What is Next For Cleveland Baseball?
By Avi Carr-Gloth
After months of rumors and speculation, the trade that baseball was waiting for finally happened. The Cleveland Indians traded shortstop Fransisco Lindor to the New York Mets in a move that instantly and drastically improves the team in Queens. Cleveland receives Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene for Lindor and starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco.
The worst kept secret in baseball over the last year or so is that Cleveland would be trading Lindor before his contract expired in 2021. It was only a matter of when and to which team. While the focus of this move will be on the Mets and their ascension to contention, Cleveland fans are left with a talent and identity void. Cleveland will be changing their team name from the Indians and just traded their best player -- although one could argue that is Shane Beiber -- entering his prime.
The 27-year-old Lindor is widely regarded as one of the top ten players in baseball. Although he had a down year at the plate in 2020, he is still one of the best switch hitters ever and is a defensive wizard. From the moment Cleveland drafted him eighth overall in the loaded 2011 draft, it was evident that Lindor was special. The former Gold Glove and Silver Slugger award winner has the winning personality to match his talent. His infectious smile and energy makes him the exact player you want as the face of your franchise. Progressive Field was nothing short of electric when he hit a grand slam during Game 2 of the 2017 ALDS. He leaves the organization as one of the most complete players in franchise history.
Francisco Lindor’s grand slam in 2017. (Photo courtesy of Joshua Gunter)
Fans have expected to lose Lindor after the Indians failed to agree to a long term deal, but losing Carrasco is still an unexpected gut punch for the fanbase. In 2009, “Cookie” was acquired from the Phillies in the trade that sent Cliff Lee to Philadelphia and made his debut with Cleveland later that year. Since then, he has developed into one of baseball’s most consistent starters in some dominant Cleveland rotations. He beat cancer, signed team-friendly contracts to stay in Cleveland, and was a constant presence in the local community. The emotional “Stand Up to Cancer” moment at the All-Star game at Progressive Field in 2019 is seared into the minds of Clevelanders. He was named the recipient of the 2019 Roberto Clemente Award in recognition of his character and work in the community. It’s no wonder GM Chris Antonetti was crying during trade conversations with both players.
This move comes after Cleveland traded starting pitchers Mike Clevinger, Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer all within the last 18 months. Lindor is the latest in Cleveland’s recent cycle of building up a talented player only to trade him before he makes meaningful money. The team’s payroll has dropped dramatically since the mid to late 2010s. Former All-Stars Brad Hand and Carlos Santana were let go because of their price tag. As of now, only five players on the roster are making at least $1 million in 2021.
Over the last handful of seasons, Cleveland has been threading the needle between staying competitive while slowly reducing payroll. This upcoming season will make that much more difficult with mainstays gone and replaced by younger and more unproven players. While still talented, Cleveland’s roster sorely lacks familiar faces from recent successful seasons. They have some elite core pieces in Beiber, last season’s Cy Young winner, and MVP finalist José Ramírez. A trove of good young pitchers and slugger Franmil Reyes will help keep this team competitive in 2021. However, issues persist in the outfield and the lack of consistent offense potentially holds them back from division rivals like the Twins and White Sox. Winning a division title while shedding large chunks of their payroll seems far fetched for this group.
When owner Paul Dolan infamously told fans to “enjoy him” in reference to Lindor, it became clear the team would eventually deal their stud shortstop. There aren’t many tenured players or even a team name to get excited about. The future of Cleveland baseball is clouded with calls for the Dolans to sell the team reverberating throughout the fanbase. This team has been changing and will continue to do so on and off the field over the next couple of years. A respected front office and steady manager in Terry Francona are the foundation that will prevent this team from bottoming out. That being said, the Lindor/Carrasco trade signals where ownership’s true priorities lie going forward, and it’s not winning baseball games.
Avi is a sports writer for La Tonique.
