Bench

[bookelly]

Beside the rotation, the only real battles this ST are for those bench spots. And there is the idea they may go with a 13 man staff so the competition gets tougher.

But we can certainly say the following:

1. Marson or Gomes. Marson gets the nod and they send Gomes to C-Bus to catch Bauer with the hope that they can become a battery.

2. Aviles. It's a lock with every position but CF and C under his belt. Diaz will get looks here and may steal that 5th slot if available. But he has options and he's most likely going south.

3. Giambi is in. Book it. They want him as player/bench coach. Placing his locker between Kip and Chiz is brilliant. Even if he hits .200 his value will be great.

So that leaves us with Rayburn, who can play everywhere but C and SS...or Phelps.

And I personally think they are gonna have to keep this kid from Texas, McGuinness - he's only 23 and might be a real steal. Though they may have to finagle a trade to keep him. Phelps?

-----

Edit: I wonder if the slot money they can't spend because they signed Swisher and Bourn (the lost picks in the 2nd and sup 2nd round) can't be spent on McGinn? Claiming Rule 5 guys and buying them from rich teams could be a great way of getting seasoned talent while playing the rules to your favor (assuming you have a top 10 protected pick). It'd be a brilliant way to circumnavigate these draconian draft slot rules.

[British_Pharaoh]

McGuinness is 25 in April and I really don't mind if we keep him or not. His numbers aren't even as good as Andy Marte or LaPorta's were in the minors (.260AVG in the minors is not promising)

I don't think he will fair any better in the Majors than the other two.

[skatingtripods]

Obviously Aviles and Marson make it.

The next question becomes, does Tito use a three-man bench or a four-man bench? The Indians aren't likely to carry a "long reliever", so there's a chance that Tito may want to carry 13 pitchers. That's really going to dictate who stays and who goes.

If it's a three-man bench, I have to think that Raburn has the best chance of staying. He has a familiarity with AL Central pitchers and will have some valuable insight into the Tigers pitching staff. Also, as we all know, he can play 2B/3B/OF. He's a pretty decent LF, an average CF, and a below average 2B. Not much of a sample size at 3B. He was downright horrible last season, which is a concern. I don't think he'd play enough for it to hurt us, but he'll have to pass the eye test in the Spring.

If it's a four-man bench, I think Giambi makes it and Raburn. Giambi would be a nice addition because he can be a veteran presence. He'll know his role and he'll know how to stay fresh if used only 2-3 times per week. He still walks and has some power. Again, he'll have to pass the eye test in the Spring. His numbers will be inflated by the Arizona air, so I don't think we can really go off of those.

Already talked about Raburn...Fedroff intrigues me. He could be a left handed complement to Stubbs on certain days and should be able to handle all three IF positions. He had a phenomenal 2012 with a .316/.394/.485/.879 slash line. He also had a 78/61 K/BB. I'd be worried about his swing not being an everyday player and the Indians may feel the same way.

No way McGuiness sticks. He hasn't played a game at Triple-A and only has one season of Double-A. They could trade for him, though. Don't think McDade has any chance either. But, they will be nice assets in Columbus or Akron and could be on the radar in the future.

I definitely like Gomes and the potential he might have, but with Mark Reynolds and our other versatility, I don't think there's a place for him. I haven't seen his catching skills, so I don't know if he's good enough back there to be a better backup than Marson. He swings and misses a ton and I'm not sure if his power will translate as well to the Majors as it did to the hitter-happy Pacific Coast League.

Benny Francisco would be in the hunt for a fourth OF spot too. Ezequiel Carrera too.

Either way, the Indians have a lot of options, which is great.