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Home , Brandon Moss, Infield shift, Intentional Talk

Preparation key to shoring up Indians' defense Improving offense, adding pitching also remain on agenda for Meetings By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | December 10, 2014 + 1 COMMENT SAN DIEGO -- More than anything, it was poor defense that cost the Indians the chance to reach the postseason for the second consecutive year last season. Finding ways to clean up issues in the field has been a priority for the club this winter.

If the Indians head into with the same alignment they used at the end of last season -- a distinct possibility right now -- then the challenge exists within the preparation. That is why general Chris Antonetti, manager and other members of the front office and coaching staff have discussed ideas for improving Spring Training workouts. "We have room for improvement," Francona said on Wednesday, during the third day of the Winter Meetings. "Our defense was kind of our Achilles' heel last year. When you give teams extra outs or extra opportunities, it makes it more difficult to win. It doesn't mean you can't win, but it makes it harder." The Indians headed into this offseason with three primary goals: add an impact bat, improve the depth of the pitching staff and tidy up the defense. The Tribe addressed the first issue on Monday with the acquisition of slugger Brandon Moss in a trade with Oakland and the team is in the process of exploring trades and second-tier free agents for its pitching needs.

Barring a trade or two, Cleveland projects to open 2015 with Carlos Santana at first base, Jason Kipnis at second, Jose Ramirez at and Lonnie Chisenhall at third base. That is the same infield at the end of last year, when the club ranked last in the Majors in Ultimate Zone Rating (minus 72.4), Defensive Runs Saved (minus 75) and errors (116). Antonetti is quick to note, however, that the defense improved in the second half of last season after Santana shifted from third base to first and Ramirez took over as the full-time shortstop. Many of Cleveland's issues occurred earlier in the year, when Nick Swisher handled first, Santana was in an experiment at third and Asdrubal Cabrera was at short. "We believe that that group of players is better defensively than we performed as a whole last year," Antonetti said. "I think our defense got markedly better in the second half in the infield." Antonetti is not wrong, either. Francona joins Intentional Talk Francona joins Intentional Talk 11:10 Terry Francona sits down with Intentional Talk to discuss his golf game, the Indians 2015 outlook, managing Millar and more Among American League with at least 400 defensive last year, Ramirez ranked first in UZR/150 (18.9). Cabrera, who was traded to the Nationals before the non-waiver Trade Deadline, had a minus 10.5 UZR/150 in 2014. Swisher posted a minus 18.4 UZR/150 at first base, but did not play a game there after July 19. Santana (minus 39.5 UZR/150 at third) did not play the hot corner after May 22. The two players in need of the most improvement for 2015 are Kipnis and Chisenhall. "Carlos did a good job at first base in his time there," Antonetti said. "Jose Ramirez was great -- everything we could possibly have asked for at shortstop. The places we've talked about are Lonnie and Kip kind of getting back more closely to where they were in 2013, rather than the way they performed in '14." Kipnis has seen his UZR/150 rating decline in each of the past two seasons, dropping to minus 6.3 in 2013 and minus 9.7 in '14 after posting a 2.1 rating in '12. Chisenhall turned in a minus 4.6 UZR/150 for the Indians at third base in 2013 and then declined to a minus 15 rating last season. Both Kipnis and Chisenhall ranked 10th of 11 qualified AL defenders at their respective position last year. Antonetti noted that the Indians have worked with Kipnis on developing an offseason training plan that is more focused on agility and quickness. As for Chisenhall, the GM said finding a level of consistency is the key. The Indians also plan on changing some things this spring. "We weren't really happy with our team defense last year as a whole," Francona said. "That was something that we fought from Day 1 and kind of interfered with some of our trying to win a lot of games. So, that was something that we really want to try to work on in Spring Training: overall team defense." Two ideas Francona and the Tribe's staff have come up with are seeing plays to completion and taking grounders in defensive-shift situations. An example of the first concept would be working on a -down only if a play during the workout led to a run-down -- the goal being an increased level of unpredictability. The second idea would help simulate in-game defensive shifts, rather than having a fielder stand in the same spot for a stream of ground balls. The Indians are still working on other ideas as well. "We're going to try as much as we can to have live drills," Francona said. "You have to pick your spots, because you can't have three live drills a day or you're going to kill guys. They'll have sore arms. But, we'll try to also have drills where we run them to completion." Francona believes that approach can help improve upon what is already in place. "I think we have guys that can play better than we did statistically last year," he said.

