Cleveland Indians: Predicting the 2018 Opening Day roster

The Cleveland Indians have a dominant core in place, but there are still a few decisions to make when it comes to the 2018 Opening Day roster.

The Cleveland Indians will play a meaningful baseball game in less than three weeks.

Before then, the front office still has a few decisions to make when it comes to the Opening Day roster. The statuses of both Michael Brantley and Danny Salazar open some holes on the bench, giving some players a shot to play in April and prove to the organization why the deserve a full-time role.

So let’s get right into it and lay out a potential 25-man roster for when the Indians open the season in Seattle on March 29. Let’s start with the obvious choices.

Locks in the infield

1. Yonder Alonso
2. Edwin Encarnacion
3. Jason Kipnis
4. Francisco Lindor
5. Jose Ramirez
6. Yan Gomes
7. Roberto Perez

Locks in the outfield

1. Lonnie Chisenhall
2. Bradley Zimmer

Locks in the rotation

1. Corey Kluber
2. Carlos Carrasco
3. Trevor Bauer
4. Mike Clevinger
5. Josh Tomlin

Locks in the bullpen

1. Cody Allen
2. Andrew Miller
3. Tyler Olson
4. Nick Goody
5. Zach McAllister
6. Dan Otero

Likely to start on the DL

1. Michael Brantley
2. Danny Salazar
3. Brandon Guyer

Those making the final cut

1. Erik Gonzalez
2. Greg Allen
3. Rajai Davis
4. Ryan Merritt
5. Abraham Almonte

Those missing out

1. Giovanny Urshela
2. Melvin Upton Jr.
3. Tyler Naquin
4. Matt Belisle
5. Mike Napoli
6. Yandy Diaz

The outfield is where things get tricky when predicting the roster. And before I get into an explanation, let me remind everyone that the Opening Day roster could look much different from what we will see in September. All my Marlon Byrd fans out there know what I mean.

With both Brantley and Guyer potentially being given some extra time to get healthy, a spot opens up for Rajai Davis to make his return to Cleveland, beating out Melvin Upton Jr. Terry Francona loves his veterans and the history with Davis will lead to a roster spot.

The extra spot also opens room for Greg Allen and Abraham Almonte. Tyler Naquin just misses out but remains an option later in the year. Keeping him in Columbus allows for him to play everyday at the start of the year.

Another notable decision is taking Erik Gonzalez over Giovanny Urshela. Everyone knows what Urshela can do with the glove, but Gonzalez is a bit better on offense and is also more versatile as a utility man.

Yandy Diaz misses out but, like Naquin, remains an option later in the year.

Ryan Merritt gets to remain in the organization by being added to the bullpen as the final man. This may not be a permanent move once Danny Salazar is healthy, or even Cody Anderson, but the Indians will avoid letting Merritt go before they need to. He provides depth and can go several innings if needed, which is a great asset to have at the start of the season.

Next: Trying to forge a rivalry with the Chicago Cubs

What do you think of this initial prediction? Am I completely wrong for believing in Davis or Merritt? Let us know in the comments.