Antonetti named Baseball America's top exec By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | November 30th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Indians manager Terry Francona rightfully gets credit for how he pulls the levers, but Chris Antonetti is the one who built the machine. The roster maneuverings of Cleveland's president of baseball operations were critical in the Tribe's run to the World Series this past year. For his part in the Indians' success, Antonetti has been named the Major League Executive of the Year by Baseball America. The roster constructed by Antonetti and his front-office team -- a cast built mostly through trades and the MLB Draft -- captured the franchise's first division title since 2007 and first American League pennant since '97, and then engaged in an historic seven-game Series with the Cubs. "I don't think people realize how good he is," Francona said during the World Series. "We haven't had the biggest payroll here. You're given a certain number and you have to make that work, and he's managed to put together four years of pretty good teams. I think we're built -- there's no guarantees -- but I think we're built where our organization is pretty healthy." The Indians opened last season with the 21st-ranked payroll in the Majors, but the team's front office found ways to build a talented team under some financial restraints. Cleveland's rotation, for example, was under contract for under $15 million combined last year. The group also puts the Tribe's required model for success on full display. Corey Kluber, who won the AL Cy Young Award in 2014 and was third in balloting for the award in '16, was acquired via trade as an unheralded prospect in '10. Carlos Carrasco was obtained as a Minor Leaguer as part of the Cliff Lee trade in '09. Trevor Bauer was a key component in the three-team trade with the D-backs and Reds in '12. Danny Salazar was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in '06. Josh Tomlin was a 19th-round pick in the '06 Draft. When the Indians ended the 2016 season, their 40-man roster included 17 players who were originally selected in the MLB Draft, another 13 acquired via trades (six with no Major League experience at the time) and five international amateur signings. Only two of the players signed as free agents -- veterans Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis -- on Major League contracts. Napoli and Davis were one-year signings for last season and both played integral roles in the Indians' run. Napoli became a leader in the clubhouse and backed that up with a team-high 101 RBIs and 34 home runs (tied for the team lead). Davis showed off some age-defying speed, pacing the AL in stolen bases (43) to help Cleveland lead the league in thefts as a team. Playing in his first full season, shortstop Francisco Lindor -- Cleveland's top pick in the 2011 MLB Draft -- made the All-Star team, won a Gold Glove Award and garnered some MVP votes. One year after Lindor finished second in AL Rookie of the Year Award voting, outfielder Tyler Naquin (taken in the first round of the 2012 Draft) was third in balloting for the award this season. Antonetti's signature moment of the year arrived on July 31, though. That is when the Indians reeled in lefty relief ace Andrew Miller from the Yankees in exchange for a four-prospect package highlighted by outfielder Clint Frazier and lefty Justus Sheffield. The depth and strength of Cleveland's farm system, combined with the Major League team's chance to go for a title, paved the way for the move. Miller was then dominant as a leverage weapon both over the final two months and into the postseason, during which he won MVP honors for the AL Championship Series against the Blue Jays. Prior to the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline, Antonetti's team also swung a lower-level trade to net outfielder Brandon Guyer from the Rays. The lefty masher posted a .907 OPS over the final two months and is under control for the next two seasons. The Indians also reached a deal with the Brewers to land All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy, but he blocked the trade before approving a move to the Rangers. Before the Aug. 31 deadline, Cleveland also acquired veteran outfielder Coco Crisp from the A's. Crisp filled in admirably down the stretch and belted a home run in each of the clinching victories over the Tigers (division title), Red Sox (AL Division Series) and Blue Jays (ALCS). All of those moves by Antonetti and his team were aimed at strengthening and complementing a roster that already has its core in place. The team that was built was also able to withstand injuries to key players such as Michael Brantley, Yan Gomes, Carrasco, Salazar and others. In all, the Indians lost 477 games to days on the disabled list, but every setback seemed to be met with a solution. The way the Indians handled all the adversity helped Francona earn the AL Manager of the Year Award for the second time in his four seasons in Cleveland. The manager is always quick to deflect credit to Antonetti and the job done by the front office. "We've got some young guys coming and our guys, our core group is tied up," Francona said. "More important than that to me is the way [Antonetti] does it and the person he is. I think our whole organization follows his lead and I think that he's so modest that he would never take credit for that."

Peace & glove: Owners, players reach CBA deal By Richard Justice / MLB.com | 12:49 AM ET IRVING, Texas -- Major League Baseball's players and owners reached a tentative five-year Collective Bargaining Agreement through the 2021 season on Wednesday night. The parties will follow up today with a formal document, which then must be ratified by representatives of both sides. At 8:40 p.m. ET, an assortment of happy players, owners, lawyers and staffers poured from meeting rooms to exchange handshakes and hugs. That's how quickly 36 hours of round-the-clock negotiations ended, nearly four hours before today's deadline of 12:01 a.m. ET to reach a deal. Short of an agreement, the sport was faced with the best-case scenario of an extension or owners could have imposed a lockout. Players and owners negotiated until 5:30 a.m. Wednesday, took a few hours off, then went back to the bargaining table. Suddenly, negotiations that had moved with a crawl for months picked up intensity as the end of the current agreement approached. Both parties are expected to speak at a news conference when the deal is formally announced. Baseball has enjoyed 21 years of labor peace, during which time the sport has had astronomical growth in attendance, revenues and competitive balance. The new agreement means there will be no work stoppage for more than a quarter of a century. The immediate impact is that free-agent negotiations and trade talks continue without any specter of interruption. Most of the changes were regarding issues that had been discussed for weeks, but one surprising twist is that home-field advantage in the World Series will no longer be tied to the All-Star Game, as first reported by The Associated Press. Instead, the pennant winner with the better regular-season record will get home-field advantage in the Fall Classic.

