Indians commentary: Playoff failures getting old, maybe even for team president Chris Antonetti

Let's review the Indians' 2020 so far: the pandemic hit, the truncated season began, and, almost immediately, two Indians pitchers were put on the suspended list for violating MLB protocol. Their manager, who many feel is the best manager in the majors got sick and missed most of the season. In the middle of the season, with a glaring need for a hitter and the team battling for a spot in the playoffs, they sent Mike Clevinger, their biggest trade piece, to San Diego for six young players they hope can help in the future. However, thanks to the best pitching staff in the league, they still made it to the playoffs. However, despite a roster that included a pitcher who will win the Cy Young Award this week, a closer who led the majors in saves, a third baseman who will either win the Most Valuable Player Award, or finish second or third, a Gold Glove catcher, a Gold Glove second baseman, who led the league in doubles, a face-of-the-franchise shortstop who is a future MVP winner, a potential future Hall of Famer, and a year from now, if not sooner, will sign a contract with another team, of course, probably for something in the neighborhood of $300 million. Despite all that on their roster, the Indians were unable to win a single playoff game. Again. They've lost eight consecutive playoff games and four consecutive playoff series. The last time they won a playoff series was when they beat Toronto in the 2016 ALCS. And now they might lose their top baseball decision-maker? Well, no. Probably not. But you never know. I mean, how much longer will Chris Antonetti, who many believe is the most gifted front office linchpin in the sport, feel like hanging around in Cleveland, continually trying to thread microscopic payroll budgets through ever-shrinking needles? When does THAT finally get old? ESPN's Buster Olney thinks it's a good time for the Mets to find out. In his Friday column on ESPN.com, Olney said new Mets owner Steve Cohen, who apparently has uncountable bags of money, and a burning desire to spend it, should call the Indians for permission to talk to Antonetti, who is "the perfect guy" to run the Mets, according to an unidentified National League official quoted by Olney. If Antonetti can do what Antonetti has done working for financially-challenged ownership in Cleveland — which is to say, keep building mountains out of payroll molehills — what might he do in New York, working for baseball's new Daddy Warbucks? During his career in Cleveland, Antonetti has been an ingenious fire-and-fallback artist from year to year, skillfully building teams that, more often than not, make the playoffs, but are never the last team standing. Sometimes it's due to bad luck, sometimes it's due to injury, sometimes it's the lack of just one more player, one that the team couldn't afford. That would never be the case in New York. Antonetti's players win awards. Members of his staff get interviewed, hired, promoted, and "how'd you do it in Cleveland?" raises when they move on to other teams, yet the architect himself prefers — so far — to stay put. When he could do everything he's doing now in Cleveland, and more, on a bigger budget, in a bigger market, for bigger crowds and far more acclaim, Antonetti chooses to stay where he is. Why? I would argue that the very qualities that other teams covet most in Antonetti are the same ones that keep him here. He's in it for all the right reasons, and is still committed and competitive enough not to leave for all the wrong ones. It's probably safe to say that every time there's an opening for a franchise linchpin, one of the first courtesy calls other teams make are to Cleveland. Just in case the Indians' true most valuable player might be getting frustrated, antsy or bored. The answer so far: nope, nope, and nope. Terry Francona doesn't come to Cleveland if Antonetti and, at the time, Mark Shapiro weren't here. Shapiro eventually left, but Antonetti didn't, and neither did Francona. That's not a coincidence. The manager is a competitive advantage for the Indians. So is the manager's boss. Antonetti has turned down more chances to interview with other teams than anyone knows. That in itself probably increases his value in an industry in which there might be too much ladder climbing and not enough franchise building. But still ... The Mets? Big money? The big apple? It's fair to wonder whether the Indians right now are on the precipice of plateauing competitively. All major league teams have been clobbered financially by the pandemic, but the Indians are one of the teams least-equipped to handle it. That won't be in the Indians' favor the next time Antonetti's phone rings. Contact Jim Ingraham at 329-7135 or jingraham4@gmail.com.