CLEVELAND, Ohio -- From what I've learned, here is what happened between the Indians and Cincinnati in their trade talks for Reds third baseman Todd Frazier.

Here is how the Indians viewed the situation:

1. The Reds started with a request for Danny Salazar. And they stayed on Salazar for at least a month. The Indians had no intention of trading Salazar in a Frazier deal.

2. The issue is Frazier's contract. He will be paid $7.5 million in 2016. In 2017, he is arbitration eligible. That could mean a $12 million deal. If the Indians traded for him, it would be a two-year proposition. Frazier will hit free agency at the age of 32. He turns 30 in February. If Frazier keeps hitting 25-to-30 HR, his price tag will be massive.

3. Salazar can't be a free agent until after the 2020 season. He was 14-10 with a 3.25 ERA. He will be 26 on January 11 and is a very valuable commodity in a sport starving for effective starting pitchers under reasonable contracts.

4. The Reds then wanted closer Cody Allen and some prospects. The idea of adding Frazier is to contend for the playoffs. Trading Salazar or Allen would prevent that. Allen is the team's closer (34-of-38 in saved, 90 percent). He led the Majors with seven saves of more than one inning. The Tribe has no one on the roster to replace him as a closer. The Reds also wanted more than the 27-year-old Allen, who can't be a free agent until 2019.

5. The Indians preferred to trade prospects for Frazier. The Reds wanted to start with Brad Zimmer or Clint Frazier, the Tribe's top two outfield prospects. And then they wanted to dip into the pool of pitchers Mike Clevinger, Justus Sheffield and first baseman Bobby Bradley. They wanted Zimmer or Clint Frazier, along with two others.

6. The Indians were willing to talk about Jose Ramirez (the Reds wanted a middle infielder) and some of those other prospects -- but not Zimmer or Clint Frazier. The Tribe has been looking for outfielders so long, they didn't want to give up their two best outfield prospects for Todd Frazier. That's because Frazier would not likely to be with the team for more than two years.

7. The talks stalled over Zimmer/Clint Frazier. In the end, the Reds made a three-way deal with the Dodgers and the White Sox, with Frazier going to Chicago. The Indians thought Ramirez would be attractive to the Reds. He is only 23, a career .304 hitter in the minors who can play second base and shortstop.

8. The Reds really wanted second baseman Jose Peraza, a 21-year-old with the Dodgers. He batted .293 (.694 OPS) with 4 HR and 42 RBI in Class AAA last season. The Reds also picked up Class AAA outfielder Scott Schebler (.241, .732 OPS, 13 HR, 50 RBI) and Class AA infielder Brandon Nixon (.249, .647 OPS, 8 HR and 38 RBI). All those prospects came from the Dodgers. The Indians tried to get a three-team deal going for Frazier, but were unable to do so.

ABOUT THE REDS DEAL

Peraza was the key player in the deal for the Reds. He actually was with the Braves at the start of 2014, then was traded to the Dodgers in the middle of the season.

"Peraza relies on two tools: hitting and speed. He has a short swing, quick hands and strong wrists, with the hand-eye coordination to put the barrel to the ball at a high rate. He hits to all fields and is adept at going the opposite way. Peraza's double-plus speed makes him a threat to steal 30 or more bases.

"(Peraza) He probably won't hit many home runs. Peraza swings at too many pitches, hurting his on-base percentage. The Braves shifted Peraza from shortstop to second base in 2014. He has above-average range and an average arm, but a funky throwing stroke ... Peraza lacks a high ceiling, but his bat-to-ball skills and wheels should make him a steady player in the middle of the diamond."

"(Peraza) has a .302 career average in the minors, but doesn't walk and has no power... He stole 33 bases, but his value is going to rest in his ability to hit for average and defense. He's still very young -- doesn't turn 22 until April -- but I'm not sure the bat is ever going to provide much value at the major league level. The Reds could also move him back to shortstop, where he played earlier in his minor-league career, although the Reds will probably slot him at second.



"Schebler is a 25-year-old left-handed hitter who hit .241/.322/.410 at Oklahoma City... he's a backup outfielder at best. Dixon is a 24-year-old who hit well at Rancho Cucamonga, but everyone hits well there. He struggled after a promotion to Class AA and finished with 144 strikeouts and 28 walks. He didn't rank in MLB.com's top 30 Dodgers prospects. So from the Reds' perspective, Peraza has to develop to make this deal work for them."

ABOUT MIKE NAPOLI AND RAJAI DAVIS

1. Unless something changes, Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis may be the last significant additions to the Tribe in the off-season. They are talking about a few other things, but I have heard they are not major.

