Organizational report: Indians stockpile on pitchers

Sports Weekly takes an in-depth look at each major league organization during the offseason, from the major leagues to the farm system. We start with teams with the worst records and move up.

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The Cleveland Indians have been the subject of plenty of trade rumors since the beginning of the offseason but have yet to make a major deal.

That is not by happenstance. It seems unlikely the Indians will pull off a major trade between now and the beginning of spring training.

“I’d rather be short a bat than short an arm,” manager Terry Francona says.

Plenty of teams covet starting pitchers Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer. All are 29 or younger and either under contract or club control through 2019.

But the Indians value those right-handers, too, which is why they would need to be overwhelmed in order to part with any of them.

“We’d like to find a way to score some more runs,” Francona says. “But we value our young pitching so much, and I think rightfully so, that the goal would be to try to get more offense without sacrificing the pitching or the defense that really helped us the second part of (last season).

“So those are all things that we take into account when we’re talking about players or talking about trades, whatever, is trying to just make us better, not just for tomorrow but for the next year. And you see the demand for pitching right now, and, fortunately, that’s the one thing we really have, and we’re glad.”

The Indians have had three consecutive winning seasons since Francona was hired to replace Manny Acta in October 2012 and reached the American League wild-card game in 2013. But they needed to sweep a three-game series from the Boston Red Sox in the final weekend of last season to finish 81-80.

While the Indians finished 11th in the majors in runs allowed last year with an average of 3.98 a game, their chances of contending were undermined by an offense that ranked 18th in runs (4.16).

Instead of trading pitching for hitting, though, the Indians signed a pair of veteran hitters to one-year contracts — first baseman Mike Napoli for $7 million and outfielder Rajai Davis for $5.25 million.

“One of our primary needs as we started the offseason was creating a deeper and more balanced lineup,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti says.

Perhaps Napoli and Davis can help the Indians get off to a fast start in what should be a competitive American League Central. The Indians were 7-14 in April last year and have a combined 29-45 record (.392) in March and April during Francona’s tenure, compared with a 229-182 mark (.557) from May 1 on.

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Where the Indians stand at each position (*prospect):

Catcher: Yan Gomes won the AL Silver Slugger award in 2014 then was signed to a six-year, $23 million contract that runs through 2020. But Gomes injured a knee in a home-plate collision during the first weekend of last season and did not regain his full effectiveness at the plate nor behind it until September. Gomes’ on-base-plus-slugging percentage (OPS) fell to .659 last season from .785 the year before, but he is expected to report to spring training at 100%. Roberto Perez is a solid two-way backup who handles the pitching staff well.

Depth chart: Gomes, Perez, *Tony Wolters, Anthony Recker, Adam Moore.

First base: Napoli, 34, struggled for much of last season with the Boston Red Sox, but the Indians were encouraged by what he did after being traded to the Texas Rangers in August, hitting .295 with five homers and a .908 OPS in 35 games. Napoli had reconstructive facial surgery after the 2014 season in an attempt to help cure a severe case of sleep apnea. Doctors say the surgery does not take full its full effect for about 14 months, which might make him even more effective. The signing of Napoli pushes Carlos Santana to designated hitter and all but assures that Jesus Aguilar will be ticketed for Class AAA Columbus (Ohio) for a third consecutive season.

Depth chart: Napoli, Santana, *Aguilar, *Ronny Rodriguez, *Nellie Rodriguez.

Second base: Jason Kipnis finished seventh in the AL in hitting with a .303 average last season, up from his .240 mark in 2014, while being selected to the All-Star Game for the second time in three years. He also raised his OPS to .823 from .640. Kipnis might have been even better if he hadn’t had to play through a string of nagging injuries. Still, he wound up appearing in 141 games, including making 124 starts at second base. The Indians kicked around the idea of moving Kipnis to the outfield this year while playing Jose Ramirez at second but then decided to stand pat.

Depth chart: Kipnis, Ramirez, Michael Martinez, *Yhoxian Medina, Zach Walters.

Third base: Giovanny Urshela was called up from Columbus to make his major league debut June 9 and helped strengthen a defense that was awful during the first two-plus months of the season. While Urshela is good with the glove, he posted just a .608 OPS in 81 games as a rookie. The concern about his offense is why Urshela likely will have to hold off a challenge from Ramirez for his starting job in spring training. Ramirez, though, also needs to show more at the plate after having a .631 OPS in 97 games last season.

Depth chart: Urshela, Ramirez, *Yandy Diaz, *Taylor Murphy, *Nathan Winfrey.

Shortstop: Francisco Lindor finished second to Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa in the AL rookie of the year voting last season despite not making his major league debut until June 14 and playing in just 99 games. Lindor was clearly the Indians’ best player in the second half of the season as he showed power, speed and good defense. At 22, Lindor has established himself as a cornerstone player. Erik Gonzalez will play at Columbus in 2016 and is a well-regarded prospect, but, with the presence of Lindor, will need to change positions in order to have a long-term future with the Indians. Walters profiles as a super-utility player and hit 29 home runs at Class AAA in 2013 but will begin the season on the disabled list while recovering from shoulder surgery.

Depth chart: Lindor, Ramirez, *Gonzalez, *Yonathan Mendoza, Walters.