In the end, this new agreement looks a lot like the one that was set to expire. However, there are changes to the luxury-tax threshold, international bonus pools and Draft-pick compensation, among other things. Here's a breakdown based on unofficial word, and details will be clarified when terms of the agreement are announced: Free-agent compensation Specifics on Draft-pick compensation are still being discussed. That said, qualifying offers -- which will still be calculated based on the average of the top 125 salaries -- can still be extended to free agents, but no more than once per player in his career. A player must still be on his club for the entire season to receive a qualifying offer. Teams losing a free agent who received a qualifying offer will get a Draft pick only if the player signs a contract worth at least $50 million. After that, the pick depends on a team's market size, according to MLB Network Insider Ken Rosenthal. Beginning in the 2017-18 offseason, teams will not lose first-round Draft picks for signing a premier free agent. However, teams exceeding the luxury-tax threshold would lose a second-rounder, a fifth-rounder and $1 million in international pool money. If a club hasn't exceeded the luxury-tax threshold, it will lose a third-round pick. Luxury tax threshold Incremental increases from the current $189 million of 2014-16 to: 2017: $195 million 2018: $197 million 2019: $206 million 2020: $209 million 2021: $210 million Tax rates for teams exceeding the threshold will rise from 17.5 percent to 20 percent for first-time instances, remain at 30 percent for second instances and increase from 40 to 50 percent for third-time instances. There's a new 12 percent surtax for teams $20 million to $40 million above the threshold, 40 percent for first instances more than $40 million above the threshold and 42.5 percent for teams $40 million above the threshold a second time, according to The Associated Press. International Draft Rather than an international Draft, which owners had sought, the two sides agreed to a bonus pool system, with a hard cap on how much each team can spend. That pool is expected to be $5 million to $6 million per team. Under the previous CBA, the bonus pools were scaled based on record the previous year, with the worst teams getting a little more than $5 million and the club with the best record getting a bonus pool in the $2 million range. It was also a "soft" cap, meaning teams could exceed it, but had to pay penalties for doing so. Cuban-born players who are at least 25 years old, with six-plus years of experience in Serie Nacional, will maintain exemption from the international bonus pool, according to MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi. Roster size No change. Teams will have 25-man rosters for the regular season, expanding to 40 in September. An expansion to 26-man rosters for April through August had been discussed in exchange for a smaller roster expansion in September, but that did not materialize. Disabled list The minimum time for a trip to the DL will be reduced from 15 days to 10, according to The Associated Press. Other items of note • Beginning in 2018, the regular season will begin in mid-week to create additional off-days during the schedule. • According to the New York Post, incoming Major Leaguers will be banned from using smokeless tobacco, but current players will be "grandfathered in" and still be permitted.

Digging deep on Tribe's non-tender candidates CLEVELAND -- The offseason is not only a time for clubs to search for external additions, but also to evaluate the escalating cost of the roster already in place. Right now, Cleveland's front office is weighing how to approach its nine players who are eligible for arbitration this winter. By 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday night, Major League teams must determine whether to tender contracts to any arbitration-eligible players. For the Indians, that list includes closer Cody Allen, starter Trevor Bauer, outfielder Lonnie Chisenhall, outfielder Brandon Guyer, reliever Jeff Manship, reliever Zach McAllister, reliever Dan Otero, starter Danny Salazarand reliever Bryan Shaw. Some are no-brainers, while others require more thought. It is quite possible that Cleveland will tender contracts to each eligible player. • Hot Stove Tracker If a player is non-tendered, he immediately becomes a free agent. If a contract is offered, the two sides will exchange proposed salary figures in January, with arbitration hearings scheduled for February if the parties are unable to agree on a deal. The sides can agree to a contract at any point leading up to a hearing. Here is a breakdown of Cleveland's arbitration situations, with the projected salaries based on research by MLBTradeRumors.com: No-brainers Allen ($7.7MM projected salary) Salazar ($3.8MM) Bauer ($3.7MM) Guyer ($2MM) Otero ($1.2MM) These five players look like shoo-ins to be tendered contracts. Allen, 28, had another outstanding season, posting a 2.51 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 32 saves in 68 innings. In the postseason, Allen allowed no runs over 13 2/3 innings and struck out batters at a rate of 15.8 per nine innings (a single-postseason record among relievers with at least nine innings of work). Allen and Andrew Miller give the Tribe one of the top back-end relief duos in baseball. Also in the bullpen, Otero emerged as an extremely valuable weapon last year. Manager Terry Francona called Otero his "wild card," as the righty was used in a wide variety of situations. In 62 games, Otero fashioned a 1.53 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 10 walks in 70 2/3 innings. Cleveland's rotation figures to be a strength again in '17, and Salazar and Bauer again figure to be a big part of it. Salazar, who will turn 27 in January, was limited to 25 starts and 137 1/3 innings due to an assortment of arm issues, but he made his first All-Star team with a strong first half. Salazar ended 11-6 with a 3.87 ERA and 161 strikeouts. Bauer, who will turn 26 in January, went 12-8 with a 4.26 ERA in 35 games (28 starts). The righty struck out 168 batters and walked 70 in a career-high 190 innings. The Indians acquired the 30-year-old Guyer at the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline and the fact that he was under control through '18 was a factor in the deal. Used mostly against left-handed pitching, Guyer hit .333 with a .907 OPS in 38 games after being traded to Cleveland by Tampa Bay. On the season, he hit .336 with a 1.021 OPS in 122 at-bats against left-handed pitching. Guyer also led the Majors in hit-by- pitches (31). Value signings Shaw ($4.5MM) Chisenhall ($4.1MM) Shaw has been one of Francona's most trusted relievers over the past four seasons due to the right-hander's exceptional durability. The late- inning reliever leads the Majors with 299 appearances dating back to '13 and is third among relievers with 282 innings over that span. Last year, Shaw had a 3.24 ERA in 75 appearances, marking his fourth straight season of 70-plus outings. Shaw's velocity was up and he ended with more strikeouts (69) than innings (66 2/3) for the first time in his career. He also posted a 1.66 ERA over the final two months, during which Miller's arrival removed Shaw from strict eighth-inning duty. Shaw's projected salary does not seem outlandish, so tendering him a contract makes sense. That said, he could also have value as a trade chip, if