2. Napoli is 34 and an above average first baseman. He was one of three finalists for a Gold Glove. Not sure he's that good, based on some fielding ratings. But he is a major upgrade from Carlos Santana at first base. In a fangraphs story praising the Indians for signing Napoli to a one-year, $7 million contract, Matthew Kory wrote: "One of the advantages of signing Napoli is that it removes Santana from first base. Santana is a fine hitter who has the bat and glove for DH, by which I mean that he's a butcher in the field."

3. Not sure about Santana being a "fine hitter" because he is so streaky, though he does have some power. But the point on the defense is true. The Tribe was shocked how Santana regressed at first base after playing at least at the big league average there in 2014. Santana doesn't like being the DH, but his decline in the field has led him to that job.

4. Napoli had a strange season. In 98 games with Boston, he batted .207 (.693 OPS) with 13 HR and 40 RBI. He was traded to Texas, then batted .295 (.908 OPS) with 5 HR and 10 RBI in the final 35 games of the season. Most of the year, he looked done at the age of 33. Then he got hot and teams became interested in the former catcher turned first baseman.

5. Texas let him go because they have Prince Fielder and Mitch Moreland at first. They tried Naopoli in the outfield. Not a good idea.

6. In 2014, Napoli batted .248 (.789 OPS) with 17 HR and 55 RBI for Boston. That probably is the kind of production the Indians can expect from him. He hit 18 HR in 2015. Santana (19 HR) led the Tribe. Then came Michael Brantley (15). So Napoli is a power upgrade, especially as the Indians traded no one to sign him.

7. A big issue will be if the righty batter can hit right-handed pitching. In the last two seasons, he batted .191 (2015) and .230 (2014) vs. righties. He's a .285 hitter vs. lefties in those years.

8. I'm like many Tribe fans hoping the team would have added Todd Frazier or another veteran hitter of that caliber. Perhaps that still will happen. By signing Napoli and Davis, the Indians wanted to have some talent available in case these are the last meaningful moves of the off-season.

9. I've always liked Rajai Davis as an extra outfielder. He can run, play all three positions and he hits lefties (.296 career). He is 35, but coming off a decent season with Detroit (.258, .746 OPS, 8 HR, 30 RBI). He can still run as he had 11 triples and stole 18 bases.

10. Right now, the Tribe starting outfield (with Brantley recovering from shoulder surgery) is Lonnie Chisenhall in right, Abraham Almonte in center and Davis in left field. The extra outfielders are newly acquired Joey Butler and Collin Cowgill. Prospect Tyler Naquin will be given a shot to make the team. I plan to deal with the outfield in depth next weekend.

ABOUT CHRIS JOHNSON

I give the Indians credit for cutting Chris Johnson. They didn't think he could help them. Rather than try to squeeze something out of the $17.5 million left on his salary for the next two years, they let him go.

Things to know about Chris Johnson:

1. The Tribe had to take Johnson (and his contract) from the Braves in the trade for Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn. This was a combination of two teams wanting to dump bad contracts. The August deal saved the Tribe about $4 million in the long-run, as I wrote when the trade was made.

2. The Indians needed to add $15 million to that deal to make it work for Atlanta. They sent a $7.5 million check at the time of the trade, and they will send the Braves another $7.5 million check at some point in 2016.

3. The Indians saved some money because Bourn and Swisher had $38 million left on their contracts. It gets complicated, but the bottom line was the Indians wanted out ... out from under Bourn and Swisher ... and out from under Johnson, whose bat was very soft with a long, slow swing.

4. In 2013, Johnson batted .321 (.816 OPS) with 12 HR and 68 RBI for the Braves. That led to his big contract. Next came some injuries. He stopped hitting. His defense was never good at third base, and it deteriorated.

5. Between the Tribe and Braves, Johnson batted .255 (.624 OPS) with 3 HR and 18 RBI in 255 plate appearances. He walked only 10 times. He's 31 and perhaps he can bounce back. In 255 plate appearances with the Braves/Tribe, Johnson had only 11 doubles and 3 HR. His lack of power and run production combined with being mostly a first baseman/DH made the Tribe doubt he could help them.

6. I appreciate the fact that the front office of Chris Antonetii/Mike Chernoff decided not to keep Johnson on the roster simply because they have to pay him. I'd rather look at Jesus Aguilar than Johnson as an extra first baseman. The 25-year-old Aguilar did lead the Class AAA International League with 93 RBI. He batted .267 (.771 OPS) with 19 HR. He has struggled in brief trials with the Tribe (.192 in 52 at bats), but it's too soon to just write him off.