So much attention has been rightfully paid to the big trade the Indians pulled off at the deadline for Andrew Miller that it has faded somewhat that they had agreed to a deal with Milwaukee for Jonathan Lucroy.
But on July 30, Lucroy used a no-trade provision to veto the deal. He said his representative spoke with Cleveland officials who said they would pick up his relatively inexpensive 2017 option ($5.25 million), but could not guarantee that Lucroy would catch next season over Yan Gomes (who was injured at the time). Concerned it would hurt his free agency after the 2017 campaign, Lucroy decided to refuse the trade and, instead, was dealt to the Rangers on Aug. 1.
Cleveland had, by far, the worst OPS (.564) for its catchers among teams in the regular season. Roberto Perez (.579 OPS) was part of that problem.
But Perez has started every game this postseason, largely because the Indians love his defense, namely his high-end skill in framing pitches to get extra strikes and his game calling. However, in the workout day before World Series Game 1, Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti also said he thought Perez’s offensive game was making late-blossoming improvement.
In the opener, Perez joined Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome as Indians with a two-homer game in the postseason, and the first to ever do so in a World Series. He drove in four runs. He now had three homers this postseason or as many as he had all season.
GM Mike Chernoff lauded Perez’s fortitude to endure seven minor league seasons, saying, “He has really grown up in our system and now taken over a role.” He has made the absence of Lucroy a non-factor and is in line to join Gomes to be Cleveland’s catching tandem in 2017.
“I didn’t have any ill will,” Indians manager Terry Francona said of Lucroy’s decision. “I really don’t know him. It was his right to do that. But things generally do work out for the right reasons.”
Fateful All-Star Game?
When it came to starting the All-Star Game for the NL squad, Terry Collins said he narrowed his choices to the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta and Giants’ Johnny Cueto. Arrieta’s struggles late in the first half convinced the Mets manager to go with Cueto.
Collins, the NL manager, said Arrieta even told him he had a heavy workload in the first half and would pitch an inning if Collins needed, but it was not necessary. And Arrieta did not get into the game.
Cueto started and in the second inning gave up a solo homer to Eric Hosmer and two-run shot to Salvador Perez to give the AL the lead for good in a game it would win 4-2. Would it have been different if Arrieta started? With Cueto going, the AL earned home-field advantage for the World Series, which is why Arrieta started Wednesday in Cleveland in Game 2 rather than in Chicago.
The AL pitcher who threw a scoreless second inning earned a win. That was the Indians’ Corey Kluber, who dominated and won Game 1 at home Tuesday.