The Indians’ return for Yan Gomes looks a lot l

ike...uh http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , all the other outfielders"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections NewsAnalysis & EditorialsCleveland Indians prospects & minor leaguesGame RecapsTransactionsAnalysis & EditorialsDaniel Johnson seems familiarNew,102commentsThe Indians’ return for Yan Gomes looks a lot like...uh, all the other outfieldersByChris D. DaviesDec1, 2018, 12:00pm ESTShareTweetShareShareDaniel Johnson seems familiarScreenshot from MLB.comAt the risk of being the guy who retweets himself, earlier this offseason, recapping the seasons of Indians’ outfielders Melky Cabrera, Rajai Davis, and Brandon Guyer, I wrote:Since that time the Indians have, uh, somewhat adopted a new strategy. It’s not the one I advocated for (though they could still follow that path) Kyle Hendricks Jersey , but by subtracting Lonnie Chisenhall and Brandon Guyer from the outfield and adding Jordan Luplow (for Erik Gonzalez) and now Daniel Johnson (for Yan Gomes) the team seems to be going for something. In particular, young players with decent defense and room for growth in their offense. I want to like these additions. There are things in Luplow’s profile to like, and Johnson ranks even higher on prospect lists and has similar tools that are more highly regarded.But I can’t shake the feeling the new strategy is the old one, just with younger players. The Tribe has Greg Allen, Luplow, Leonys Martin, Oscar Mercado, Tyler Naquin, and Bradley Zimmer on the 40-man roster. Along with Johnson, this is a group of speedy guys with light or platoon-ready bats and defensive acumen. I like Merritt’s idea about the Indians prioritizing defense, but with Martin being the only one with a legit track record of success I can’t help but question the process, especially regarding the offense.Allen still has just 330 plate appearances Mike Montgomery Jersey , but his bat has not shown much sign of being even league average offensively (74 career wRC+). Mercado struggled so much in Columbus after being traded that he was not considered for a September call-up despite Cleveland having nothing to play for. Opposing pitchers figured out Naquin after his blistering start to his rookie campaign, limiting him to 31 and 72 wRC+ in 2017 and ‘18, respectively. Zimmer failed to get his swing-and-miss tendencies under control in his 446 MLB plate appearances, with a strikeout rate of 32.1% between two seasons. As for Luplow, FanGraphs says he could be “a poppy bench bat or platoon outfielder, but he’s more likely upper-level 40-man depth.” And after watching Johnson’s fall performance, Federal Ball wrote that Johnson “could wind up a tweener in the big leagues, lacking the glove for CF and the standout offensive tools for a prominent role on a corner.” Scouting is a fallible exercise, but these are not votes of confidence or even something resembling confidence.There is a lot of offseason left for the Tribe to continue to shape the outfield, but as of right now the team is not better than it was after the ALDS. None of the deals made this offseason, not least the Gomes trade, makes this a group that could push the Indians beyond the super teams of the American League. If Johnson truly is the centerpiece of the deal for Gomes http://www.chicagocubsteamshop.com/authentic-david-ross-jersey , I need Blake to pass the Pepto. In 2018, by the grace of Michael Brantley, the Indians ranked 17th in fWAR and 21st in wRC+ among MLB outfields. With the current crop of outfielders to choose from, 2019 looks like it might be a second verse, same as the first, a whole lot younger and a whole lot worse. Most Toronto Blue Jays fans and pundits were obviously unhappy with the small return they got from the Cleveland Indians for Josh Donaldson, and it turns out they had a much better trade offer in the winter.According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the St. Louis Cardinals offered two players for Donaldson during the winter, and one of them was 2018 NL Rookie of the Year candidate Jack Flaherty.The greatest thing to happen to the #Stlcards was the #Bluejays鈥?rejection of the Cards鈥?trade proposal this winter for Josh Donaldson. They offered two players, a Jays official said, that included rookie of year candidate Jack Flaherty. The Jays turned it down.— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) September 14, 2018Instead Jose Quintana Jersey , the Blue Jays held onto Donaldson in hopes of competing for a playoff spot, and it turned out to be a giant mistake. Donaldson was sidelined for three months because of a calf injury, giving them no choice but to deal the 2015 AL MVP for a minimal return - a player to be named later.advertisingReports suggest the player to be named later is minor league pitcher Julian Merryweather, who hasn't pitched this year because of Tommy John surgery. Certainly not as good as the return St. Louis was offering. Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsFlaherty has eight wins on the season and has an ERA of 2.86, with a whopping 168 strikeouts in 138.1 innings pitched. He's been instrumental in the Cardinals' second half surge, one that will likely see them play in the NL Wild Card Game.The 23-year-old Flaherty has filled in nicely for a St. Louis pitching staff that has spent most of the season without Adam Wainwright. Meanwhile, 14 different pitchers have started a game for the Blue Jays this season. Imagine what Flaherty could have done to help a pitching staff marred by injuries, most namely to Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez.advertisingMany have been critical of the Blue Jays front office, due to a failed series of trades and free agent signings. Botching the Donaldson move was among the most questionable decisions in franchise history.It doesn't help that they passed on a young pitcher just entering his prime years.