Cleveland wants to shed some payroll and take advantage of its bullpen depth. During the four years with Francona at the helm, Chisenhall has seen 83 percent of his at-bats come against right-handed pitching. In those at- bats, the right fielder has hit .268/.317/426, compared to .241/.301/.341 against lefties. This past season, Chisenhall was part of Francona's versus-righties outfield alignment and hit .286 with 38 extra-base hits and a .767 OPS in 126 games. At his projected cost, Chisenhall still has value both in terms of the Indians' roster and in trade talks. If the Indians dealt Chisenhall, they have a similar and more affordable player capable of moving to right field in youngster Tyler Naquin. Signing Chisenhall makes sense, but so does continuing to monitor how he is valued on the trade market. On the bubble McAllister ($1.7MM) Manship ($1.2MM) It is possible that McAllister and Manship are tendered contracts prior to the deadline, as neither look to be overly expensive. If Cleveland wants to free up a little monetary wiggle room, however, these look like the top candidates. McAllister, who turns 29 in December, is a solid option, given that Allen, Shaw, Otero and Miller are also available for the late innings. That can help McAllister's two-pitch mix from becoming over- exposed. The big righty had a 3.10 ERA with 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 51 relief appearances last season, though his average velocity dipped some from the previous year. Manship, who will turn 32 in January, had a 3.12 ERA in 53 games after posting a 0.92 ERA in 32 games in '15. With the depth of the bullpen last year, the right-hander was limited to facing mostly righty batters in the second half. Jordan Bastian has covered the Indians for MLB.com since 2011, and previously covered the Blue Jays from 2006-10. Read his blog,

The Next Big Leaguers: Indians' Zimmer By Jim Callis / MLB.com | @JimCallisMLB | November 29th, 2016 The Arizona Fall League always is loaded with talent, and it was stronger than usual in 2016. In the initial installment of MLBPipeline.com's "The Next Big Leaguers," which premieres Tuesday, we focused on five prospects: Dodgers first baseman Cody Bellinger, Twins shortstop Nick Gordon, Cubs outfielder Eloy Jimenez, Red Sox infielder Yoan Moncada and Yankees shortstop Gleyber Torres. We could have spotlighted many more promising prospects if not limited by time constraints, and below we'll do exactly that. The Next Big Leaguers: Bellinger, Gordon, Jimenez, Moncada and Torres Here are "The Next Big Leaguers" for all 30 organizations, selected from their AFL contingents: Cleveland: Bradley Zimmer, OF: Few Fall Leaguers could match the all-around tools of Zimmer, who has 20-20 potential, center-field range and a right-field arm. He still needs to make more consistent contact to reach his ceiling, but he led the league in runs (25) and walks (19), while ranking among the leaders in most offensive categories.

With strong core, Tribe unlikely to make big moves at Meetings By Jordan Bastian / MLB.com | @MLBastian | November 28th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- The Indians made plenty of noise in the postseason, but they have been quiet through the early portion of the offseason. That is partly by design, as Cleveland has few holes to fill and will likely wait out the blockbuster free-agent deals before diving into that market. As next week's Winter Meetings loom, the Indians are in a strong position to contend again in 2017, even before tweaking their roster. The bulk of the Tribe is either signed or under control for next season and beyond, putting the Indians' brass in a position where trades or low-level free- agent signings are the most probable avenues for complementing a group that just won an American League pennant. "We believe we're in a position to contend for a while," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations. "One of the things we're most encouraged about is the nucleus of our team will be here for the foreseeable future." MLB.com and MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the 2016 Winter Meetings from the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center outside Washington, D.C. Fans can watch live streaming of all news conferences and manager availability on MLB.com, including the Rule 5 Draft on Dec. 8 at 9 a.m. ET. Behind the scenes at the Meetings, Antonetti, general manager Mike Chernoff, manager Terry Francona and other members of the Indians' hierarchy will meet with other clubs to discuss potential moves. With first baseman Mike Napoli and outfielder Rajai Davis -- last offseason's key free-agent signings for the Tribe -- back on the open market, Cleveland is on the hunt for depth for its lineup, outfield and pitching staff. Specifically on the pitching front, depth behind the starting five and left-handed relief are on the Tribe's wish list. In terms of free agency, do not expect the Indians to target any players who will command huge contracts or those tied to Draft-pick compensation. It is more likely that the Tribe will once again look for complementary help along the lines of Napoli and Davis, who both remain of interest to the Tribe. "To both guys, we expressed interest in bringing them back," Antonetti said. Cleveland's main free-agent signings last offseason, when it had similar holes to fill, arrived on Dec. 17 (Davis), Jan. 5 (Napoli), Feb. 28 (Juan Uribe) and March 18 (Marlon Byrd). The timeline may be similar this offseason for the Tribe, which has the ability to return with the same rotation and bullpen, as well as the bulk of its lineup, as things currently stand. "We are potentially losing key guys in Raj and Mike," Antonetti said. "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." The Indians are also hopeful that star left fielder Michael Brantley, who was limited to 11 games last season due to health woes, will be ready for Spring Training and Opening Day. If Brantley can return, that would be a big addition to a lineup that ended last year ranked second in the AL in runs scored. "We are planning for him to be an everyday player," Antonetti said. "Now, part of our responsibility is to always plan for contingencies, not only just with Michael, but with other players on our roster. If something unexpected happens, whether it's injuries or unexpected performance, we need to make sure we have quality alternatives if that's the case." Right now, the Indians have eight players under contract for an estimated $59.75 million for the 2017 season, and another nine (Cody Allen, Trevor Bauer, Lonnie Chisenhall, Brandon Guyer, Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister, Dan Otero, Danny Salazar and Bryan Shaw) who will be eligible for arbitration. Those 17 players alone will bring the payroll up to around $90 million before any external acquisitions. When pre-arbitration salaries and other financial obligations are taken into account, Cleveland's payroll projects to be over $100 million before any additions. That will make any big free-agent splashes problematic, barring trades that help create some more wiggle room. No matter how Cleveland goes about upgrading aspects of its roster this offseason, the club is confident that the core group in place can help the Tribe reach the postseason again. "It's a good position to go into the offseason," Antonetti said. "At the same time, we'll be aggressive in looking to complement that group."

