As I am sure you’ve heard by now, the Indians made a significant trade on Thursday, sending #1 prospect Francisco Mejia to the San Diego Padres in return for Padres closer Brad Hand and rookie reliever Adam Climber. Obviously, it is a big deal to send out your #1 prospect, and Mejia has looked like a promising piece: raking at AAA and showcasing a cannon for an arm behind the plate.
The Indians have wondered pretty loudly whether that cannon would translate into the outfield or at third base, and it seems that Mejia wasn’t interested in a position switch at all. Some users on Reddit pointed out Terry Francona‘s comment on the situation nearly two weeks ago were unusually negative:
As told to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Francona said: “He [Mejia] really wants to be a catcher. I don’t disagree with that. But, I think we’ve had moments where his heart isn’t in it as much as maybe [it could be]. He still views himself as a catcher. And we’re trying to explain to him that, ‘Man, you may be a catcher next year, but you could be a starting Right Fielder.’ So, we’re just not there, yet. I mean, I understand. It’s just, I don’t think it’s kind of come as maybe as fast as we hoped.”
Francona defends his players to a fault, and even though Mejia has never been truly ‘one of his players,’ I am left to wonder if there’s some serious subtext to this comment. Especially when Tito says “his heart isn’t in it.” I think he’s referring to Mejia’s heart not being in a position switch, but it would be especially scathing if the Indians think Mejia’s heart isn’t in baseball.
Now, the Indians have a very strong organizational culture (and that is generally led by Francona). They value players who buy into that team culture, and part of that is being willing to try out different positions for the betterment of the team. Think Jason Kipnis in the outfield. Think Carlos Santana in the outfield or at third base (Reminder: some of this outfield experimentation happened in October). Those guys probably didn’t want to switch positions, and probably felt uncomfortable out there on a big playoff stage, but they did it and embraced it. I think it’s reasonable to say that the Indians feel that a player who opts to toil away in AAA as a catcher when they could be a starting outfielder on a playoff team isn’t really buying into the culture that they have been creating. And that’s fair.
By the same token, however, I don’t think Mejia is being a diva when he says he wants to stick with his preferred position. He obviously enjoys and takes pride in catching and wants to make his career at that position, and he has every right to do that. In that endeavor, I wish Mejia the best in San Diego, and I hope he is a big piece of the coming Dad-aissance as their stocked system reaches the major league level. Mejia has a bat that could make him the best offensive catcher in the league, and he certainly has the tools to be great defensively, too. If his heart is in it, and he puts in the work, the Indians just traded a future All-Star for relief pitching.
But, if you’re going to trade away your top prospect and someone you could easily see being a future All-Star, you better get something good. In Brad Hand and Adam Climber, the Indians got just that. Brad Hand slots into a setup role right now alongside Andrew Miller (returning soon) and behind Cody Allen. That triumvirate should solidify the bullpen for the rest of this season. Adam Climber is a soft-tossing righty who pitches with a super submarine style, and I’m really excited to see how the Indians use him. But the most important part about these two pitchers is that they’re under control for the foreseeable future. Hand just signed an extension that runs for the next three season and comes with an additional club option in the fourth year. Climber is on a rookie contract.
When Andrew Miller and Cody Allen walk out the door this fall, which they will do, Hand will slide into the role of Indians closer next year. So the Indians have made a deal that helps them tremendously this season and helps them next year, as well, when they will presumably still be favored to win the AL Central. That’s a surprisingly huge return for just a couple of relievers.
In general, I’m happy with the deal. I hate to see Mejia go, but from what I’ve read it seems there was a definite clash between his priorities and what the Indians look for in players.
The Indians in 2018 are better for this deal, and they’re probably better in 2019, too. You can’t ask for much more.