CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians underwent a significant roster overhaul during the offseason, but while fans questioned the direction of the franchise with their attempts to reduce payroll, the few additions the front office made were met with excitement from the coaching staff.
Although the Indians were never in the discussion for the most coveted free agents, they added several relief pitchers through trades and free agency to help bolster a bullpen that struggled through the 2018 season.
“Every winter, the fans want to see the splashy moves,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I get it, but I thought our guys did a good job of quietly bringing in some pretty quality bullpen arms. We’re going to have some difficult decisions to make at the end of spring, and I thought they did a good job of bringing those types of guys in.
“There’s always going to be a guy or two where you’re like, ‘Whoa, how did this guy get so good?’ Then, there’s probably going to be a guy that backs up a little bit. Bullpens can be kind of volatile, so it’s our challenge to find those guys that can be the next ones, not the ones that did it before.”
The Indians enter 2019 winners of the last three American League Central Division championships, but after advancing to Game 7 of the 2016 World Series, they have made earlier-than-expected exits from the postseason at the hands of the New York Yankees (2017) and Houston Astros (2018).
Even after the departures of catcher Yan Gomes (Washington Nationals), DH Edwin Encarnacion (Seattle Mariners), infielders Yonder Alonso (Chicago White Sox) and Yandy Diaz (Tampa Bay Rays) in trades, as well as outfielder Michael Brantley (Houston) and pitchers Cody Allen (L.A. Angels) and Andrew Miller (St. Louis Cardinals) in free agency, the Indians are not looking to take a step back.
And that was a message Francona delivered in his start-of-spring-training address to the players and assistant coaches last week.
“I feel it sets the tone for how we’re going to carry ourselves as a team, how we’re going to attack challenges,” Francona said. “For the guys that have been here, it’s a reminder. For the new guys, I think it’s fair so that when they get on the field, they understand what our expectations are when you’re an Indian.”
With several roster spots open for competition during spring training, Francona and the Indians’ decision-makers are focused on developing as much talent to be Major League ready as possible over the next six weeks.
“There’s a lot of good players in there and there’s not as many spots,” Francona said. “That’s just the reality of it.
“There will be a need. Might not be on their timetable, but they’ll be a need and their challenge is to embrace what we’re doing, this culture and just make the best impression they can. Our promise back to them is to be honest and conscientious in our communication with them.”