Cleveland Indians' Chris Antonetti named MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Chris Antonetti, the architect of the Indians' 2016 season, has been named Executive of the Year by Baseball America. The Indians won their first AL Central title since 2007 with a 94-67 record during the regular season. They followed that by winning their first AL pennant since 1997 by beating Boston in the ALDS and Toronto in the ALCS. They did so with an injured started rotation, but it didn't stop them from reaching Game 7 of the World Series against the Cubs before losing in 10 innings, 8-7. The Indians have not won a World Series since 1948. The Indians' effort in 2016 has been recognized nationally. Manager Terry Francona was named AL Manager of the Year for the second time in four years. Center fielder Tyler Naquin finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting, while workhorse Corey Kluber finished third in the AL Cy Young voting. Shortstop Francisco Lindor won a Gold Glove and a Platinum Glove for his defensive play. Antonetti, 41, just finished his 18th season with the Indians. This is his sixth season running the team's baseball operations -- one as president and five as general manager. The Indians have had winning seasons their last four years. Mark Shapiro, Antonetti's mentor, won the same award in 2005 as the Indians' GM. Shapiro left last season to take over the Blue Jays. Antonetti was named president of baseball operations after he left. Antonetti said two things impressed him about the Indians as a team and an organization last season. "No. 1, the resilience our team showed in overcoming a lot of challenges and continuing to persevere and find a way to win," said Antonetti. "No.2, it was a collective organizational approach where everyone was pulling in the same direction and trying to do their part to help the team. "The collaboration between the coaching staff, Tito, the front office, the player development staff, our scouting staff and our players embodies the type of organization we want to be." This past season the Indians overcame injures to starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar in September. They were also without left fielder Michael Brantley and catcher Yan Gomes for much of the season. Once the Indians reached the postseason, Trevor Bauer, yet another starting pitching, suffered a cut on the pinky finger of his right hand and was rendered all but useless in the postseason. "Things didn't go the way we would have drawn them up at the start of the year, but that never deterred Tito, our staff or our players from competing each night and trying to win," said Antonetti. Antonetti bolstered the team at the Aug. 1 trading deadline with the acquisitions of super reliever Andrew Miller from the Yankees and outfielder Brandon Guyer from Tampa Bay. Later he added outfielder Coco Crisp from Oakland. Miller, signed through 2018, won the ALCS MVP. In 10 postseason appearances, he went 2-0 with one save and struck out 30 batters in 19 1/3 innings. In the ALCS, Miller didn't allow a run in four appearances, covering 7 2/3 innings. He struck out 14 and didn't walk a batter. Guyer hit .333 (6-for-18) in the postseason. Crisp homered in games when the Indians clinched the AL Central, the ALDS and the ALCS. Antonetti joined the Indians in 1999 as an assistant to baseball operations after starting his career with the Montreal Expos. He worked his way through the organization, becoming director of major league operations in 2001, assistant general manager in 2002 and vice president of baseball operations in 2007. Francona, hired by Antonetti after the 2012 season, frequently describes Antonetti as the "smartest guy in the room, but you'd never know it." Antonetti believes that Indians recent success is about the organization not one indiviudual. "It's about the people we have ultimately," he said. "I think we have a group of people who are aligned behind a common vision of winning and being part of an atmosphere where everyone contributes to it. No one really cares about who gets credit and who doesn't or who gets blamed. It's about how do we find a way to win. "That's the collective mindset that everyone has. When you have a group of people who think like that, you have the opportunity to do something special. It doesn't always exist like that, especially in professional sports." The Indians won a franchise record 14 straight games from June 17 through July 1. They went from being tied for first place in the AL Central to having a seven- game lead. They ruled the division from that point on. Antonetti said the streak captured the heart of the 2016 Indians. "It wasn't only about how many games we won in a row," he said. "But it was the way we found different ways to win in that streak. We won one-run games. We won another game in 19 innings. We had a starting pitcher (Bauer) go five innings in relief. We won some high-scoring games, we won some-low scoring games. We had come back victories. "The way in which we won games during that stretch embodied a lot about what our team was about during the course of the year - regardless of what was going on just try to be one run better than the other team that night."

