Salaries have been dumped, players have been signed, and trade rumors have swirled. But with the deadline to submit estimates for salary arbitration looming, the nitty gritty part of the offseason is about to begin.
There is still time to get deals done to avoid arbitration, but as of now there are five Indians players eligible and unsigned: Sandy Leon, Francisco Lindor, Nick Wittgren, Mike Clevinger, and Tyler Naquin. MLB Trade Rumors estimates the group to be owed approximately $27.1 million with Francisco Lindor’s $16.7 million making up the bulk of it.
If the Indians end up paying out those exact MLB Trade Rumor estimates — which isn’t likely, there will be some wiggle room in there — they will have a payroll around $82 million in 2020, which would be their lowest Opening Day payroll since 2014.