Napoli inks deal to supply power at first base Former All-Star agrees to one-year, $7 million Mike Napoli Dustin Pedroia

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1 Napoli inks deal to supply power at first base Former All-Star agrees to one-year, $7 million contract By Jordan Bastian / January 5th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Mike Napoli looked at the Indians' roster and saw an opportunity to play every day and win. The first baseman liked the idea of being reunited with hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo, who worked with him when they were with the Angels years ago, and Napoli called Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia to find out what it was like to play for manager Terry Francona. It all added up to Tuesday's announcement: Napoli signed a one-year contract worth $7 million to suit up for Cleveland this season. "I wanted to go somewhere where I could win," Napoli said. "I've been part of a lot of clubs who have been on the winning side. Looking at the roster and the pitching staff, it intrigued me." From the Indians' side of the table, they saw the potential to add a right-handed power hitter to a lineup that has lacked consistent thump from that side for several seasons. Cleveland also saw a former catcher who, due to past health issues, worked hard to turn himself into an aboveaverage first baseman over the past few years. Napoli said he has been told he will get regular playing time at first base, meaning Carlos Santana will likely see the bulk of his at-bats as a designated hitter. The Tribe agreed to the one-year pact with the 34-year-old Napoli on Dec. 16, and he underwent and passed a physical with the club two days later. Chris Antonetti, the Indians president of baseball operations, said that it took time to work out some contract language between the holidays, delaying the official announcement of the deal until Tuesday. "I know this is news that's been held close to the vest," Antonetti quipped. "One of our goals was to try to find a way to both improve our offensive production and balance out our lineup. We think the signing of Mike goes a long way toward doing that." The Indians also used the past three weeks to sort through the required transaction to vacate a spot on the 40-man roster, and they opted to designate reliever Kirby Yates for assignment. The club acquired Yates via trade from Tampa Bay on Nov. 25 and now has 10 days to trade or release the righty, or reassign him to the Minor Leagues if he clears waivers. Hot Stove Tracker Last season, the 34-year-old Napoli hit.224 with 18 home runs, 20 doubles, 50 RBIs and a.734 OPS in 133 games with the Red Sox and Rangers. He did, however, post a.954 OPS against left-handed pitching and enjoyed a strong finish to the year. Following an 0-for-7 start with Texas, which acquired Napoli for cash on Aug. 7, he posted a.324 average and a.985 OPS over his final 29 games. Antonetti said the Indians spent a lot of time examining Napoli's poor start and impressive September. "There were some adjustments Mike made with his swing," Antonetti said, "some small tweaks mechanically that he made once he arrived in Texas that got him back to the point where he's had success in the past." Last offseason, Napoli underwent a seven-hour maxillomandibular advancement procedure, which involved realigning his chin, jaw and sinuses to help with the severe sleep apnea he dealt with for years. It cost him a normal winter of training, though Napoli was not willing to cite his postsurgery adjustment period for any of his first-half struggles. "I don't want to say that," Napoli said. "I didn't really have an offseason to work out, to tell you the truth. I was able to... have a good Spring Training, so there was nothing wrong with me then. I'm not a guy to make an excuse for anything. I just had a rough year the first couple months of the year." Prior to the 2013 season, it was revealed that he had avascular necrosis (a disorder that kills bone tissue) in both hips, but the problem was caught early on and he has medication for the issue. Antonetti said the hip issue is "well managed at this point," noting that no red flags came up during Napoli's physical. Napoli was one of three finalists for the American League Gold Glove Award at first base last season, when he tallied three Defensive Runs Saved in 899 innings at the position. His 5.5 UZR/150 rated as the fifth-best mark among Major League first basemen with at least 800 innings. For his career, Napoli has 20 Defensive Runs Saved and a 5.6 UZR/150 in 3,996 innings at first. "Mike has worked his tail off to transition to first base," Antonetti said. "He's worked really hard at becoming a good first baseman and we think that's an asset for us." In parts of 10 big league seasons, Napoli has hit.253/.355/.482 between stints with the Angels, Red Sox and Rangers. From , Napoli averaged 26 homers with a.508 slugging percentage per year, setting a career high with 30 jacks in '11 and making the AL All-Star team in '12. "I still feel like I have a lot in the tank," Napoli said. "I'm able to play every day. I feel like I have a lot to prove. I've been working out for a while now and feel good, feel strong, feel healthy. So I'm looking forward to [the season]." Statcast ushers in new era of player evaluation Indians finding ways for advanced data analysis to help development By Jordan Bastian / January 3rd, 2016 CLEVELAND -- Francisco Lindor knew his batting average was not pretty. As he sat at his locker inside the visitors' clubhouse in Great American Ball Park in mid-july, though, the Indians' rookie spoke of hard-hit balls and bad luck when addressing the offensive slump that was his first month in the Major Leagues. Lindor referenced conversations with hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo, who had reassured the shortstop that the data indicated that his swing was fine and the results would change soon. Lindor did not need to revamp his mechanics or mindset -- just trust the process. "His stats are a lot lower than what they could be," Van Burkleo said at the time. "But, he hasn't let it affect him or get him trying to do more. He's just stayed the course and knows it won't keep happening, if he keeps maintaining the swing he's got and the approach he's got." The statistics that backed that belief were easily found within Statcast, which told a much different story than could be found in Lindor's early slash line. During the shortstop's first 100 at-bats in the big leagues, an unusual number of outs were occurring on balls consisting of exit velocities in excess of 100 mph. The result was an extremely low batting average on balls in play.