Moss reunion creates boon, challenge for Francona Depth at first, corner spots could lead to other moves for Tribe By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | December 10, 2014 + 10 COMMENTS SAN DIEGO -- Indians manager Terry Francona made a point to deliver a message to Brandon Moss while they were both at the All-Star Game last summer. Francona had managed Moss in Boston when the was first breaking into the big leagues, long before he developed into one of the game's top sluggers.

"I said, 'Man, I'm so proud of you,'" Francona said on Wednesday at the Winter Meetings. "He had turned into this man." Now, Moss will be back in Francona's lineup. Cleveland kicked off these Meetings by acquiring Moss from the A's in exchange for Minor Leaguer Joe Wendle on Monday morning. Francona is thrilled to be reunited with Moss, who will have a home in the heart of the order and has the ability to be an option for both left and right field, as well as first base and . Moss also presents a challenge for Francona, though. Cleveland has a pile of players who can cycle through the DH role and provide depth at either first base or the corner outfield spots. Carlos Santana projects as the Tribe's , but Moss and Nick Swisher can play there, too. Moss, Swisher, David Murphy and Ryan Raburn can all handle right. Bastian on Indians adding Moss Bastian on Indians adding Moss 02:03 MLB.com Indians reporter Jordan Bastian discusses the club's trade for Brandon Moss and how this move could lead to more transactions Francona sees the situation as a good problem. "I hope it is [a challenge]," Francona said, "because then that means we've got guys that are healthy and producing. That would be the best situation, if we have to try to feel like we've got to get guys in there, because that meant guys came, they're healthy and they're hitting. That would be wonderful. I hope that happens." That said, it is also possible that the Indians try to use the surplus to address another offseason goal via trade. Murphy -- under contract for $6 million in 2015 -- appears to stand to lose the most at-bats, considering he plays right, hits left-handed like Moss and is coming off a down year. Cleveland has spent time this winter gauging the interest in Swisher, who is coming off surgery on both knees, a down season offensively, and he is owed $30 million through 2016 with a vesting option for '17. "It's December," Francona said. "We still have a couple months before we go to Spring Training when you have your full team in place." At the moment, the club's concern is getting both Moss and Swisher back to full strength in time for Opening Day. Moss is coming off hip surgery in October and is expected to be ready to start the regular season, barring a setback in his rehab. Swisher's knee surgeries took place in August and the Indians will need to monitor his progress come spring as well. Asked if Swisher is currently being viewed as a DH until he can show he is healthy enough to handle first base, Francona indicated that right field might be more realistic. Francona said Swisher has told the team that he feels playing the outfield might actually be better for his legs. In that scenario, Swisher could potentially play right field, while Santana handled first base and Moss slots in as the DH. All three players could rotate in and out of DH duties -- an approach that the Indians like to use for that role. "We'll have to be very cognizant of the fact that he had knee surgery," Francona said of Swisher. "We want to give him a chance to be healthy so he can be productive. We'll certainly keep an eye on him." The same goes for Moss during the spring. "We'll completely go off of him," Francona said. "From all accounts, he's doing very well. ... I think he thinks he's going to be full-go. But, again, if he's not, that's not the end of the world." With Moss added to the mix -- addressing Cleveland's wish to acquire an impact bat this winter -- general manager Chris Antonetti said the focus is on pitching. Specifically, the Tribe wants to find a way to improve its Major League rotation depth, which is only seven arms deep at the moment. Francona agreed that the club could use more help along those lines. "I think it's fair to say that we'd like to add pitching," Francona said. "I think Chris is trying very hard to add depth to, not only our , but to our starting pitching. I don't think we quite have a name yet, but I think it's to say he wants to add depth." Francona was asked if adding a veteran to the starting staff was a priority. "I don't think it hurts," the manager said. "Our staff, they were young last year at the end of the year and they did just fine. I think [Corey] Kluber is understanding his importance and his responsibilities to the staff, a lot like [Michael] Brantley is to our lineup. ... I didn't see any of our youth really getting in the way last year down the stretch."