Cleveland Indians face Friday night deadline to tender contracts to 9 arbitration-eligible players Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians already booted Chris Gimenez and Michael Martinez from their roster. Free agents Mike Napoli, Rajai Davis and Coco Crisp might find new residences this winter. Who will be next to go? Teams have until 11:59 p.m. ET on Friday to decide whether to tender contracts for the 2017 season to players who are arbitration-eligible. Nine Indians players fall into that category: Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Lonnie Chisenhall, Brandon Guyer, Zach McAllister, Jeff Manship, Dan Otero, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer. MLBTradeRumors.com projects the Indians' total cost for 2017 for the nine players will be about $29.9 million. The two sides can strike an agreement at any point. If they're still in limbo in January, they'll exchange salary figures. If the process lingers into February, they'll go to arbitration. First, though, the team must determine whether it wants to potentially initiate that process with all nine arbitration-eligible players. If they retain all nine, the Indians' payroll will likely push $100 million before any off-season additions. The decision to tender (or non-tender) boils down to a few factors. 1. Does the player's projected salary reflect his production, or present the team with a bargain? 2. Does the player's projected salary fit within the structure of the team's payroll? 3. Is there a player with a smaller salary who is ready to replace the player? The decisions on Allen (projected $7.7 million), Shaw ($4.5 million), Salazar ($3.8 million), Bauer ($3.7 million), Guyer ($2.0 million) and Otero ($1.2 million) seem like no-brainers. As for the other three, let's take a closer look. Will the Indians' payroll rank near the bottom of the league again in 2017? The club's arbitration situation -- in addition to raises for its core players who are signed to long-term deals -- figures to bump up the organization's total budget. But by how much? Lonnie Chisenhall ($4.1 million) The Indians' outfield will face questions until Michael Brantley can answer them. The team maintains that the left fielder will be ready to engage in a normal spring training. That would settle one spot, leaving center and right to Tyler Naquin, Abraham Almonte, Brandon Guyer and Chisenhall, barring any winter movement. If the team did acquire an outfielder of some sort, Chisenhall could become expendable, but that won't happen before Friday's deadline. Plus, there's no way to know how Brantley will rebound until the spring, so for the time being, it's probably wise to stock up on outfield depth. Chisenhall batted .286 with a .767 OPS, eight home runs and 25 doubles last season. Per FanGraphs' metrics, his defense didn't quite live up to the standard he set in 2015, when he shifted to right field on a full-time basis. Verdict: He'll be tendered a contract. Zach McAllister ($1.7 million) McAllister posted a 3.44 ERA in 53 outings last season, but it didn't always seem so smooth. He logged a 1.59 ERA for the first month. Then, the wheels came off. He landed on the disabled list in July, after he surrendered 14 runs across 15 1/3 innings over a two-month period. Once he returned, he pitched well the rest of the way, with a 1.40 ERA over his last 23 appearances, but the addition of Andrew Miller bumped him down in the bullpen pecking order. McAllister made only three appearances in the playoffs. In the end, $1.7 million isn't a hefty price to pay a reliever who has compiled a 3.19 ERA over the last two seasons, even if that guy is your fifth- best reliever (and that's before any off-season additions). Verdict: He'll be tendered a contract. Jeff Manship ($1.2 million) The magic finally wore off for Manship, who posted a 0.92 ERA in 2015 and then started the 2016 campaign with 10 straight scoreless outings. The right-hander still logged a 3.12 ERA, though he allowed nearly twice as many baserunners per inning than he did the previous year. His walk rate doubled, his hit rate nearly doubled and his home run rate jumped from 0.2 per nine innings to 1.5. The Indians figure to send a bus full of veteran relievers on minor-league contracts to spring training, as they always do. Shawn Armstrong, Perci Garner and Joe Colon are waiting for their opportunities as well. Still, if Manship stands to earn about $1.2 million, that's only a bit more than the major-league minimum (likely somewhere between $500,000- 600,000 next year). It seems like a small price to pay for someone who has proven at least somewhat reliable the last two seasons. Verdict: He'll probably be tendered a contract.

Dollars and sense: Examining the Cleveland Indians' payroll obligations for the 2017 season Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A team with a paltry payroll nearly earned a chance to host a parade. That's not to suggest it should be the way all teams -- or any team -- operate. Such a method certainly reduces the margin for error and forces a team to be efficient and capitalize on bargains. Francisco Lindor, a Gold Glove Award winner and .300 hitter, earned about $540,000 last year. The rotation of Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar, Trevor Bauer and Josh Tomlin -- which produced 65 wins, a 3.79 ERA and 824 strikeouts -- combined to make about $14.5 million. Arizona's Zack Greinke, who went 13-7 with a 4.37 ERA over 158 2/3 innings, made $34 million himself. Will the Indians' payroll rank near the bottom of the league again in 2017? The club's arbitration situation -- in addition to raises for its core players who are signed to long-term deals -- figures to bump up the organization's total budget. But by how much? Is there enough wiggle room for the team to fill a few holes via free agency? Could the club acquire a veteran in a trade? Chris Antonetti, Cleveland's president of baseball operations, has said the team won't fundamentally change its mode of operation. So what might the payroll look like in 2017? Let's take a look. Sources: Cot's Contracts, Baseball-Reference.com, Spotrac.com The old guard Carlos Santana: $12 million The Indians exercised Santana's option for 2017. As of now, he's the club's highest-paid player. He can become a free agent at the end of the year. Jason Kipnis: $9.17 million Kipnis is signed through 2019, with a club option for 2020. Andrew Miller: $9 million Miller will also earn $9 million in 2018, the final year of his deal. Michael Brantley: $8.375 million The Indians hold an $11 million option on Brantley for 2018, their final year of team control. Corey Kluber: $7.7 million Kluber is signed through 2019, with team options for 2020 and 2021. Carlos Carrasco: $6.5 million Carrasco is signed through 2018, with team options for 2019 and 2020. Yan Gomes: $4.58 million Gomes is signed through 2019, with team options for 2020 and 2021. Josh Tomlin: $2.5 million The Indians also hold a team option on Tomlin for 2018. These eight players will combine to earn nearly $60 million in 2017.

