Swing and a Tribe: Cleveland Indians sadness or madness?

The fifth starter

It’s hard to complain about shortcomings out of the fifth man in the starting rotation when the other four have been so reliable, but with a sub-.500 record, the Cleveland Indians can’t afford those shortcomings at the moment.

Josh Tomlin has been relegated to the bullpen, and Adam Plutko will have a chance to earn the fifth spot for himself. In a perfect world, Plutko capitalizes on his opportunity and Tomlin regains his confidence as a reliever who only needs to retire a few hitters as opposed to getting through the order multiple times.

After Plutko, Cleveland doesn’t have many options. The health of Danny Salazar has become nothing short of a blind guessing game, and as excited as fans are about prospect Shane Bieber, the Tribe would like to avoid having to thrust him into a regular starting role in 2018 unless it becomes absolutely necessary.

Of course, there is always the possibility of a trade, but if the Indians are going to be shelling out prospects to address a need, starting pitching is the last priority.

The Indians don’t need Plutko to be dominant in his audition to become a regular member of the rotation–they just need him to be serviceable. The Cleveland Indians can live with an ERA above 4.00 out of its fifth starter. Whether he wins the job full-time or not remains to be seen, but expect the Indians to iron out this wrinkle in one way or another before long.

Final Verdict: Madness