The Indians' ongoing effort to reduce their payroll in the immediate future has been a subject of great debate, with some wondering why Cleveland's ownership would force major changes to a group that is a prohibitive favorite to win the AL Central in 2019. They ask why the Indians wouldn't look to add to Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer, rather than trading one of them, which could happen in the days ahead.
But there's more to what the Indians are doing than shedding money; they're driven by more than an effort to manage the bottom line.