2 The front office could relay the data to the coaching staff, which could in turn find the most appropriate way to address the issue with Lindor. Rather than having a young player panic at the sight of his batting average on the Major League scoreboard, Lindor could trust that the numbers supported the feeling that he was running into some hard luck. "It's more important to focus on the process," Indians general manager Mike Chernoff said. "Information like that can show you that, 'Hey, despite that a few of these balls are not falling in, my process is right. I'm doing the right things and I don't need to drastically change what I'm doing.'" Statcast is changing how teams are doing things. Introduced during the 2015 season, Statcast recorded a wealth of information that was not previously available, especially in the public realm. Offensively, exit velocity became a useful and new way to evaluate hitters. On the mound, spin rate -- something many teams already had access to via other tracking systems -- offered a new look at pitchers. Defensively, things like first step, route efficiency and speed were measured. These elements not only gave fans a new way to view ballplayers, but offered teams new tools for evaluating and comparing. "Baseball statistics measure outcome," Chernoff said. "There are also ways to measure process, a process prior to the actual outcome; things like strike, ball, velocity, swing and miss, those types of things. They're not exactly an outcome, but somewhere in between. What Statcast does is it measures the actual movements of players and not the outcomes of where the ball goes. "So, take the case of a baserunner. Rather than just seeing how many stolen bases and caught-stealings he has, you actually measure how fast the baserunner is now." Where Statcast currently falls short in some regard is context. Due to the system being so young, teams do not have years of data to pore through to get a true reading on how certain statistics stack up historically. However, the numbers can be used right now as a comparison tool to put one player against another. For example, as Cleveland searches for outfield options this winter, it can use Statcast 's defensive metrics to compare possible free-agent targets. "Yes," said Chernoff, when asked if the Indians have used the data in their offseason evaluations. "One challenge is you don't have a multiyear sample of it yet, and you can't verify it's accuracy quite yet, or just know when it's accurate and when it's not. It takes a lot of data to figure that out. You can use it to do some things. "This isn't like the answer key, though, that's going to totally revolutionize the way we look at players. Scouts have been measuring tools of players for a long time, and they're really good at it. This is a way to get a slightly more accurate reading on some of those things." Chernoff believes the addition of Statcast is actually a good thing for scouts. "This should be a huge relief for scouts and a huge complement to what they do," Chernoff said. "[It] allows a scout to process the information rather than just have to transmit information to whoever is going to be reading his report." One area that has been helped by the recent influx of information has been better measuring a catcher's abilities behind the plate. Statcast provides data for first step, release speed and arm strength, among other things. It is also easier to tell when a pitcher is more at fault than a catcher on singular stolen-base events. On top of that, the PITCHf/x numbers can help show which catchers are better at framing pitches. "We've made a lot of progress over the past several years with that," Chernoff said. "The PITCHf/x data and now the Statcast data have enhanced that. I know I sound like a broken record, but really what it's doing is it's breaking down the measurements instead of just saying, 'How many caught-stealings and how many stolen bases against are there for the catcher?' You can now measure the actual tools in the way that a scout would to say how good is he at receiving, how good is his footwork and how strong is his arm." The key to all the information that continues to pile up is for a team figuring out the best way to filter the data down to the coaching staff and then to the players. Some players want more detailed statistics, while others prefer not to risk being overloaded with numbers. Lindor, for example, was given a general idea of how the statistics supported that he would eventually turn things around. The shortstop hit.223 with a.568 OPS in his first 103 at-bats, and then he hit.345 (.930 OPS) the rest of the season, finishing as the runner-up for the American League Rookie of the Year Award. "In the end, there are only certain things that [players] can control," Chernoff said. "And Statcast or scout data, or anything like that, doesn't give you how to make it better. It just tells you where you are. So, it's an assessment tool. What our coaches can do is use that to help show a player, 'Hey, here's where you stand. Let's try to work to make it better.' That's a much more complicated process that you can't just use data for." After only one season, Statcast is becoming a part of the process. "We've gotten very good analytically as an industry inferring a lot from outcome-based data," Chernoff said. "Now, we can actually measure the real movements and not just try to infer them from the outcomes." Clevinger, Bradley take home Tribe's top Minor League honors By Jordan Bastian / January 4th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- The trade did not register very high on the national radar when the Indians pulled the trigger two seasons ago. On a local level, Cleveland traded away a fan favorite in reliever Vinnie Pestano and received a Minor League pitcher from the Angels in return. That Minor Leaguer, right-hander Mike Clevinger, is now a rising star in the Tribe's farm system and could reach the Majors as soon as this year. On Monday, Clevinger received the Indians' 2015 Bob Feller Award, honoring the starter as the organization's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. "It was one of the highlights of our development system last year, the progress Mike made," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations. "He's on a really good path." Indians Top 30 Prospects Along with Clevinger, first-base prospect Bobby Bradley was named the Indians' recipient of the 2015 Lou Boudreau Award (Minor League Player of the Year). Bradley -- a 19-year-old slugger -- checks in at No. 7 on MLB.com's list of Top 30 prospects for the Indians. Clevinger is currently 15th on that list and has drawn interest from other teams in trade talks with the Tribe this winter.

