CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Indians executives Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff have never faced an offseason like this. No one in baseball has.
MLB teams were limited to 60 games by the pandemic with no fans in the stands. The Indians' entry and exit to the postseason was swift as they were swept by the Yankees in the wild-card round.
Now they are faced with the unpleasant task of trading Francisco Lindor, the face of the franchise, to help counter losses and pay off loans. Fan favorite Carlos Carrasco, the only Indians player with a guaranteed contract past 2021, could be traded as well. Charlie Monfort, owner of the Rockies, told season ticket holders that teams could average about $100 million in losses.
Lindor could make as much as $22 million in arbitration next season, his last before becoming a free agent. Carrasco will make $12 million in 2021 and $12 million in 2022. He has a club option for 2023 worth $14 million with a $3 million buyout.
The Indians have already cut loose closer Brad Hand and first baseman Carlos Santana by not exercising their options for 2021. They did exercise catcher Roberto Perez’s $5.5 million option, which may be their biggest expenditure of the offseason if trades aren’t made.
So it must be tempting when Steve Cohen, new owner of the Mets, reportedly directs his gaze toward the Indians' front office. Cohen is worth $14 billion. He just purchased the Mets for $2.1 billion so the pandemic didn’t faze him as it did Paul Dolan and MLB’s other owners.
He hired veteran baseball man Sandy Alderson to sweep the existing front office out the door. Alderson is now in charge of putting together a new front office. Whoever he brings in to run the show will have carte blanche.
This is not the first time Antonetti and Chernoff have been pursued. Antonetti just finished his 22nd season with the Indians, Chernoff his 17th. When owners are looking for leaders to run their teams, the Indians are one of their first stops.
Starting when GM Hank Peters began his second tenure with the Indians in 1987, the organization has developed smart and efficient front office/baseball people. John Hart, Dan O’Dowd, Mark Shapiro, Ross Atkins, Derek Falvey, Neal Huntington, Paul DePodesta, Josh Byrnes, Mike Hazen, John Farrell, David Stearns and Ben Cherrington all came through the Indians system and have left their marks on other teams.
In Cohen’s first press conference with the New York media, he said he wants to build a team that wins every year. He said he wants the Mets to concentrate on drafting and development. He added that he expects to be in the World Series in the next three to five years.
Antonetti, Chernoff and manager Terry Francona have put winning teams on the field for the last eight years. They reached the World Series in 2016 and their starting rotation in 2020 consisted of three pitchers drafted in 2016, including Cy Young winner Shane Bieber.
If you’re Antonetti or Chernoff, the lure of taking your act to New York and duplicating what you’ve done at Progressive Field would be enticing. It would be even more so to have a bottomless checkbook to fill in any gaps in the roster. That is something they don’t have in Cleveland.
The pull could be extra strong for Chernoff. He was born in New Jersey and grew up a Mets fan. In 2018 he reportedly turned down a chance to interview for the Mets GM job. His father, Mark, is the vice president of programing for WFAN in New York City.
Right now the Indians' front office is expected to remain in place. The working conditions are good, the relationships are strong and they still haven’t won a World Series since 1948. Besides, there’s much to do this winter.
Free agents: Indians minor league free agents include right-handers Hunter Wood, Argenis Angulo, Henry Martinez, Jared Robinson, left-hander Anthony Gose, infielder Andruw Monasterio and catcher Kungkaun Giljegiljaw. Angulo, a 19th-round pick in 2014, has already signed a minor-league deal with the A’s.
The Indians acquired Wood and Christian Arroyo from the Rays in July of 2019. Wood made 17 appearances for them, posting a 3.68 ERA. He did not make an appearance in 2020.
Former Indians Dan Otero and Max Moroff also became minor league free agents earlier this month.
A variety of Cleveland Indians face masks available online today. (Fanatics.com)
New Indians face masks for sale: Here’s where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($14.99) and a 3-pack ($24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charity.
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