Cleveland Indians add Bruce Chen, John McDonald to 2016 player-development staff

Two signings and a rumor in one day. By January's standards, yesterday was an extremely busy day in baseball. On the Cleveland Indians side of things, the Tribe announced their 2016 development staff, which includes a few familiar faces. The Indians pitchers also got a nod from ESPN's Buster Olney, who recognized them as the second-best rotation in baseball.

Tribe News

Indians announced '16 player-development staff | MLB
The Indians revealed their 2016 player-development squad yesterday and it includes several former Tribe players including John McDonald and Bruce Chen. The latter of which was terrible for the Indians on the field in 2016, but has always been a great player influence throughout his career.

MLB's top 10 rotations: Mets an easy No. 1 | ESPN Insider
Buster Olney ranked the top 10 rotations in baseball and, unsurprisingly, the Indians made the list. They were not number one, that went to the New York Mets and their young core of fireballers, but the Tribe are good enough to be number two. Rounding out the top five were the St. Louis Cardinals at number three, the Chicago Cubs are number four, and the San Francisco Giants at number five.

One rival evaluator attached the Indians to the Mets in assessing what's ahead of them in the next few years. "No matter what else happens, that starting pitching gives them a chance to win," he said. "They might have holes in their lineup, but the pitching is their equalizer."

Around the league

• The St. Louis Cardinals signed Korean pitcher Seung-Hwan Oh to a one-year deal
• Pitcher Daniel Bard agreed to a minor-league deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
• Gerardo Parra's landing spot has been narrowed down to three potential teams, including the Colorado Rockies.
• Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane has been fending off offers for pitcher Sonny Gray.
• MLB.com's Richard Justice says the Chicago Cubs are the winners this offseason.

State of Let's Go Tribe

January is such a boring month for baseball news and rumors, but that does not mean there will be nothing worth talking about. Most likely a lot of January's posts will be about prospects, analysis, or history; including our ongoing top Indians prospect votes. I will also be finally putting together the Let's Go Tribe phrasebook soon. So if you have any suggestions that you have not posted yet, be sure to throw those in the submission thread.