3 In recent years, Cleveland has gained a solid reputation for finding future Major League contributors via low-level trades. Clevinger, who has the makings of a mid-rotation starter, could give the Indians another success story. Within the Tribe's current big league rotation,corey Kluber, who went from unheralded trade acquisition in 2010 to the American League's Cy Young Award winner in 2014, provides the best example. It is far too soon to gauge where Clevinger's career will go, but his development since joining the Indians has been impressive. "He made great progress last year," Antonetti said. "Mike really deserves a lot of credit because he actually made some pretty significant delivery adjustments and finished the year much, much further along than where he started the year. It's really a credit to the work he put in along with [Minor League pitching coordinator Ruben Niebla] and the pitching coaches." Clevinger, 25, missed most of 2012 and '13 following Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, which was injured only eight starts into his first professional season. On Aug. 7, 2014, the Angels shipped the young right-hander to the Indians in exchange for Pestano, whose performance had dropped in the months leading up to the trade. This past season, Clevinger turned in a 2.73 ERA with 145 strikeouts and 40 walks in 158 innings for Double-A Akron. In all of Double-A, the righty ranked second in WHIP (1.06), third in strikeouts and fourth in opponents' average (.219). Clevinger then turned in 15 1/3 shutout innings with 17 strikeouts and only five hits relinquished in two postseason starts for Triple-A Columbus. Needless to say, Clevinger could be coming to Cleveland in the near future. "As we've seen multiple times," Antonetti said, "once a guy gets to the upper levels of the Minor Leagues, it can happen at any point." Bradley, who was picked by the Indians in the third round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft, hit.264/.357/.518 in 110 games between Class A Lake County and Class A Advanced Lynchburg last season. In 108 games with Lake County, the left-handed-swinging slugger had 27 home runs, 92 RBIs and a.529 slugging percentage, which each ranked first among Class A batters. "Our goal is to have him be an elite Major Leaguer," said Carter Hawkins, the Indians' director of player development. "He's definitely not a guy that's going to slip under the radar at this point. So, understanding the approach that pitchers are going to have against him and how he needs to react to that, at-bat to at-bat, game to game, week to week, will be something that will help him to take that next step in his career." DePodesta back in Cleveland, now with Browns By Jordan Bastian / January 5th, 2016 CLEVELAND -- A well-known baseball executive accepted a job in Cleveland on Tuesday, but it had nothing to do with the Indians. Paul DePodesta, who got his start in baseball with the Tribe two decades ago, left the Mets and has been hired by the NFL's Cleveland Browns to be their chief strategy officer. "Paul's a brilliant and innovative guy," said Chris Antonetti, the Indians' president of baseball operations. "He's made a huge impact on a number of organizations that he's been with and he's got a really unique way of looking at things and finding ways to attack and work through problems, and develop innovative solutions. I think he's a very capable baseball executive that will have a great impact on the Browns. "I think he's had that track record in baseball. He's very passionate about sports. He's passionate about winning. He's passionate about excellence. So I think all of those things kind of transcend any one individual sport." DePodesta was in the Indians' front office from before leaving for a job with the A's -- a move made famous in the book and movie, "Moneyball." DePodesta also had stops with the Dodgers, Padres and Mets in a variety of front-office roles. His most recent post was as the Mets' vice president of scouting and player development. "When Paul left to go to Oakland, I took his spot here," Antonetti said. "We overlapped for about a month or so during that transition. And then we've been obviously in touch. We've both been in the game for a while and we've developed that relationship over time as peers. He's someone I stay in regular touch with.... Paul would be extraordinarily successful in any industry as an executive, whether that was baseball, football or running a Fortune 500 company." Worth noting Prior to the 2013 season, the Indians had a protected first-round Draft pick and an extra early-round pick via the Competitive Balance system. Under those unique circumstances, Cleveland was willing to sign free-agents Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, costing the Tribe one earlyround pick each. Antonetti was asked Tuesday if there is a scenario right now in which he would be willing to forfeit his top Draft pick. "We place a very high value on the No. 1 pick, but we've done it before," Antonetti said. "There are situations where we've signed players and that's cost us a No. 1 pick. But it's not something that we would do lightly." Cleveland's top Draft pick (No. 15) this coming June is not protected. The Indians signed Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis this winter to one-year deals to solve issues at first base and in the outfield, respectively. Antonetti hinted that Cleveland might be done making major moves this offseason, but he said he is still in talks with other teams and players. "We're looking just for any opportunities at this point to improve," Antonetti said. "I feel like we've addressed our specific needs." Antonetti noted that utility man Zach Walters is "doing well" after being involved in a car accident last month. According to the Indians' president, Walters has resumed physical therapy from the left shoulder surgery he had at the end of the season, and he will have stitches removed (as a result of the car accident) this week. "Thankfully," Antonetti said, "it seems like Zach averted a potentially really significant injury." Inbox: Gomes back at full strength for Indians? By Jordan Bastian / January 4th, 2016 Having catcher Yan Gomes fully healthy and back to his '14 form would be a tremendous development for the Indians this season. Two years ago, Gomes burst onto the scene with a breakout showing that netted him a Silver Slugger Award. Last year, an injured right knee in April cost him six weeks and hindered his production all summer. The injury happened on April 11, when outfielder Rajai Davis slid into Gomes' foot, subsequently injuring the knee, during a play at the plate. Davis has already apologized to Gomes for the inadvertent incident, but the outfielder will get another chance to do so in person this spring when they are teammates. Submit a question to the Indians Inbox

