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Lindor wins Gold Glove in first full MLB season 22-year-old is youngest at position to win award since 1980 By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | November 8th, 2016 + 3 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- has come a long way from the hill near his childhood home in Gurabo, . Lindor would position himself at the bottom and his dad, Miguel, would be halfway up the knoll with a bat, sending rubber balls bouncing down for his young son to field.

Those yellow rubber balls have led to gold. On Tuesday night, Lindor was named the 's Rawlings winner for , becoming the youngest shortstop to win the award since in 1980. Since being called up to Cleveland two seasons ago, Lindor has not only emerged as an energetic leader and impactful offensive player, but one of the elite defenders in the game. "It's an honor. It's a blessing," Lindor said in an interview on ESPN shortly after learning he won the award. "Just to be here and be nominated and now win, it's huge. Words can't describe how happy I am right now. I can't wait to show it off to my pops." • Vote for the MLB Awards' Best Defensive Player This Gold Glove could be the first of many for the budding star. "Francisco has done a phenomenal job on every facet of defense," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of operations. "The pride he takes in his defense for a young player is really extraordinary. He works at it every day with our coaches to be as good as he can be defensively. We saw that play over the course of the season -- how special and what an impact he has made for us defensively." Lindor became the first Indians player to win a Gold Glove since captured one of the AL's awards for the 2008 season. Before Lindor this year, was the last Cleveland shortstop to take home the annual hardware, doing so in '01. Lindor, 22, is the youngest middle infielder in team history to win a Gold Glove and the youngest Tribe player to win one since 1976 ( , 21). Like Lindor, Trammell won the AL Gold Glove at short at 22 years old, doing so for Detroit in '80. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Lindor and Trammell are the only under the age of 23 to win a Gold Glove Award in baseball history. • Complete awards coverage Lindor credited his father -- along with his older brother, Miguel, and cousin, Christian -- for pushing him throughout his youth. While recounting the tale of his dad hitting grounders from the hill near his childhood home, Lindor laughed. The shortstop told of how, if he would miss one of the skipping balls, it would keep bouncing behind him and wind up in the thicket. "I never wanted to go chase the ball and have it in the bushes," Lindor said. "I was scared of the bushes. I didn't know what was in there. So, I would do whatever it took to make sure that I read the bat the right way or read the hop of the ball and try to catch it, or keep it in front of me at least." Angels shortstop (a two-time Gold Glove winner) and Tigers shortstop Jose Iglesias joined Lindor as finalists for the AL's top defensive honor at the position this year. Simmons led AL shortstops in (18) and UZR/150 (25.1), but finished with more than 300 fewer than Lindor did for the AL champion Indians. On Aug. 14, Lindor was reminded of those workout sessions with his father after a risky play behind the mound against the Angels. On a high chopper off the bat of Nick Buss, Lindor charged and snared the ball with his bare right hand before firing it quickly to first base for the out. "That took me back to when I would try to make a fancy play," Lindor said, "and my dad would scream at me, 'Don't miss the ball!'" In his first full season in the Majors, Lindor finished with 1,364 2/3 innings, which ranked fourth in the Majors and AL. Lindor's 17 Defensive Runs Saved ranked fourth among shortstops in baseball and second in the AL, while his 20.7 UZR/150 was third in the Majors and second in the AL for his position. Lindor posted a 20.8 UZR, which ranked first among his AL peers and second overall in baseball. Among the more traditional statistics, Lindor finished the season second in the AL in both assists (448) and total chances (674), ending with 12 errors and a .982 . The highlights were seemingly endless this season, and often ended with Lindor smiling. On April 23, Tigers slugger nearly knocked Lindor over with a sharp grounder. The shortstop stabbed the ball with his glove, nearly did a backward somersault and recovered in time to throw Cabrera out at first. After the play, Lindor could not contain his laughter on the field. On May 3, Lindor made a diving stop in the hole, robbing Detroit's of a would-be . From the outfield grass, Lindor made a pinpoint, one-hop throw to Mike Napoli for the out. Once again, Lindor grinned after the play. Twice in the span of 10 days in June, Lindor made a diving grab while playing in a shift, and then flipped to third baseman Jose Ramirez to complete a 6-5-3 .

