Cleveland Indians: Raburn Option Declined; Tomlin’s Rotation Chances

Tribe let Raburn move on; Tomlin has earned his spot in rotation

The Cleveland Indians still have some questions as they enter 2016. But one they shouldn’t have is where to slot in Josh Tomlin. He bounced back to have one of the best year’s of his career and should have earned a spot in the rotation in 2016. Tomlin will likely still have to “battle” for a spot, as Terry Francona isn’t one to just hand out the spot. But that shouldn’t be an issue for the revitalized Tomlin.

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The Indians continued to give the roster a facelift–this time by subtraction. The Tribe declined to pick up the option on Ryan Raburn for 2016, instead buying him out for $100,000. The move will save the Indians $3 million for next year. Raburn has been a solid role player much of his career, but inconsistency from year-to-year has been an issue. He joins the list of players filing for free agency.

The World Champion Royals will have some decisions to make this offseason as several key players are free agents, including Alex Gordon who declined his player option for next season. He’s discussed wanting to remain in Kansas City for the rest of his career, but now the Royals will have to decide among him, Ben Zobrist, Ryan Madson and others this winter. Could they let the “face”of the franchise go elsewhere?

These and other stories you might like:

‘Tomlin deserves a spot in the tribe’s rotation’ – Wahoo’s on First

‘Could team re-sign Zobrist over Gordon?’ – Kings of Kauffman

‘Raburn’s option for 2016 declined’ – Wahoo’s on First

‘How the White Sox polarized the entire fanbase’ – Southside Showdown

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Be sure to check out all our player reviews for the 2015 season! We’ll continue to have those as well as all the Indians news this offseason as the Tribe looks to rebound from a disappointing season.