Antonetti named Baseball America’s top exec

CLEVELAND — Indians manager Terry Francona rightfully gets credit for how he pulls the levers, but Chris Antonetti is the one who built the machine. The roster maneuverings of Cleveland’s president of baseball operations were critical in the Tribe’s run to the World Series this past year.

For his part in the Indians’ success, Antonetti has been named the Major League Executive of the Year by Baseball America. The roster constructed by Antonetti and his front-office team — a cast built mostly through trades and the MLB Draft — captured the franchise’s first division title since 2007 and first American League pennant since ’97, and then engaged in an historic seven-game Series with the Cubs.

“I don’t think people realize how good he is,” Francona said during the World Series. “We haven’t had the biggest payroll here. You’re given a certain number and you have to make that work, and he’s managed to put together four years of pretty good teams. I think we’re built — there’s no guarantees — but I think we’re built where our organization is pretty healthy.”

The Indians opened last season with the 21st-ranked payroll in the Majors, but the team’s front office found ways to build a talented team under some financial restraints. Cleveland’s rotation, for example, was under contract for under $15 million combined last year. The group also puts the Tribe’s required model for success on full display.

Corey Kluber, who won the AL Cy Young Award in 2014 and was third in balloting for the award in ’16, was acquired via trade as an unheralded prospect in ’10. Carlos Carrasco was obtained as a Minor Leaguer as part of the Cliff Lee trade in ’09. Trevor Bauer was a key component in the three-team trade with the D-backs and Reds in ’12. Danny Salazar was signed as a non-drafted free agent out of the Dominican Republic in ’06. Josh Tomlin was a 19th-round pick in the ’06 Draft.

When the Indians ended the 2016 …

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