Only for Guild Members » The Orioles cut this year’s payroll

CLEVELAND (AP) — For the third year in a row Nolan Ryan Jersey , the unmistakable aroma of champagne wafted into the hallway outside the visitor’s clubhouse following the final game at Progressive Field.On the Cleveland side, the smell was sour.The Indians were built for one goal: to win their first World Series since 1948. Yet after cruising to a third straight AL Central title, they couldn’t get past the first round.October rejects again.“We had a good year,” said pitcher Trevor Bauer, whose shift from the starting rotation to the bullpen for the postseason maybe best summed up Cleveland’s unsatisfying, disjointed season. “We definitely could have gone further. We had a lot of talent here and it didn’t go our way.”Nothing went Cleveland’s way. But beyond being swept by the impressive Houston Astros, who were superior at every level, the Indians barely put up a fight.Postseason push-overs.The Indians were so close in 2016, when they took the Chicago Cubs into extra innings in Game 7 of the World Series. Now they’ve lost six straight playoff games since opening a 2-0 lead in last year’s ALDS against the Yankees.“This isn’t the way we drew it up,” said reliever Andrew Miller. “This is 25, 40 guys that have plans of winning the World Series. It obviously didn’t go our way.”Other than All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor, who batted .364 and homered twice, the top of Cleveland’s lineup bordered on embarrassing. Michael Brantley, Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion and Josh Donaldson hit a combined .095 (4 of 42) with two RBIs, zero extra-base hits and 12 strikeouts.It’s the second straight postseason flop for Ramirez, who was an MVP candidate until he faded down the stretch. He’s now 2 for 31 in two playoff appearances, an alarming trend he’ll have to wait a year at least to address.Following Monday’s loss, Ramirez had to be coaxed to speak with reporters by Encarnacion before delivering answers as futile as his swings.“I didn’t perform to how I wanted to,” he said through a translator. “But these are things that happen in baseball.”Cleveland’s pitching wasn’t much better. Ace Corey Kluber had his second straight puzzling postseason as the 20-game winner didn’t look like himself in Game 1. The bullpen, a mess for months, completely collapsed in Game 3 after Bauer’s two throwing errors in the seventh inning opened the flood gates for Houston’s 11-3 rout.There are numerous reasons why the Indians aren’t moving on, but the team’s failure to address the bullpen’s issues, which began when Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith weren’t re-signed last winter, is at the top of the list.Because Miller, Cody Allen and Co. couldn’t be counted on, manager Terry Francona moved Bauer, arguably the team’s best starter who was on his way to a possible Cy Young when a line drive broke his leg in August, into a relief role.The decision backfired, and while it’s easy to second-guess Francona following the Indians’ early exit, Bauer wasn’t comfortable in his role.“Unfortunate that I got hit with the line drive, kind of disrupted the flow for me personally,” Bauer said. “Personally http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-rougned-odor-jersey , a lot of bitterness about that. And as a team, I think that we have a good group of core players here, so there’s a lot of hope for the future.”Looking ahead, the Indians should stay atop their division. But that’s no longer enough.Cleveland will return one of baseball’s best starting staffs in Kluber, Bauer, Carlos Carrasco and Mike Clevinger, the first foursome in baseball history to reach 200 strikeouts apiece. The bullpen, though, will likely look very different with Miller, Allen and Oliver Perez eligible for free agency.Allen is the team’s career leader in saves, but his ERA bloated to a career-worst 4.70 this season and his struggles — and impending free agency — led to the Indians trading top prospect Francisco Mejia to San Diego for lefty Brad Hand, who may take over as Cleveland’s closer in 2019.With Lindor and Ramirez under contract through 2021 and Encarnacion and under control until 2020, the Indians’ core remains at championship level. Brantley, Donaldson, Melky Cabrera, Lonnie Chisenhall and Rajai Davis are all expected to be on the free-agent market, so Cleveland could have a different look at several positons in ’19.As his teammates shared somber yet heartfelt hugs after Monday’s loss, Brantley stood near his corner locker and spoke quietly with Josh Tomlin, the team’s longest-tenured player. Tomlin didn’t make the postseason roster and surely won’t return.For years, Brantley and Tomlin have represented the Indians’ heart and soul — two selfless, dedicated role models for the team’s younger players.Brantley’s inspirational comeback from an injury-shortened 2017 season may pressure the Indians to re-sign him. He’ll be 32 in May, but there aren’t many better outfielders in the game and fewer mean as much to their team as Brantley does to the Indians.When the Indians’ finally surrendered in Game 3, with orange-clad Houston fans outnumbering Cleveland, Brantley’s mind turned to his future — and the real possibility of leaving.