The Indians, following their drive to the seventh game of the World Series, have exercised the 2019 and 2020 options on manager Terry Francona's contract as well as the 2017 option on DH-first baseman Carlos Santana's contract. Arbitration-eligible fellows Note: All figures are approximations from MLBTradeRumors.com. Cody Allen: $7.7 million Allen is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility. Bryan Shaw: $4.5 million Shaw is entering his final year before free agency. Lonnie Chisenhall: $4.1 million Chisenhall is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility. Danny Salazar: $3.8 million This is Salazar's first year of arbitration eligibility. Trevor Bauer: $3.7 million This is Bauer's first year of arbitration eligibility. Brandon Guyer: $2.0 million This is Guyer's second year of arbitration eligibility. Zach McAllister: $1.7 million McAllister is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility. Dan Otero: $1.2 million This is Otero's first year of arbitration eligibility. Jeff Manship: $1.2 million This is Manship's first year of arbitration eligibility. Teams have until Friday to decide whether to tender all arbitration-eligible and pre-arbitration players contracts for the 2017 season. If the Indians opt to non-tender any players, they become free agents. These nine arbitration-eligible players project to earn a total of $29.9 million in 2017. The young pups Pre-arbitration players who fill out the roster typically earn close to the league minimum, as Lindor did in 2016. Jose Ramirez, Roberto Perez, Tyler Naquin, Abraham Almonte, Cody Anderson, Kyle Crockett, Mike Clevinger, Ryan Merritt, Erik Gonzalez, Perci Garner, Shawn Armstrong, Joe Colon and Giovanny Urshela fall into this category.

Francisco Lindor, the kid with the ever-present smile and ever-reliable glove, was named the top defensive American League shortstop on Tuesday night. The albatross Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, both free agents, are still wreaking havoc on the Indians' accountants. The club still reportedly owes Chris Johnson -- the player acquired in exchange for the two veterans in August 2015 -- about $9 million in 2017. That will take the Indians' payroll over $100 million for the 2017 season, and that's before any free-agent additions or trade acquisitions. Of course, a $100 million payroll in present terms is rather paltry. All but four teams boasted a nine-figure budget by the end of the 2016 campaign. Just how high will the Indians go, with postseason revenues and a new minority owner in tow? The team's ownership has the winter to decide what price is right.

Cleveland Indians filled some of their needs for 2017 at 2016 trade deadline Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Indians are going into the winter meetings on Sunday in a good spot. If they are unable to re-sign free agent Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis, they need to add a hitter and an outfielder. They are also looking for a left- handed reliever, but they took care of some of their other needs for 2017 and beyond at the Aug. 1 deadline last season with the trades for left- hander Andrew Miller and outfielder Brandon Guyer. Miller, with a helping hand from manager Terry Francona, tilted the axis on how relievers might be used from this point on. The 6-7 Miller is signed through 2018 at $9 million a year. The Indians acquired him from the Yankees on July 31 for outfielder Clint Frazier, left-hander Justus Sheffield and right-handers Ben Heller and J.P. Feyereisen. The Indians acquired Guyer from Tampa Bay on Aug. 1 for outfielder Nathan Lukes and right-hander Jhonleider Salinas. Guyer, one of nine Indians eligible for arbitration this winter, has two years left before free agency. Miller and Guyer helped the Indians reach Game 7 of the World Series before their run ended. Miller went 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA and one save in 10 games in the postseason. He struck out 30, walked five and allowed three earned runs 19 1/3 innings. The opposition hit .179 against him and Miller posted a 0.88 WHIP. Guyer, playing against lefties, hit .333 (6-for-18) with three RBI in 10 games in the postseason. In the regular season Guyer hit .333 (27-for-81) as he gave Francona another platoon option for in right and left field. "I think the one thing that gets lost a little bit is that we did some of our 2017 team building at the trade deadline in 2016," said Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations. "We identified Andrew as a fit in the backend of our bullpen not only for the balance of 2016, but for 2017 and 208. "Guyer is that right-handed complementary outfielder that we not only needed in 2016, but we were going to need in 2017. Had we traded for Aroldis Chapman (the Indians tried and missed) and another outfielder that got moved at the deadline, we'd be in the market this winter for Davis, Napoli, another right-handed hitter and a backend bullpen guy. "So we were able to do two of things in July." Chapman, who helped the Cubs beat the Indians in the World Series, is a free agent this offseason. The Indians, with a few exceptions, are willing to part with their top prospects in order to help sustain the success of their team. The deadline for making trades without waivers is Aug. 1. Regarding Napoli and Davis, the Indians are still talking to their agents. "We're still in touch," said Antonetti. "We maintain interest in having them back here. I think they share that interest, but I defer specific comments to their agents. I would think they're looking to understand the market place for them." The free agent market has been sluggish and one thing that is slowing it down is the inability of the owners and players to reach agreement on a new basic agreement. The deadline is Thursday and the owners have already talked about taking a vote to lock the players out.

