Indians: 3 moves to become clear AL Central favorites

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CLEVELAND, OHIO – SEPTEMBER 30: Starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco #59 of the Cleveland Indians pitches during the first inning of Game Two of the American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field on September 30, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

2. Don’t trade other core talent

A full rebuild would see the Indians trading more than just Lindor. It would include dealing basically everyone on the roster who is out of their arbitration years.

Carlos Carrasco, Jose Ramirez, and Roberto Perez are three veterans the Indians need to retain in 2021 in order to compete. All three are not in the final year of any of their respective deals and remain key veterans now that Carlos Santana is in Kansas City.

At this point there is no reason to cut further salary. Doing so would either mean ownership is seriously struggling, or winning is not in the plans.

Going into a full rebuild would waste prime years of Shane Bieber. Would he be on the trade block to at such a maximized value?

Holding onto veteran talent is an obvious way to compete, but is still something the Indians have failed to do so often in the past in the name of saving money. If the Indians truly want to trade Carrasco, Ramirez, or Perez, they should at least wait until the trade deadline and see if the team is out of contention.

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