Three players the Cleveland Indians should consider offer a contract extension to before it’s too late, and free agency becomes too tempting.
Being in small market with owners who are always payroll conscious, the Cleveland Indians always have to be forward thinking when it comes to roster construction.
If the franchise gets a good player, it’s a good bet they’ll be leaving at some point in free agency. Even though the Indians and Lindor are still talking about an extension, Lindor looks poised to be traded before he finishes his deal.
The Indians tried to re-sign the short stop to a mega-extension, but Lindor wisely chose to decline. Now, he’s destined to become one of the top three or four highest paid players in baseball when he finally hits the market.
The Indians had success re-signing Jose Ramirez to a team friendly contract, while also getting bargain years out of Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco. Kluber’s contract only recently became too expensive, which is why the Tribe moved the two-time All-Star, to the dismay of many fans, this offseason.
For the Indians to be competitive, they need to make smart financial decisions, and for the most part, they’ve been able to do so–something that dates back to the Jacobs’ ownership in the early 1990s.
The Indians have been able to keep their window of contention wedged open because of some maneuvering, and while this team isn’t as strong as it has been in recent memory, they should win more than they lose.
Major parts from the 2016, 2017 and 2018 teams are starting to move, whether via trade or free agency, so the Tribe needs to begin thinking of the next wave of talent to hold onto.
These three players should under consideration to receive contract extension as the Tribe roars into the 2020s.
1. Mike Clevinger
Mike Clevinger, 29, recently got a raise agreeing to a $4.1 million contract for 2020, avoiding arbitration in the process.
It’s been reported the Tribe would love to sign the right-hander, and negotiated with him last spring, and the pressure is starting to mount on the organization to get a deal done, considering Clevinger can be a free agent after the 2022 season.
The two sides talked about an extension last spring, but those negotiations didn’t bare any fruit.
Perhaps Clevinger’s camp will have a different mindset following the pitchers recent knee injury. He injured his knee and the setback required surgery. He’ll likely start the season on the Injured List.
If Clevinger is looking for some financial security, it might behoove him to take a multi-year extension because for the second straight season, he’ll have missed significant time. In 2019, he missed a good chunk of the early season with a back injury, and now, the aforementioned knee injury.
There’s a reason you can never have enough pitching: Pitchers get hurt, especially hard throwers such as Clevinger.
When healthy, Clevinger is fun to watch and projects to be an ace. Locking him up and buying out his first year or two or free agency would solidify the pitching staff though 2023 or 2024.
3. Shane Bieber
If Shane Bieber builds off his 2019 campaign, he’ll be one of the best bargains in baseball, as the All-Star Game MVP is making around $569,000.
Now, the same sense of urgency that should be there with Clevinger doesn’t exist with Bieber yet, as the right-hander can’t hit the open market until after the 2024 season.
Back in the early 1990s, the Indians became one of the first organizations to be begin locking up talent by offering extensions that bought out the first couple years of free agency. General manager John Hard knew Cleveland wasn’t a free-agent destination, and this was a way to hold onto talent for a little longer.
Pro sports is a copycat league, and soon the rest of the baseball began to employ the tactics used by the Tribe. Sure, there’d be misses, but if you could hit on a few extension, you could be do something special, like the Trie did in the mid-to-late 1990s.
Unfortunately, the talent seems more willing to bet on themselves, which makes it harder for clubs to get these types of deals done. Look no further than Francisco Lindor. The superstar made pennies (by baseball standards) in his first couple of season, but now he’s making $17.5 on the one-year deal he signed to avoid arbitration.
The Indians tried to sign Lindor to a $100 million extension before he started making an eight-figure salary, but Lindor rejected the deal. With an endorsement deal from New Balance in his back pocket, he could afford to let it ride.
We saw the White Sox get ahead of this type of scenario by signing prized prospect Luis Robert to an extension this winter. He’s never played a big-league game, but Chicago is betting he’ll hit it big, and if he does, the money they have him now will have been well spent.
Bieber’s star isn’t as bright as Lindor’s was following the 2016 and 2017 season, but his career keeps trending upward. Hopefully, the Tribe locks him up before it’s too late.
3. Franmil Reyes
Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez weren’t supposed to be sluggers, so it’s been more than a pleasant surprise to see them morph into the sluggers they are at the big-league level.
Outside of that duo, the Indians have a lot of swing and misses on developing power hitters.
Think about it…after Jim Thome, Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez, whom did the Tribe produce as a legit power hitting prospect? I’m having a hard time coming up with a name, but if you do, please @ me.
With a dearth of power hitters, the trade for Franmil Reyes was applauded by many in the media, and rightfully so. Bobby Bradley hits a ton in the minors, but we don’t if he can get it done in the big leagues.
After Bradley, there was no one else ready to help for this season. Nolan Jones‘ stock keeps going up, but he looks best suited to start the season at Triple A. Even then, Jones and Bradley need to prove themselves in the majors.
Reyes, 24, is coming off his first full season in the big leagues, and he blasted 37 homers between San Diego and Cleveland. Like Bieber, the sense of urgency to sign him may not be high right now, but again, the Indians may have to consider the technique Chicago used to extend Luis Robert.
Reyes is making $569,000 this season and isn’t eligible for arbitration until after the 2021 season.