MLB owners are reportedly considering a lockout if they don't reach a new basic agreement with the players association by the Dec. 1 deadline. The Indians, in their quest to re-sign Napoli, received some good news Sunday when Seattle reportedly said he wasn't a fit on its roster. Bob Dutton of the News Tribune reported that GM Jerry Dipoto is content with the first base platoon combination of Dan Vogelback and Danny Valencia. Seattle was said to be interested in Napoli earlier in the offseason. One of the rumors emerging from the negotiations between owners and players is that teams will be allowed to add a 26 th man to the big- league roster in exchange for curtailing the size of rosters in September. This seems like a win-win situation. Thirty more players get big-league jobs, while teams have more roster flexibility and managers have more options to make moves. At the end of spring training, having an extra roster spot would certainly help ease some of the tough decisions made by front offices. But a 26th man probably favors a big market club more than a team like the Indians. If the rosters do expand, a team such as St. Louis could sign Napoli as their 26th player for a one or two-year contract between $12 million and $20 million. The Indians, meanwhile, would be more likely to fill the spot with a player making closer to the major league minimum of $507,500. Diaz update: Look for the Indians to invite prospect Yandy Diaz to big league camp in February. They'll test him in the outfield and infield. He's hitting .357 (30-for-84) with two homers and 13 RBI for Caracas in Venezuela. He's played 20 games in the outfield and one at third base. Diaz hit .318 (141-for-444) with nine homers and 58 RBI at Class AA Akron and Class AAA Columbus last season. He posted a .854 OPS. Third baseman Giovanny Urshela, meanwhile, is hitting .364 (44-for-121) with 14 doubles, three homers and 25 RBI for Zulia in Venezuela. The Indians sent Urshela to winter ball in hopes that he would improve the consistency of his offense. Finally: Former Indians' Albert Belle and Orel Hershiser are among the players on the Today's Game Era ballot who will find out Sunday at the winter meetings if they've been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Baseball comes to its senses, making peace and avoiding chaos Jayson StarkESPN Senior Writer Once upon a time in baseball, it wouldn't have ended like this. And that, of course, is because, for close to 25 years, labor negotiations in baseball never ended like this. With peace. With stability. With a sport that has now gone so long without a work stoppage that the three other major professional sports in this land have combined for six of them since the last time a labor war erupted in baseball. How surreal is that? So even though the labor agreement of 2016 went down almost a week after Thanksgiving, this, my friends, was something to be thankful for. Peace is good. But more than that, peace is essential. As someone who has covered a few of those messy baseball work stoppages of yesteryear, I'd be happy to hop up on the stand and testify. Whatever was gained on the inside from those strikes or those lockouts, it wasn't enough to undo the damage it caused on the outside. Baseball will never, ever be the same after the strike that wiped out the 1994 World Series. It will never regain the place it held in the American soul because of that strike. So no matter how vehemently people inside the game might want to defend the stands that they took back then, the truth is that in the big picture, only one good thing ever came of that strike. The people who run this sport got the memo: Peace is good. And they learned that they should never go down that ugly, self-destructive road again. And they haven't. They've now made it through 21 consecutive years of labor peace since the strike of 1994-95. And thanks to the deal they made Wednesday night, we know they're about to make it through five more. Hallelujah. As you look over the details of that deal today, could it possibly be more obvious that there was never an issue in the 2016 labor talks that was worth blowing up a $10 billion industry over? Never. Over the qualifying offer for a select group of free agents? Over containing spending on 18-year-old amateur players who happened to be born outside the United States? Over luxury-tax thresholds or tax rates? How did this sport ever drive itself to the brink of a lockout over issues like that? Incredible. Negotiators for MLB players and owners reached an agreement on a five-year labor contract Wednesday, just hours before a midnight deadline. We still have a lot to learn about the specifics of this new labor deal. So we can't fully judge the complete scope of everything that was agreed to yet. But the highlights that did leak out were fascinating, all right. Here are some quick reactions: • We'd been led to believe that owners were willing to shred the entire system that required teams to forfeit a draft pick if they signed an elite free agent (i.e., one who received and rejected a qualifying offer). Turned out we were dead wrong. Those teams no longer have to lose their first-round pick. And that's a significant achievement for the players' union. But teams will still forfeit at least one pick for signing one of those players. And if they're a team with a payroll that rises above the luxury-tax threshold, it will cost two picks -- second- and fifth-round picks. And that's still a big deal. "Are a second- and fifth-round pick more valuable than a No. 1 pick? Of course not," one agent said Wednesday evening. "But are they comparable? Certainly." • We also knew that as the two sides headed toward the wire, the luxury tax -- or competitive balance tax, if you're a fan of legalese -- was a major issue. Well, now we know why. Under previous versions of the luxury tax, the highest tax rate a team could pay was 50 percent, no matter how many times its payroll went beyond the tax threshold. But not anymore. If the Dodgers don't get their 2017 payroll under $235 million, it appears as if their tax rate would rise to an astounding 92 (yes, ninety-two) percent as a third-time offender subject to a 50 percent tax plus a 42 percent "surtax" for being $40 million over the threshold. Wow. Two different agents used the term "soft cap" on Wednesday night to describe the effect of a rate that high. But no matter what you call it, it's the strongest deterrent to spending to ever appear in a baseball labor agreement. There's no debate about that. • The union fought for months against the owners' push to institute an international draft -- and ultimately won that fight. Instead, the two sides agreed to a hard cap on total annual spending for foreign-born amateur players, of about $5 million for every team. With no exceptions. And no flexibility to go above that amount. So the days of a Yoan Moncada raking in $31.5 million are over. As are the days of teams like the Dodgers blowing through their international bonus pool and then spending whatever they chose because they didn't mind the penalties. So it will take a while before we completely grasp the effect of this change on teams and players alike. But one thing to file away is this: It's the first time the union has ever agreed to any sort of hard cap in any area. Interesting. • The players did come away with a couple of scheduling concessions that they'd made a major priority in these negotiations. Starting in 2018, the season will start four days earlier, so that four extra off days can be included in the schedule. And there are new provisions requiring more teams to play day games when one or both teams face long flights after the game. In a sport that is now paying more than a half-billion dollars a year to players on the disabled list, these are more important elements of this agreement than you might think. If the primary cause of injury is fatigue, it makes sense for everyone to do what they can to combat as much fatigue as possible. There is so much more to sift through when the details get announced. So there will be more surprises and more changes, many of them subtle, some of them not so subtle. And only then will we know how all the pieces of this puzzle fit together. But I've covered enough labor talks in my day to know that most of you don't care about any of that. You only care about one thing: Did they get this frigging deal done or not? Well, ladies and gentlemen, the deal got done. Woo-hoo. The hot stove can keep on burning. The trade rumors can keep on flowing. The game can keep on growing. And that, in the end, is what had to happen. Any other outcome would have been an embarrassment. Not to mention a disaster. Once upon a time in baseball, it wouldn't have ended this way. So thank heaven we don't live in that time anymore. Thank heaven we live in this time -- because no matter who emerges from this agreement unhappy about how this deal affects them -- peace always beats the alternative. And never more than right now.

