 of his MLB games with the Tribe, hitting .268 (.747 OPS). He never hit more than 13 home runs in a season and never had more than 59 RBI. At least he made the Majors. The Indians (and other teams) all have first-rounders who missed entirely.
HEY, TERRY: I think we need more starting pitching. I know there is some in the minors.
– Richard Powers, Stow
HEY, RICHARD: Terry Francona likes to say, “When you think you have enough pitching, go get some more.” That’s especially true of the starters. Clevinger has had knee surgery. Carrasco had a scare with a sore hip. Both happened this spring.
Let’s project Clevinger on the DL to open the season. The top of the rotation would be Bieber and Carrasco. The next three probably are Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac and Adam Plutko. When Clevinger is healthy, Plesac or Civale would go to the minors. Plutko is out of minor-league options.
Fans and media like to mention Triston McKenzie. He missed all last season because of injuries (back and forearm) and pitched only 90 innings in 2018. He is in spring training and healthy, but he has to prove he can stay healthy.
The Indians like Jefry Rodriguez as a starter. He came to the Tribe from Washington (along with Daniel Johnson) in the Yan Gomes deal. Rodriguez was throwing between 93-97 mph in his first spring start.
My pick to surprise at some point is Scott Moss, a 25-year-old lefty acquired from the Reds in the Trevor Bauer deal. Moss had a 10-6 record and 2.98 ERA between Class AA and AAA in 2019. He has a 41-17 career record and 3.28 ERA in the minors.
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