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

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%