CLEVELAND _ For years, if not decades, the Indians front office has been known more for what it didn't do.
In the forefront of fans' minds were the heartbreaking departures of Omar Vizquel and Victor Martinez, and the trades of Cy Young winners CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee.
Running the Indians was not a badge of honor, it was reason to go into hiding.
It's no wonder former Tribe general manager and later president Mark Shapiro used to eat lunch virtually every day at the same restaurant on East Fourth Street. The place seemed like his sanctuary.
This year the Indians front office flipped the script. Save for the signing of Juan Uribe, it hit on virtually every move. For the most part, everyone president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff touched turned to gold.
Trade deadline deals for left-handed reliever Andrew Miller and outfielder Brandon Guyer and another for outfielder Coco Crisp just before the postseason roster deadline brought big dividends. The three played a huge part in the Indians reaching the American League Championship Series, which opens Friday at Progressive Field against the Toronto Blue Jays.
In a postseason filled with irony, the Blue Jays are run by president/CEO Shapiro, who groomed Antonetti and Chernoff and left the Indians after the 2015 season. That reunion comes on the heels of the Tribe's sweep of the Boston Red Sox, who dumped Indians manager Terry Francona after the Red Sox imploded down the stretch in 2011.
Cynics can find nothing to criticize in the July and August deals Antonetti pulled off. Miller was one of the best relievers in baseball. Guyer's career OPS (on base plus slugging percentage) vs. left-handers currently stands at .861. He delivered three hits in Game 2 vs. the Red Sox. Crisp's two-run home run in Boston on Monday provided the difference in a 4-3 victory.
The trade with the Yankees for Miller, which sent New York a package of players led by Clint Frazier and Justus Sheffield, surprised even some in the Tribe clubhouse.
"We thought that was a big thing to show they were all in," second baseman Jason Kipnis said after Game 2 of the American League Division Series. "No front office likes to trade away some of their top pieces in the minor leagues because that's who they drafted and that's who they're building around.
"It was sending the right message _ 'If you guys get in the right position to win we're behind you.' Getting a guy like Miller shows they want to win just as much as we do. They put their money where their mouth is, too."
That comment shows there had been some doubt in the players' minds about Indians' president/CEO Paul Dolan's level of commitment.
But even then, the transitions of Miller, Crisp and Guyer have been surprisingly seamless.
Miller willingly ceded the closer role to incumbent Cody Allen. Guyer proved to be the perfect platoon player. Crisp filled the void with Abraham Almonte suspended for the playoffs, part of his 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs.
"I think it's a testament to the players in here. Obviously Tito (Francona) is an easy answer," Miller said of Francona and how the three fit in so easily. "Hopefully it says a lot about the research they did on us bringing us over that we were a good match for the people that were here."
Francona said he has an "inside seat" to see Antonetti, Chernoff and the staff do that homework, and knows it plays a part.
"Sometimes moves go a little bit under the radar," Francona said. "Miller's didn't. Guyer's maybe did a little more than I thought it should. He's a guy that's got a 1.000 OPS against left-handers, which is really meaningful. The coaches, the players, the people in the clubhouse knew and respected and appreciated what Chris and his guys did do."
Francona's ability to manage all sorts of personalities helped the trio blend in quickly, along with the atmosphere in the clubhouse.
"The good thing about this clubhouse, it's like a family. You could pretty much bring anybody in and it would be fine," Crisp said.
For the Indians to defeat the hot-hitting Blue Jays in a seven-game ALCS and win the Indians' first World Series since 1948, it would help if the Midas touch continued.
"You need a lot of things to go right at this point and hopefully they continue to," Miller said.
But even if the masterful moves take the Tribe no further, Antonetti, Chernoff and their staff deserve praise. The perception of the Indians front office has improved, not only outside but inside the clubhouse. That might be the most telling and most encouraging sign of all.