Those were just a few of the many jaw-dropping plays turned in this year by Lindor, who made his first All-Star team this year and was the runner-up for the AL Rookie of the Year last season. For all the spectacular plays, though, what impressed Indians this season was Lindor's increasing attention to detail. During the shortstop's rookie year in '15, Lindor showed that knack for defensive wizardry, but also slipped up on routine plays. In his sophomore season, Lindor showed improvement across the board, earning praise from Francona during the postseason. "We all saw last year when he got called up, his ability to make the spectacular play," Francona said. "Not everybody can do that. But, as he's maturing in this league, his ability to understand that you have to make the routine play [is improving]. ... He's so good about always treating every ground ball like it's the last one. And for a kid that's 22 years old, that doesn't always happen."

Tribe plans to use FA to complement, not build team Despite additional revenue from postseason , Cleveland not expected to make blockbuster acquisitions

Tribe plans to use FA to complement, not build team By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | November 8th, 2016 + 14 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- The Indians came within one victory of winning the , and they did so with a team that was mostly homegrown. Beyond the one-year contracts for veterans Mike Napoli and -- both free agents this offseason -- Cleveland's roster was cultivated through the MLB Draft, trades and low-level signings.

As free agency opens, the Tribe will maintain the same approach, even with some additional revenue coming in following the team's deep postseason run. Cleveland is confident in its ability to contend again in 2017, considering the bulk of its roster is set to return. If the team targets any free agents, it will likely be to address peripheral needs rather than to make any blockbuster acquisitions. • Tracker "We're always looking to be aggressive in finding ways to improve the team," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations. "Building a team through free agency is not something we're going to do. That's just not who we are. That's not a formula for success for us in our circumstances. "We have a really good group of players that will be the foundation of our team, and we will continue to use free agency to identify guys that complement that group and can help enhance our competitiveness." Cleveland's formula for success is easily identified when breaking down its 40-man roster. Of the 38 players currently on the roster, 17 were originally selected by the Indians in the Draft. Highlighting that list are Cody Allen, Jason Kipnis, Francisco Lindor and . Cleveland used trades to acquire 13 rostered players, including Trevor Bauer, , Carlos Carrasco, and Carlos Santana. Five others (Jose Ramirez and Danny Salazar included) were signed as non-drafted free agents. Three were originally signed to Minor League contracts. Last offseason, the Indians used short-term pacts to reel in Napoli (who led the team with 34 homers and 101 RBIs) and Davis (who led the American League with 43 steals). Cleveland opted against extending either player a $17.2 million qualifying offer for 2017, but it has maintained an interest in keeping talks open with both. Otherwise, the Indians will probably look for replacements on similar deals. • Tribe could see free-agent departures on offense According to MLB.com's Jon Morosi, the Mariners are one team that is showing early interest in Napoli. If the slugger were to go elsewhere, one free agent that could be on Cleveland's radar is switch-hitter . This past season, Morales had 30 homers, 93 RBIs and a .795 OPS for Kansas City, which declined to extend him a qualifying offer. The Yankees, Blue Jays, Red Sox and Royals have been linked to Morales already in various reports. One thing the Tribe is keeping in mind is that the roster should be in better shape at the start of 2017 than it was at the end of this season. Brantley had surgery to address a right biceps issue on Aug. 15, but he is expected to make a full recovery in time for . Carrasco and Salazar -- taken out of the postseason rotation mix due to health woes -- will be ready for the start of the year, too. Yan Gomes, who played with a fractured right wrist in the playoffs, could also be in line for a bounceback campaign. "We believe we're in a position to contend for a while," Antonetti said. "One of the things we're most encouraged about is the nucleus of our team will be here for the foreseeable future. We are potentially losing key guys in Raj and Mike, but beyond that, we've got a lot of guys that are going to be here for a while. "And that was a group of guys that found a way to win a lot of games this year and win the AL Central and advance deep into the postseason. It's a good position to go into the offseason. At the same time, we'll be aggressive in looking to complement that group." As things currently stand, the Indians have $58.5 million tied up in eight guaranteed contracts for next season. Cleveland also has 11 players eligible for arbitration, which could lead to another $25-30 million in combined salaries for the 2017 campaign. While the ceiling of the Tribe's player payroll for next year is not currently known, it could exceed $100 million. Antonetti noted that Cleveland's postseason success "certainly will help" the payroll situation for next year. The addition of a minority owner -- vice chairman John Sherman -- is not expected to have as much of an impact on the Indians' payroll as the additional revenues. "As [Indians part-owner/CEO Paul Dolan] has said, that's not going to fundamentally change how we operate," said Antonetti, referring to adding a minority owner this year. "But to the extent our revenues increase, whether it's through postseason ticket sales or increased ticket sales for next year, that will have a positive impact on it." Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog, Major League Bastian, follow him on @MLBastian and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of or its clubs.

Good as Gold: Posey, Rizzo, Lindor among Gold Glove winners MIKE FITZPATRICK (AP Baseball Writer) NEW YORK (AP) -- Catch this: Buster Posey is the new Gold Glove backstop in the . The star unseated Yadier Molina behind the plate Tuesday when Rawlings announced its annual honors for fielding excellence. Posey was picked as the NL catcher, ending Molina's eight-year reign with St. Louis. ''I don't know if it makes it any more special or not that he had won it eight years in a row because I think I'd be happy with it either way,'' Posey said on a conference call. ''This one's up there for me. I'm a firm believer you win ballgames with pitching and defense.'' Posey was joined on the Gold Glove roster by a pair of Giants teammates, the -play combination of shortstop and second baseman Joe Panik. Colorado third baseman Nolan Arenado won for the fourth consecutive year, and Arizona Zack Greinke took his third straight prize. Other winners in the NL were Atlanta center fielder , Pittsburgh left fielder , and first baseman and from the World Series champion . Young shortstop Francisco Lindor from AL champion Cleveland was a first-time winner, along with Texas first baseman , Detroit second baseman , left fielder and Boston right fielder . Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez won his fourth Gold Glove in a row, Houston pitcher took his third straight and Tampa Bay center fielder repeated from last year. Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre was rewarded for the fifth time overall. ''I'm pretty surprised an old man like me can win the Gold Glove,'' said the 37-year-old Beltre, who was thrilled Moreland won as well. ''I think I'm happier for him than for me because for the last couple of years, he has played such a great defensive first base and was never recognized,'' Beltre said. ''Most of my mistakes are throwing the ball and Mitch has saved me so many errors and makes things look easier for me.'' The 22-year-old Lindor became the first Indians player to win a Gold Glove since Grady Sizemore in 2008, and their second shortstop after Omar Vizquel won every year from 1994-2001. Votes are submitted in September by managers and coaches who cannot choose their own players. Three years ago, Rawlings added a sabermetric component to the Gold Glove selection process as well.

Francisco Lindor is ' first Gold Glove Award winner since Grady Sizemore Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians have themselves another Gold Glove Award-winning shortstop. Francisco Lindor, the kid with the ever-present smile and ever-reliable glove, was named the top defensive American League shortstop on Tuesday night. Lindor is the first Tribe player to win a Gold Glove Award since Grady Sizemore in 2008. He's the first Cleveland shortstop to earn the honor since Omar Vizquel in 2001. That marked Vizquel's eighth Gold Glove Award with the Indians; he racked up 11 during his career. Detroit's Jose Iglesias and Los Angeles' Andrelton Simmons were the other two finalists in the running for the distinction. The winners are determined by a combination of manager and coach votes and a formula supplied by the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Managers and coaches cannot vote for their own players. Lindor, who will turn 23 next week, made his first All-Star team this summer. He committed 12 errors in 155 games at shortstop. He totaled 17 defensive runs saved (per FanGraphs), which ranked second among AL shortstops. Simmons, who already has a pair of Gold Glove Awards to his name, totaled 18; Iglesias totaled three. Lindor seemed to make the most challenging plays look routine, whether he had to move to his right to corral a ball in the hole on the left side of the infield or whether he had to dive for a ball up the middle. On several occasions this season, he plunged to the dirt to gather a grounder and flipped to Jose Ramirez, who threw to first to record the out. In Detroit in April, Miguel Cabrera knocked Lindor to his backside on a sharp one- hopper. Lindor bounced to his feet and threw out the Tigers slugger at first. He was well-regarded as a defensive shortstop when the Indians selected him with the eighth overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft. Lindor often tells the tale of his father rolling down a hill toward him in their native Puerto Rico when he was a child. He points to those experiences as the foundation of his defensive prowess. The award doesn't take offense into account, not that Lindor slacked off at the plate. He batted .301 with 15 home runs, 30 doubles and 19 stolen bases in his first full big-league season. Lindor finished second in the balloting for AL Rookie of the Year in 2015. He hit .310 with an .820 OPS during the Indians' postseason run, which ended with an extra-innings loss in Game 7 of the World Series against the Cubs. Indians' all-time Gold Glove Award winners 2016: Francisco Lindor 2008: Grady Sizemore 2007: Grady Sizemore 2001: Omar Vizquel, 2000: Omar Vizquel, Roberto Alomar, Travis Fryman 1999: Omar Vizquel, Roberto Alomar 1998: Omar Vizquel 1997: Omar Vizquel, Matt Williams 1996: Omar Vizquel, 1995: Omar Vizquel, Kenny Lofton 1994: Omar Vizquel, Kenny Lofton 1993: Kenny Lofton 1990: Sandy Alomar Jr. 1976: Rick Manning 1971: 1970: Ray Fosse 1964: 1961: Vic Power, 1960: Vic Power

Notes: Maybe don't expect the Cubs to spend big on a closer By Ken RosenthalNov 8, 2016 at 11:59p ET SCOTTSDALE, Az. — Theo Epstein left the Red Sox less than a month before Jonathan Papelbon departed as a free agent. But even if Epstein had stayed, it’s doubtful he would have outbid the Phillies for Papelbon, who signed a four-year, $50 million free-agent contract. Epstein, in 14 years as a lead executive, has spent big on a free-agent closer only once -- back in 2003, when he signed Keith Foulke to a three-year, $20.75 million contract. Part of that was due to circumstance -- the Red Sox drafted and developed Papelbon; the Cubs, while rebuilding, did not need an accomplished closer. But given Epstein’s history, it’s probably unwise to expect him to sign , Kenley Jansen or even Mark Melancon. Even as bullpens become more prominent, especially in the postseason, some executives believe that they can create closers or develop them cheaply. While Chapman was a high-priced international signing, Jansen is a converted catcher, and Melancon was traded three times before he became a top closer. Epstein’s Red Sox drafted Papelbon as a closer, but used him as a starter in the minors. The Cubs clearly need help in the back of their bullpen; manager trusted Chapman but few others as the postseason continued. But rather than spend say, $80 million, on Chapman or Jansen, they could seek lower-priced alternatives, leaving the Dodgers, Giants, Nationals and Yankees to battle at the top of the market. And remember, Epstein always could adjust at midseason, just as he did when he traded for Chapman in July. Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo, on the other hand, seems to view an established, dominant closer as more of a necessity. “When we’re looking at different dynamics of how games are won, the bullpen has really turned out to be one of the places where teams can improve themselves,” Rizzo said Tuesday. “As we saw in the playoffs, we thought we had a pretty good rotation, but we had one pitcher go six-plus innings. Bullpens come into play. They are a more weighted part of your roster now than ever before. “The last three outs, there is a reason those guys get paid what they get paid. They’re the most difficult three outs to get.” ENCARNACION: WHO’S IN? The Blue Jays’ push to re-sign Edwin Encarnacion failed to produce a quick agreement, leaving a clear path for other clubs that want the free- agent first baseman/. But who exactly are the suitors? The Red Sox, at least to this point, are not serious players for Encarnacion, focusing on shorter-team solutions such as Carlos Beltran and Kendrys Morales, sources say. The Rangers also do not appear to be heavy on Encarnacion. The Astros have expressed interest, but might not want to invest $125 million or so in a player when they also need starting and left-handed hitters. As always in the offseason, things are not always what they appear. Encarnacion’s agent, Paul Kinzer, clearly sees viable alternatives to the Blue Jays. And teams could intensify their interest as it becomes clear that Encarnacion is willing to leave Toronto. ANOTHER INDIAN SUMMER IN THE MAKING? The defending American League champion Indians might be the biggest beneficiary of the machinations in the AL Central, where the Tigers and White Sox both could deconstruct, and even the Royals might take a step backward. Tigers general manager Al Avila maintains that he will listen to any and all trade offers, while saying that the team’s retooling might be a gradual process that takes as long as three years. Best bet: He trades right-fielder J.D. Martinez and second baseman Ian Kinsler, and maybe even right-hander . White Sox GM Rick Hahn will not publicly show his hand, but he repeated Tuesday that the team will choose a firm direction one way or the other and not pursue additional stopgap solutions. Best bet: He sells, starting with left-hander Chris Sale. Then there are the Royals, who did not make a qualifying offer to free-agent DH Kendrys Morales and would be left with a slew of high-end players in their free-agent years if GM Dayton Moore declines to make a series of trades. Best bet: He completes at least two deals for younger talent to make for a smoother transition in 2018 and beyond. THE MARKET FOR NOVA: HOW CRAZY WILL IT GET? I tweeted Monday that the craziest prediction I’ve heard from a GM is Ivan Nova, five years, $75 million. Not even Nova’s representatives believe they will get that much, but Paul Swydan of the Hardball Times and Fangraphs drew a comparison between Nova and Ian Kennedy to point out that perhaps the GM’s forecast wasn’t that crazy. Nova and Kennedy, Swydan said, have essentially the same expected Fielding Independent Pitching (xFIP) for their careers (the xFIP metric estimates a pitcher’s expected run prevention independent of the performance of his defense). Kennedy signed a five-year, $70 million free-agent contract with the Royals last offseason. He was one year older than Nova is now, entering his age 31 season. He also had a much better rate. Nova’s advantage? He faces much less competition than Kennedy did in the open market — no Zack Greinke, no , no Johnny Cueto, no Jordan Zimmerman. FOR ORIOLES, A FINANCIAL CRUNCH Teams do not normally reveal their projected payrolls, but it isn’t difficult to figure out why the Orioles declined to make catcher a $17.2 million qualifying offer. If Wieters accepted — unlikely, but possible — the team’s budget crunch would have become even more severe than it is now. The Orioles, after fielding a club-record $147.7 million payroll last season, have $95.9 million committed to eight players for 2017, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. Those commitments do not include the team’s $17.2 million qualifying offer to outfielder/first baseman , which is likely to be rejected. Nor do they include the team’s numerous arbitration cases — right-hander Chris Tillman and closer Zach Britton are entering their third year in the process, third baseman and righty Brad Brach their second, right-hander Kevin Gausman and second baseman Jonathan Schoop their first. The O’s will need to sign Trumbo or replace him. They also will need a catcher to replace Wieters. And they would like to add a left-fielder as well. But it’s unlikely they will increase their payroll significantly after losing nearly 150,000 in home attendance last season, an average of 2,555 per game. Wieters accepted the team’s $15.8 million qualifying offer last offseason under different circumstances — he had appeared in only 75 games in 2015 coming off surgery. It’s doubtful he would have accepted again, particularly with Scott Boras as his agent. But the Orioles understandably feared paying $17.2 million to a catcher who batted .243 with a .711 OPS last season. For a team in this position, perhaps re-signing free-agent first baseman Chris Davis for seven years at $23 million per season a year ago was not such a good idea. AROUND THE HORN *Interesting that the Braves are lukewarm on Wieters even after hiring the Orioles’ former pitching coach, Dave Wallace, and bullpen coach, Dominic Chiti. Manager raved about Wieters’ handling of pitchers, but not everyone in the organization shared his view, believing the catcher’s skills have gone backwards. *The Phillies’ trade for reliever Pat Neshek, who will earn $6.5 million next season, was a prototype for the kinds of moves that the team will pursue this offseason. The Phils want to add a series of veterans on one-year contracts, players who would help them better compete and might also attract trade interest at the non-waiver deadline. Right-hander Jeremy Hellickson would fit that description if he accepted the team’s $17.2 million qualifying offer. So would the Dodgers’ , whom the Phillies have discussed adding in a trade. *The Tigers, if they had received greater trade interest in Cameron Maybin, would have exercised the outfielder’s $9 million option, then used their leverage to seek a greater return, according to major-league sources. The Angels, however, were the only team to seriously pursue Maybin, sources said, leaving the Tigers with the choice of giving the player a $1 million buyout or making a trade. The Tigers chose the latter, parting with Maybin for minor-league right-hander Victor Alcantara. *Speaking of the Angels, their ill-advised signing of Cuban infielder Roberto Baldoquin in Dec. 2014 helps explain why their farm system remains one of the weakest in the game. Baldoquin received an $8 million bonus, at the time the highest ever for an amateur under the international signing rules. Not only did he prove a flop — .198 with a .507 OPS in his second year at High A — but the Angels incurred the maximum penalty for exceeding their bonus pool and could not spend more than $300,000 in the following two signing periods. How many quality players did that cost them? Perhaps five each signing period, meaning that the addition of Baldoquin by former GM Jerry Dipoto amounted to a poorly executed 10-for-1 trade. *Rays third baseman will gain full no-trade protection in April 2018, when he becomes a player with 10 years of service, five consecutively with the same club. But while it might be wise for the team to start listening to trade offers for Longoria, club officials remain highly reluctant to move him. Longoria, remember, is the Ray who chose to stay, twice signing long-term deals to remain with Tampa Bay. He has given no indication that he wants out, and club officials — at least for now — are inclined to return his loyalty. *Rockies GM Jeff Bridich: “I believe there is a groundswell of internal belief that is real. That’s an important step for us. The next in adding to that groundswell is to be consistent and competitive for six-plus months in a season and be a winning organization. “The internal expectation is for us to win more games than we lose. That’s a realistic and positive goal for us.” The Rockies, who finished 75-87 last season, have not had a winning record since 2010.