Left field: Michael Brantley, who finished third in the AL MVP voting in 2014, had surgery on his right (non-throwing) shoulder Nov. 9. He won’t be ready by opening day, and estimates for his return have ranged from May 1 to Aug. 1. While he is not the caliber of player of Brantley, Davis is a solid veteran who possesses good speed and will also be looked upon to spark the offense from the leadoff spot. The Indians also purchased Collin Cowgill’s contract from the Los Angeles Angels in December, though he will likely be a reserve after compiling a .523 OPS in 55 games last season.

Depth chart: Rajai Davis, Joey Butler, Cowgill, Ramirez, Michael Brantley.

Center field: Acquired from the San Diego Padres on July 31, Abraham Almonte played center field on a regular basis during the final two months of the season. He hit five triples in 51 games and impressed Francona and the coaching staff with his non-stop hustle, promoting the manager to say Almonte runs to first base “like his pants are on fire.” But it is unlikely Almonte is the long-term answer as Davis could wind up here if the Indians add a corner outfielder. Furthermore, the Indians are deep in outfield prospects with Tyler Naquin slated to begin at Columbus and Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier behind him at Class AAA Akron (Ohio).

Depth chart: Almonte, Cowgill, *Naquin, *Zimmer, *Frazier.

Right field: Lonnie Chisenhall was shifted to right field when Urshela was recalled and became a defensive revelation, making Gold Glove-caliber plays despite having logged one game in the outfield in his previous seven professional seasons. But Chisenhall is 27 and has yet to develop into the left-handed power source the Indians envisioned when they made him their first-round draft pick in 2008. Right-handed-hitting Butler likely will play against left-handed starters after being claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays.

Depth chart: Chisenhall, Cowgill, Butler, Shane Robinson, Anthony Gallas.

Designated hitter: The Indians are hoping moving Santana to DH will help his offense after he failed to cut it defensively as a catcher, first baseman or third baseman. Though Santana has hit .231 in each of the last two seasons, he has a combined 46 home runs and 221 walks, including an AL-high 113 in 2014. But his .752 OPS in 2015 was the lowest of his six-year career.

Depth chart: Santana, Napoli, Kipnis, Gomes, Brantley.

Starting pitchers: Kluber led the AL in losses last season when he was 9-16 but was often done in by a lack of offense support, and the Indians have no regrets about signing him to a five-year, $38.5 million contract after he won the Cy Young Award in 2014. Carrasco has developed into an above-average pitcher after having fits and starts to the beginning of his career. Salazar, 25, finally stayed healthy for a full season last year as he made 30 starts and showed he has the potential of being the rotation ace. Bauer, 25 by opening day, has become noted more for his quirky personality than his pitching but has great stuff. Josh Tomlin has the inside track on the No.5 job but Cody Anderson and left-hander T.J. House have shown they can pitch effectively in the major leagues.

Depth chart: RHP Kluber, RHP Carrasco, RHP Salazar, RHP Bauer, RHP Tomlin, RHP Anderson, LHP House, *LHP Ryan Merritt, *RHP Mike Clevinger, *LHP Shawn Morimando, RHP Felipe Paulino, *RHP Dylan Baker.

Bullpen: Cody Allen has converted 58 of 66 save opportunities in his two seasons as the closer, and the Indians love his consistency and demeanor. Durable Bryan Shaw figures to lead a setup corps that will include hard-throwing converted starter Zach McAllister, prospect Shawn Armstrong and bounce-back candidate Dan Otero, whose ERA jumped to 6.75 in 41 games with the Oakland Athletics last season. Joe Thatcher is among three veteran left-handers signed to minor league contracts with invitations to major league spring training along with Ross Detwiler and Tom Gorzelanny.

Depth chart: RHP Allen, RHP Shaw, RHP McAllister, *RHP Armstrong, LHP Thatcher, RHP Otero, RHP Jeff Manship, LHP Kyle Crockett.

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Top five prospects

Excerpted from BaseballHQ.com’s 2016 Minor League Baseball Analyst. To order: baseballhq.com/mlba16.

1. Bradley Zimmer, OF: Zimmer showcased all five tools in a stellar season (.273, 16 home runs, 44 stolen bases). He gets on base and has a smooth swing geared for batting average and power. Zimmer, 23, handles center field well, but he might not be fast enough to stick there and could move to a corner spot. He will report to Class AA in 2016 and could make his major league debut this season.

2. Clint Frazier, OF: Frazier, 21, improved in all phases after a shaky full-season debut in 2014. He cut down on his strikeouts and finished second in the high-Class A Carolina League in home runs with 16. He has good speed and can patrol center field, though he also has the arm for a corner spot. He also will start at Class AA.

3. Brady Aiken, LHP: Aiken was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2014 but did not sign and then had Tommy John elbow surgery in March 2015. When healthy, he has a dazzling pitch mix that could front a rotation. The 19-year-old throws hard but also has the ability to change speeds and get hitters to chase his curveball out of the zone. Aiken likely won’t pitch competitively until later this summer in short-season ball.

4. Justus Sheffield, LHP: Sheffield, 19, is a short (5-10) yet powerful prospect who was second in the low Class A Midwest League in strikeouts (138). He throws a lively fastball early in the count, then uses a hard slider to wipe out hitters from both sides. He has the velocity to pitch up in the zone, though he has been been hittable. He likely will report to high Class A in 2016.

5. Michael Clevinger RHP: Clevinger modified his delivery and arm slot in a 2015 breakout season (2.73 ERA, 1.060 WHIP). He showed improved control and command and limited hard contact. He pitches aggressively with a fastball and hard slider, keeps the ball down and doesn’t allow many homers. The 25-year-old could make his major league debut in 2016.

Jeremy Deloney