Cleveland Indians: 2017 Rule 5 Draft roster decisions

The Cleveland Indians have decisions to make regarding the 40-man roster before tonight’s deadline passes, making players eligible for the 2017 Rule 5 Draft.

Today is the deadline for teams to add players to their 40-man roster to protect them from the 2017 Rule 5 Draft. The Cleveland Indians will have until 8 p.m. to finalize their roster and, like many teams, have some big-time prospects that need to be added or risk being lost in the Rule 5 Draft later this offseason.

Last season, the Indians added just one player to the roster in super-prospect Francisco Mejia. The Indians decided not to roster fellow top prospect Anthony Santander, a decision that has likely cost them the toolsy outfielder to the Baltimore Orioles who selected him in last year’s Rule 5 Draft.

The Indians’ 40-man roster currently stands at 37 giving them the potential to add up to three players today. The Tribe could increase that number by letting a player like Shawn Armstrong, Kyle Crockett, or Giovanny Urshela go.

All three players are out of minor league options and the Tribe has dropped players of that caliber in the past; however, it could be a bit early still to be cutting guys, especially in Urshela’s case.

In any case, here’s a look at a few of the players the Indians could look to add to the roster before tonight’s deadline.

The Near Certainties

Yu-Cheng Chang – SS (126 games, 24 HR, 66 RBI, .220/.312/.461, 110 wRC+ at AA)

Yu-Cheng Chang was signed as an amateur free agent out of Taiwan back in 2013 for a whopping $500,000. He’s an offensive-minded shortstop whose name may ring a bell as one of the four prospects nearly traded to the Milwaukee Brewers for Jonathan Lucroy back in July 2016.

The 21-year-old right-handed hitter hasn’t hit for much average of late but has shown a ton of power the last couple years, especially in 2017 when he posted a .241 ISO (isolated power) while playing half his games at Akron’s Canal Park, which is notorious for suppressing power.

He made his debut in several top ten lists this past winter, including coming in at number 8 on our preseason top prospect list in March. He turned 21 in August and could see time in Triple-A Columbus as soon as Opening Day in 2018 after spending all of 2017 in Akron.

He has a chance of sneaking on to some top 100 prospect lists this winter and it would be a major shock if he’s not protected by the Indians. In addition to being able to play shortstop many feel he could handle third base with his arm and plus-power so a team could hide him easily as a utility infielder.

Prediction: Rostered