CLEVELAND: Major League Baseball’s non-waiver trade deadline came and went on Monday with a flurry of moves around the league being completed throughout the day.
The Indians found themselves in a buyer’s position and acted aggressively, acquiring New York Yankees All-Star relief pitcher Andrew Miller on Sunday and Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brandon Guyer on Monday.
The first move solidifies the back end of the Indians’ bullpen and gives them one of the best 1-2 punches in the league with Miller and Cody Allen, along with Bryan Shaw before them. The second adds a hitter who can be a weapon against left-handed pitchers and helps balance the outfield mix with left-handed hitters Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin and, when healthy, Michael Brantley.
Both moves not only improve the roster talent-wise, they also add versatility for manager Terry Francona.
“I thought they aced it,” Francona said of the Indians front office. “I really do. I think it’s pretty well-known how much we like our team. And they made it better. And I think it gets exciting, and I think the players in there really appreciate it. I know me and the coaches do.
“Again, the game doesn’t get played on paper, and we have two months now to go out and embrace a huge challenge. And it should be a lot of fun.”
The first-place Indians entered Monday 60-42 and owners of the best record in the American League. It afforded them the opportunity to bolster their claim as the AL’s best team this season and in the foreseeable future — both Miller and Guyer are under club control through the 2018 season. This time, the Indians found the right deal and pulled the trigger.
“I think we feel really good about the team that we have right now,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “And it’s not just about the deadline. It’s about the group of guys that are in the clubhouse that put us in this position. I think they deserve a lot of the credit for helping shape our approach to the deadline, which was to try to be aggressive and find players that complemented the group that was already here.
“We went into the deadline with a set of goals and we think we largely were able to accomplish those. You’re never satisfied. We talk about it all the time. We’re always looking for ways to be better, but we do feel good about what we were able to accomplish.”
The Indians’ 2016 trade deadline was also marred with All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy exercising his no-trade clause and vetoing an agreed-upon deal with the Milwaukee Brewers. The Indians were set to send four minor leaguers to the Brewers for one of the better all-around catchers in baseball but, citing playing time concerns in 2017, Lucroy declined to come to Cleveland.
Instead, Lucroy was traded on Monday to possibly the Indians’ top competition in the American League, the Texas Rangers. Lucroy accepted that deal.
The Indians will continue on with Roberto Perez and Chris Gimenez manning the catcher’s spot until Yan Gomes returns from the disabled list. The Indians were spurned by Lucroy, but Francona is fine with the group the Indians have already on the roster, despite the offensive slumps all three have been in this year.
“I think the best way I can put it is the two guys we have right now, we’ve got Roberto and we’ve got G, Gimenez, I have no problem whatsoever, I mean zero, having those guys be our catchers until Gomer comes back,” Francona said. “It’s not like coach-speak or manager-speak, that’s how I feel. … So, I guess the best way to put it, I like our team. I’m not that shook up about it. In fact, I’m not shook up at all.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