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Jeff PassanESPN
During a test meeting Friday, Cleveland Indians players teamed up with teammates Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac for breaking protocol and going out in Chicago, and at least one player said he would suspend the season if the two remained on the active roster, sources familiar with the meeting told ESPN.
Clevinger and Plesac, two-fifths of the rotation of the Indians who have the best 2.43 ERA of a premier class, were optional on the alternative side of Cleveland and will spend at least 10 days away from the premier class team. While some teammates accepted their apologies and preferred to stay with the Indians, sources said, the anger over their actions was palpable enough to lead to the demotions – those that, if they last a certain period, would have significant financial implications. can have.
The disappointment of Indian players focused not only on the decision made by Clevinger and Plesac to leave the team hotel in Chicago on August 7, but their actions thereafter. Some players, sources said, believed Clevinger was not true to her about his involvement before boarding the team plane Aug. 9. Plesac, who was caught trying to return to the hotel on the morning of August 8th. was sent back to Cleveland. His attempted explanation this week in an Instagram video in which he advised further plagued teammates, sources said.
In the meeting before their series against the Detroit Tigers, Indian players cast Clevinger and Plesac for their poor decision-making, sources said. Clevinger, 29, is one of the most gifted pitchers of baseball, with a 2.96 ERA in 447⅔ innings over the previous three seasons. The 25-year-old Plesac had been a star in his first three starts this year, placing a 1.29 ERA with a 24-2 strikeout-walk ratio.
Despite their production, 39-year-old relief worker Oliver Perez said he would leave the team if Clevinger and Plesac returned to the roster in Detroit, sources familiar with the meeting said. Other players, sources said, felt the same way. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, the four-time All-Star considered the heart of the team, was also pronounced, according to sources.
The most critical issue, sources said, was the breach of trust. While Clevinger and Plesac have tested negative for COVID-19, the team’s potential exposure to the coronavirus – including pitcher Carlos Carrasco, who was treated for leukemia last year – frustrated the team. Indian thrower Adam Plutko, who joined the rotation after Clevinger and Plesac were placed on the restricted list for their demonstration, said last week: “They got us wrong. They lied to us. They sat here, for you boys. , and said things publicly that they did not follow. It will suit them. It is true. “
Over the weekend, the Indians swept the Tigers and improved to 13-9, one game behind the Minnesota Twins for first place in the American League Central. Their difference of plus-21 run is sixth best in the major leagues, and their 2.56-team ERA leads the AL through almost a full run.
While the departure of Clevinger and Plesac did not hurt the Indians in the short term, the long-term implications could be substantial – and severe – depending on how long they remain demoted. Players can be selected for the small leagues for a maximum of 19 days in a season without loss of service. Clevinger entered this season with three years, 41 days of service and Plesac with 125 days.
Service time in 2020 works with the following formula: 186 * X / 67. In a typical season there are 186 days. This season there are 67. “X” is the number of days spent on an active roster. If Clevinger stays 20 days on option, then the maximum number of scheduled days he can receive is 47 – which, under the formula, would equate to 130 days of service this year. That would leave him with 3 years, 171 days – one day short of reaching four years of service. By keeping Clevinger entertained, Cleveland was able to delay his free agency by a year.
The potential consequences for Plesac are also too great. He started the year with a two-day option, which means Cleveland will have to keep him 18 more days this season to influence his service. With a full service year, he would be on track to be a Super 2 – an arbitration that was eligible four times instead of the standard three – after the 2021. Season If he ends 2020 with 130 days of service, Plesac would until 2022 do not reach arbitration.
Cleveland need a starter for their game Saturday against Detroit, although Clevinger will return as Plesac should place a pitcher on the injured list. Of the players on Cleveland’s active roster, left-hander Logan Allen is the only starter not in rotation. Next, Cleveland would need a fifth starter Sept. 1, the day after the trade date.
The possibility of Cleveland handling a starting horse ahead of the August 31 deadline certainly exists, as President Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff have twice traded the Indians’ starting pitching surplus over the past year and before that were active in conversations about beginners. On July 30 last year, Cleveland sent starter Trevor Bauer to Cincinnati and got Allen, slugging designated hitter Franmil Reyes, outfielder Yasiel Puig and prospects Scott Moss and Victor Nova. In the offseasons, they twice sold Cy Young winner Corey Kluber to Texas for relief Emmanuel Clase and outfielder Delino DeShields Jr.
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