Cleveland Indians: Tribe retain Carrasco, say bye to Guyer

The first of many moves for the Cleveland Indians was to execute their player option and retain Carlos Carrasco while saying goodbye to Brandon Guyer.

The Cleveland Indians wasted no time in retaining pitcher Carlos Carrasco. His option is worth $9.75 million and will keep Carassco around for the 2019 season, keeping the starting rotation intact. The Tribe rotation is the heart of this team, and they’re arguably a .500 team at best without it.

In keeping Carassco around, the Indians decided to say “happy trails” to outfielder Brandon Guyer. We talked about the hit-by-pitch specialist a few days ago and that it wasn’t likely he would be kept around.

Losing Guyer is just the start of what could be a complete overhaul of the outfield. While teams like the Red Sox, Astros, and Yankees boast stellar outfields, the Indians are in a bit of a flux with the pieces they have.

The positive to take from this is that the Indians are willing to keep essential pieces around, maybe that’s a sign of hope for Michael Brantley lovers. When you look at the current roster, Tyler Naquin,  Leonys Martin, Greg Allen, and Bradley Zimmer are the only remaining outfielders on the roster. There is a chance that we see three of those names starting for the team come Opening Day.

But enough of the doom and gloom talk. Each of those players has shown potential. The Indians get to keep Cookie in the rotation and continue the trend of pitching dominance that they have shown.

We’re likely to see some more salary changes in the coming days. That will serve as the predecessor to free agency. The market has already opened, and we’ve seen the Diamondbacks retain Paul Goldschmidt despite rumors that they were selling the farm.

Perhaps there is a chance that the Indians follow suit and retain some vital pieces. Perhaps we see some new faces. One thing is for sure. The rotation of domination is here to stay.