BIG PICTURE TRIBE

I’m taking a break from the Trevor Bauer trade watch to talk about a big issue the Tribe front office deals with right now.

Look at the Detroit Tigers. They went to the playoffs from 2011-14. They lost in the 2012 World Series. Their last winning season was 2016. In both 2017 and 2018, they were 64-98. That’s right, back-to-back seasons of 98 losses. They are on pace to lose about 110 games this season.

Look at the Kansas City Royals. They went to the World Series in 2014 and 2015, winning in 2015. That also was their last winning season. The Royals were 58-104 in 2018 and are on pace to lose 100 games this season.

The Baltimore Orioles last went to the playoffs in 2016. It also was their last winning season. Baltimore was 47-115 in 2018. The Birds are on their way to 100 losses again.

What’s the point?

The Indians don’t want that to happen to them. Those three teams all made major sacrifices in terms of trading prospects for players to win now. The Indians made some of those moves in trades for Andrew Miller and Brad Hand. They have decided to stop trading key young players. Instead, they want to add top prospects from other teams.

Meanwhile, the Tribe is on its way to its seventh consecutive winning season, dueling with Minnesota to win the Central Division.

BREAKING IT DOWN

For the Indians, it has paid off. Consider these players added in the last 12 months:

1. Oscar Mercado came from the Cardinals for young prospects Conner Capel and Jhon Torres. The 24-year-old Mercado has emerged as the center fielder of the present and future. He’s batting .299 (.829 OPS) with 7 home runs, 25 RBI and is 9-for-11 in stolen bases.

2. Jordan Luplow came from the Pirates in a deal for infielder Erik Gonzalez. The Indians have been desperate for a right-handed hitting outfielder. Luplow is batting .270 with 10 homers and 27 RBI. He crushes lefties: .315 (1.112 OPS) with 9 HR in 92 at bats.

3. Jake Bauers came to the Tribe in a complicated deal with Tampa Bay and Seattle. The Indians parted with Yandy Diaz and Edwin Encarnacion. They also added Carlos Santana. The 23-year-old Bauers is hitting .241 (.716 OPS) with 11 HR and 37 RBI. In his last 30 games, Bauers is batting .286 (.802 OPS).

The idea was to bring in several young outfielders and hope to find a few who just needed a chance to play. That also applied to Tyler Naquin, an Indians 2012 first-round pick. The 28-year-old Naquin has battled several injuries. He has been relatively healthy this season, batting .299 (.829 OPS) with 9 HR and 30 RBI. When he’s hot, he can be a very productive hitter. That happened in 2016, and it’s happening again.

Last winter, the Indians knew they needed outfielders. Bradley Zimmer once was the center fielder of the future. But he’s had trouble coming back from major shoulder surgery. They decided they couldn’t afford Michael Brantley, who signed with Houston. Naquin was coming off major hip surgery. They hoped he’d be healthy, but questions loomed.

They looked at Luplow, who failed to stick with the Pirates in a couple of short stints. Luplow was a .303 hitter (.874 OPS) in Class AAA. What if he gets a chance to stay with a team for a while?

They gave him that opportunity this summer.

They had excellent scouting reports on Bauers and Mercado and acquired them both, hoping at least one would emerge as a regular.

Mike Freeman dives safely into first base past Detroit Tigers first baseman Brandon Dixon. The Indians signed Freeman as a minor-league free agent. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)cleveland.com

BARGAIN SHOPPING

The new folk hero is utility infielder Mike Freeman. He’s 31. Before this season, Freeman had a grand total 91 big league plate appearances spread over three seasons. But Freeman was a .305 hitter (.790 OPS) in 517 minor-league games. That showed some talent. Give him a shot. He was signed as a minor-league free agent.

Smart teams can’t play checkbook baseball. Look at the bullpen.

1. Bullpen mainstay Nick Wittgren (4-0, 3.19) was acquired from the Marlins for career minor leaguer Jordan Milbrath.

2. Tyler Clippard (0-0, 3.64) was signed as a minor-league free agent.

3. A.J. Cole (2-1, 3.38) was claimed on waivers.

4. Nick Goody (1-0, 2.12) was claimed on waivers.

5. Oliver Perez (2-2, 3.24) was signed after being cut by the Yankees.

6. Tyler Olson (1-0, 3.67) was claimed on waivers.

7. Only All-Star closer Brad Hand and reliever Adam Cimber came in a big trade. The Indians sent prospect Francisco Mejia to San Diego for them.

THEY’RE GONE

Meanwhile, the Indians have let high-priced bullpen talent sign elsewhere.

1. Cody Allen signed an $8.5 million deal with the Angels. They cut him. He is now in Class AAA with the Twins.

2. Andrew Miller signed a 2-year, $24 million deal with the Cardinals. He is 3-4 with a 3.99 ERA and one save.

3. After 2017, Bryan Shaw signed a 3-year, $27 million contract with Colorado. That thin air is awful for his slider/cut fastball. He is 6-7 with a 5.23 ERA in 1 1/2 seasons with the Rockies.

Roberto Perez has 16 HR, second among all American League catchers. (Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com)cleveland.com

ABOUT ROBERTO PEREZ

1. Heading into the weekend, Roberto Perez was batting .239. That doesn’t tell the story. His 16 HR were second on the Tribe, behind Carlos Santana (21). His .824 OPS was third on the Tribe, behind Santana (.941) and Francisco Lindor (.837).

2. This is the same Roberto Perez who came into the season with a career batting average of .205 (.637 OPS). In the minors, he was a career .237 hitter (.713 OPS) who never hit more than eight homers in a season.

3. But Perez seldom was a regular catcher in the minors, and never in the majors. At 30, the Indians handed him the job. The main reason was his defense.

4. Perez always believed he’d hit for some power if given a chance. But it’s hard to believe he pictured something like this. In the American League, only Gary Sanchez (24) has more homers among catchers.

5. The Indians traded Yan Gomes in a salary-cutting move, also to create room for Perez. Gomes is batting only .202 (.588 OPS) as a part-time catcher in Washington. That deal brought prospect Daniel Johnson and Jefry Rodriguez to the Tribe. Rodriguez showed some promise as a starter before coming down with a sore arm. The 24-year-old Johnson is a major outfield prospect. He is batting .287 (.895 OPS) with 15 HR and 58 RBI between Class AA and AAA this season.

6. The Indians have Perez signed to a modest contract: $2.5 million in 2019, $3.5 million in 2020, $5.5 million (team option) in 2021 and $7.5 million (team option) in 2022.