The Indians lean left again with Moss by Jordan Bastian MLB: at Chicago White SoxEvery offseason, it seems the common refrain from Tribe fans is that the team needs to add a right-handed power bat. Do you know who has never come out and said that specifically? The Indians.

Cleveland knows better than to target a hitter strictly based on the batter’s box he chooses to stand in. The Indians headed into this offseason in need of an impact bat — preferably one with power as a main attribute — and that meant acquiring a hitter, no matter which way his hands happen to wrap around a bat handle. The Indians found one in slugger Brandon Moss.

“We think he fits our ballpark very well and his power plays to our ballpark,” Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said after landing Moss from the A’s on Monday in exchange for Minor League Joe Wendle.

That’s an important quote, because it sheds some light into why the Indians continue to lean so heavy to the left when it comes to their lineup.

With Moss in the fold, Cleveland could potentially have eight left-handed batters (six pure lefties and two switch hitters) in a lineup against a right-handed starter. A few seasons ago, the Indians were constructed in a way that led to an all-lefty lineup at times. While offensive balance is obviously ideal, so is building a team to account for the place a team plays 50-percent of its games.

Progressive Field is very favorable for lefty hitters and is especially friendly for left-handed power hitters. Antonetti also brought up another point.

“And 70-percent of the pitching is right-handed,” noted the GM.

So, while some fans might have rolled their eyes at adding yet another lefty-swinging batter to the mix, the Indians were thrilled with their acquisition. One reason for that is the fact that Moss was one of baseball’s top power hitters over the past three seasons, while hitting in an offensive graveyard in Oakland. Getting a chance to move his home games to Cleveland is something Moss is looking forward to for 2015.

“I’ll be honest,” Moss said, “other than it being our home stadium — I love the fans there — I hated playing at the Coliseum. It killed me as a hitter. … I’ve pretty much made my seasons on the road. I’d 10 or 11 or 12 home runs there, but it’s just a tough place to hit. You don’t get rewarded for fly balls unless you absolutely crush the ball. It’s just a tough place to play, so I’m really excited about playing in a park where I’ve had some success. I’ve always enjoyed playing there.”

MossABHRchartConsider this: Moss posted a .232/.317/459/.776 slash line in 569 at-bats (18.35 at-bats per ) in Oakland over the past three seasons combined. Even so, he posted a rate of one homer per 15.93 at-bats overall in that span, ranking ninth among players with at least 1,000 plate appearances from 2012-14. Moss accomplished that by posting a .274/.361/.544/.904 slash line in 642 road at-bats (14.27 at-bats per homer) in the same time period.

That .544 road slugging percentage for the past three years combined ranks fourth in the Majors among players with at least 500 plate appearances, trailing only (.557), Mike Trout (.555) and Miguel Cabrera (.554). Moss’ .904 road OPS in that same span ranks seventh in the same grouping. Only eight players in baseball have a .900+ OPS in that span: Trout (.958), Cabrera (.941), Ortiz (.924), Buster Posey (.921), Paul Goldschmidt (.920), Andrew McCutchen (.911), Moss and Edwin Encarnacion (.901).

How badly was Moss “killed” as a hitter in O.co Coliseum? Consider the difference between the production of all left-handed hitters combined in Cleveland vs. Oakland over the past 10 seasons. Lefties have posted a .420 slugging percentage and .759 OPS at Progressive Field, ranking sixth and fifth, respectively, among current stadiums. Lefty hitters in Oakland have turned in a combined .385 slugging percentage and .709 OPS.

