2020 Pitching Idea--Think Outside the Box!

I compare the 2019 season to a blackjack hand where the owners stood on a 15 with the dealer showing a 10. Sure standing on a 15 (i.e. doing nothing to improve your MLB roster in the off-season or acquiring high end prospects in an off-season deal of Kluber and/or Bauer) is not ideal, but there was still a chance the dealer busts (i.e. the rest of the AL Central sucking) and that did NOT happen in 2019.

Despite the disappointment of the 2019 season, there was one enormous silver lining. The team discovered that they had a ton of young arms who were ready to contribute to the MLB ballclub. Clevinger and Bieber proved that they can be front-end starters, while Civale and Plesac can both be at least above league average. Plutko also pitched much better than anyone could have reasonably expected.

Three of these guys are going to be 25 next year, and only Bieber has pitched a full MLB season thus far, so I think the Indians need to be forward-thinking when constructing their 2020 rotation. With the rosters expanding to 26 spots next year, I think there is an opportunity to maximize the Indians young pitching talent while also managing workload (and most importantly winning games).

Here's what I would suggest:

SP1: Clevinger

SP2: Bieber

SP3: Civale/Plutko/Carrasco /Jefry piggyback.

SP4: Kluber (more about him later).

SP5: Plesac/Plutko/Carrasco/Jefry piggyback--obviously don't use Plutko if he pitched after Civale, but Carrasco could probably do something like 1 IP after Civale, rest one day, then 2 IP after Plesac.

Bullpen: Hand, Perez, Cimber, Wittgren, one of Wood/Karinchak (more on this in a second).

Under this assumption, the Indians would carry 13 pitchers, and therefore 13 hitters. They would rely heavily on Clevinger and Bieber staying healthy and hopefully going 6+ IP in 80% of their starts (which is feasible because 13 of Clevinger's 20 starts went 6+ IP, along with 25 of Bieber's 33 starts).

Early in the year, the team should rely on Civale going 3-4 IP, and if the game is winnable at that point use Carrasco to get the game into the 7th/8th inning. If Civale implodes, then use Plutko/Jefry to eat as many innings as possible. Rinse and repeat two games later when Plesac starts. Carrasco should not be used on back-to-back days, and he should always be put into a game with the goal of recording at least six outs. In a perfect world, these four pitchers would be able to span all 9 innings for at least 25% of the SP3 an SP5 days.

Picking up Kluber's option makes sense, even though he was very disappointing before the injury in May. The front office should hope and pray that Kluber has an adequate year, so that they can trade him in July in a carbon copy of the Bauer deal (attempt to acquire a veteran bat like Puig 2019 and a AAA-MLB young bat like Reyes). After trading Kluber, the hope would be that either Carrasco or Jefry have pitched well and are stretched out enough to slide into the 4th spot, and their piggyback role could be assumed by either Logan Allen or Scott Moss.

Finally on the bullpen, there is a chance that some combination of Wittgren/Perez/Cimber/Wood end up being disappointing. For this reason, is there any chance CLEFO spends for a guy like Will Smith and bring in a veteran like Greg Holland? With a 26 man roster and a manager that loves the bullpen, acquiring some proven relief arms would be huge. Finally, having strong veteran arms can take the pressure off of Karinchak. Ideally, Karinchak could start the season being used in a 7th inning role, then eventually move his way back to the 8th and then possibly a closer by committee with hand (being used when the 9th inning has strong RH bats due up).

I am not ready to even think about the offense and who is going to play 2B and corner outfield (not counting on any MLB hitters filling those spots), but does anyone have thoughts on this idea?

Goals:

1. Win Games

2. Control Workload for Plesac/Civale/Carrasco/Jefry to avoid burnout after July.

3. Kluber pitches well enough to net MLB hitters in a July Trade.

4. Sign one or two proven bullpen arms, and groom Karinchak for late innings.