Cleveland Indians: Tribe Decline Ryan Raburn Option; Save $3 Million

Indians decline 2016 option on versatile Raburn as roster turnover continues

The changes for the Cleveland Indians continue as the team decided against picking up Ryan Raburn‘s option for 2016–a $3 million saving–and instead paying $100,000 buyout. It’s another move to change the “face” of the Indians, as the team is slowly moving away from the handful of versatile players that have been part of the lineup the last few seasons.

The Tribe traded away David Murphy at the July deadline, and Mike Aviles and Raburn both appear to be moving on from Cleveland via free agency. As the team gets younger, it’s clear they’re looking to establish players around the diamond and avoid the flux of “super subs” they’ve had in past years,

Raburn had a fairly successful 2015, batting .301 in 82 games with eight home runs and a .936 OPS. His three years with the Indians have alternated success with struggle while his 2012 with the Tigers was downright terrible with a .171 average in 66 games.

The Indians won’t enter the winter with unlimited funds, but they shed some of the bad payroll at the deadline, and this is just another move to free up a little bit more to try and help secure a few mid-level free agents this offseason.

The Indians have a strong core, but a limited window. This team wasn’t as good as expected, but also not as bad as they sometimes appeared. With guys like Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and Yan Gomes–and a pitching staff that includes a former Cy Young winner in Corey Kluber as well as arms like Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco–assuming neither are traded–the team isn’t far off the pace.

The emergence of Francisco Lindor and Giovanny Urshela, as well as the performance of Cody Anderson shows the system has talent. And with players like Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier making headlines it’s hard not to be excited about the prospect of next season. But again, it’s not a big window, and instead of chasing the Detroit Tigers it’s the World Champion Kansas City Royals.

There’s no time for a rebuild, only a “restructuring” of what they currently have for 2016.