Cleveland Indians Offseason News: 40-Man Roster, Rule V Draft and Free Agency

The Indians brought seven new minor leagues into the mix on their their official 40-man roster Friday morning. TD first mentioned the story on the blog yesterday in talking about how Jordan Brown finally received his well worth promotion to the big leagues. That was not the only story of the day however, or even the Indians offseason as it stands right now, and thus here is a breakdown of the other players in that 40-man move and some other things for the coming weeks.

RHP Jeanmar Gomez: The young kid that threw a perfect game and also won Eastern League Pitcher of the Year honors for Akron this season led the class of the other six people rostered by the Indians yesterday. The 21-year-old Venezuelan is just a week older than close friend Hector Rondon, but showed similar promise last season. His final numbers of 10-4 with a 3.43 ERA in 22 Akron starts showed he is relatively close to MLB potential, and could be an option down the stretch this year if absolutely needed. He will probably start the season in Columbus alongside Rondon in 2010.

LHP Kelvin De La Cruz: Probably the most surprising name of the bunch, De La Cruz only made two appearances outside of the rookie league this season due to injuries. Entering the year however, this 21-year-old Dominican native was right up there with Rondon and Gomez as the top pitching prospects in the organization. As a lefty facing injury issues, he almost reminds me of Tony Sipp a few years back since his stock fell so low that people never really gave him a chance. In the end however, Sipp battled back and his good character paid off as he made it up to Cleveland. I don’t think De La Cruz will be in Cleveland until September 2011 at the earliest, but he could post similar numbers in Kinston/Akron as did Rondon and Gomez recently.

IF Jason Donald: Another component to the Cliff Lee trade with Philadelphia, Donald will now get his first shot at MLB playing time in the Indians organization. A former Olympic star and also a minor league veteran, he is already 25 years old and struggled in Triple-A last season. Some individuals do like his potential however, as any middle infielder with a decent bat manages to survive in the league (just look at Marco Scutaro). This year it looks like Donald will take over the super-utility role of Jamey Carroll, while also putting extra pressure on players such as Luis Valbuena and Jhonny Peralta.

3B Wes Hodges: This came at a bit of a surprise to me as he did not do very well in Columbus in 2009 much similar to how Brown struggled for Buffalo in 2008. He posted solid final season numbers for Akron a year and a half ago, but it seems unlikely he would be able to compete with Brown, Marte or Peralta for a job with the Tribe this season. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket does have potential and looked like a stud coming into this disappointing injury-ridden season. It would be huge for him to bounce back into the picture much like Brown and that would pretty much secure Peralta’s ticket outside of Cleveland.

SS Carlos Rivero: Him and De La Cruz were the most shocking selections for the 40-man as they showed absolutely nothing breathtaking last season in the lower levels of the minors. Rivero, a super-young Venezuelan with a slick glove, only turned 21 in May and has been hitting the ball like crazy for the last four months plus. A batting average of .196 on June 25th was a big disappointment, but he hit .288 with 6 home runs and 35 RBI in 65 games the rest of the way. He followed that up with a .319 batting average and .859 OPS in 22 games while also playing some third base in the Arizona Fall League. His position on the roster indicates a desperate plea by the Indians for the development of more middle infielders, as Rivero clearly has the highest ceiling of any such prospect in the system.

OF Nick Weglarz: This 21-year-old Canadian may have his fair share of naysayers, but he showed in spurts last season the power and potential that made the Indians put him on the 40-man roster. Despite starting the year on a 3-48 slump and ending it with a multitude of injuries, Weglarz is clearly the top power prospect in the organization. That might not be saying much, but he will be given a chance to start anew in Akron this year and will be relied upon to be the best offensive player on the team. After two mediocre seasons, he is really only one fine year away from shooting up to Columbus and being a major high-end prospect.

Rule V Draft: Some of the most prominent non-rostered players include RHP Steven Wright, RHP Josh Tomlin, RHP Yohan Pino, LHP Chuck Lofgren and C/OF Matt McBride. It is definitely intriguing that the Indians decided to protect De La Cruz in the lower levels instead of one of these four pitchers who will all start with Columbus this season. Wright was the top reliever in the organization this year, and I said earlier in the year that I would be outraged if he was not protected. McBride and Pino seem like possible selections for other teams, as McBride’s recent return to catcher makes him more versatile and Pino is very close to MLB-ready right now. Keep alert of all of these developments in the coming weeks as with the rostering of Rivero, Gomez and De La Cruz, the Indians are clearly shoring up for for the long-term.

Coaching Staff: Just a reminder to all those out there, Manny Acta’s list of coaches is starting to build and looks pretty decent for the forlorn Cleveland fan. Tim Belcher as pitching coach and Sandy Alomar Jr. as first base coach are good catches as former MLB veterans in order to help out some of our most vulnerable positions. Tim Tolman, the new bench coach, has tons of experience including four years as the Indians minor league field coordinator and some years with Acta in Washington. Scott Radinsky and Steve Smith are two other veterans of coaching staffs, as Radinsky was with Columbus last season and Smith has 33 years of professional experience. Not too shabby so far compared to possible alternatives or the example set by the Browns, and expect Jon Nunally to be named the hitting coach sometime soon.

Free Agency: I analyzed all of the starting pitchers in the organization two weeks ago, and it is clear that there is a need at the MLB level this season for some assistance. Some potential free agent candidates I have seen on blogs or heard around e-mails are Joel Piniero and Todd Wellemeyer both of the St. Louis Cardinals. Not sure exactly if there are any specific conversations the Indians have had with these candidates, but time will tell if the team actually goes out and gets anybody. Outside of one starter and maybe a reliever, I don’t expect the Indians to do too much this offseason. With so many youngsters around the organization, it makes no sense to add another David Dellucci or Jamey Carroll when we have players like Michael Brantley, Jordan Brown, Jason Donald and others that deserve a chance for the big team.

(The picture above of Jeanmar Gomez is via Tony Lastoria/Indians Prospect Insider.)