NFL Tickets
Throughout the past offseason, the Cleveland Indians were a team everyone was keeping their eye on. This was mainly due to the rumors about the club potentially looking to move one of their starting pitchers in an attempt to boost the offense.
The Tribe had just fallen short of the postseason for the second straight year, and a big reason for this was a lack of consistent offense. With enough depth in the starting rotation, multiple sources implied the team was willing to part with one of its pitchers to try and add a power bat or two. By the end of winter, though, Cleveland headed to spring training with its entire rotation intact, having made no major moves whatsoever.
At the time, some questioned why the Indians wouldn’t take a risk in order to improve the offense. Now? I think it’s safe to say nobody is holding the Indians’ inactivity against them.
The Indians are taking the league by storm, and their refusal to break up the starting rotation is a major reason why.
In terms of who the team was rumored to be putting on the market, ace Corey Kluber was almost certainly unavailable. The popular names appeared to be Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer.
Salazar had been good-not-great throughout his time in Cleveland, never really finding any sort of sustained consistency. Carrasco had just turned in one of his best seasons and was also signed to a very team-friendly contract. Just like Salazar, Bauer, too, was quite erratic on the mound.
The returns would’ve varied in terms of who Cleveland parted with, but each pitcher could’ve netted a decent bat at the very least. That said, it’s tough to believe anyone in the front office is having any sort of second thoughts about not making a deal.
The Indians are currently riding a 12-game winning streak, having just completed their fourth-straight series sweep. A big reason why the victories keep rolling in is how well their starters are pitching.
While Carrasco initially seemed a little rusty upon his return from a hamstring injury, he’s slowly starting to look like the dominant pitcher we saw last year. He’s only allowed a combined two runs in the past 16 innings pitched, which includes a complete-game, four-hit shutout this past Saturday.
After initially being demoted to the bullpen, Bauer has regained his spot in the rotation. The results have certainly ensured he won’t be back in the pen anytime soon. He’s 6-2 on the year, having thrown seven straight quality starts.
The performances of these two pale in comparison to Salazar, who’s easily having his best season in Cleveland.
The Dominican hurler leads the Indians with ten wins, while also adding in 107 strikeouts for good measure. Not only is his 2.22 ERA by far the best of his career, it’s also good for sixth overall in MLB.
These three, along with Kluber settling into a groove and Josh Tomlin becoming an unexpectedly stingy pitcher, have helped to make the Tribe’s rotation one of the best in the majors. It also makes the front office look brilliant for resisting the urge to deal one of the starters.
Sure, the Indians could still use some offensive help. Still, the team is on an absolute tear, and the dominance from the mound is a huge factor. Had management decided to pull the trigger and part with one of the starters, Cleveland’s rotation might not be as formidable as it has been of late. Even more important, if these starters help net the Indians a playoff spot, it’ll make the team an incredibly imposing opponent.
We’re still months away from that coming into fruition, but at the same time, said possibility looks more possible than ever thanks to how well the team is pitching. It’s all thanks to Cleveland refusing to deal any of the starters, all of whom are contributing in a big way this season.
Share 
