While We’re Waiting… Tribe offseason could be interesting yet

Cleveland sports fans are waiting. Thus, while we’re all waiting, the WFNY editors thought you might enjoy reading. Because you never know how long we might be waiting. So here are assorted reading goodies for you to enjoy. Send more good links for tomorrow’s edition to tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

What might an extension for Kipnis look like? “My best guess on an extension: 5 years, $37 million, with a $13M team option for 2019. That would keep Kipnis under team control through his age-32 season, at which point he’d be entering the phase of his career in which he’s likely to decline sharply.

The Indians can instead go year-to-year with Kipnis, paying him ~$500,000 in 2014, and (if he continues to play the way he did in 2013) something like $8 million in 2015, $11 million in 2016, and $14 in 2017, at which point he’d likely leave fr another team. That would work out to $33.5 million for the next 4 years, so the extension I’m proposing means the team risks Kipnis suffering a major injury or serious decline, in exchange for keeping him under team control for an additional two years for very little additional money ($3.5 million for the 5th year, $13 million for the 6th).” [Lukehart/Let’s Go Tribe]

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“That’s the problem, of course. Jimenez’s mechanics have been all over the place for years now. Like just about every other pitcher in baseball, a large part of Jimenez’s success depends on whether or not he can repeat his mechanics, and it’s impossible to tell if he’s be able to do that on any given day before the first pitch. He’s averaged four walks per nine innings for his entire career, something that you simply can’t do and find long-term, sustained success, unless you’re Nolan Ryan — and for all his greatness and showmanship, Ryan wasn’t a particularly good example of consistent excellence.

Jimenez has the same specter of a declined qualifying offer hanging over his head that Santana has. There’s basically no space for Santana to return to, since the Royals have Yordano Ventura to take his spot in the rotation and have signed Jason Vargas to a four-year deal as well. The Indians, on the other hand, haven’t really made any big moves of consequence, especially not on the pitching side, and are the only team that wouldn’t have to surrender a draft pick to sign Jimenez before June. Considering that Cleveland still very much needs starting pitching, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him back with the Indians for 2014 when all is said and done.” [Bernhardt/Sports on Earth]

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“The Indians, like the Pirates, promoted their cap logo, a red block style C with a serif, worn on their road caps and alternate caps for 6 years now, to primary logo status. Getting the demotion is “Chief Wahoo”, the polarizing logo which has been present on the Indians branding in one way or another for the better part of seven decades. Like the Pirates, the demoted logo remains on the uniform as it had in previous seasons, no change there.

While the Pirates readily made the change official and explained why, the Indians quickly denied that anything was happening to Chief Wahoo with some Cleveland media outlets erroneously reporting the initial Tweets discussing the news of the logo swap were themselves “erroneous”.” [Creamer/Getting Blanked]

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“The biggest reason to bring Turner to Baltimore is his potential impact on quarterback Joe Flacco. Look at Turner’s history with quarterbacks: Troy Aikman, Alex Smith and Philip Rivers. Everything the Ravens do this offseason should be focused on helping Flacco rebound. And, in terms of a play-caller and mentor, the Ravens couldn’t do any better than finding a way to get Turner to Baltimore.” [Hensley/AFC North Blog]