Remember back on November 3, when Buster Olney tweeted this:
Yes, the Indians will listen to trade offers for Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, etc., but two things to remember:
1. They aren't trading all of them, and they aren't trading Lindor or Ramirez
2. No matter who they trade, they will enter 2019 as prohibitive favorites in AL Central— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) November 3, 2018If it was a directive straight from the Indians, it sure sounded a lot like a “we give up, but we’re still gonna win the division so let’s just shed some payroll” mindset by the Indians front office.