4 A knee injury, especially for a catcher, can take a toll. In his first 25 games back, Gomes hit only.215 with a.576 OPS, though the catcher never publicly used the knee as an excuse. Even so, Gomes hardly looked like the player who hit.278 with 21 homers and a.785 OPS in '14. There were signs of life in his bat as the season progressed, though. Gomes had a promising September, during which he hit.264 with a.757 OPS. In the games he played in September/October, Gomes had an exit velocity of at least 100 mph on 20.3-percent of balls put in play. That was his highest percentage for a month last year. From April-June, only 11 percent of the balls put in play by Gomes at an exit velocity of 100 mph or greater. That percentage rose to 15.3 percent from July on. That could be an indication that Gomes was feeling stronger the further removed he was from the injury. Now, with a full offseason behind him, plus a Spring Training to come, Cleveland can hold out hope that he can be the kind of offensive force he was in '14. I would think the Indians are done adding Major League options to the outfield via free agency. It's important to remember that Michael Brantley will be returning around May, or later, following his recovery from shoulder surgery. Cleveland signed Davis to a one-year deal, and also has Lonnie Chisenhall, Abraham Almonte, Collin Cowgill and Joey Butler, among others, in the fold. If Cleveland continues to add, I'd expect it to be through more Minor League depth moves. The only way I see the Major League outfield changing is if the Indians have a trade up their sleeves. While the Indians' specific bid has not been revealed, MLB.com's Anthony Castrovince reported during the Winter Meetings that Cleveland was one of four teams to bid at least $11 million for the rights to negotiate with the Korean slugger. The Twins won the bidding at $12.85 million and then signed Park to a four-year contract worth $12 million. With the holidays officially behind us, I'd expect the Indians to announce the signing of free-agent first baseman Mike Napoli at some point this week. There were no issues with the physical, which was completed on Dec. 19. It appears that the timing, combined with Cleveland weighing a subsequent transaction to vacate a spot on the 40-man roster, delayed the announcement of the one-year, $7 million pact with Napoli. Barring injury in Spring Training, you can bet on Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Bauer occupying the front four spots in the rotation. Based on comments by Indians leadership this winter, it also sounds as though Tomlin will be on the pitching staff in some capacity. That could mean the fifth spot, or in the bullpen. Right now, Tomlin and young righty Cody Anderson look like the top two candidates for the fifth spot in the rotation. If Anderson doesn't win that job, I'd expect him to open with Triple-A Columbus to remain in a starting role. Yes, the Indians are planning on having at least one person inducted into the team's Hall of Fame during the upcoming season. As of this writing, though, the specifics of the announcement are still to be determined. Indians make signing of first baseman Mike Napoli official, designate reliever Kirby Yates for assignment By Ryan Lewis Published: January 5, :09 PM The Indians on Tuesday made the signing of free-agent first baseman Mike Napoli official and designated relief pitcher Kirby Yates for assignment. Napoli and the Indians reportedly reached a one-year deal for $7 million in mid-december, but the team was mulling over its options with the 40-man roster before making it official. I think as we started the offseason, one of our goals was to try to find a way to both improve our offensive production and balance out our lineup, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. We think the signing of Mike goes a long way toward doing that. Throughout his career, he s been a very productive hitter, especially against left-handed pitching, and has worked really hard also on the defensive end of things to become a very good defensive first baseman. Napoli, 34, provides the Indians with an everyday option at first base or as a designated hitter along with Carlos Santana and a power hitter to be inserted into the middle of the lineup. Last season, Napoli hit.224 with 18 home runs and 50 RBI with the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers. After being traded to the Rangers late in the season he took off, hitting.295 with five home runs in only 35 games. Napoli hit at least 20 home runs in each season from I think it was a pretty good opportunity for me to be able to play every day and I wanted to go somewhere where I could win, obviously, Napoli said. I ve been a part of a lot of clubs who have been on the winning side. Looking at the roster and the pitching staff, it intrigued me. Napoli had a 98 weighted runs created plus (wrc+) in 2015, according to FanGraphs, the lowest mark of his career after he posted a 123 and 128 in 2013 and 2014, respectively. Also according to FanGraphs, Napoli was worth 0.7 WAR in 2015, 2.4 in 2014 and 3.9 in 2013, when he batted.259 with 23 home runs and 92 RBI with the Red Sox. The Indians cited that September surge as a reason to look past his rough start to the season. There were some adjustments Mike made with his swing, some small tweaks mechanically that he made once he arrived in Texas that got him back to the point where he s had success in the past, Antonetti said. I think Mike was able to carry those adjustments forward in the second half and that led to the success he had. Statistically, Napoli is an upgrade defensively over Santana. He has a career Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 games of 5.6 at first base. Santana s UZR is minus 1.5. Napoli has 20 defensive runs saved at first base in his career, Santana is at minus 9. Napoli also was one of three finalists for an American League Gold Glove last season. The two will likely switch every now and then between first base and DH, but Napoli figures to take over the primary role as the Indians first baseman for the 2016 season. As of now, I think I m going to be playing every day at first, Napoli said. But I ll do whatever it takes to go out there and help the team win. I ve been told I ll be playing a lot and I believe it can be at first base. Napoli has a previous relationship with Indians hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo and has heard good things about Indians manager Terry Francona, two things he said made an impact on his decision to sign with the Indians. Yates was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays for cash considerations in late November and figured to be in line to compete for a spot in the bullpen.

