CLEVELAND — Does the Corey Kluber trade to the Texas Rangers in exchange for young talents signify the start of a rebuild for the Cleveland Indians, one that could include parting ways with All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor with two arbitration years remaining on his contract?
The answer to that question, at least for now, is an emphatic “No” from Indians president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti.
“No, as I’ve said before, I have every expectation that Francisco Lindor will our starting shortstop Opening Day next year,” Antonetti said.
By all accounts, Lindor had another great season in 2019, as he belted 32 home runs, 40 doubles and two triples with 74 runs batted in and 101 runs scored despite missing the first 19 games while working through calf and ankle injuries suffered in a preseason individual workout and spring training, respectively.
The 25-year old Lindor hit .284 with a split of .335/.518/.854 on-base, slugging and on-base-plus-slugging percentages.
Defensively, Lindor appeared in 137 games, all starts, at shortstop. Over 1,196.1 innings of work, Lindor registered 159 put-outs and 312 assists against 10 errors in 481 total chances. In addition to the .979 fielding percentage, Lindor combined to turn 68 double plays on the way to his second AL Gold Glove Award in the last four years.
In 2018, Lindor led the Indians with 183 hits and 42 doubles, was tied for third in triples, third in runs batted in and second with 38 home runs. Lindor set a club record for lead-off home runs, as he started nine games with round-trippers in 2018.
Through 717 games over his first four-plus years with the Indians, Lindor collected 835 hits, including 178 doubles, 15 triples and 130 home runs, with 384 runs batted in, 478 runs scored and 260 walks drawn against 455 strikeouts.
“These trades are important to us,” Antonetti said. “It was the same we acquired Corey. We traded an established, popular veteran starting pitcher in Jake Westbrook for, at the time, an unheralded pitcher in Double-A with the San Diego Padres.
“If you look at our teams over the course of the last seven seasons, the success we’ve had, in a large degree, is attributed to guys we’ve acquired in similar-type trades. They’re painful trades to make, at times, but they make sense and help us be a better team moving forward.”
According to Antonetti, the deal sending Kluber to the Rangers for outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase is a way for the Indians to extend their window of contention in the American League Central Division.
Despite not making the postseason for the first time since 2015, the Indians finished 2019 with a 93-69 record, which earned them second place in the AL Central Division, but eight games off the pace set by Minnesota.
The 2019 season marked the fourth consecutive time and fifth in seven years that the Indians finished with at least 91 wins under the direction of manager Terry Francona.
“Our message has been consistent on that, that we want to stay competitive and sustain the competitiveness that we’ve experienced over the last seven years,” Antonetti said. “In order to do that, we need to continue to infuse the organization with young talent and manage our finances.”