Cleveland Indians: Rule 5 Draft roster decisions as deadline approaches

The deadline to protect players from the 2020 Rule 5 Draft is tomorrow and here’s a look at who the Cleveland Indians could add to their roster.

Like all 30 teams, the Cleveland Indians will be looking to add a couple players to their roster ahead of the 2020 Rule 5 Draft and the deadline to protect players is tomorrow. There are a couple that seem like no-brainer adds and a few questionable adds. Unlike some years though, there isn’t much of a 40-man crunch as the roster is currently at just 35 players.

The Indians also added a player I thought could have been protected before the draft during the season in Kyle Nelson, thus reducing the number of adds I’d expect to see this week. Here’s a dive into the players that are certain to be added, some that are on the fence, and some longshots.

The Lock

Nolan Jones – 3B/OF

I don’t like to speak in absolutes with things like the Rule 5 Draft, but here I can say with 100% certainty that Nolan Jones will be added to the 40-man roster. Many, if not all, have him as the top prospect in the Cleveland Indians’ system, and he’s already been at Double-A during the 2019 season and was at the Tribe’s alternate site during the crazy 2020 season.

Had the 2020 minor league season not been cancelled and we’d have had a normal 162-game Major League season I think there was a very real chance we would have seen Jones in Cleveland already. He almost certainly would have been at least to Triple-A at some point after hitting .253/.370/.466 with a 147 wRC+ at Akron in 2019.

He’s been working on some outfield this offseason already, a sign the Indians will be looking to get him to the big league level fast as third base is currently blocked by some guy named Jose Ramirez. The Indians are ready for Jones in Cleveland, only question is how soon it happens.

Odds of being added: 100%