Off-season begins - dissecting the 40 man roster

OK< it's time to start looking ahead rather than looking backwards.  So let's start with the 40 man roster.

Right now it is at 46 as we still have 6 guys on the 60-day DL.   We also have 10 players who will be free agents once the World Series is over.

So let's go through the roster and see where we are heading in the off-season:

Locks to stay on the roster this winter:

C - Perez, Gomes, Haase
IF - Lindor, Ramirez, Alonso, Gonzalez, Diaz, Kipnis, Chang
OF - Allen, Martin, Naquin, Zimmer, Mercado
DH - Encarnacion
Pitchers - Kluber, Carrasco, Bauer, Bieber, Cimber, Hand, Clevinger, Otero, Plutko, Olson, Ramirez, Otero, Salazar, Goody, Anderson

On the bubble to be removed from the roster:

Adam Rosales, Brandon Barnes, James Hoyt, Jon Edwards, Ben Taylor, Eric Stamets, Brandon Guyer.

Prospects who will be added to the roster this winter:

Bobby Bradley, Sam Hentges

Prospects who have an outside chance of being added to the 40 man roster

Connor Marabell

SUMMARY

For maybe the first time in my memory the Indians have so few true Rule 5 prospects to worry about that they will have MANY spots left on their roster.

Right now we are looking at 33 roster spots (locks plus prospects added).  I think they will add Marabell so that gives them 34.   Realistically, none of the bubble guys should make this team next year and we can find guys who are just as good to sign to minor league contracts this winter.

Next we will talk about OUR free agents and which ones could be coming back.

Post playoffs hangover thoughts

Starting at the trade deadline last year we obtained and lost the following players via in season trades

Obtained:

Joe Smith
Jay Bruce
Josh Donaldson
Brad Hand**
Adam Cimber**
Leonys Martin**

**Under team control for 2019

Lost:

Francisco Mejia
Willi Castro
Thomas Pannone
Connor Capel
Samad Taylor
Julian Merryweather
Ryder Ryan

You can argue 2017 but I think it is a fair statement to say that none of the players we obtained either helped us make the playoffs those two years and it is pretty much a damn FACT that none of them impacted us winning a single round in the playoffs (duh!)

So what do we do now, knowing that some of our future has already gone out the door in futile trades?

The logical thing would say to just keep the band together as we will definitely make the playoffs next year.   While that is likely true (although there are no absolutes) do you really want to go through 2017 or 2018 Indians playoff baseball again next year?

And, despite knowing the outcome already, I vote for doing that.   The status quo.  No significant free agent signings at positions where we could play young guys.  No trades to improve the team where we lose valuable prospects.

Nothing.   We just do the status quo all the way through the season.   No July trades.   No August trades.  Nothing more that weakens our future.

It was hard enough to see Jesus Aguilar playing in the all-star game knowing we got nothing for him, not even a July lottery ticket.

I don't want to go through that again.

So, just like with LeBron, I am just going to be happy to get there and, if we don't make the playoffs next year, I will take solace in knowing that we didn't lose any prospects while treading water.

Or we could start blowing it up right now......But more on that later.