When the Indians were looking to trade for Jonathan Lucroy of the Brewers, Milwaukee asked for one of three players in return, Clint Frazier, Bradley Zimmer or Francisco Mejia. Given the Indians current depth situation both in the Majors and at the minors, the obvious one name to keep was Mejia, yet he was the first to go. Then, when a deal was finally constructed for Andrew Miller of New York, the Yankees supposedly wanted one of Frazier and Zimmer and one of Justus Sheffield or Tristan McKenzie. In the deal in the end it was Frazier and Sheffield heading to the Yankees.
We don’t know the inside tracks on all these deals or any others the Indians had in the works. Maybe the Miller deal had been set for a week, just waiting on some lower level players and that was why Mejia was offered to the Brewers instead of Frazier. Maybe the Yankees preferred Sheffield, who is likely closer to pitching Major League innings over the more talented McKenzie. However, it is very likely that there is a non-talent reason that the Indians chose to stick with the players they did and why they might not mind giving up Mejia despite the lack of depth at catcher.
During the week before he was traded and untraded, Mejia was kept out of multiple games for the Hillcats. He was in the midst of what is currently a 44 game hitting streak and fresh out of a Futures Game appearance as the World team’s starting catcher, so the reason wasn’t based on a slump, nor were they scheduled days off as he was initially in the lineup. The Indians are extremely close lipped about minor league injuries, but the fact that he has played since and was included in the deal should eliminate any injury worries. Instead, those close to the Hillcats have said it was a disciplinary action and that, while being an extremely talented hitter, Mejia has often had issues with the team.
None of the other players involved in either deal are known for these issues, although Sheffield’s DUI in the off-season along with his dour personality compared to McKenzie’s constant smile could have entered into the equation. As for Frazier and Zimmer, there is no question that the former is much more intense as the bats broken over his knee throughout the years could tell you.
This is nothing and could just be wild speculation, but there appears to be a genuine effort to fill the Indians roster, from rookie ball through the Majors, with likable players. On the current roster, there is no Kevin Millwood, no Chris Perez who is a lightning rod for the fans’ hatred, not just because of their play on the field, but their words off it. If there is someone who can’t enjoy the play of Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Mike Napoli and the rest of the 25, they should be sitting in the balcony watching the muppets.
It isn’t necessarily that the Indians are avoiding players who aren’t “nice,” but when they have the option between players they believe equal on the field, they always appear to chose the more friendly. With greater coverage of what players are doing outside of the game than ever, this is an important factor in how the fans percieve the team and, with a player-friendly manager like Terry Francona, it is huge in keeping a great atmosphere in the clubhouse.
Dodgers manager Leo Derocher once said:
Nice guys! Look over there. Do you know a nicer guy than Mel Ott? Or any of the other Giants? Why, they’re the nicest guys in the world! And where are they? In seventh place! Nice guys! I’m not a nice guy – and I’m in first place. The nice guys are all over there, in seventh place.
This is believed to be the origin of the phrase “Nice guys finish last” and it is certainly true that the Indians and baseball as a whole have benefited from many guys who wouldn’t come near qualifying as nice. In the 1990’s, it’s hard to imagine the Tribe making it all the way to the World Series without not-so-nice guys Albert Belle and Jose Mesa. Going back much further, arguably the third best pitcher in Indians history, Sam McDowell, was far from a nice guy and it lead to him ultimately getting traded. Even further, Bob Feller is famous for being one of the least friendly players in baseball, at least until he retired and became a mascot.
The world is a different place now, however. Professional athletes have a spot light on them 24/7 and with so many great players around the game, it’s easier than ever for teams to avoid a player with talent just because he has a bad attitude or is a clubhouse cancer. This includes when the Indians were trading for a left handed reliever from New York. They could have spent less in prospects and money and picked up Aroldis Chapman a week ago, but they preferred Miller, who has more years of team control and did not get in trouble with the law for threatening his wife with a gun this Winter. The $18M Miller will be paid for the next two seasons is much more than the Indians would generally spend on a reliever (they did pay Kerry Wood $20.5M over two seasons) and if the Indians cared about nothing but winning a World Series this year, Chapman would have been the easier move. Instead, they chose to extend the window of contention and take on the player with less baggage.
The Indians want to win a World Series more than anything else, but I applaud them for also wanting to do it “the right way.” They already hold the top record in the AL with a team that was almost exclusively home grown, either through the draft or trades for prospects and the minor league development system seems to be ready with replacements even after the losses to the Yankees. One thing is for sure, whoever is on the Indians is not only going to be talented enough to deserve a spot on a Major League roster, but someone you won’t find morally reprehensible.
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