According to Fangraphs, left-handed hitters experienced a nine-percent boost in home run rate over league average in Cleveland last season (fourth-highest in the American League). Then, there is Oakland, which produced a home run rate 12-percent below league average. That is a 21-percent difference — a power boost percentage that has Moss excited to step up to the plate in Cleveland for half of his games.

What can we expect Moss’ potential power spike to look like in 2015?

Looking at his past three years of production, Moss had a rate of 14.14 at-bats per home run in his road games (Cleveland excluded). Swap his Oakland rate (18.35) in for Cleveland and you get an estimate of 14.59 at-bats per homer. For his home rate, you get 15.04 by taking his three- year homer rate and giving it a 21-percent boost. I took those two rates, calculated for an 500 at-bat sample (250 for home and 250 for road) and came up with 33.76 home runs.

This is where it’s fair to point out that I didn’t take age regression or Moss’ atypical fly-ball success rate into account for that projection. That said, August Fagerstom of the Akron Beacon Journal (and Fangraphs) attempted to factor those aspects into his own projection, and he came up with roughly 30 homers for a sample of 600 plate appearances. Chad Young did a similar projection (click here) for Let’s Go Tribe. The general consensus is that Moss stands to benefit greatly simply with a change of address.

Of course, this is all assuming Moss — coming off October hip surgery — is healthy next season.

The hip was problematic for Moss as early as May last year and his numbers dramatically dropped off beginning that month. Through May 21, Moss was sporting a .301/.393/.595/.988 through 153 at-bats. Over his next 347 at-bats through the end of the season, he hit .205/.308/.369/.677. In his final 25 games, Moss hit .127/.273/.270/.543 in 63 at-bats.

Moss was asked on Monday how much the hip was to blame for his drastic second-half decline:

“The hip was probably 90-percent of the problem. It started bothering me in early May and then I just kind of dealt with it, because it was just tight. But, as the season wore on, other things started flaring up and it started to have some actual pain and then it started to affect the muscles in my glutes and stuff like that. By the end, I couldn’t even hit into my front leg. I was hitting against it. I was hitting away from it and it caused me to pull off the ball a little bit. My numbers as far as fly balls, ground balls and didn’t change very much. I still hit as many fly balls as I always do. It’s just that, by not hitting into that front side, I wasn’t getting the carry on the ball. That’s really all it was. I didn’t have that power.” Moss stayed in the lineup for the A’s, who were dealing with a rash of injuries, even as tightness in his hip developed into pain and hindered his ability to drive the ball. After a cortisone shot late in the season, though, he felt much improved and then had two home runs and five RBIs in the AL Wild Card Game against the Royals. Sample size alert! But that feeling, and that performance, convinced Moss that the hip was indeed to blame for his statistical nightmare over the final four months.

Now, could the Indians use another right-handed bat, especially for power, to help balance the lineup? Of course. Right now, Cleveland’s righty options include starting catcher Yan Gomes, first baseman Carlos Santana (), designated hitter Nick Swisher (switch), shortstop Jose Ramirez (switch), backup catcher Roberto Perez and utility men Mike Aviles and Ryan Raburn.

Maybe Cleveland will find another righty bat to add to the fold (trades remain the most likely avenue for upgrading upon the lineup in place), but it’s important to know why the team values lefties so much.

Not only is Progressive Field very favorable for lefty hitters (the 11,296 total bases by left-handed hitters in Cleveland over the past decade rank first in that span among MLB ballparks), but it’s a park that hinders righties. One glace to left field, where there is a 19-foot wall, should tell you that right-handed batters have an uphill battle. Over the past 10 seasons, righty hitters have posted a combined .391 slugging percentage and .707 OPS in Cleveland. Only Oakland, new Yankee Stadium and Seattle rank lower in that time period.

