QUOTE (caulfield12 @ Jun 18, 2016 -> 12:26 AM)
Basically, they're looking at spending another $10-15 million minimum, the rest of THIS year, to legitimately compete.
They're facing two teams in the Tigers and Royals with a lot more revenue or free-spending ownership or better prospects to trade or all three. The Royals and Tigers are both surely nearing the ends of their windows (2017 for both), so Glass and Ilitch are going to pull out all the stops to get to the playoffs this season and next.
And the Indians clearly have the best and deepest pitching staff in the division, and that's not going to change anytime soon. With Salazar, Kluber, Carrasco, Tomlin, Bauer and then Cody Anderson and Clevinger, they've got surplus pitching as well as 2-3 really nice hitting prospects (Top 100) that are fairly advanced already.
Finally, in the battle for Braun, Bruce, Chris Carter, Wil Myers, Odorizzi, Sonny Gray...we're not in a position to do anything besides taking on high salary/unwise contracts, so we'll simply end up taking on more questionable veteran contracts to follow up Shields.
It's why I said ---K IT!, add Puig and roll the dice. If they're going to go down with the ship, let it be with a young/er player with talent and who's fun to watch instead of another veteran "has been." I'm quite dubious about Ventura/Steverson getting anything productive out of him, but now there's never been a better opportunity to strike...he's becoming too much of a distraction for Roberts.
So nice you posted it... thrice?