Friday News & Notes: Orioles chasing Cespedes

Happy Friday, LGTers! It's been a bit of a quiet week but nonetheless, let's have a look at what's going on around baseball:

Tribe-related news & notes

"These are not jobs you do with popularity in mind..." | Cleveland.com - Mark Shapiro wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms when he took the job in Toronto, but that never phased the steadfast former Tribe GM. CleCom's Zack Meisel sat down with Shappy as part of Meisel's "Thursday Conversations" series. There are some fascinating Q's and A's here, which Meisel follows up on in a later phone call with other CleCom staffers.

Clevinger talks comeback from Tommy John | Indians.com - While we're on the topic of interviews, Indians.com beat writer Jordan Bastian sat down for his own Q&A session with the Tribe's #15 prospect.

Analyzing the 2016 Indians ZIPS projections | Burning River Baseball - With Paul DePodesta making the jump to football, analytics are once again at the forefront of sports fans' minds. BRB's Mike Melaragno reminds us that projections, while not infallible, do provide valuable insight into how a team's season may play out.

Tidbits from around MLB

What team needs Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes the most? | CBS Sports - Dayn Perry breaks down which teams might be the best fit for the two free agent sluggers, however...

Orioles' interest in Cespedes increases | Baltimore Sun - ... After lengthy, frustrating discussions, reports have surface that the Orioles are "considering a lucrative multi-year deal" worth as much at $18 million per year for the former Mets slugger. Looks like they've gotten out to the front of the pack.

Buck Showalter thinks Chris Davis has enough money | Hardball Talk - Speaking of Chris Davis, apparently his ability to buy up anything he wants at Target means he shouldn't hold out for a bigger contract. Craig Calcaterra, as should be expected, flips the script and wonders why Showalter wouldn't press his owner or commissioner over the same issues.

Players with strong walk years get paid more | Fangraphs - The idea that players play better in their walk years has been generally debunked, but there seems to be evidence that players who have outstanding walk years might actually end up with bigger paydays.

Alan Trammell is proof that Hall of Fame should revisit its election rules | Fox Sports - Trammell has fallen off the ballot after his 15th year of eligibility, and John Paul Morosi things that is a travesty. Is it time for a change? You probably won't find much opposition to that around these parts!

From Tweetland

• The Rays have been granted permission to look for stadiums outside of St. Pete
• Alexei Ramirez has signed a one-year deal with the Padres