Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac Cause Division with Cleveland Indians

On Friday, the Cleveland Indians had an internal meeting about Zach Plesac and Mike Clevinger and how the team should handle the situation moving forward. They had this discussion as the two Indians pitchers did not follow COVID-19 protocols set by the MLB, and some players do not want to see the two on the roster for the rest of the year.

Clevinger and Plesac are two big pieces to the Indians’ rotation. Cleveland also has a 2.43 ERA, which is league best. The two starters will be at the Indians’ alternate site for at least 10 days.

Some teammates accepted Clevinger and Plesac’s apologies while other were saying they would leave the team if they came back this season. The demotions of Clevinger and Plesac could have implications on finances and free agency for the Indians.

Following the August 7 incident, some players felt hurt about how the two went behind the teams backs for selfish reasons. Clevinger also tried to back Plesac before joining the team on a flight home while Plesac had to drive back to Cleveland in fear of catching and spreading the coronavirus. Plesac even went a step further and tried to make a video to explain his actions, which did not go well.

Impact on Losing 40 Percent of the Rotation

Clevinger and Plesac are two bright stars in the Indians’ rotation. Clevinger has been on the rise over the last few seasons as Plesac is starting to prove his worth in the rotation.

Although the two are very talented, bullpen reliever Olver Perez said he would leave the team if the two-star pitchers returned to join them, according to sources. Reports say other players felt the same. However, all-star shortstop Francisco Lindor said that the team should consider everything as a whole.

The biggest issue with the Clevinger and Plesac situation was putting pitcher Carlos Carrasco at risk. Carrasco was treated for leukemia last year, and exposure to the coronavirus could be bad news for the pitcher. This is possible where the issues lied with the team.

While not having Clevinger and Plesac has not hurt the Indians in the short term, the long-term implications could be substantial. Players are able to go to the minors for up to 19 days without being penalized.

Service time is a funky formula. To figure out service time this year you multiply the days on the active roster by 186 and divide by 67 as that is the numbers of days in the 2020 MLB season.
Clevinger could remain one day short of reaching four years of service time if her is optioned down for more than 20 days.

Can the Indians Win Without Them?

The demotion of Clevinger and Plesac makes a big impact on sports betting. As of writing this, DraftKings Sportsbook has the Indians at +2000 to win the World Series and +249 to win the division.

With two starters out for the time being and only one game back of the Twins for first place, the value on Cleveland might not be there with two key starters missing.

Cleveland’s offense ranks third-worst in the MLB in terms of wRC+. The Indians pitching is one of the best in baseball, but missing two starters will hurt. Having to go to their taxi-squad for starts instead could cost Cleveland some wins.

Also, if the Indians do not have the offense to make up for the loss in pitching, then do no be surprised if Cleveland falls in the standings over the next few weeks. The internal struggle going on with the team could be something to watch moving forward.