Cleveland Indians: Four cornerstone players for the Tribe’s future

As the Cleveland Indians continue through a transition phase, which four players can serve as the cornerstones of the club moving forward?

There’s no question that the Cleveland Indians are moving through a transition phase this offseason. If recent moves of trading away players like Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger weren’t enough, the rumors of a Francisco Lindor trade should be the final indicator of the changes coming to Cleveland.

Cleveland has been known for the last decade or more for being a team that is looking to save money and the financial implications of the 2020 season have only tightened the purse strings further for the club. Because of this, the Tribe are looking to shed weight from the payroll left and right. Whether it be letting players like Carlos Santana, Brad Hand and Cesar Hernandez walk or trying to trade away key players like Lindor or perhaps even Carlos Carrasco, Cleveland is trying to save as much money as possible.

Due to the circumstances and the changes the roster will endure this offseason, the 2021 edition of the Cleveland Indians is sure to look much different than what we’ve become accustomed to seeing. That isn’t to say the team is doomed from the start, but the way the team accomplishes wins and the key players could differ.

However, the new-look Cleveland Indians that will take the field in 2021 will have the necessary cornerstones for continued success moving forward. When looking over Cleveland’s roster there are four players that standout from the rest as potential leaders of tomorrow, if not today.

Now, there’s more than four pieces in place, but these four players provide the foundation for the future of the franchise, being able to contribute from four different areas. While all of them might not play up to the level of what we’re used to from the Tribe’s top players yet, there is potential for these four to grow into the core of the team and be the faces of the franchise, if not their positions across Major League Baseball.

Shane Bieber

After winning the American League Cy Young Award, Shane Bieber is already at the top of the game among the starting pitchers in the league. With the expected trade of Francisco Lindor closing in, Bieber will be looked at to take the mantle as the face of the Cleveland Indians. Given the down season from Lindor, he might have already done so in the eyes of some.

Since arriving to the major league roster in Cleveland, Bieber has done nothing but impress, working his way to the top of his position. When looking ahead, Bieber could be one of the bright spots on what could end up being an odd season for the Tribe.

Making moves to cut payroll could leave Cleveland with a very different roster with a much different conclusion to the season than we’re used to, but Bieber should remain consistent.

Already one of the best pitchers in the game, Bieber will be the most important building block for the future, serving as the catalyst for one of the youngest and most intriguing rotations in all of baseball. While Bieber is the most well known, he’s far from the only pitcher that will play into the future of Cleveland baseball with Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale and Triston McKenzie all set to join him on the ride.

James Karinchak

The bullpen of the Cleveland Indians has a lot of young arms that are intriguing to the future of the club, but one that stands out for a few different reasons is James Karinchak. At just 25-years old, Karinchak has the opportunity to entrench himself as the closer for the Indians moving forward and being the anchor of the bullpen.

With a blazing fastball and nasty breaking balls, Karinchak is the perfect arm out of the bullpen. The combination of his pitches resulted in 53 strikeouts over 27.0 innings, meaning Karinchak struck out 65% of the outs recorded with him on the bump.

The other side of Karinchak that could make him a focal point of the new-look Tribe is his ability to create a persona around his game. While he’s really only been in the majors for one season, Karinchak has already started to form a following.

Even though he is a reliever, Karinchak has fully embraced the Ricky Vaughn look from ‘Major League.’ From the haircut, to wearing 99 and running out to Wild Thing from the bullpen, Karinchak has adopted the Vaughn look and his prowess on the mound isn’t too far off either. Closer or not, Karinchak is already a name known around baseball for that alone.

Nolan Jones

Despite having yet to play in the major leagues, Nolan Jones has become one of the more polarizing players in the Cleveland organization. Just 22-years old and the club’s No. 1 prospect, there is a lot to like about the potential of Jones.

With third base locked down for now with Jose Ramirez, Jones has been asked by the organization to try out a few different positions this offseason, including first base and the outfield. The drive to find a spot for Jones should be a clear indication of how highly the organization views him and his importance to the club’s future.

Now, the argument could be made for Ramirez to have this spot instead of Jones, but when talking about long-term cornerstones for the future I’m not sold that Ramirez is included. At 28-years old, Ramirez is about to see a jump in his salary which could implore the front office to explore a potential move for him down the road.

For that reason, Jones has a brighter outlook for the future thanks to his cheap contract. If Jones can live up to the hype that has surrounded him for awhile now, he should have no problem taking up the mantle as one of the faces of the franchise.