Cleveland Indians: Tribe depth will get them through transition

While the Cleveland Indians continue the process of transitioning the outfield, they can rest easy knowing that they still have plenty of depth elsewhere.

It’s not going to be easy saying goodbye to some of the pieces the Cleveland Indians will be losing. Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall‘s impending free agency are just a few pieces that could be leaving. We know we have Greg Allen, Bradley Zimmer, Tyler Naquin, and Leonys Martin. There is also the flexibility of Jason Kipnis potentially playing in the outfield.

The transition period can be rough but the Indians but let’s not forget they have plenty of depth around the rest of the roster. They have arguably one of the best infields in baseball. Jose Ramirez and Francisco Lindor provide one of the best middle infields in the game. Yandy Diaz will likely be playing as an everyday starter next year (#YandyIsFree).

They have one of the most consistent designated hitters in baseball in Edwin Encarnacion. Yonder Alonso has a chance to prove himself, even more. Of course, we can’t forget the rotation of domination.

So what does this all mean? If the outfield is depleted, it will still be tough to compete with the big boys of the American League. Well, the Indians have dealt with changes at outfield to open the season for the last few years.

We’ve seen a lions share of transition out there so this is no different in 2019. As for the bullpen, that’s where things get complicated. The Indians have relied heavily on the ‘pen for years now. We saw in 2018 that things will look a little rough when the bullpen isn’t pulling its own weight.

But with as bad as the Tribe bullpen was in. 2018, the team still managed to keep on trucking. Part of that is a product of playing in a poor division. But that will likely be the case in 2019 again.

The bullpen isn’t completely barren either. they still have the likes of Brad Hand, Adam Cimber, Dan Otero, along with the return of Nick Goody from the DL.

It’s hard to say if the team will be better next year. I would argue that things won’t be extremely different outside of the absence of some key players. But as long as the Indians keep their core pieces intact they should make out okay.