Cleveland Indians one biggest surprise of spring training so far

The Cleveland Indians are not dealing with much drama at the shortstop position after trading away Francisco Lindor.

The Cleveland Indians could have easily undertaken a full rebuild after trading Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets. But the trade did bring back two shortstops in return and so far spring training is proving the transition to be seamless.

Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario both came over in the deal. The latest news from the team is that Rosario is now getting work in the outfield, meaning Gimenez appears to have wrapped up the job at shortstop. There are potential service-time questions to consider, but for now the transition from Lindor is going smoothly and that is a huge surprise for the organization.

No shortstop drama in Cleveland so far

This is an organization with a true surplus of talent at shortstop. So trading away Lindor isn’t going to tank the future of the position. Gimenez and Rosario are already two young options, with elite prospects Tyler Freeman and Gabriel Arias waiting in the wings.

The story would be different if Lindor was traded away and the team decided to stick an inexperienced prospect, or utility veteran, at the position. Gimenez won the job over Rosario last year in New York and posted a 1.1 WAR in only 49 games.

What if he ends up being a bust? Not a problem, as Arias and Freeman are waiting in the wings for their opportunities. The organization has been stockpiling talent at the position and that was likely a result of the inability to ever reach Lindor’s asking price.

Now fans in Cleveland are preparing for a season where projections indicate an above-average finish. Getting solid production at shortstop from someone like Gimenez would be a pleasant surprise and would change the whole dynamic of the season.