MLB players, owners reach tentative labor deal STEPHEN HAWKINS and RONALD BLUM (AP Sports Writers) The Associated Press•Dec 1, 2016, 3:18 AM IRVING, Texas (AP) -- Baseball players and owners reached a tentative agreement on a five-year labor contract Wednesday night, a deal that will extend the sport's industrial peace to 26 years since the ruinous fights in the first two decades of free agency. After days of near round-the-clock talks, negotiators reached a verbal agreement about 3 1/2 hours before the expiration of the current pact. Then they worked to draft a memorandum of understanding, which must be ratified by both sides. ''It's great! Another five years of uninterrupted baseball,'' Oakland catcher Stephen Vogt said in a text message. In announcing the agreement, Major League Baseball and the players' association said they will make specific terms available when drafting is complete. ''Happy it's done, and baseball is back on,'' Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brandon McCarthy said. As part of the deal, the experiment of having the All-Star Game determine which league gets home-field advantage in the World Series will end after 14 years, a person familiar with the agreement told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal had not yet been signed. Instead, the pennant winner with the better regular-season record will open the Series at home. Another important change: The minimum time for a stint on the disabled list will be reduced from 15 days to 10. The luxury tax threshold rises from $189 million to $195 million next year, $197 million in 2018, $206 million in 2019, $209 million in 2020 and $210 million in 2021. Tax rates increase from 17.5 percent to 20 percent for first offenders, remain at 30 percent for second offenders and rise from 40 percent to 50 percent for third offenders. There is a new surtax of 12 percent for teams $20 million to $40 million above the threshold, 42.5 percent for first offenders more than $40 million above the threshold and 45 percent for subsequent offenders more than $40 million above. Union head Tony Clark, presiding over a negotiation for the first time, said in a statement the deal ''will benefit all involved in the game and leaves the game better for those who follow.'' Key changes involve the qualifying offers clubs can make to their former players after they become free agents - the figure was $17.2 million this year. If a player turns down the offer and signs elsewhere, his new team forfeits an amateur draft pick, which usually had been in the first round under the old deal. Under the new rules, a player can receive a qualifying offer only once in his career and will have 10 days to consider it instead of seven. A club signing a player who declined a qualifying offer would lose its third-highest amateur draft pick if it is a revenue-sharing receiver, its second- and fifth-highest picks (plus a loss of $1 million in its international draft pool) if it pays luxury tax for the just-ended season, and its second-highest pick (plus $500,000 in the international draft pool) if it is any other team. A club losing a free agent who passed up a qualifying offer would receive an extra selection after the first round of the next draft if the player signed a contract for $50 million or more and after competitive balance round B if under $50 million. However, if that team pays luxury tax, the extra draft pick would drop to after the fourth round. Among other details: -For a team $40 million or more in excess of the luxury tax threshold, its highest selection in the next amateur draft will drop 10 places. -While management failed to obtain an international draft of amateurs residing outside the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada, it did get a hard cap on each team's annual bonus pool for those players starting at $4.75 million for the signing period that begins next July 2. -There is no change to limits on active rosters, which remain at 25 for most of the season and 40 from Sept. 1 on. -Smokeless tobacco will be banned for all new players, those who currently do not have at least one day of major league service. -The regular season will expand from 183 days to 187 starting in 2018, creating four more scheduled off days. There are additional limitations on the start times of night games on getaway days. -The minimum salary rises from $507,500 to $535,000 next year, $545,000 in 2018 and $555,000 in 2019, with cost-of-living increases the following two years; the minor league minimum for a player appearing on the 40-man roster for at least the second time goes up from $82,700 to $86,500 next year, $88,000 in 2018 and $89,500 in 2019, followed by cost-of-living raises. -The drop-off in slot values in the first round of the amateur draft will be lessened. -Oakland's revenue-sharing funds will be cut to 75 percent next year, 50 percent in 2018, 25 percent in 2019 and then phased out. -As part of the drug agreement, there will be increased testing, players will not be credited with major league service time during suspensions, and biomarker testing for HGH will begin next year. Negotiators met through most of Tuesday night in an effort to increase momentum in the talks, which began during spring training. This is the third straight time the sides reached a new agreement before the old contract expired, but a deal was struck eight weeks in advance in 2006 and three weeks ahead of expiration in 2011. Talks took place at a hotel outside Dallas where the players' association held its annual executive board meeting. Clark, the first former player to serve as executive director of the union, and others set up in a meeting room within earshot of a children's choir practicing Christmas carols. A man dressed as Santa Claus waited nearby. Baseball had eight work stoppages from 1972-95, the last a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that led to the first cancellation of the World Series in 90 years. The 2002 agreement was reached after players authorized a strike and about 3 1/2 hours before the first game that would have been impacted by a walkout. The peace in baseball is in contrast to the recent labor histories of other major sports. The NFL had a preseason lockout in 2011, the NBA lost 240 games to a lockout that same year and the NHL lost 510 games to a lockout in 2012-13. --- AP Baseball Writer