Indians: 3 Cleveland players to build around for the future

Shane Bieber

A lot of fans are doom and gloom already about the 2021 season. The team has cut salary this deeply before, having a 2004 Opening Day salary of $34.5 million. The Indians in 2021 are expected to have around $40 million for opening day. Even if that number drops, fans shouldn’t worry, because, by 2008, the Indians had risen the salary by $40-odd million to the tune of $79 million. By 2018, the Indians had added another $55 million to bring it up to $134 million. The team does spend and will spend when the time is right. They are a business, however, and they have to turn a profit, otherwise, the market will no longer be able to bear them and they’ll be forced to relocate.

So when it comes to Shane Bieber, expect him to be around for some time. He’s controllable until 2025, and that’s only if the Indians don’t sign him to an extension, something they can easily do once their revenue streams return to normal. With him as the Ace of this staff (and being the Ace of the AL), what Bieber will be able to do in the coming years will be impressive. If the Indians have to sell off some of the older parts like Carlos Carrasco to bankroll the future and rebuild the minor league system after it was depleted in boneheaded trades over the year, so be it.

The talent the Indians are acquiring is going to be good. The team has had nearly 20 years of making great trades of their bigger names. That’s going to be one of the reasons that Bieber will be around for a long time, the team will have the ability to build around him. The staff will be fantastic, the bullpen will be strong and hopefully, three or more rookies step up this year and next and make the offense respectable again.