After missing nearly the entire 2016 season due to shoulder surgery and undergoing a second shoulder operation in August, Michael Brantley began some non-contact swinging drills over the holidays, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian. Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti has maintained this offseason that Brantley is in the team’s plans to be the Opening Day left fielder in 2017, Bastian continues, although it’s worth noting that Cleveland offered similar optimism last offseason, penciling Brantley in for a late April/early May return. While Brantley did indeed make his season debut in that window, he was limited to just 11 games all season and didn’t produce when on the field. The amount that Brantley will be able to contribute in 2017 will be crucial for Cleveland, although the Indians will get a nice boost to the lineup in the form of Edwin Encarnacion. Cleveland announced tonight that they’ll host a press conference tomorrow at 10:15am ET “regarding a potential new member of the organization,” thus indicating that Encarnacion passed today’s physical.
More from the AL Central…
- New Royals acquisition Peter O’Brien will head to Spring Training and compete for at-bats as the team’s designated hitter, general manager Dayton Moore tells MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan. Moore added that the Royals’ front office has long held some level of interest in O’Brien and has tried to deal for him in the past without success. However, as Flanagan points out, O’Brien has minor league options remaining and as such could serve as a depth option at Triple-A. Cheslor Cuthbert, on the other hand, is out of minor league options and might not have a better path to regular playing time than the team’s DH slot, which could give him the inside track. Kansas City will also use its DH slot to rest some position players, including Mike Moustakas, who is returning from an ACL tear.
- FanRag’s Jack Magruder writes that O’Brien has gone from virtually untouchable in the Diamondbacks’ eyes to expendable in the eyes of the new Arizona regime. Both the Royals and Mariners expressed some interest in O’Brien at last year’s trade deadline, per Magruder, but talks never progressed beyond the preliminary stage in either case.
- Though it looked like the Tigers would move at least one veteran, if not more, earlier this offseason, MLB.com’s Jon Morosi writes that there’s now a strong chance that Detroit will open the season with a nearly unchanged roster. Ownership never mandated a payroll reduction from GM Al Avila, Morosi continues, so the general manager was only ever going to move players like J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler if a team offered an enticing package of near-MLB-ready talent, but those types of scenarios never surfaced. The Tigers could still move short-term veterans like Martinez and Kinsler this summer if they’re not contending, of course. Morosi does note that right-hander Jordan Zimmermann is throwing from 180 feet and expects to be ready for the start of Spring Training. A return to form for last year’s $110MM signing would go a long way toward the Tigers making a run in 2017.
O’Brien strikes again. Minor league options are certainly a rave-worthy quality to possess when considering what to review in a player.
GM’s are definitely ravenous when it comes to minor league options
Dayton Moore is raving over him right now.
O’brien was never untouchable… Give me a break. Terrible defensive player in an organization that already has Goldy at 1st. Hit well in the minors but never at the major league level. Obviously has some talent with the stick but to say he was untouchable last year is just ludicrous.
Sounds like you are raving about Peter O’Brien. You see, he doesn’t get rave reviews for his defense at catcher and OF.
Sorry, missed that. Are the reviews in on his defense at catcher and the OF?
No, those reviews are stuck in the MLBTR Rave Filter.
I see what you did there
I sincerely hope this rave thing sticks.
With their previous front office? I wouldn’t put anything past them.
Hence the new FO. Last regime was insane.
Tigers WILL be making some trades before the end of spring training. They have 4 guys that are out of options: Gose, Collins, Moya, and Machado. At best, room for two on the Tigers roster as it currently stands. So unless the Tigers are ready to release the ones that don’t make the team, they will do some dealing, if not two of them, then others to make room for them.
And that is just it, there is still plenty of time to make trades. 6 weeks until spring training, 3 months until the beginning of the season.
They can return the rule 5 pitcher they got from the KC system and release Gose to make room for Machado, Collins and Moya without making a trade.
No they cannot because they tendered Andrew Romine already
Like most out of option players, at the end of ST, they will be designated for assignment, passed thru waivers and assigned to AAA. As most teams are doing the same, few have room to make a claim.
We have a like system again! Oh happy days!
I bet the tigers regret giving money to zimmerman and upton.
They are not foolish enough to regret a 5 year contract after year one. They might some day in the future, but not yet.
Can someone explain this whole rave thing and Peter Obrien?
Like why do people keep raving and not raving about him.
Go back and look at the earlier article about O’Brien and read the comments. It snowballed into a repetitive joke lol
and it was goddamn beautiful too.
He did not have rave reviews for his defense.
Important to note: not a rave review to be found about his defense at catcher OR the OF.
but are you sure though?
I don’t know I’ve only heard he hasn’t gotten rave reviews at catcher and in the OF
Rant and rave
Scream and shout
Peter Gammons doesn’t know what he’s talking about
Screech and yell
Wail and cry
O’Brien’s flaws are blind to your eye
These people
You worship
Are not gods
And this obsession
You have
Is not healthy
They are flawed
Not perfect
Nobody’s perfect
And yet
You rant
And rave
All these baseball posts you crave
No rave reviews for defense
Only for hitting over a ball over a Triple A fence
His strike out ratio is high
But he hits bombs out of the sky
All of MLB Rumors is craving
For everyone to keep up this ranting and raving
That poor guy who tripled posted about O’Brien
Is probably laying somewhere right now crying
Omg, I could rave about this post, alas, it wouldn’t do it justice.
This comment has already gotten rave reviews.
Peter o’brien attended a rave twice. The first time was a mistake.
If the first time was a mistake would you say he went a second time to re-view the rave?
Yes, and as a catcher and outfielder, he gave it rave reviews.
Yeah, I heard he struck out repeatedly with the ladies .
Not sure why they would want to give Cuthbert DH ABs. His offensive performances over the past two seasons wouldn’t seem to warrant regular ABs in my opinion unless he was providing some defensive value.
What do you think they should do with Cuthbert? I keep hearing some DH stuff with him or 2nd base but some analysts or reporters at least don’t think he is that good for either one. I keep hearing they could use whit Merrifield instead of cuthbert or colon since he seems to be better overall.
Rave? In the Japanese leagues, they call it wave.
I really hope jwood isn’t upset, I haven’t seen any comments from him since the rave review three-peat…he actually deserves an award for creating something so good…come back jwood, we’re only kidding!
I feel the same way. I hope he realizes that it was more out of fun than anything. he’s the hero we needed!
Totally agree. Outside of the Sale trade jwood post has been the best part of this offseason. He should get an honorary article once a week until spring training starts.
I thought I read somewhere that his post got rave reviews…
If/when O’Brien is ever designated for assignment, I hope the MLBTR community will be providing waive reviews…