Indians: A shocking but not surprising slash in payroll

The Cleveland Indians claim to be competing, yet the lack of spending this offseason remains a concern for fans once again.

If you ever need a reason to complain about the Cleveland Indians, the payroll is one of the first things to come to mind. Attendance is right up there as well.

Unfortunately, there is nothing fans can do to make ownership spend more. A lack of attendance is a lame excuse considering all the income generated by the league. So don’t buy that excuse.

The latest complaint about ownership has to do with the spending this offseason. Jim Pete of Everyone Hates Cleveland (a great Cleveland sports blog) shared this depressing tweet:

Bringing up the payroll on January 6 has to do with ESPN’s Jeff Passan sharing this tweet:

The $6.5 million spent by the Indians came on the Cesar Hernandez deal that marks the only major league addition this offseason. All that talk about putting Corey Kluber‘s money back into the team seems to be wishful thinking.

I always go back and forth on this topic and try to remain patient to judge the entire offseason once it is over. But if the Chicago White Sox are going to spend big, the Indians are basically waving the white flag by sitting put. At least make an effort to spend like a major league organization.

Not re-signing Yasiel Puig at this point in time is concerning. Will he even want to return if the Indians make an offer right before the season for less than his perceived value?

Sorry for the further bad vibes. Those tweets about payroll just stuck out to me. Under $100 million during a year when the team is supposed to be contending? The front office can claim that is true, but a lack of spending from ownership says otherwise.