By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com | Posted December 22, 2018 at 03:03 PM | Updated December 22, 2018 at 03:52 PM
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Do you have a question that you’d like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here or contact him on Twitter at @hoynsie
Corey Kluber. (Ron Schwane, Associated Press)
Do the Indians still need to trade a pitcher to improve?
Hey, Hoynsie: I am glad that the Indians have saved enough money that they may not trade Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer. They need a No. 4 hitter who can also play the outfield and two good relievers. Can they do that with the $21 million saved from their recent trades or will they still have to trade Kluber or Bauer to fill all the holes on the roster? — Joe Eversole, Pelham, Ala.
Hey, Joe: That is the question no one seems to be willing to answer. The Indians need serious help in the bullpen and outfield, but when Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, was asked if the money the Indians saved from their recent trades would be put back into the team this year, he said that had yet to be decided.
If that money is not used to improve the 2019 roster, and the Indians still expect to win the AL Central and be competitive in the postseason, then more trades are coming.
At the moment, it seems that the Indians are going to keep Kluber and Bauer, but this offseason rests on shifting sands.
Carlos Santana. (Tony Dejak, Associated Press)
How is Carlos Santana’s D and where is he going to hit?
Hey, Hoynsie: (Blending two questions into one): One of my lasting memories of Carlos Santana was the way he transformed himself into an elite defensive first baseman. How was his defense in 2018? Where is Santana going to hit in the lineup? — Joe Cepec, Powell and Bob Earnest, Mansfield.
Hey guys: I checked out Fangraphs.com and Santana’s defensive runs saved for 2018 was zero, which I guess is like being stuck in neutral — you’re not going to run into the guy in front of you on Dead Man’s Curve, but you can’t get out of the way of the guy behind you whose brakes just went out.
Antonetti was asked about who was going to hit in the middle of the lineup following the trades of Edwin Encarnacion and Yonder Alonso. He named Santana and Jake Bauers. But I would not be surprised to see Santana hit leadoff from time to time because he did a good job there in his first tour with the Tribe.
Bryan Shaw. (Danny Karnik, Associated Press)
