Well, that fucking sucked. Fisting a Bud Light Lime that takes me back to my college days (the first ones), I try to gather my thoughts and get some shit out that's been building all day. Here we go.
I still remember the first time I felt this way. Tuesday, October 13th, 1998. The Indians had just played Game 6 of the ALCS in Yankee Stadium and lost, 9-5, crushing my 8 year old spirit. I sat on the living room floor with my parents in my blue mesh Jim Thome jersey, carefully watching every pitch on the edge of my seat. Things did not look good early, until Thome hit a grand slam off David Cone to the upper deck to bring the game to 6-5. But that was it, and I was heartbroken. And that is the way I feel every. Single. Time. My team gets eliminated. It never changes.
I remember how I used to think that certain cities deserved it over others. Sure, the Baltimore Orioles are never a good playoff team, but the Baltimore Ravens have 2 Super Bowl victories since 2000, let a more deserving fanbase win the World Series. But then, the Cavs won the 2016 title. And mere months later, the Indians were competing for the World Series. In a moment that seemed to transcend time, the Indians opened the World Series at home on the same night that the Cavs received their championship rings, and what an overwhelming treat it was. It was like being a teenage virgin and suddenly 10 of the hottest girls you've ever seen want to bang you. At the same time. To show where my priorities are, given the choice between the two, I would choose the Cavs championship and the Indians World Series, every time.
This year in particular was frustrating. The Indians are never going to be among the top teams in payroll, understandably. They were 14th in payroll this year at $142 million. The front office operated this season like making the playoffs was just good enough, the sense of urgency lacking. The year after the Indians lost the World Series, they went out and signed Edwin Encarnacion to the richest deal in club history, 3 years and $60 million. Last season was the best the Indians have played since 1995, with a 22 game winning streak built into a club that ended the season with the best record in the American League. They added Jay Bruce and Joe Smith throughout the season, crucial additions that contributed in key postseason moments. However, they lost. That's just baseball.
This year was a different story. Carlos Santana walked and they replaced him with Yonder Alonso. But the bullpen was never addressed. All year long, Andrew Miller suffered setback after setback, yet they insisted that it was no big deal. Nothing to see here!
Most importantly, the offense fell flat. They didn't just "fall" flat. They crashed onto the Earth faster than the meteor that wiped out the dinosaurs. If only they had an opportunity to trade for an impact bat throughout the season... wait. They did. Several times, in fact. Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich were dealt in a fire sale by the Miami Marlins' new ownership, the equivalent to buying a used car briefly driven off the lot with 13 miles on it at half the sticker price.
Ozuna was coming off a year in which he hit 37 home runs, a power hitting right handed hitter with 2 years of club control still remaining. He went to the Cardinals, where he hit .280 with 23 home runs and posted a 2.9 WAR.
Christian Yelich hurts. It really, really does. He had 5! years of club control coming into this season. In 5 years in the big leagues, he never posted a batting average below .282. In the 2 seasons prior to this one, he had hit 21 and 18 home runs, respectively. He was under contract for 4 seasons at $43.5 million with a $22 million option for a 5th year. That's VERY affordable in baseball terms, especially for a 26 year old outfielder. The offer that Miami accepted was a decent offer, but the Indians could have topped it. Francisco Mejia was one of the top 10 prospects in baseball coming into the year, with higher upside than anybody Milwaukee gave up. Building a package around him was something that a front office with a sense of urgency COULD have done. You overpay for top talent sometimes. And what happened? Yelich hit 36 BOMBS this year, likely in an MVP campaign. And the Brewers are alive and well, competing in the NLCS. Even crazier, Yelich performed well in the opening round of the playoffs vs the Rockies. Imagine an MVP candidate playing like an MVP candidate in the postseason.
Manny Machado hurts. Yes, he is a rental, but he is an MVP caliber player. A true superstar that hits for power and average, plus brings swagger to a lineup. I was told during the trade deadline that you don't sacrafice Tristan McKenzie for a player that you're just going to lose in free agency. Just to be clear, McKenzie is a 20-year-old double a pitcher that will be lucky to contribute by the year 2020, more likely 2021. By then, Francisco Lindor will be a free agent, Corey Kluber will be an old man, and Trevor Bauer will be long gone to the highest bidder. Do you really expect the Indians to contend with just Lindor and Jose Ramirez as their core?
The Indians are in a VERY unique situation. Their starting rotation is dirt cheap, yet had 4 separate pitches have 200 strikeouts this season. That's an MLB record, FYI. Lindor is under club control through 2021 and Jose Ramirez is on an EXTREMELY club friendly deal that pays him $6 million per year. This is a waste of a season. Just a complete waste. The Indians' window to win is the next 2 seasons and that's it. Trevor Bauer will be a free agent after 2020. Kluber is 32. There will never be a pitching staff held in tact for such a long period of time at such a cheap price. David Price makes $31 million a year and he would be the Indians #4 starter. That's why my disappointment with the front office is so huge. Having 4 dominant starters that COMBINE to make less than Price, only to save their future trade chips when it's a time to be in win-now mode, is a complete waste and a total organizational failure. There is no excuse for not getting a deal done. Oh, the price was high? Well, the National League MVP was traded last off-season and the Indians could have had him. Could have.
What could have been. Thank God for the Browns. I feel like I'm in the upside down from 'Stranger Things.' Imagine the Browns being the city's only hope a year ago. What the fuck.
I need more beer.
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