Per Fangraphs, home runs for right-handed batters at Progressive Field were suppressed by seven percent in comparison to league average in 2014. That was tied for last in the American League. The last time Cleveland came within five percent of league average was 2006. This doesn’t mean the Tribe should avoid right-handed batters, but it shows how those hitters are at a disadvantage in Cleveland.

Last year, the Indians’ right-handed batters posted a .647 OPS (22nd in MLB) against right-handed pitching and a .684 OPS (24th) against lefties. Cleveland’s righties combined for 805 plate appearances against righties — far and away the fewest in baseball. Seattle ranked 29th with 1,026 PAs. That tells you that opposing teams threw as many lefty at the Tribe as possible to create a platoon advantage.

Those are all reasons to feel that the Indians could use a right-handed addition, but they are not reasons to bemoan the addition of Moss. What Cleveland really needs is for players such as Aviles (.645 OPS vs. LHP in 2014), Raburn (.596) and Swisher (.481) to perform better against southpaws.

Francona has seen Moss make big strides Joe ReedyFOX Sports Ohio SAN DIEGO -- When Terry Francona had Brandon Moss in Boston during the 2007 and '08 seasons, Moss was a young player trying to establish himself. With the Indians acquiring Moss from Oakland on Monday, Francona is getting an established power hitter who he has seen make a lot of strides. "When he left Boston, even by his account, I think he was almost out of baseball. Then he kind of found it," Francona said. "I remember talking to him at the Allâ Star Game this summer. I pulled him aside and said, "Man, I'm so proud of you." He had turned into this man. That happens. "Now to get him that many years later, he's a tremendous teammate. He's the type of player that we're really excited to have, and we wanted to get a bat and not disrupt what we had. I thought (general manager) Chris (Antonetti) did a great job doing that. We've got a guy that can play first, left, right and DH, and that kind of mixes in with everybody else. Not knowing some of our health issues going into Spring Training, we have some flexibility." Moss came up through the Boston organization after being drafted in the eighth round in 2002. He made it to the majors in 2007 and played in 49 games over the two seasons, .291 with two home runs and 12 RBI. He was traded to the Pirates near the trade deadline in 2008 and also played with the Phillies in 2011 before heading to Oakland in 2012 and finding success. Over his three seasons with the Athletics, Moss batted .254 with 76 home runs and 220 RBI along with averaging a home run per 15.93 at-bats, which is eighth best in the American League. The one big question remains his health after having hip surgery on Oct. 21. Francona said he would talk to Moss more over the next couple weeks in terms of figuring out a timetable. With Carlos Santana at first and Nick Swisher, David Murphy and Ryan Raburn also in the fold in right, there is a logjam that could be alleviated with a trade. However with Swisher coming off knee surgery and Raburn also coming off knee surgery, they're not exactly healthy at the moment. Moss was one of many issues that Francona touched on during his half-hour of availability at the Winter Meetings. On the state of the division: "Right now we're all even. You don't know. It's December. When the meetings are over, everybody's like here are the winners, here are the losers, here's the guy. Teams aren't complete. There are some really good pitchers that are still out there, and when that starts to unfold, you'll start to know where people are going to lean towards thinking who is going to win. But our division is tough. I think the whole league is tough. When you look at the schedule, it just seems difficult." On signing with the Cubs: "I don't think it's a coincidence there were a lot of teams that were chasing him around for his services. He's a big strong, leftâ handed kid that gives you 200 innings every year unless you need more. He can in the postseason, and he's a great kid. That's a pretty nice combination. On adding depth to the rotation: "I don't think we quite have a name yet, but I think it's safe to say he wants to add depth. ... I think our staff, they were young last year at the end of the year and they did just fine. (Corey) Kluber is understanding his importance and his responsibilities to the staff, a lot like (Michael) Brantley is to our lineup. But I didn't see any of our youth really getting in the way last year down the stretch." general manager Chris Antonetti, left, smiles with manager Terry Francona during spring training baseball practice in Goodyear, Ariz., Thursday, Feb. 13, 2014. Indians likely to focus on pitching next

