Cleveland Indians: Who will be added to roster before Rule 5 Draft?

The Near Locks

There is a pair of Tribe pitchers who are not far behind Bobby Bradley in terms of being added to the Tribe’s roster. The first being right-handed reliever Henry Martinez.

The 24-year-old really started turning heads in 2017 when he threw 60 innings in relief for Lake County and posted a 3.15 ERA and 2.60 FIP in his first year of full-season ball. He also struck out nearly a batter an inning while having a walk-rate under three.

The Dominican native only improved in 2018, moving from Advanced-A Lynchburg to Double-A Akron and finally finishing the year with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. While the overall ERA may not have been pretty he improved his FIP at each stop and struck out nearly 10 batters per nine innings (9.9). He has a plus fastball and also throws a slider and change.

His control is what really separates him as many of the Tribe minor league relievers can rack up the strikeouts but struggle with control. It’s one of the biggest reasons he’s as close to a lock as there is for me. Odds of being rostered: 99%

The second pitcher that I believe is very close to being a lock to be added today is left-hander Sam Hentges. The 22-year-old was originally a fourth-round pick of the Indians back in 2014, but injuries have limited him greatly prior to this past season. He had Tommy John surgery and threw just 30 innings in 2017. However, in 2018 things finally fell into place.

He threw 118 innings for Advanced-A Lynchburg going 6-6 in 23 starts. He posted a 3.27 ERA and 3.21 FIP while striking out over a batter an inning. He has a plus fastball and curveball as well as a changeup. He’s still a work in progress both due to age and recovery, but one can make the case he’s the second-best pitching prospect in the system behind Triston McKenzie (who is not eligible for Rule 5 Draft this year).

The Indians rostered a somewhat similar player in Danny Salazar several years ago, fearful they’d lose the stud arm. There is little chance we see Hentges in Cleveland in 2019 but by 2020 is very possible. Another team, especially a rebuilding team could view him as a worthwhile risk to stash in the pen. Because of this, I expect him to be added even though he has yet to see Double-A. Odds of being rostered: 95%

A decent bet, at least in my eyes

The last player I feel will be rostered today is newly acquired right-hander Kyle Dowdy.

Joining the Cleveland Indians last July as part of the Leonys Martin trade with the Detroit Tigers, Dowdy saw his stock rise after reports of him hitting triple digits. The former 12th-round pick of the Tigers has worked almost exclusively as a starting pitcher in the minors, reaching Triple-A in 2018. However, given the velocity, I’d imagine the Tribe will look at him as a potential power arm in the bullpen, one that could help as soon as this spring.

He does have a four-pitch mix, including his fastball, cutter, change and curveball. This gives him a chance to stick as a starter. However, control has been an issue at times and refining his repertoire combined with the aforementioned velocity jump screams bullpen for me…then again, I said similar about Corey Kluber so one never knows.

The Indians (and other teams) may look at the lack of control and struggles at times in 2018 (he did post an ERA over six at Akron) and think he’s not worth a spot. Perhaps the radar gun readings just aren’t enough for teams. But relievers can be easily stashed, especially on rebuilding teams. However, compared to the other three I’m less confident in his rostering. Odds of being rostered: 60%

Several others are eligible

These four are far from the other players the Cleveland Indians could roster before the Rule 5 Draft. Perhaps they designate or non-tender a player already on the 40-man roster to open up a spot for a fifth player or perhaps they decide one of the four I mentioned just isn’t worth it. Three names that jump out to me as possibles are left-handed pitcher Rob Kaminsky and outfielders Connor Marabell and Oscar Gonzalez.

Kaminsky being a left-handed relief option is particularly intriguing. A former top prospect, he’s fallen on hard times with injuries but has worked his way back into conversations. I think he’s just too much of a risk to roster at this point but another team may not feel the same way.

Marabell is an outfielder I like but I just don’t know how much upside he has. He could maybe intrigue a team as a fourth outfielder though.

Oscar Gonzalez is a guy that screams top prospect for me but he has yet to play above Lake County (Low-A). He has the tools to be a star corner outfielder with plus power. However, he’s not close to big league ready. Indians lost Anthony Santander a couple years ago but while Gonzalez is better in my eyes, he’s also further away (and healthy).

Some other names of mention are Mike Papi (a personal favorite of mine), Justin Garza, Li-Jen Chu, Sam Haggerty, Mark Mathias, Tyler Krieger, Luke Eubank, Dalbert Siri and Jean Carlos Mejia.

None of these would appear at great risk to be taken though one could argue in favor of the pitchers (Garza, Eubank, Siri, etc). Krieger has some defensive flexibility so maybe he intrigues a team as a utility guy and Chu as a catcher could maybe draw some interest. However, I’d be surprised if any of these are rostered (though I would Papi but that’s just me).

In any case, we’ll know in a few hours just what the Cleveland Indians have done with their roster. They have the ability to add four and that’s how many I’d add.