Back for another installment of my MLB Offseason Breakdown for the 2021 season. If you are new here, what I do is write about all the acquisitions and losses the team had, my projected lineups and rotations, grade for the offseason, and my prediction for the team in the 2021 season. I’m also going to some different things now during the 2021 predictions so check that out at the bottom. Let’s get into it.
Acquisitions and Losses:
Indians trade SS Francisco Lindor and RHP Carlos Carrasco to the Mets for SS Amed Rosario, SS Andres Gimenez, and two prospects
So as a Mets fan it is hard to talk about this trade without my fandom involved. This was a complete steal for the Mets because they got one of the best players in baseball and a solid starting pitcher without having to give up much. Rosario has a lot of problems with consistency and the two prospects are not very highly rated. The good thing is it seems like Andres Gimenez has some real potential. Gimenez finished 7th in Rookie of the Year voting while hitting .263 in 118 at-bats. Pretty good for a very young player. He’s not going to be Francisco Lindor, but Gimenez has some real talent to make this trade worth it.
1B Carlos Santana signs a 2 year $17.5 million contract with Kansas City
And just like that Carlos Santana has left the Indians again. The long-time Cleveland Indian is heading to a division rival and it was probably for the best. Santana got a pretty good contract, especially after a down season where he had a .199 batting average. I’m sure Santana would have gotten his number back to some kind of normalcy, but at this point why even pay him that type of that money when he’s almost 36-years-old
LHP Brad Hand signs a 1 year $10.5 million contract with Washington
HUGE LOSS. Cleveland continued to be big-time poor by not signing back one of the best relief pitchers in baseball. You have to keep this guy no matter what. Instead, they let him walk and are now left without a top-tier closer. Terrible move here by Cleveland.
LF Eddie Rosario signs a 1 year $8 million contract
Now this was a very good signing by Cleveland because it takes a very dangerous bat out of their division and right on their team. Rosario has been pretty consistent his whole career and you should expect him to hit +20 home runs and +70 RBIs. The one few good moves Cleveland made this season.
Projected Lineup:
C: Roberto Perez
1B: Jake Bauers
2B: Cesar Hernandez
3B: Jose Rameriez
SS: Andres Gimenez
LF: Eddie Roasrio
CF: Oscar Mercado
RF: Josh Naylor
DH: Franmil Reyes
Projected Rotation:
1. Shane Beiber
2. Zach Plesac
3. Aaron Civale
4. Triston McKenzie
5. Cal Quantrill
Offseason Grade: D
2021 Predictions:
Best Player: Shane Beiber
Uhh….. no duh. Shane Beiber will probably win Cy Young again. He’s really fucking good. Maybe even the second-best pitcher in baseball. This season will say a lot though as he now has to play better competition all season long, but I think Beiber will be ready for it and fuck around with another Cy Young.
Biggest Progression: Franmil Reyes
This was a very hard one to pick because there is a lot of good young talent on this team. Between Reyes, Plesac, McKenzie, and Quantrill I had trouble making a decision. I went with Reyes because he will probably be the best out of the group. Reyes dominated in 2019, and 2020 was no different as he had a better season hitting the ball, hitting .275 and his walk percentage went up a whole 1.4%. Reyes will be a dominant force this season and get his first All-Star appearance.
Biggest Regression: Amed Rosario
Rosario is going to have a lot of trouble finding a spot in the lineup. The only true chance he has is if Gimenez doesn’t perform to what people are expecting but even then, Roasio is not a good defender. Rosario will regress on the fact that he won’t be playing a lot this season.
Biggest Surprise: Jake Bauers
After missing all of the 2020 season due to poor play in 2019, Bauers will make a nice comeback now that first base is free. I don’t expect that much from Bauer, but he will play much better than he did in 2019.
2021 Finish: 3rd in the AL Central
After losing their best player the Indians don’t have much of a chance in the AL Central. The White Sox are only getting better and the Twins did not get worse this offseason. Yes, the Twins did lose Rosario, but they are still the superior team. The good thing for Cleveland is they have a lot of good young talent. Everyone on the starting pitching staff is 25 or younger as the blog is being written. Gimenez and Reyes are young players who will have a big impact on the future of this franchise. Not to mention Jose Rameriez is still on the team. Rameriez is so underappreciated and now that Lindor is gone, he is the best non-pitcher on the team. Just give it a couple of years Cleveland and you will be back where you were a couple of years ago.
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Previous Offseason Breakdowns:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
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