Swisher's future clouded by acquisition Moss hopes Progressive Field fits his swing On Swisher: "I texted with him a lot. He continues to try to hit goals along the way. Every week or so there is something else he can do or at a more intense pace. I guess the first time I'll probably see him is at the Tribefest (in late January)." On if Swisher would be primarily a designated hitter: "No, I wouldn't say that. I actually think he thinks that playing some outfield is easier. So, again, those are conversations we can have. But this in no way limits him to just DH or first base." On Kluber winning the Cy Young despite not being a big name: "I think that's how it should be. I mean, there is a reason Felix (Hernandez) has a reputation, because he's done it year after year after year, and he continues to do it. He's about as impressive a pitcher as you're going to find. But for this one year, Corey Kluber went toe to toe, and in the writers' opinion, probably edged him out. And I would have a hard time disagreeing with that." On Michael Brantley finishing third in MVP voting: "I was glad because leading up to the end of the season, I try to shy away from maybe talking about some of that stuff as we're trying to compete for a spot in the playoffs. But I was a little disappointed that he wasn't getting more play. Then you start hearing about other guys in the league. It was like, man, why aren't they talking about Brantley? Well, evidently they were. People must have been listening because that was pretty impressive where he ended up, and I thought it was very deserving."

Indians will pay more attention to defense during Spring Training Joe ReedyFOX Sports Ohio SAN DIEGO -- Since the middle of last season, Terry Francona and Chris Antonetti have had many conversations about how to fix a defense that was the worst in the majors. The Indians' 116 errors in 2014 were the most since 2006, when they had 118. With a little more than two months until the start of Spring Training, Francona said there will be a greater focus on live drills. "We'll try to have drills where we run them to completion," Francona said. "What we'll do, I think, next year is whatever the play ends up, we'll just play it like we do in a game. I think the intensity of the drill will help." There will also be more of a focus paid to infield defense. The Indians led the majors in errors at third (31) and were tied for third in errors at first with 16. They were tied for the lead in catcher errors (17) but Yan Gomes really settled down after the first six weeks of the season. A particular area of work during Spring Training will be on fielding ground balls in shift situations. The shift has become a part of life in baseball the past two seasons at an alarming rate. According to the 2015 Handbook, the Tribe used the infield shift 516 times, which is 202 more than 2013. They were eighth in the American League in shifts last season. Added Francona: "So we need to have (Jason) Kipnis out in short right and take ground balls there. We probably didn't do enough of that." Antonetti reaffirmed his confidence in the infield that is in place. Carlos Santana made a lot of athletic plays at first and also saw his offensive numbers improve. Shortstop Jose Ramirez, who took over after Asdrubal Cabrera was traded, made only four errors and hit .280 the last two months, which was third on the team. At second, Jason Kipnis made only six errors (he had 12 in 2013) but he also struggled with an oblique problem for most of the year and saw his average fall 44 points to .240. The Indians have discussed an offseason program with Kipnis that stresses more speed and agility work.

In terms of upgrades, that would leave all eyes on third. Lonnie Chisenhall's bat got him a regular spot back in the lineup but the defense at times was brutal as he led the team with 18 errors. "There were other times and periods where he played stellar defense. What we're looking for is consistency," Antonetti said. "He has all the ingredients of a successful . The important thing for him is to take all the things he learned from this year but knowing what he has to do to get things on track. ABOUT LINDOR: With Ramirez's success and Francisco Lindor continuing to develop, Antonetti said the odds are long for Lindor to make the Opening Day roster, which is in line with what has been said since August. Lindor batted .276 after being called up to Columbus but he remains the youngest player in -A and the franchise wants to make sure that when he is called up, he has the best chance of success. "There would be a number of things that would have to happen for Francisco (Lindor) to make our major-league team," Antonetti said. "Can I see a scenario (where he makes the Opening Day roster)? Sure. Is it probable? No." WINDING UP: The Winter Meetings will conclude on Thursday with the Rule 5 Draft. Antonetti said it was unlikely that the Indians would select anyone.