5 Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Baseball execs Chris Antonetti, Mark Shapiro applaud Cleveland Browns hiring of Paul DePodesta Paul Hoynes, January 05, 2016 at 6:32 PM CLEVELAND, Ohio When Chris Antonetti joined the Indians in 1999, he replaced Paul DePodesta, who had just been hired as assistant general manager of the Oakland A's. Today Antonetti has gone from an assistant in the Tribe's baseball operations department to president of baseball operations. DePodesta, meanwhile, after a long and varied career in baseball has found his way back to Cleveland. But his new home is not with the Indians, but with the Browns. The Browns, rebuilding yet again, announced Tuesday that they have hired DePodesta as chief strategy officer. DePodesta joins the Browns from the New York Mets, who won the National League pennant last season before losing the World Series to the Kansas City Royals in five games. The latest version of the Browns' front office is paying more attention to analytics. While DePodesta has a comprehensive background in that field, Antonetti feels he has much more to offer than that. "I think Paul is a brilliant and innovative guy," said Antonetti. "He's made a huge impact on a number of organizations that he's been with. He's got a unique way of looking at things and finding ways to attack and work through problems and developing innovative solutions." Problems the Browns have. Solutions they certainly need. "It's not just analytics," said Antonetti. "He's a really thoughtful person who can think about systems and processes and just different ways to work through problems that help organizations develop. Paul would be extraordinarily successful in any industry as an executive whether that's baseball, football or running a Fortune 500 company." Cleveland Browns hire analytics expert Paul DePodesta of 'Moneyball' fame as chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta formerly worked in the Indians front office as an assistant, and his character was played by Jonah Hill in the movie, "Moneyball." Mark Shapiro was the Indians farm director when DePodesta was hired. Shapiro is currently CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays after spending the last 24 years with the Indians. "It's an interesting and creative approach by the Browns," said Shapiro. "Paul is a brilliant guy who clearly has the capability to elevate process and decision-making decisions in any field he's entering." The Cleveland Indians needed Mark Shapiro to lead them through the changes in how the franchise was run -- and now he needs a new challenge. DePodesta, 43, has spent the last 19 years working in baseball. After working for the Indians and Oakland, he was named general manager of the Dodgers on Feb. 16, He was only 31, but the Dodgers won their first playoff game in 16 years that season. The Dodgers slumped in 2005 and DePodesta was fired after the season. DePodesta was hired by San Diego in June of 2006 and joined the Mets as vice president of player development and scouting in November of "What he does would translate not only to any sport, but to any business," said Shapiro. "I think that's why businesses around the world have brought him into consult." Said Antonetti, "I think he's a very capable baseball executive that will have a great impact on the Browns. I think he's had that track record in baseball. He's very passionate about sports. He's passionate about winning. He's passionate about success. I think all of those things transcend any one individual sport." DePodesta was one of the main characters in "Moneyball,' a book written by Michael Lewis about how the 2002 Oakland A's used sabermetrics to build a postseason team despite having one of the smallest payrolls in the game. When the book turned into a movie, DePodesta refused to let his name be used by the character played by actor Jonah Hill. Oddly enough, DePodesta did some acting of his own. He appeared as an extra on several episodes of "Homicide: Life on the Streets.' On film or in real life, however, he will never take on a bigger role than in trying to help turn the Browns around. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Baseball execs Chris Antonetti, Mark Shapiro applaud Cleveland Browns hiring of Paul DePodesta By Paul Hoynes, January 05, 2016 CLEVELAND, Ohio When Chris Antonetti joined the Indians in 1999, he replaced Paul DePodesta, who had just been hired as assistant general manager of the Oakland A's. Today Antonetti has gone from an assistant in the Tribe's baseball operations department to president of baseball operations. DePodesta, meanwhile, after a long and varied career in baseball has found his way back to Cleveland. But his new home is not with the Indians, but with the Browns. The Browns, rebuilding yet again, announced Tuesday that they have hired DePodesta as chief strategy officer. DePodesta joins the Browns from the New York Mets, who won the National League pennant last season before losing the World Series to the Kansas City Royals in five games. The latest version of the Browns' front office is paying more attention to analytics. While DePodesta has a comprehensive background in that field, Antonetti feels he has much more to offer than that. "I think Paul is a brilliant and innovative guy," said Antonetti. "He's made a huge impact on a number of organizations that he's been with. He's got a unique way of looking at things and finding ways to attack and work through problems and developing innovative solutions."

6 Problems the Browns have. Solutions they certainly need. "It's not just analytics," said Antonetti. "He's a really thoughtful person who can think about systems and processes and just different ways to work through problems that help organizations develop. Paul would be extraordinarily successful in any industry as an executive whether that's baseball, football or running a Fortune 500 company." Cleveland Browns hire analytics expert Paul DePodesta of 'Moneyball' fame as chief strategy officer Paul DePodesta formerly worked in the Indians front office as an assistant, and his character was played by Jonah Hill in the movie, "Moneyball." Mark Shapiro was the Indians farm director when DePodesta was hired. Shapiro is currently CEO of the Toronto Blue Jays after spending the last 24 years with the Indians. "It's an interesting and creative approach by the Browns," said Shapiro. "Paul is a brilliant guy who clearly has the capability to elevate process and decision-making decisions in any field he's entering." The Cleveland Indians needed Mark Shapiro to lead them through the changes in how the franchise was run -- and now he needs a new challenge. DePodesta, 43, has spent the last 19 years working in baseball. After working for the Indians and Oakland, he was named general manager of the Dodgers on Feb. 16, He was only 31, but the Dodgers won their first playoff game in 16 years that season. The Dodgers slumped in 2005 and DePodesta was fired after the season. DePodesta was hired by San Diego in June of 2006 and joined the Mets as vice president of player development and scouting in November of "What he does would translate not only to any sport, but to any business," said Shapiro. "I think that's why businesses around the world have brought him into consult." Said Antonetti, "I think he's a very capable baseball executive that will have a great impact on the Browns. I think he's had that track record in baseball. He's very passionate about sports. He's passionate about winning. He's passionate about success. I think all of those things transcend any one individual sport." DePodesta was one of the main characters in "Moneyball,' a book written by Michael Lewis about how the 2002 Oakland A's used sabermetrics to build a postseason team despite having one of the smallest payrolls in the game. When the book turned into a movie, DePodesta refused to let his name be used by the character played by actor Jonah Hill. Oddly enough, DePodesta did some acting of his own. He appeared as an extra on several episodes of "Homicide: Life on the Streets.' On film or in real life, however, he will never take on a bigger role than in trying to help turn the Browns around. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Dollars and sense: Is there any wiggle room within the Cleveland Indians' 2016 payroll? Zack Meisel, January 05, 2016 CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The calendar flipped open to January's clean slate, snow flurries trickled down to the ground and the quiet air of winter spread throughout Cleveland. The Indians likely will not interrupt the tranquility with any roster shakeups. Eventually, Mike Napoli will officially join the fold. A few more veterans could receive invitations to spring training. Perhaps the team will sign another reliever or outfielder for a couple of bucks. Talks about the Indians dealing a starting pitcher for a hitter have quelled. Any inklings that the club would add a free-agent position player on a multi-year, eight-figure contract were dismissed long ago. Is there any wiggle room, however, within the budget? Can the Indians still add a player if free-agent prices plummet, or if a particular trade offer falls into the laps of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff? Let's examine the potential payroll for the 2016 campaign. But first, let's run through a series of facts about the Indians' 2016 payroll, as currently calculated. Note: All figures are supplied by Cot's Contracts and Baseball-Reference. The Indians are expected to begin the season with a payroll in the neighborhood of $90 million. Carlos Santana stands to be the Indians' highest-paid player in The man who figures to spend the majority of his time at designated hitter will be the only player on the roster to haul in more than $8 million this year. The Indians hold a $12 million option -- or a $1.2 million buyout -- on the 29-year-old for Ten players on the 2015 Dodgers made a higher salary than what the Indians' highest-paid player will earn in Chris Johnson will earn the second-highest salary from the Indians in The Indians severed ties with the veteran last month, even though ownership owes Johnson $17.5 million over the next two-plus years, including a $7.5 million figure in Sums distributed to cover the costs of Johnson, Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher could count for up to one-fifth of the Tribe's payroll in The team is sending cash to Atlanta as part of an August exchange of funds and high-salaried, injury-prone veterans. The average player's salary across the league in 2015 was north of $4 million. Only seven players are projected to earn that much from the Indians in None of the Indians' six arbitration-eligible players projects to earn that much. Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco will likely earn what is considered a league-average salary in 2016.

7 The Indians' projected five-man starting rotation will combine to earn somewhere between $13-15 million in Twenty-nine different starting pitchers (and counting) around the league will earn that much on their own. White Sox southpaw John Danks, who posted a 7-15 record and 4.71 ERA, is on the books for a $15.8 million figure in Kluber and Carrasco, combined, will earn $9.2 million in 2016, or roughly $1 million more than Mike Pelfrey will receive from the Tigers. Pelfrey, who went 6-11 with a 4.26 ERA and an average of 4.7 strikeouts and 10.8 hits allowed per nine innings last year, signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Detroit. Barring significant changes, the Indians' roster is going to get expensive (relatively speaking, of course) over the next few years. The Indians won't be able to stay in this $80-90 million range forever, unless they ship out some of their core players, such as Kluber, Carrasco, Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley or Yan Gomes. The upper class The wealthy segment of the payroll population has a bit of a different feel to it in Finally, the Indians' core players are the ones most handsomely rewarded. Santana, Michael Brantley and Jason Kipnis -- and Napoli, once his deal is officially announced -- will be the highestpaid players on the team, barring any surprising signings or trades or extensions. No player will earn an eight-figure salary, a la Bourn and Swisher the last few years. The mainstays Kipnis, Brantley and Santana are digging into the more lucrative parts of the long-term deals they signed years ago. Relative to the going prices on the free-agent market, they are signed at reasonable prices. The same could be said for Kluber and Carrasco, who will each earn more than $4 million in 2016 (still a paltry price to pay for a competent starting pitcher). Catcher Yan Gomes, coming off of a miserable season, will earn about $2.5 million in He is signed through 2019, with a pair of team options beyond that. The arbitration-eligible folk The Indians have six players eligible for arbitration: Cody Allen, Josh Tomlin, Bryan Shaw, Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister and Lonnie Chisenhall. MLBTradeRumors.com projects the six to come away with a combined total of $14.1 million in salaries. Shaw is in his second year of arbitration eligibility. Tomlin is in his third. The other four are first-timers. The other guys Cleveland has nine players under contract for It also has the six who are eligible for arbitration. Then, the club must fill out the remaining 10 spots on the 25-man roster. Pre-arbitration players such as Francisco Lindor, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer will almost certainly be included, with their salaries set near the major league minimum. The same goes for Giovanny Urshela, Abraham Almonte and others. Veterans, such as Joba Chamberlain and Joe Thatcher, who are signed to minor league deals that include spring training invites, have their own salary figures determined should they break camp with the big league club. So, the 10 remaining spots on the 25-man roster could cost the Indians somewhere between $7-10 million. Add that to the projected arbitration figure ($14.1 million) and the salary owed to the nine guys -- Napoli included -- under contract (about $47 million) and the Indians would be looking at a grand total of about $70 million. Ah, but there's one more thing: that pesky sunk cost, the cumbersome paperweight resting atop Paul Dolan's wallet. The Indians are on the hook for $7.5 million to Johnson and another lump sum to the Atlanta Braves this year and next. They also paid Ryan Raburn $100,000 to play elsewhere in That inches the Indians closer to a $90 million payroll. It's still near the bottom of the league, but it's not a small enough figure to allow the club much wiggle room as the rest of the offseason unfolds. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Who's on first? Right now it looks like Mike Napoli for Cleveland Indians By Paul Hoynes,January 05, 2016 CLEVELAND, Ohio Mike Napoli is acting like first base has been promised to him. Chris Antonetti, while complimenting Napoli's play at first, took a broader view of the situation. No surprise in either case, but after the Indians finally made the signing of Napoli official on Tuesday, it sounded a lot like first base has been spoken for in "As of now I think I'm going to be playing every day at first," said Napoli. "I'll do whatever it takes to go out there and help the team win. I've been told I'll be playing a lot and I believe it's going to be at first base." Napoli, 34, played 111 games at first last season for Boston and Texas. If he indeed opens the upcoming season at first, it means Carlos Santana will most likely open at DH. If that happens, it would be the fourth time in as many years that Santana would start the season at a new position. Here's the breakdown: catcher 2013, third base in 2014, first base 2015 and DH Most teams do not hand out starting positions in January and the Indians are no different. "I think we're looking at Mike as a very important member of our team moving forward that's going to help us win games," said Antonetti. "Exactly how much he'll play and where he'll play are decisions that will be made later." Napoli, who had to stop catching after the 2012 season because of a degenerative problem with his hips, was one of the top three vote getters at first base last season for the AL Gold Glove award.

