CLEVELAND -- With a big week ahead, Cleveland is preparing to complete a 40-man puzzle by protecting some of its best young talent.

Unlike any offseason in recent memory, the club has six or seven (or maybe even eight) prospects who will require tremendous consideration to be added to the 40-man roster in order to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft in December. But 36 of those spots are already filled.

Who are the locks?

Clubs have until Friday to make their final moves. And some of these decisions will require little thought. Without having to clear extra space on its roster, Cleveland will undoubtedly add outfielder George Valera and middle infielders Tyler Freeman and Brayan Rocchio to the 40-man.

Freeman sits atop Cleveland’s Top 30 prospects list, as ranked by MLB Pipeline. Although his season was cut short due to an injury that required left shoulder surgery, he’s still given his organization plenty to be excited about. In 41 games with Double-A Akron, Freeman hit .323 with an .842 OPS, 14 doubles, two triples and just 21 strikeouts in 164 at-bats.

Rocchio (No. 7, according to MLB Pipeline) joins Freeman in the overcrowded middle infield. With Gabriel Arias, Andrés Giménez, Amed Rosario, Owen Miller and Ernie Clement all options to play up the middle, some may become trade pieces and others could become the future of Cleveland’s solid middle infield. But regardless of their ultimate fate, both Freeman and Rocchio are too precious of prospects to leave available in the Rule 5 Draft.

Rocchio has impressed the big league coaching staff each time he’s been called on to appear in Cactus League games with Cleveland. In 2021, he hit .277 with 26 doubles, five triples, 15 homers and 63 RBIs in 108 games between High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron.

Valera (No. 2) may be the most intriguing prospect to continue to keep an eye on, considering Cleveland desperately needs outfield help. In 86 games split between Lake County and Akron, the 21-year-old hit a combined .260 with 19 homers, 65 RBIs and a .910 OPS.

Who is next in line?

The Freeman-Rocchio-Valera trio is a lock to be added to the 40-man roster. From there, it gets a little more confusing. The leading contender to take the fourth spot is likely infielder/outfielder Richie Palacios.

Palacios (No. 14) was a shortstop in college and played second base most frequently last season, but he probably will find a more permanent home in the outfield. His offensive production was steady with both Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, owning a combined .297 average with 33 doubles, four triples, seven homers, 48 RBIs and an .874 OPS in 72 games. He’s spent the beginning of the offseason in the Arizona Fall League, owning an .869 OPS in 18 games. And depending on the external help Cleveland is able to find for the outfield this winter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Palacios get a callup to the Majors at some point in 2022.

Will more space need to be cleared?

Here’s where the bigger questions come in. Is Cleveland willing to part ways with other members on the 40-man roster to clear space for more up-and-coming talent? If the team decides to make some more moves, the most likely candidates to be removed from the roster would be hurlers Kyle Nelson, Carlos Vargas and/or Alex Young. And there are a handful of options to replace them.

Backstop Bryan Lavastida may find himself in this conversation. Although his defense still likely needs some work, Cleveland’s catching shortage will require the team to consider adding Lavastida (No. 12) to the 40-man roster. Beyond Austin Hedges, the club currently doesn’t have other options behind the dish after declining Roberto Pérez’s $7 million option. The organization may look externally for some help, but Lavastida could easily work his way into the 2022 picture.

Others who could also create some discussion include righty Cody Morris (No. 22), lefty Konnor Pilkington and outfielder Steven Kwan. Morris pitched to a 1.62 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) with 93 strikeouts and 20 walks in 61 frames. Pilkington joined Akron as part of the Cesar Hernandez trade with Chicago at this year's Trade Deadline and proceeded to pitch to a 2.33 ERA in eight games (seven starts) with 49 strikeouts and 18 walks in 38 2/3 innings.

Kwan threw himself on the team’s radar this year, hitting .328 with a .934 OPS, 15 doubles, four triples, 12 homers and 44 RBIs in 77 games between Double-A and Triple-A.

Who’s left unprotected?

Aside from those we’ve already discussed, Cleveland will have plenty of other prospects who will also be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, assuming they are not protected prior to Friday’s deadline: Jose Tena (No. 12), Aaron Bracho (No. 15), Jhonkensy Noel (No. 25), Robert Broom, Joey Cantillo, Will Benson, Adam Scott, Jose Fermin, Alex Call, Alexfri Planez, Johnathan Rodriguez, Aaron Pinto and Trenton Brooks.