Punt on 2024 - Look Out 2025

Look,  2024, based on Cleveland's 2023-4 offseason, is turning into a mess:

• Long term plays:
• Draft DDLS in the Rule 5
• Trade Quantrill to open up a roster spot for a young guy
• Pick up Alfonso Rivas on waivers
• Trading Beiber???
• Short term plays
• Signing Laureano to a bloated 1 year deal
• Trading 5 years of control of Quantrill/De Los Santo for 1 year of Barlow
• Bringing back Hedges at $4 million
• DFAing Oscar Gonzalez to open a roster spot
• Signing Ben Lively to a ML deal as a depth starter
• Signing Adam Oller, Jamie Barria and others to minor league deals as depth options.

Some might call this trying to thread the needle but I call this chaos.  You can make the short term plays they did (Laureano, Barlow, Hedges, Lively) which looks like you are throwing money (haphazardly, IMO) at trying to win and then not REALLY do anything to win.  You can't build for the future if you are giving ABs (Straw/Laureano/Hedges) and IP (Lively/Barlow) to guys who are likely not part of that future.

So here is my thought:  Dump 2024 and shoot for being competitive in 2025.  Here is what that entails:

• Trade Beiber now ONLY if you can get a good deal.  My suggestion has changed thngs some.  What you need long-term is SP.  You no longer look for a RHH OF bat for Beiber, you look for a AA pitcher ready for AAA this season..  Otherwise, keep Beiber until the deadline or even all season (if you plan to make him a QO this winter)
• Keep Barlow until the deadline and then trade him.  You have likely screwed the pooch on trading him now so it might be best to package him with Beiber at the deadline to get a better return for 2025. 
• DFA Rivas.  He is not part of the future.
• While I would love to trade him, his salary makes Laureano untradeable.  So unless you can find a deal for him that looks good, keep him until the deadline.
• Dump Straw now for whatever you can get for him.  He simply is blocking too many guys from getting ABs as we try to sort out who will be on the 2025 roster.
• Find a way to keep DDLS on the 26 man roster even if it means sending someone to AAA for a bit. Not everyone has to be on the active roster on opening day.  In fact, that is not possible.  
• Have a plan and that plan has to get about 5 guys (Arias, Rocchio, JRod, Freeman, Brennan) 300 PA apiece to see what we have in them both as future assets but also as important trade pieces.  DDLS needs only minimal ABs.  
• We need to get Noel some ABs and work in Tena and Martinez where possible if injuries pop up.  If things go well, these guys either are in the mix for 2025 or are trade bat next off-season as we get controllable guys for 2025 or beyond.
• Quickly, and I mean QUICKLY pivot away from Arias if he is not good in April and May.  We need to look at other guys and Gabriel may need to go to Columbus to work on his game if he doesn't hit the ground running.  Rocchio, Freeman, Tena and Martinez are waiting for their auditions and Arias has, IMO, already had his 15 mintues.
• Leave Manzardo & Brito at AAA all season.  I know this will be an unpopular suggestion but if you are dumping 2024 as I suggest, these guys only need to get their feet wet at the end of the season, or even at the middle of the season, so that they maintain their rookie eligibility for 2025. 
• Promote DeLauter aggressively.  He should be playing at least half to year in AAA even if he struggles a bit in AA.  He SHOULD NOT be brought up to the majors this year as we don't want to roster him until he is absolutely ready or we have to in protecting him from the Rule 5
• When Espino comes back, work him out of the bullpen. 
• Make sure Dion, Cantillo and maybe Aleman get IP this year.  they all need to be rostered next off-season so we need to see what we have.

Simply put, we need to transition away from older guys and give experience to younger guys.  If we come into next off-season and guys like Rocchio.

If we are to compete in 2025 we need to identify our 26 man roster for 2025 by the end of the 2024 season and prepare to trade anyone who is not part of that plan.  But to get good value in those trades, you and the rest of baseball have to know the value of these guys. The 2023 treatment of Freeman shows you how a whole year can get away from you if you don't manage it proactively.