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

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.