8 "He's worked really hard to become a good first baseman and we think that's an asset to us," said Antonetti. The Indians, unless an unexpected opportunity arises, are probably done making significant moves. The additions of Napoli and outfielder Rajai Davis, along with keeping the rotation intact, have been the highlight of Antonetti's winter. Napoli and Davis signed one-year deals worth $7 million and $5.25 million, respectively. "One of our primary needs as we started the off-season was creating a deeper and more balanced lineup," said Antonetti. "I feel with adding Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis, we've been able to greatly improve on our position player club. "We'll continue to look for opportunities to improve. If it's an additional position player who complements our group well or an arm in the bullpen, we'll look at all those things.... I feel like we've addressed our specific needs." When asked if there was a deal that would convince him to forfeit his No.1 pick in the June draft, Antonetti said, "There are a lot of things that would do that. We place a very high value on the No.1 pick, but we've done it before. But it's not something we take lightly." Consider that wishful thinking. The Indians would have to sign a free agent who received a qualifying offer from his former team to forfeit their No.1 pick. Among the unsigned free agents still in that category are outfielders Alex Gordon, Dexter Fowler and Justin Upton, but their price would have to come way down for the Indians to consider signing them. Napoli struggled last season, hitting.224 (91-for-407) with 18 homers, 50 RBI and a.734 OPS. Before the start of the season, he underwent surgery for sleep apnea in Boston. The procedure lasted seven hours and might have accounted for his slow start. "I had a good spring training," said Napoli. "I'm not making any excuses." Said Antonetti, "There was definitely an adjustment period early on. There are no long clinical studies on it, but anecdotally there's a thought that it takes at least 12 to 14 months to fully recover and adjust. Mike felt that same way. It improved his sleep right away, but it affected his perception of things." Napoli said hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo was one of the reasons he signed with the Indians. He worked with Burkleo as a minor leaguer with the Angels before getting to the big leagues Finally: Utility man Zach Walters, injured in a car accident last month in Las Vegas, returned to his rehab program Tuesday. Walters underwent surgery on his left shoulder at the end of last season to repair a torn labrum. In the car accident, he suffered a head injury that required stitches. "He'll have to get his stitches removed at some point this week," said Antonetti, "but thankfully, it seems like Zach averted a potentially significant injury." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Dollars and sense: Is there any wiggle room within the Cleveland Indians' 2016 payroll? Zack Meisel, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The calendar flipped open to January's clean slate, snow flurries trickled down to the ground and the quiet air of winter spread throughout Cleveland. The Indians likely will not interrupt the tranquility with any roster shakeups. Eventually, Mike Napoli will officially join the fold. A few more veterans could receive invitations to spring training. Perhaps the team will sign another reliever or outfielder for a couple of bucks. Talks about the Indians dealing a starting pitcher for a hitter have quelled. Any inklings that the club would add a free-agent position player on a multi-year, eight-figure contract were dismissed long ago. Is there any wiggle room, however, within the budget? Can the Indians still add a player if free-agent prices plummet, or if a particular trade offer falls into the laps of Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff? Let's examine the potential payroll for the 2016 campaign. But first, let's run through a series of facts about the Indians' 2016 payroll, as currently calculated. Note: All figures are supplied by Cot's Contracts and Baseball-Reference. The Indians are expected to begin the season with a payroll in the neighborhood of $90 million. Carlos Santana stands to be the Indians' highest-paid player in The man who figures to spend the majority of his time at designated hitter will be the only player on the roster to haul in more than $8 million this year. The Indians hold a $12 million option -- or a $1.2 million buyout -- on the 29-year-old for Ten players on the 2015 Dodgers made a higher salary than what the Indians' highest-paid player will earn in Chris Johnson will earn the second-highest salary from the Indians in The Indians severed ties with the veteran last month, even though ownership owes Johnson $17.5 million over the next two-plus years, including a $7.5 million figure in Sums distributed to cover the costs of Johnson, Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher could count for up to one-fifth of the Tribe's payroll in The team is sending cash to Atlanta as part of an August exchange of funds and high-salaried, injury-prone veterans. The average player's salary across the league in 2015 was north of $4 million. Only seven players are projected to earn that much from the Indians in None of the Indians' six arbitration-eligible players projects to earn that much. Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco will likely earn what is considered a league-average salary in The Indians' projected five-man starting rotation will combine to earn somewhere between $13-15 million in Twenty-nine different starting pitchers (and counting) around the league will earn that much on their own. White Sox southpaw John Danks, who posted a 7-15 record and 4.71 ERA, is on the books for a $15.8 million figure in Kluber and Carrasco, combined, will earn $9.2 million in 2016, or roughly $1 million more than Mike Pelfrey will receive from the Tigers.

