Cleveland Indians: What Could a Postseason Roster Look Like?

The Cleveland Indians are in the home stretch with their eyes on a Central Division title. If the Tribe holds on and makes the playoffs, what might the team’s roster look like.

Heading into play on Friday, the Cleveland Indians hold a six-game lead in the American League Central Division, sitting just a game and a half back of the Texas Rangers for the best record in the AL. While a trip to the postseason isn’t guaranteed yet, the Tribe has put itself into great position with just 23 games remaining in the regular season.

As such, we began to wonder what Terry Francona’s roster might look like for a playoff series. A majority of the 25 players that would comprise the active roster for a Divisional or League Championship series are pretty easy to pin down, but there will be some tough decisions that have to be made, and some major contributors may be left off.

Cleveland’s magic number to clinch the AL Central currently stands at 18 after an 8-2 homestand. With the rest of the club’s regular season schedule coming against divisional opponents, its destiny is truly in its own hands.

The Tribe is 36-17 this season against the Central, so the schedule the rest of the way wouldseem to bode well for them. There isn’t a single opponent remaining that the team isn’t at least .500 against.

So let’s take a look at who Francona and the Indians will likely have in uniform should the team make its playoff aspirations reality, and who could be left behind to watch it on television just like the fans.

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