Bryce Harper. (Alex Brandon, Associated Press)

Don't Edit

How Bryce Harper dovetails into Francisco Lindor

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Last year at the July 31 trading deadline the Indians were seriously pursuing a trade for Washington’s Bryce Harper. The same Bryce Harper who agreed Thursday to the biggest contract in MLB history with the Phillies.

The Indians needed help in the outfield. Bradley Zimmer was out for the year with a damaged right shoulder. Tyler Naquin’s right hip was hurting. Brandon Guyer’s left wrist was still sore from his postseason surgery in 2017.

Besides that, the Indians weren’t getting much production out of the outfielders who were playing every day. Michael Brantley was fine, but he wasn’t getting a whole lot of help.

Harper would have been a great addition. The Indians could have rented him for the last two months of the season and the postseason. Then they could have watched him file for free agency before agreeing to a 13-year, $330 million deal with the Phillies.

The Nationals wanted some of the Tribe’s prospects. The Tribe was willing to give them up, but in the end the Nationals hung on to Harper, the face of the franchise. Trading him would have been an ownership decision and the sense was the Lerner family really didn’t want to trade him. How much of a difference would he have made for the Tribe?

It would have been interesting to find out.

Harper struggled in the first half, hitting .214 (70-for-34) with 23 homers and 54 RBI. He came on strong after the All-Star break, hitting .300 (67-for-223) with 11 homers, 46 RBI and a .972 OPS.

He certainly would have had more of a chance to contribute than Josh Donaldson, acquired by the Tribe before the Aug. 31 deadline. Donaldson was still recovering from a strained left calf that basically ruined his season.

The deals that Harper, Manny Machado and Nolan Arenado have agreed to over the last two weeks will have a profound effect on the Tribe's ability to keep Francisco Lindor. The All-Star shortstop becomes a free agent after the 2021 season.

The Indians would love to keep Lindor and have tried several times to talk extension with his agent, David Meter. The talks have gone nowhere.

It leaves the Indians in a fluid position. Three years can be a career in the big leagues. Think of the Tribe’s 2018 team. They let Brantley, Cody Allen, Andrew Miller, Lonnie Chisenhall and Josh Tomlin reach free agency without moving them because they felt they had a chance to win the World Series. They did the same thing with Bryan Shaw and Carlos Santana in 2017.

This winter they cut payroll, but are still favored to win their fourth straight AL Central Division title. This will be the seventh straight year they’ve put a team on the field that they believe is not only capable of winning, but winning in the postseason.

So what happens if they hit a bump in the road somewhere between 2019 and 2021? Would they trade Lindor or let him walk at the end of the 2021 season for draft pick compensation? And would a trade of Lindor start a full-scale rebuild?

Don't Edit

Frank Robinson. (Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

Don't Edit

Remembering Frank Robinson

Look for the Indians to honor Hall of Famer Frank Robinson by wearing a remembrance of him on their uniform this season. The details are still being worked out.

Robinson, who became the first African-American to manage a big-league team when he took over the Indians in 1975, died in February at the age of 83. The Indians retired his No. 20 in 2017.

Don't Edit

Daniel Johnson. (Matt York, Associated Press)

Don't Edit

Don't Edit

Youth being served in Goodyear

The Indians, besides cutting payroll over the winter, had a goal of bringing younger players into the organization. There’s a connection because younger players are less expensive players.

But with Jefry Rodriguez, Daniel Johnson and Oscar Mercado there's more to them than a split contract and a chance to earn the major-league minimum. All three have played well in the early stages of the Cactus League season.

The Indians acquired Rodriguez and Johnson as part of the Yan Gomes deal with the Nationals. Mercado arrived last year at the July 31 trading deadline from the Cardinals. So he’s not officially involved in this winter’s payroll reduction plan, but he’s young (24) and has played well.

“It’s been fun to see those guys have an opportunity to go out and play in spring training,” said Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations. “We’re not going to make any sort of evaluation in spring training, but it’s good to get a chance to get to know them and some of the skills they have.

“In each case we’ve really been impressed with their skills and the way they approach things. They’ve got a great mindset, work very hard and fit in well.”

Rodriguez, 25, has thrown four scoreless innings. He’s faced 13 batters, struck out two, walked two and hasn’t allowed a hit. Johnson, 23, is hitting .214 (3-for-14) with one homer and three RBI. He leads the club with 13 at-bats. Mercado is hitting .308 (4-for-13) with one homer and three RBI.

Don't Edit

Bradley Zimmer gets ready for batting practice in spring training. (Associated Press)

Don't Edit

Bradley Zimmer recovering nicely, but patience still needed

The Indians continue to be encouraged by the progress Zimmer has made from last season’s shoulder surgery. Now they just have to make sure he’s allowed enough time to complete his recovery.

"Bradley deserves a ton of credit for the way he's gone through his rehab," said Antonetti. "Not only for how he got through the injury portion, but also by taking advantage of that time to work on his baseball skills.

“He made some adjustments to his swing that we’ve been working with him on. He worked on his bunting, speed work and baserunning. He really tried to take advantage of the down time to help him become a better player.”

Now comes the hard part for Zimmer and the Indians – being patient.

“This is one of those really hard ones,” said Antonetti. “We need to make sure we’re thinking about the rest of the year and the rest of his career. We don’t want to try and get him back for some artificial deadline.

“We want to make sure he’s in a good position for the long term.”

Don't Edit

Jose Ramirez (left) and Francisco Lindor. (Chuck Crow, The Plain Dealer)

Don't Edit

Tribe's power is in the infield

From the Bill Chuck Files:

Last year Indians infielders hit more home runs than any infielders in the big leagues with 121. The outfielders, meanwhile, ranked 25th with 43 homers. Third baseman Jose Ramirez and shortstop Francisco Lindor combined for 77 homers – 39 by Ramirez, 38 by Lindor.

Don't Edit