Why did Cleveland Indians sign Mike Napoli instead of Pedro Alvarez? Hey, Hoynsie Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio – Do you have a question that you'd like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here or Tweet him at @hoynsie. Hey, Hoynsie: Why did the Indians sign Mike Napoli, 34, for one year to play first base when Pedro Alvarez, 27, was available? Did management know Alvarez hit 27 home runs last season? -- Jimmy Garst, Roanoke, Va. Hey, Jimmy: The Indians did show interest in Alvarez, who was non-tendered by the Pirates and became a free agent. I think a couple of things probably came into play: No. 1, Alvarez was more expensive than the $7 million deal the Indians agreed to with Napoli. No. 2, the Indians felt Napoli helped them two ways – he gave their offense needed pop from the right side of the plate and he improved their defense. Napoli – whose deal should soon be made official – allows the Indians to move Carlos Santana to DH while he will get most of the time at first base. There is no doubt about Alvarez's power, but he made 23 errors at first base last season. I think the Indians preferred Napoli, considering the cost, at first and Santana at DH instead of Santana at first and Alvarez at DH. Hey, Hoynsie: The Reds seem interested in moving outfielder Jay Bruce. Is the Tribe done with its outfield or would it be interested in a guy who is as streaky hitter as there is, but definitely has pop? – Carl Neifer, Cincinnati. Hey, Carl: The Reds and Indians talked plenty about Todd Frazier so I would imagine they've discussed Bruce. Frazier had two years left on his deal when the Reds traded him to the White Sox. Bruce is signed through 2016 for $12.5 million and is eligible for free agency after that. That would have to come into play on how much the Indians would give up for him. Realistically, I don't see it happening. I think Bruce is too expensive and the last thing the Indians need is a another streaky left-handed power hitter who strikes out a lot. Didn't we see that enough last year with Brandon Moss? Hey, Hoynsie: How many teams have consistently ranked in the bottom five of major league payroll over the last five years? My point is that some teams, like Kansas City, Houston and San Diego, have been near the bottom for a few years, but then start spending when they start winning (like Larry Dolan once promised). My guess is that the Indians have been there for at least three of the last five years and maybe longer. If I seem to be going after Dolan a lot, it's because businesses begin with the leadership and culture created at the top -- and I find it depressing to think the Indians will always be a long shot to get to much less win the World Series -- Jim, Boston. Hey, Jim: Over the last five years, according to USA Today, the Indians have one bottom five finish among MLB's 30 teams with the five smallest payrolls. The year was 2011 when they ranked 26th. Oakland, Houston and San Diego lead the way with four bottom five finishes over that span. World Series champion Kansas City had bottom five finishes in 2011 and 2012. Pittsburgh, with bottom five finishes in 2011 and 2012, has been to the postseason the last three years. The Padres, by the way, have had one winning season in the last eight years. Houston has had one winning season in the last seven. Hey, Hoynsie: In view of Michael Brantley's surgery and the concern about Giovanny Urshela's health and ability to hit, do you think it would be smart to get Martin Prado from Miami? He plays third and left field well, is a proven hitter and has one year left on his contract for $8 million. He might only cost a couple of mid-level prospects. – Joe Eversole, Pelham, Ala. Hey, Joe: That's a good thought. It's been speculated that the Yankees would love to re-acquire Prado after trading him to the Marlins after the 2014 season. They're currently paying part of his salary. The only downside is that Prado is 32. Still, I think the Indians need another proven bat whether it's Prado or someone else. The Indians discount reports that Michael Brantley's rehab is behind schedule and he might not be ready to play until June. Hey, Hoynsie: With the Indians so close to being a World Series-type team, don't you think they failed in getting a right-handed power stick? Mike Napoli is injury prone and ineffective against right-handers. I think a better option would be to roll the dice on Chris Carter. – Frank Glyda, Maumee. Hey, Frank: I think the Tribe's game plan this winter was to acquire a run producer through trade. When that didn't happen, they turned to Plan B, coming to terms with Napoli and Rajai Davis from the second and third tiers of free agency. Plan B also allowed them to keep their starting rotation intact. The Indians talked about Carter, but I don't think they ever warmed to the idea of signing him. The Indians, by agreeing to one-year contracts with Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis, have decided to keep their starting rotation intact rather than trade an arm or two. Beat writer Paul Hoynes also discusses what the Reds wanted from the Tribe for third baseman Todd Frazier. Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians still need another power bat in the lineup, power at the corners and defense up the middle. How hard is that to figure out and will they get it this year? – Jeff Kosakowski, Olmsted Falls. Hey, Jeff: I don't know how to break this to you, but this roster is almost set. You're calling for a major overhaul. It's not going to happen. Hey, Hoynsie: How do you feel about this plan to improve the Tribe, a plan that involves not trading any starting pitching and not signing top end free agents. The Indians should give two-year contracts to 1B Chris Carter (averaged 30 HRs over past 3 years, 29 years old), CF Austin Jackson (double digit HR & SB in years of 500 ABs, 28), LHP Antonio Bastardo and RHP Burke Badenhop. This just might be enough to put the Tribe back into the playoff picture without breaking the bank. – Bill Drummer, Wauseon. Hey, Bill: I know you wrote this a while ago and probably know by now that it's not going to work, but I appreciate your effort. Mike Napoli takes the place of Carter. I still like the idea of signing Jackson to play center field, but unless he's still unsigned sometime in February, I don't see that happening. He'd cost the Tribe too many years and too much money with so many young outfielders in the pipeline. As for Bastardo, the Indians have invited lefties Tom Gorzelanny, Joe Thatcher and Ross Detwiler to camp. Regarding Badenhop, the Indians made deals for right-handers Kirby Yates and Dan Otero, while inviting Joba Chamberlain, Joe Colon, Jarrett Grube and Felipe Paulino to camp. Cleveland Indians have Terry Talkin' about free agent decisions, Mike Napoli, impact of ballpark Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Unless something dramatic happens, the Indians will not have any more major moves coming. Their key free agent signings are Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis. It's possible they can make a significant trade, but nothing is close at the moment. The odds are the team with the additions of Napoli and Davis is what will open the season. For the Indians, there are two pieces of good news: They lost no key players to free agency. They have outstanding pitching. As I wrote last weekend in my long interview with Terry Francona, the Tribe manager did not want to part with any of their top pitchers to boost the offense. I was talking to some other people after the interview and learned Francona is pushing for more pitchers, especially in the bullpen. The Indians will continue to shop for relievers. They already added these veterans to try and win spots in the bullpen: Joba Chamberlain, Dan Ortero, Ross Detwiler, Tom Gorzelanny, Joe Thatcher and Jarrett Grube. Out of that group, they hope to find another Jeff Manship, a 30-year-old who signed a minor league contract and had an 0.92 ERA as a reliever with the Tribe in 2015. In 2014, it was Scott Atchison who came out of nowhere to help in relief. When I talked with Francona, he was very blunt about how the Indians don't spend any time discussing the money they lack to spend on expensive free agents. Not only is he on the same page as the front office when it comes to the value of pitching for the Tribe, he's in the same sentence. In fact, he started the sentence. The Indians were 81-80 last season. They did that with an offense ranked No. 11 in runs scored, but also with a pitching staff that was No. 2 in the American League with a 3.67 ERA. Their goal is to shape a team with young players who are coming into their best seasons. At the end of 2015, the Tribe's roster was the youngest in the American League (26.5 years).