9 Pelfrey, who went 6-11 with a 4.26 ERA and an average of 4.7 strikeouts and 10.8 hits allowed per nine innings last year, signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Detroit. Barring significant changes, the Indians' roster is going to get expensive (relatively speaking, of course) over the next few years. The Indians won't be able to stay in this $80-90 million range forever, unless they ship out some of their core players, such as Kluber, Carrasco, Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley or Yan Gomes. The upper class The wealthy segment of the payroll population has a bit of a different feel to it in Finally, the Indians' core players are the ones most handsomely rewarded. Santana, Michael Brantley and Jason Kipnis -- and Napoli, once his deal is officially announced -- will be the highestpaid players on the team, barring any surprising signings or trades or extensions. No player will earn an eight-figure salary, a la Bourn and Swisher the last few years. The mainstays Kipnis, Brantley and Santana are digging into the more lucrative parts of the long-term deals they signed years ago. Relative to the going prices on the free-agent market, they are signed at reasonable prices. The same could be said for Kluber and Carrasco, who will each earn more than $4 million in 2016 (still a paltry price to pay for a competent starting pitcher). Catcher Yan Gomes, coming off of a miserable season, will earn about $2.5 million in He is signed through 2019, with a pair of team options beyond that. The arbitration-eligible folk The Indians have six players eligible for arbitration: Cody Allen, Josh Tomlin, Bryan Shaw, Jeff Manship, Zach McAllister and Lonnie Chisenhall. MLBTradeRumors.com projects the six to come away with a combined total of $14.1 million in salaries. Shaw is in his second year of arbitration eligibility. Tomlin is in his third. The other four are first-timers. The other guys Cleveland has nine players under contract for It also has the six who are eligible for arbitration. Then, the club must fill out the remaining 10 spots on the 25-man roster. Pre-arbitration players such as Francisco Lindor, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer will almost certainly be included, with their salaries set near the major league minimum. The same goes for Giovanny Urshela, Abraham Almonte and others. Veterans, such as Joba Chamberlain and Joe Thatcher, who are signed to minor league deals that include spring training invites, have their own salary figures determined should they break camp with the big league club. So, the 10 remaining spots on the 25-man roster could cost the Indians somewhere between $7-10 million. Add that to the projected arbitration figure ($14.1 million) and the salary owed to the nine guys -- Napoli included -- under contract (about $47 million) and the Indians would be looking at a grand total of about $70 million. Ah, but there's one more thing: that pesky sunk cost, the cumbersome paperweight resting atop Paul Dolan's wallet. The Indians are on the hook for $7.5 million to Johnson and another lump sum to the Atlanta Braves this year and next. They also paid Ryan Raburn $100,000 to play elsewhere in That inches the Indians closer to a $90 million payroll. It's still near the bottom of the league, but it's not a small enough figure to allow the club much wiggle room as the rest of the offseason unfolds. Mike Napoli, Indians finalize $7 million, 1-year contract Associated Press CLEVELAND -- Mike Napoli switched positions without a hitch. The Cleveland Indians hope his latest move will be as smooth. A former catcher who transitioned to first base, Napoli finalized his $7 million, one-year contract with the Indians on Tuesday. The deal was agreed upon last month, but Napoli had to take a physical and some contract language needed to be finalized before the slugger's signing became official. And now that he's with Cleveland, his fourth team, the 34-year-old is excited about a fresh start. "I still feel like I have a lot in the tank," he said. "I'm able to play every day. I feel like I have a lot to prove." Napoli can earn an additional $3 million in performance bonuses: $500,000 each for 450, 500, 550, 600, 625 and 645 plate appearances. Cleveland's lineup needs some right-handed power, and the Indians believe Napoli can provide it -- he has 204 home runs. Napoli also will bring the Indians some versatility: He can play first base, catch, fill in as an outfielder and be used as a designated hitter. Mike Napoli is expected to be the Indians' starting first baseman next season. Rick Osentoski/USA TODAY Sports "He's been a very productive hitter, especially against left-handed pitching, and has worked really hard also on the defensive end of things to become a very good defensive first baseman," Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said. "He's a really intelligent baseball player that plays the game the right way, that's a student of the game, and we also feel will fit in really well in our clubhouse. He's a guy that was universally respected each stop along the way in his career and we're really excited to add him to our mix." Napoli is expected to be the Indians' everyday first baseman. Carlos Santanawill move to designated hitter. Napoli hit.224 with 18 home runs and 50 RBIs with the Boston Red Sox andtexas Rangers last year. After being traded to the Rangers, he batted.295 with five homers and 10 RBIs in 35 games. He struggled in the first half last season, batting just.207 in 98 games. But the slow start didn't deter him. "I really can't put my finger on it, to tell you the truth," he said of his early problems in "I just went through a rough patch that sort of just snowballed on me. But I'm the type of guy that just kept working at it, stayed in the cage, stayed positive, and I got into a routine where I felt good every day with my batting practice, cage work. I just found it. Got off to a rough start, I don't really know why, but I stuck with it and found my stroke again." An All-Star catcher in 2012, Napoli hit 23 homers with 92 RBIs the following year while helping Boston win the World Series. Forced to change positions because of a hip injury, Napoli said part of his reason for signing with Cleveland was to reunite with Indians batting coach Ty Van Burkleo, who he worked with years ago in the Angels' organization.