MLB: Assessing the AL Central GMs at the midway point

Cleveland Indians, Michael Chernoff, -4.4 games

The Indians remain in touch in a generally bad AL Central, five games behind Chicago. Considering that the club’s biggest winter move was divesting itself of star, shortstop Francisco Lindor, the -4.4 game rating is about what would be expected.

In return for Lindor, Chernoff got two players — Andres Gimenez (0.0) and Amed Rosario (-0.4) — neither of whom has made a statistical mark to date.

There remains time to turn things around, and of course, some moves are designed to pay off in the long haul rather than immediately. Thus far, however, the numbers say Chernoff did little to help Cleveland in 2021.

Here are his most significant moves:

• Trading Francisco Lindor (+0.4 for the Mets) in exchange for Andres Gimenez (0.0), Amed Rosario (-0.4), and two minor leaguers. Net impact on Cleveland: -0.8 games.
• Promoting rookie pitchers Eli Morgan (-0.7), Sam Hentges (-0.7), J.C. Mejia (-0.6), and Nick Sandlin (+0.5). Net impact on Cleveland: -1.5.
• Promoting rookie first baseman Yu Chang (-1.0).
• Signing free agent outfielder Eddie Rosario. Net impact: -0.7.

To date, Chernoff has made 17 player acquisitions and forced seven departures of statistical significance to the Indians since the beginning of the 2020-21 offseason. Only seven of those moves, however, have produced positive short-term value, none of those values being greater than Sandlin’s +0.5.