My Sportsman of the Year: Brian Hoyer
December 4, 2014Behind a struggling offense a defense shines: Cleveland Browns Film Room
December 4, 2014He may be a “no-name,” but Cleveland Indians catcher Yan Gomes finds himself ranked ahead of stars like St. Louis’ Adam Wainwright, Colorado’s Troy Tulowitzki and Atlanta’s Freddy Freeman in Grantland’s latest list of trade value within Major League Baseball. Gomes, ranked 25th in all of baseball, is one of three members of the Tribe to be listed among the top 25 in the game–the others being, no surprise, outfielder Michael Brantley (16) and AL Cy Young winner (and recent nominee for Cleveland Sportsman of the Year) Corey Kluber (15).
On Gomes:
Aside from the minor leaguers, Gomes is probably the player on this list who has the least name-recognition among casual fans. That won’t be the case for long. Toronto drafted Gomes in the 10th round in 2009 and dealt him in 2012 for Esmil Rogers, a trade the Jays surely regret, and one that contributed to their decision to spend $82 million on Russell Martin this offseason. Gomes has quietly grown into one of the AL’s best all-around players, bashing 21 homers and posting a .278/.313/.472 line in 2014 while displaying strong pitch-framing skills and playing generally excellent defense. He’s 27 years old, he’s owed a paltry $20.95 million over the next five years, and the Tribe would need to spend only another $20 million to lock him up through 2021.
On Brantley and Kluber:
I mentioned the Indians’ impressive prospect-thievery skills earlier, and here’s further proof: They got Brantley as a throw-in for CC Sabathia and got Kluber as an afterthought in a random Jake Westbrook–Ryan Ludwick three-way exchange. Not too shabby!
In 2014, Brantley blossomed from a decent all-around player to a .327/.385/.506 one-man wrecking crew who might be even better than his 7.0 WAR indicated. Brantley’s batting average on balls in play spiked to a career-high .333 in 2014, but there’s reason to believe that might not be a fluke: According to ESPN Stats & Info, he ranked eighth in the majors in hard-hit average, trailing only David Ortiz, Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, Andrew McCutchen, Adrian Beltre, Edwin Encarnacion, and Lucas Duda. At $19 million over the next three years (with an $11 million club option for 2018), the 27-year-old has emerged as a cornerstone.
As impressive as Brantley was, though, he took second billing to fellow breakout sensation Kluber, who tossed 235.2 innings, punched out 269 batters, posted a 2.44 ERA, and won the damn Cy Young. Kluber is 28, Indians property for four more seasons, and isn’t even arbitration-eligible yet. Brantley and Kluber earned two of the top four spots on my fake AL MVP ballot for 2014, and should continue earning that kind of recognition for years to come.
The top five includes two young, stud, left-handed pitchers (Madison Bumgarner and Chris Sale), two perennial MVP candidates (Andrew McCutchen and Paul Goldschmidt) and the undeniable best, complete player in the game (Mike Trout). As Johan Keri points out, all three players were acquired by the Indians via trade at one point or another. “If the Indians were as good at signing free agents as they are trading for unheralded prospects, they’d be a damn dynasty by now.”
5 Comments
Noticed that Carlos Santana didn’t even get an honorable mention in that list though, which I think will be corrected next year.
Also, was a bit surprised with some of the prospects on that list and as high as he is on Simmons, but that Lindor didn’t get at least a mention.
See we may get Moss for a prospect?
“If the Indians were as good at signing free agents as they are trading for unheralded prospects, they’d be a damn dynasty by now.”
If the Indians were half as good at drafting as they are trading for prospects…
“If the Indians were as good at signing free agents as they are trading for unheralded prospects, they’d be a damn dynasty by now.”
Except FAs they have to compete against teams that have a lot more $$. And the players have a choice.
yes, we could have 2 Swishers on the team next year.
Moss would be a definitive upgrade over Raburn or Murphy in RF though, so I’d support the move as long as we aren’t giving up a premium prospect (though Moss is controlled for 3 more years, which is nice).