“I’ve got a lot of thinking to do,” he said. “I’ve got my family to talk to. I’ve got these guys in this room to still talk to. Then, we’ll go from there. You never know what’s going to happen in the offseason.”For the Indians, this postseason felt more predictable. NEW YORK (AP) Adam Jones chose to stay with the Baltimore Orioles, using his contractual right to block a trade from a team dealing veterans and going into a rebuilding mode.”It’s my decision. It’s my life,” Jones said following Tuesday night’s 6-3 loss to the New York Yankees. ”No one’s going to tell me what to do. I earned every single bit of it. People before me fought vigorously, tirelessly, to get rights like this.”Infielder Jonathan Schoop, and pitchers Kevin Gausman and Darren O’Day were the latest departures in the payroll purge ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for trades without waivers, joining Manny Machado Cole Hamels Jersey , Zach Britton and Brad Brach among the jettisoned from a team that dropped to a major league-worst 32-75.A five-time All-Star who can become a free agent after the season, Jones for now chose to remain with the club where he’s spent the past 11 seasons. He said he doesn’t care about criticism of his decision.”Well here’s the thing about society, everyone thinks that they know what’s best for the next person,” the 32-year-old said. ”Now if someone wants to pay all my bills, trust me, they can tell me what to do. But until then, shut the hell up.”Baltimore acquired 14 prospects, one major leaguer and $2.75 million in international signing bonus allotment in exchange for six veterans. The Orioles cut nearly $29 million in payroll obligations for this year and next.Schoop had strolled into the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium unsure whether he should suit up or stay in his street clothes. Signed by Baltimore at just 16 years old, Schoop played parts of six seasons with the club and was an All-Star last year, when he hit .293 with a career-high 32 home runs and 105 RBIs. He had regressed a bit this season, hitting .244 with 17 homers.”It’s difficult,” Schoop reflected. ”This is the team that gave me the chance.”The Orioles obtained $2.5 million in international bonus allotment from Atlanta for the pitchers and also received four prospects: right-hander Evan Phillips, infielder Jean Carlos Encarnacion, catcher Brett Cumberland and left-hander Bruce Zimmerman.”The overall talent that we got, we think we got some big leaguers from that group and we’ll continue to add to our talent base to develop our future teams here,” general manager Dan Duquette said.Baltimore acquired infielder Jonathan Villar along with a pair of minor leaguers from Milwaukee for Schoop, getting right-hander Luis Ortiz and infielder Jean Carmona. The Orioles raised their international signing bonus allotment to $8,273,500.”Villar is a very capable major league infielder who had a great year in 2016. That was an opportunity to add an infielder and then also some young talent, a young pitcher in Ortiz,” Duquette said. ”And we really like the switch-hitting shortstop, Carmona.”Although a bit melancholy about leaving the only organization he’s known, Schoop was looking forward to playing meaningful games down the stretch.”It’s exciting to go there into a pennant race,” Schoop said of the Brewers, who hold the NL’s top wild-card spot. ”They’re rolling right now.”The 27-year-old Gausman was also an O’s lifer, drafted fourth overall in 2012. He was 39-51 with a 4.22 ERA over six seasons.”We’re in a rebuild, obviously,” Gausman said. ”It’s kind of a sad day. You see the band kind of broken up.”The right-hander is going from the basement into the heat a pennant race, as well, a change he’s already embracing.”After talking to their GM, they felt real strongly about my presence,” Gausman said about the Braves, just a half-game out of first in the NL East.Baltimore began the sell-off on July 18 by sending Machado http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-russell-wilson-jersey , a four-time All-Star, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for outfielder Yusniel Diaz, infielders Rylan Bannon and Breyvic Valera, and right-handers Dean Kremer and Zach Pop.Six days later the Orioles dealt Britton to the Yankees for right-handers Dillon Tate and Cody Carroll, and left-hander Josh Rogers. And on Sunday they traded Brach to the Braves for $250,000 of allotment.”If we played better we wouldn’t have to do this,” manager Buck Showalter said. ”I look at it as there’s a certain accountability for that.”The Orioles cut this year’s payroll by $20,077,929 with the deals of the six plus $9 million from 2019, and they added $836,290 for this year with Villar. The Orioles started with a $151 million payroll for their 40-man roster.Machado’s departure saved $6,365,591 from his $16 million salary, Britton’s $4,387,097 from his $12 million, Brach’s $1,749,435 from his $5,165,000, Gausman’s $1,836,559 from his $5.6 million, O’Day’s $2,951,613 of his $9 million and Schoop’s $2,787,634 of his $8.5 million. Schoop also has a guaranteed $9 million salary for next year.Villar is owed $836,290 from his $2.55 million salaryCarroll and Valera were brought up from Triple-A Norfolk for Tuesday’s game.—