The MLB offseason is nearly a month old, and thus far, there hasn’t been the overwhelming activity we saw at the same point last winter.
Despite it still being early, there are a few teams already headed toward failed offseasons. The New York Yankees, Miami Marlins and Cleveland Indians still have time to right their wrongs, but each organization is already behind the eight ball with the 2016 season on the horizon.
Let’s take a closer look at what each team is plotting this winter, and why they are missing golden opportunities to improve through a loaded free-agent class.
Cleveland Indians
A refusal to spend in free agency could cost the Indians a chance to truly compete in 2016.
Cleveland has the makings of an elite rotation. Indians starters finished second in the AL in ERA and topped MLB in strikeouts per nine innings last season. Carlos Carrasco (fifth), Corey Kluber (sixth), Danny Salazar (12th), and Trevor Bauer (24th) all ranked in the top 25 in K/9 last season.
The issue was that the Indians paired a fairly anemic offense with that electric rotation. The Tribe scored 669 runs in 2015, which put them 11th out of 15 AL squads.
Seems fairly simple, right? Add a few offensive pieces, and the Indians could be really dangerous in 2016.
Unfortunately, Cleveland may have to rob Peter to pay Paul to accomplish that. Per Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Indians are actively shopping their starting pitchers in hopes of acquiring outfield upgrades.
With outfielder Michael Brantley out until at least May with a shoulder injury, the Indians have become even more desperate for offense. As B/R’s own Zachary Rymer points out, Cleveland has little leverage in potential trade talks due to its lack of options.
It may be uncharacteristic for Cleveland to make a splash in free agency, but this is the winter to do so. If new general manager Mike Chernoff decides against that course of action, the Indians will have no choice but to subtract from one of the top rotations in MLB.
Miami Marlins
My, how things have changed.
Last winter, the Marlins seemed like a team on the cusp of contending for a playoff spot. With a core of young talent developing into everyday players at the same time, Miami was a trendy pick to make noise in the NL.
But that hype didn’t translate to wins in 2015. The Marlins finished 20 games under .500, firing manager Mike Redmond in the process. Now, Miami seems to be running off some of its young talent that had so many baseball folks drooling prior to last season.
The most damning rumors involve ace Jose Fernandez. Andy Slater of 940-AM WINZ and iHeartRadio has reported that the Marlins have grown tired of Fernandez’s attitude:
As I reported last week and on Tuesday, the Marlins front office is not happy with Fernandez’s attitude. “Jose talks to management like they are children,” another player source told me. I’ve now learned, it goes beyond that.
On at least two occasions in the Marlins clubhouse this season, Fernandez approached [Miami president of baseball operations Michael] Hill — according to multiple player sources — and openly said “when are you going to trade me?”
To be fair, Slater backtracked on those comments and numerous MLB sources, like Joel Sherman of the New York Post, have since reported that Fernandez is unavailable this winter. Still, the club’s rocky relationship with its ace is a development that Marlins fans can’t be happy to see.
A Miami youngster who most certainly is available is outfielder Marcell Ozuna. ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick has reported that the Fish are seeking a young starter in return, and that Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria “can’t stand” Ozuna.
Owners and players disagree all the time, but it seems counter-productive to trade away a 25-year-old one year removed from a 23-homer, 85-RBI season from a squad loaded with young talent.
But that’s what Loria is reportedly looking to accomplish. The Marlins should be adding cost-effective veterans to pair with its young core, not shopping two players with immense upside.
New York Yankees
In one of the surprises of the winter thus far, the Yankees have been relatively quiet on the free-agent front.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Under the late George Steinbrenner, the Yankees were notorious for throwing money at high-profile free agents that allowed the club to remain somewhat relevant each season. However, those long-term deals often left the Yankees with aging stars making way more than they should.
With new principal owner Hal Steinbrenner, there’s been a renewed focus on growing young talent and maintaining draft picks instead of losing them as compensation for signing free agents. The Yankees have been active in free agency, but it’s been a far cry from the free-spending days of the early 2000s.
As for 2015, Steinbrenner has announced publicly that the Yankees will maintain their newfound thinking by trying to upgrade the roster without splurging on a free-agent splash.
“Yet an interview session with the Yankees’ managing general partner left little doubt that, for now, this winter’s plan is similar to last winter’s, only with less financial wiggle room — and, to be fair, fewer holes to fill,” said Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.
However, New York isn’t far away from being a serious player in the American League. If there is an offseason to revitalize the old Yankee free-agent philosophy, it’s this one.
The Yankees could use another arm to pair with a promising rotation of Masahiro Tanaka, Luis Severino, Michael Pineda and Nathan Eovaldi. New York’s starting staff is talented, but Tanaka, Pineda and Eovaldi each dealt with injuries last season, and Severino remains relatively inexperienced.
With so many starters waiting to ink their signatures on the free-agent market, it seems like the Yankees should be interested in bringing one of them to the Bronx. If Steinbrenner deems David Price or Zack Grienke too expensive, Jordan Zimmermann, Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija are more cost-effective options.
Trading for a starter is obviously a possibility, but that would seem to defeat the purpose of grooming homegrown players for major league roles. The Yankees have the farm system that should allow them to be aggressive in free agency to fill their holes, but are holding firm on their new way of thinking.
In the meantime, other AL teams are passing them by.
All stats courtesy of FanGraphs.
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