Factory Of Sadness
FanSided

Cleveland Indians: Which Position Should Be Upgraded?

By Ryan Rosko

May 10, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; A general view of Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) jersey after defeating the Minnesota Twins 8-2 at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
May 10, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; A general view of Cleveland Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis (22) jersey after defeating the Minnesota Twins 8-2 at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 6
Next
Cleveland Indians
May 28, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Bryan Shaw (27) at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

Eric Pitcher

Bullpen, bullpen, bullpen!

With all of the success the Cleveland Indians have had recently. It appears that they do not need anything. Still, there is always room for improvement and there are a few places where the Indians need to improve.

Instead of having one sole player the Indians have been counting on, Cleveland has had a new player every night step up and lead the team to victory. However,  the most noticeable need to improve so far has been the need for late inning bullpen help.

More from Factory of Sadness

If and when the starting pitchers go long distance into games — into the sixth inning or later, then the Tribe has been having a lot of success. When the starters struggle, which of late they have not been, then the bullpen sometimes seems to struggle as well.

That is especially the case with guys like Bryan Shaw, who has an ERA of almost five! No matter what the lead is when Shaw comes into the game, it seems like the opposing team is going to bust right back into it.

Everyone knows the old saying “You have to spend money to make money”. It could be time for the front office to make the trade in order for the Indians to get over the hump.

Players such as Bradley Zimmer, Clint Frazier, and even the power-hitting first baseman Bobby Bradley could be guys that interest teams enough to make a trade for a back-end bullpen reliever.

There is depth in the outfield for the Cleveland Indians with Tyler Naquin, Lonnie Chisenhall, Jose Ramirez, Abraham Almonte (coming off suspension), and of course Michael Brantley. Brantley is someone who, when he comes back from being injured, is a guy that is going to make an immediate impact for the team.

If the Indians can keep up their winning ways into October going with a four man rotation, while moving either Trevor Bauer or Josh Tomlin to the bullpen, adding the extra strength would not be a bad move. 

Next: Tribe Holds Steady

Home/Cleveland Guardians