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The Cleveland Indians’ first base opening was never as up for grabs as initially portrayed. It might’ve been, had Jake Bauers not been fresh out of minor league options. But the 25-year-old would’ve been released had he not landed on Cleveland’s opening day roster, providing him an insurmountable edge over prospect Bobby Bradley. This essentially made the team’s decision to open the upcoming season with Bauers at first anticlimactic. Barring completely unforeseen circumstances, Bradley missing the cut was always the most likely outcome. However, in tabbing Bauers as the opening day first baseman, Cleveland also needs to determine how long he’ll get to prove this was about more than a fortunate combo of age and contract status. On the surface, those factors seem to be the only way to explain the decision. Full Article Here Casey Drottar is a Cleveland Indians writer for Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to his podcast, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook