Key issues facing Cleveland Indians as they head to spring training
Posted by Paul Hoynes February 12, 2008
Cleveland Plain Dealer

The Indians find themselves in an unusual spot as pitchers and catchers report to Winter Haven, Fla. on Thursday for the start of spring training.
They were so confident after winning the American League Central last year and coming within one victory of reaching the World Series, that GM Mark Shapiro made no big changes to the roster over the off-season. Intertwined with that confidence a touch of recklessness grew.

Not the recklessness of an aging team with one last run in it, but a team that made the decision to keep its best pitcher, C.C. Sabathia, thumbing its nose at the threat of free agency, because it feels this could be a season to remember.

Shapiro could have traded Sabathia this winter to fortify his team's future. He didn't because he feels the Indians are in position to win and win big this year. If Sabathia leaves when it's over, Shapiro says his team will still be a contender in 2009 and beyond.

Yet with all that confidence, and win-it-now attitude, there are always questions in spring training. Here are the top 10 facing the Indians at the start of the 2008 season.

1. Question: Can Travis Hafner get his groove back?

-Best case scenario: Hafner regains his 2006 AL titles in on-base and slugging percentage, while correcting the 42-point drop his batting average took between 2006 and 2007.

-Worst case scenario: The downward spiral continues, more bad swings, more hard hit balls turned into outs by the Pronk shift. The front office, meanwhile, starts questioning the wisdom of extending Hafner's contract through 2012, not including a club option for 2013, at total cost of just over $65 million.

-What will probably happen: Hafner, always clear-headed and confident at the plate, is more relaxed after last season's contract hassles and becomes a more consistent run producer.


2. Question: Will the Indians sign C.C. Sabathia?

-Best case scenario: Owner Larry Dolan, after being revived by son Paul following the Mets signing of Johan Santana, decides to keep Sabathia in Cleveland for the next five to six years with a contract between $100 million and $120 million.

-Worst case scenario: The Indians get off to a slow start. Sabathia, trying hard too hard in his free-agent year, mirrors his effort in last year's postseason. With the Tribe trailing the Tigers by 10 games in late July, Sabathia is traded to the Giants for two so-so prospects and aging shortstop Omar Vizquel.

-What will probably happen: Sabathia, embracing the onrush of free agency instead of fearing it, pitches well as the Indians make the postseason for the second straight year. When the Indians October run ends, Sabathia files for free agency and waves goodbye to Cleveland.


3. Question: Can closer Joe Borowski slam the door again?

-Best case scenario: Borowski, once again giving Cleveland a double dose of heartburn and night sweats, does what he did last year. Maybe he doesn't save 45 games again, but he saves the games he needs to save. Last year Borowski went 23-for-25 in save situations in the AL Central, including a perfect 9-for-9 against Detroit.

-Worst case scenario: Borowski struggles, starting some frenzied midseason tryouts for closer. Rafael Betancourt, Masahide Kobayashi and Jorge Julio get opportunities, but the chemistry of a carefully built bullpen is ruined.

-What will probably happen: The AL, seeing Borowski for the second straight year, makes adjustments. After a couple of spectacularly blown saves, Borowski adjusts back. Betancourt closes now and then in preparation for 2009.


4. Question: Is Asdrubal Cabrera for real or a mirage?

-Best case scenario: Cabrera proves to be the anti-Brandon Phillips, the last nearly-raw rookie the Indians started at second base. The switch-hitter does a nice job in the No.2 spot, while displaying the same quick hands and feet that he did last year in turning the double play.

-Worst case scenario: Opposing pitchers knock the bat out of Cabrera's hands, exposing the .283 batting average he put up in 45 stretch-drive games last season as a quirk. By June 1, Cabrera is back at Class AAA Buffalo, but that's not all bad because a revived Josh Barfield is ready to replace him.

-What will probably happen: Cabrera will have his ups and downs offensively like most young players in their first full season in the big leagues. He'll play good defense, occasionally giving Jhonny Peralta a break at short, and hit between .250 and .270. He might have trouble holding the No.2 spot all year.


5. Question: After a great 2007 season, does the farm system have anything left to give?

-Best case scenario: The Indians might not have another 19-game winner such as Fausto Carmona on the farm, but some combination of Jeremy Sowers, Adam Miller, Laffey, Chuck Lofgren, Brian Slocum and Jeff Stevens should be able to answer a pitching SOS. Offensively, outfielders Ben Francisco and Shin-Soo Choo and infielder Josh Barfield could provide a jolt.

-Worst case scenario: There's a significant injury to a core player on the big-league club. The Indians have to trade prospects to fill the hole, limiting the help available from the farm system.

-What will probably happen: The organization's depth will once again protect the big-league club. Maybe not as much as last season -- which was a remarkable testament to the minor league system -- but enough to keep the Indians in contention.


6. Question: Where does Masahide Kobayashi fit in the bullpen?

-Best scenario: Kobayashi spends the first half of the season getting to know his new team, new league and new country. As the games grow in importance, Kobayashi's experience in pressure games from Japan pays off. He helps Rafael Betancourt in the set-up role, clearing the way for Joe Borowski.

-Worst case scenario: Two words: Kei Igawa.

-What will probably happen: Kobayashi, signed to a two-year $6.25 million contract, pitches in a variety of roles this season and does a good job. In 2009, should Borowski not return, he will compete with Betancourt for the closer's job.


7. Question: If the Indians need help at the trading deadline to get to the postseason, can GM Mark Shapiro make the right deal?

-Best case scenario: On July 31, the Indians have a five-game lead in the AL Central. By mid-August it's a 10-game lead. There is no urgency for Shapiro to make a big trade.

-Worst case scenario: By mid-August, the Indians can't even see first place. They're five games out of the wild card. Do they make a deal, putting the 2009 and 2010 seasons at risk, or do they pull in their horns?

-What will probably happen: The Indians, very much in the race in late July and early August, try to duplicate the Kenny Lofton and Chris Gomez deals from last year.


8. Question: Will the career-high innings that Sabathia and Carmona pitched last season hurt them this season?

-Best case scenario: Sabathia and Carmona, always handled carefully by the Indians, have no trouble bouncing back after pitching 256 1/3 and 230 innings, respectively, last year. Those totals include the postseason.

-Worst case scenario: Sabathia and Carmona follow a trend set by Chicago's starters. In the 2006 and 2007, after the White Sox won the 2005 World Series on the strength of its rotation, Mark Buehrle, Jon Garland, Freddy Garcia and Jose Contreras have not matched their innings pitched from the 2005 regular season. With the exception of Contreras, they've fallen off considerably.

-What will probably happen: Sabathia won't lead the big leagues in innings pitched again as he did last year with 241. He'll make 30-plus starts and be effective, but he's topped 200 innings only twice in seven seasons. Carmona should come close to the 215 innings he pitched during last year's regular season because he gets a lot of quick outs on ground balls.


9. Question: What's going to happen in left and right field?

-Best case scenario: Franklin Gutierrez keeps his strikeouts down, his power up and claims right field. The platoon of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels finds happiness and productivity in left field.

-Worst case scenario: Dellucci's hamstring isn't healed and Gutierrez can't handle the full-time role in right. Replacement Shin-Soo Choo takes longer to recover from surgery on his left elbow than expected and Ben Francisco is inconsistent.

-What will probably happen: Dellucci-Michaels and Gutierrez won't be lights out, but they'll be OK. Choo and Francisco will get a chance to win either job.


10. Question: Can the Indians score enough runs to reach the World Series?

-Best case scenario: Hafner rejoins Victor Martinez as a force in the middle of the lineup and the Indians get some good numbers out of Gutierrez.

-Worse case scenario: Martinez, who carried the Indians last year, has one of his bad-half, good-half seasons.

-What will probably happen: The Indians position players, the second youngest unit in the AL next to Tampa Bay, use last year's postseason experience to become smarter and more effective hitters.

Spring's here: Tribe assembles for camp
Thursday, February 14, 2008Paul HoynesPlain Dealer Reporter
The Indians begin defense of their AL Central division championship and their last spring training in Winter Haven, Fla., today with pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training at Chain of Lakes Park.

Players will get physicals Friday and the first workout is scheduled for Saturday. The Indians, who won their first division championship last season since 2001, will move to Goodyear, Ariz., for spring training in 2009. They have trained in Winter Haven since 1993 when they moved from Tucson, Ariz.

All-Star catcher Victor Martinez, who led big-league catchers in homers and RBI last year, has been in Florida since Feb. 5. Other early arrivals include pitchers Masahide Kobayashi, Jake Westbrook, Scott Elarton, Tom Mastny, Jeff Harris, Scott Lewis, Aaron Laffey and Jeff Stevens. Kobayashi is a veteran from Japan. Westbrook is one of the Indians' top starters, while Laffey will be competing for the fifth spot in the rotation.

Mastny spent all last season in the bullpen, while Elarton, Harris, Lewis and Stevens are spring training invitees.

Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, recovering from Tommy John surgery on his left elbow, was among the early arriving position players. Position players report Tuesday with full squad workouts starting Feb. 21.

Jorge Julio, a spring training invitee who has a chance to make the bullpen, won't report on time. He's having visa problems in Venezuela. His paper work is late because he didn't sign with the Indians until Jan. 31.

Eric Wedge, AL manager of the year last season, met with his big-league staff and 20 minor-league managers and coaches Wednesday morning to discuss how camp will be run.

While pitchers reported to Winter Haven, left-hander Juan Lara returned to Cleveland from the Dominican Republic to continue his rehab from an off-season automobile accident. Lara, driving home from a winter game in the Dominican Republic, was seriously injured and will continue therapy at Lutheran Hospital.

The Indians begin Grapefruit League play against Houston on Feb. 28.

Cleveland Indians GM Mark Shapiro responds to C.C. Sabathia halting contract negotiations
Posted by Paul Hoynes February 14, 2008 16:22PM
Cleveland.com

Winter Haven, Fla. -- Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro said he would have liked to continue negotiating with C.C. Sabathia through spring training, but Sabathia and his agents ended those chances Wednesday night when last year's American League Cy Young winner announced on his Web site that he has broken off negotiations on a contract extension until the end of the season.
Sabathia, of course, can be a free agent at the end of the 2008 season.

Shapiro, however, was not upset that Sabathia stopped negotiations. Sabathia said no progress had been made on a potential extension.

"We don't disagree with C.C. on the status of negotiations right now," Shapiro said Thursday afternoon at Chain of Lakes Park. "There's not a lot of common ground.

"We probably would have preferred to leave it open to the end of the spring training, but there's no animosity there. We understand and appreciate his desire to focus on the season. That's a positive thing for this team."


Indians pitchers and catchers reported for spring training Thursday. They'll undergo physicals before working out Saturday for the first time.

Legacy Sports represents Sabathia. They represent DH Travis Hafner as well. Last season, negotiations between Hafner and the Indians were tabled in April, but a deal got done just after the All-Star break.

"I think it's unlikely," said Shapiro, when asked if the Indians would negotiate with Sabathia before the end of the season. "There are always situations, always grays, always the potential for something to come up. I can't see any scenario that would have us continue negotiations before the end of the season. But we don't live in a business of absolutes. There's no reason to shut the door entirely."

Shapiro said he did not see the end of negotiations with Sabathia as putting a damper on the start of camp.

"I maintain the same feelings about C.C. that I've discussed for a long time -- a desire to keep him here, great respect for him personally and professionally, a very strong awareness of this game and this situation."

Seems like just yesterday when the Indians choked on a ####.

This group of core players has choked multiple times this decade.

August 14th, 2004, they were 1 game out of first. Then they choked and fell all the way back to 12 games out.
2005 - Indians enter the final series of the season against the White Sox. They have 93 wins, and seem assured of a playoff spot. They choke and get swept. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen even made a choke sign at the end of the series as he walked out on the field - something the Indians have never dispelled.
2007 - build an awesome 3-1 lead in the ALCS, and then choke. Sabathia and Carmona, two stud pitchers, help gag it away.

It was already a pattern before 2007, and I kinda expected 2007 would end a similar way.

This group of core players has choked multiple times this decade.

August 14th, 2004, they were 1 game out of first. Then they choked and fell all the way back to 12 games out.
2005 - Indians enter the final series of the season against the White Sox. They have 93 wins, and seem assured of a playoff spot. They choke and get swept. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen even made a choke sign at the end of the series as he walked out on the field - something the Indians have never dispelled.
2007 - build an awesome 3-1 lead in the ALCS, and then choke. Sabathia and Carmona, two stud pitchers, help gag it away.

It was already a pattern before 2007, and I kinda expected 2007 would end a similar way.

ab's random thoughts:

enjoy CC now cause' he is gone after this year...................
I hope Hafner returns to form;
I expect a HUGE year from Garko....

You're right. Time to tear it apart and start over.

btw, the team now, and last year, is light years better than 2004.

I never said they should tear the team apart.

I never said they weren't better than 2004.

If you don't expect this "core" to not choke, then why keep it together?


I know you didn't say that. I just don't think 2004, whether or not they have three or four of the same players now, means anything when looking at 2007 or 2008.

Sabathia was pitching strong in 2004 until they got within 1 game of first, then he went into a slump. Sabathia also went into a slump in the postseason in 2007 which didn't help at all. That doesn't mean we should just get rid of him, but its a big concern for this club for 2008, don't you think?

C.C. Sabathia to Cleveland Indians fans: "Have faith"
Posted by Paul Hoynes February 19, 2008 14:02PM
Cleveland.com

WINTER HAVEN, FLA. -- C.C. Sabathia, speaking today for the first time in spring training about his contract status, said it's not a sure thing that he'll leave Cleveland as a free agent at the end of this season.

It's been speculated that Sabathia would leave the Indians because he stopped negotiations on a contract extension before reporting to spring training last week.

"You have to have faith," said Sabathia. "Everyone here knows how I feel about this place and how much it means to me. I've been here since I was 17 years old.

"We'll have plenty of time after the season to get it done. I just don't feel now is the time or place to do that. This team is pretty much ready to get back to where it was last season. I want to focus on getting back and winning the division."

Sabathia announced Feb. 13, the day before pitchers and catchers reported to Chain of Lakes Park, on his web site that he would not negotiate with the Tribe until after the season.

"I've seen guys in here go through this the last couple of years and have it be a distraction," said Sabathia. "I refuse to let that happen to me. It's why I put the statement out and went about it the way I did."

Sabathia told his agents at the end of last season that if negotiations couldn't get done before camp opened this year, he didn't want to deal with it.

"A couple of years ago when I signed my extension, it was horrible," said Sabathia. "I was on the phone with the agent all night, not getting any sleep. Baseball is a tough enough game to play without that kind of distraction."

In April of 2005, the Indians exercised Sabathia's club option for 2006 and gave him a two-year extension through 2008. He'll make $11.2 million this year.

As for Johan Santana's six-year $123.1 million contract with the Mets, impacting his negotiations with the Indians, Sabathia said, "I can't comment on anything about his terms other than just to say I'm glad he's out of our division."

The Indians offered Sabathia a five-year deal, including a four-year extension through 2012, at the end of December. It apparently fell far short of what Sabathia and his agents want.

Regarding the possibility of fans reacting negatively to him, Sabathia said, "I hope not. I've put my heart on the line for this team, this organization and that city my whole career. I wouldn't expect for the fans to react negatively to that."

After Sabathia announced the negotiations were on hold, GM Mark Shapiro said it was highly unlikely that talks would be rekindled during the season.

Sabathia said Tuesday, "I don't care if my agents talk to the Indians during the season. I just don't want to hear about it."

Last year Sabathia went 19-7 and won the AL Cy Young award.

Somehow Fox Sports has the Indians as the favorite. I'm not sure I'm buying that. See you in the Playoffs.

But I'd rather be one game away from the World Series instead of watching the Yanks and Red Sox play with my team at home.

There is absolutely nothing special about at least getting to the cusp of a title for a city with 3 sports teams. Every single city of that ilk does so with regularity. You say it as if it is an actual accomplishment. It isn't. Its the bare minimum. If that is all you want, to be a game away, to get close, you're setting the bar incredibly low.

What IS shocking is for a city with 3 sports teams to not have a ring since 1964.

What IS shocking is for a city with 3 sports teams to not have a ring since 1964.

No it's not, especially for a mid-market like Cleveland.

Why? Two of those sports (NBA, NFL) have salary caps that attempt to level the playing field. Even MLB has its salary tax which is an attempt (albeit a feeble one) to create what a salary cap does. So, I'm not sure I buy your premise.

"You have to have faith". Please.

I'm waiting on pins and needles for his press conference stating "It's not about the money".

Don't forget about these nuggets:
"My dad's always been a Yankees fan." (I'm talking to you, Jason Giambi)
"I want to be closer to my family."
"I just want an opportunity to win a World Series."

"My wife is my rock"

Since I’m not a big follower of Rick Bauer's career, I'm having a little trouble getting into these early Spring Training games (though I did sit and watch the one against the Braves on DVR – with a 15-month-old with an ear infection on my lap – when they were nearly one-hit), I thought I'd provide some links on a situation that has barely been touched on…the C.C. contract situation!

While it’s not quite Sunday yet, both of them come via Sports Illustrated, first from Jon Heyman. A lot of it is items that have been addressed here (seemingly ad nauseum) or are quotes that would be expected from both parties, but it does provide some new information.
The highlights:


The Indians, whom he loves, this winter offered a four-year extension believed to be worth close to $20 million a year, which would have bumped his contract to five years and about $90 million. Meanwhile, Sabathia, who is to make $11.25 million this year, is thought to be seeking a significantly longer deal at $100 million-plus, exactly the sort of contract that would stretch the Indians' budget, which has been cleverly kept to the lower end of the mid-market range.

That’s a higher number than has been reported by the local media and translates into an extension in the range of four years and an extra $78.75M to get it close to the $90M number over the five years of the deal.
$18M per for 5 years? Sounds about right.

What’s interesting is that the $100M-plus number that Heyman references could only come in a contract that would run longer than 5 years…nothing to be surprised at, but interesting that it’s finally being reported correctly.

But whatever transpired in talks with Sabathia's representatives back in December seemed to convince some intimates that his chances to remain beyond this season are less than exceptional. Someone connected to the Indians lamented to me shortly after those talks in December, "No way he stays.''

Again, nothing too surprising, outside of the admission of someone in the organization that neither side will acquiesce to the demands of the other, meaning they’re two years apart (at least) in terms of the length of the deal.

Assuming the Indians can't bridge the gap of millions to keep him beyond this season, here are the three most likely landing spots, according to Heyman:

1. Yankees. Long seen as the most logical destination for Sabathia, the big reason they balked at Santana was their reluctance to part with top pitching prospects Phil Hughes and Ian Kennedy. Since it'll only cost them money (and draft choices), and Mike Mussina, Carl Pavano, Jason Giambi and Andy Pettitte could be coming off the books, they remain the favorite. A perfect replacement in case this is Pettitte's last year, a real possibility.
2. Dodgers. They can afford Sabathia, and they have a some age and injury questions in their rotation.
3. Giants. Pitching isn't their problem. And they already sunk $126 million into a left-hander (Zito). But they have the wherewithal and desire to win, and perhaps Sabathia has a hankering to go home.

For some reason, the Dodgers have always struck me as his most likely destination (sorry, for me it’s no longer Cleveland) due to the proximity to his home, his ability to hit in the NL (don’t ask me why I think this is important to him), and the fact that the Dodgers could certainly be looking to make the splash in Free Agency at some point that has been reserved in LA for the Angels.
Then again, maybe I'm just trying not to think of him in pinstripes.

The other piece that appears in this week’s print edition of SI, Ben Reiter contributes this piece about C.C. and the contract situation. Like Heyman’s piece, not too much is added but Reiter’s article puts a nice little ribbon on the whole situation and presents it fairly and accurately (despite quoting Paul Hoynes’ already infamous “Seven-Eleven line”). Although Reiter has different contract proposal information then Heyman (I believe Heyman on this, who seems a little more in tune with some sources), he examines why Sabathia may end up staying when it’s all said and done:

Shapiro could just be in denial, but perhaps he's not. He is looking ahead to a deep free-agent market for pitchers next year, possibly including John Lackey, Ben Sheets, Brad Penny, Rich Harden, A.J. Burnett, Oliver Perez, Derek Lowe, John Smoltz and Pedro Martinez, and that might hold down Sabathia's price. Another reason for Cleveland to hope, says one mid-market general manager, is that the Santana deal was an exceptional case. The price the Mets paid for the finest talent of this generation won't necessarily realign the broader market. "C.C. is one of the best young starting pitchers in the game, and he's going to get paid a lot of money," the G.M. says, "but there are not a lot of teams that want to spend $20 million a year for one player."

Maybe the Indians know the market better than we think. Perhaps they are aware of what C.C. may be looking at in terms of offers and feel that what they’re throwing out there is in line with what awaits him. I think that list of potential Free Agents is more relevant than people think, particularly if the Indians part ways with Sabathia. The likes of Lackey or Penny could slot below Sabathia and could be obtainable by the Indians, freed from the contractual commitments to Sabathia and Paul Byrd.

The other part of the article that I absolutely love:

Also on Cleveland's side is that the team's immediate future is bright. The Indians' other stars, including centerfielder Grady Sizemore, DH Travis Hafner, catcher Victor Martinez, shortstop Jhonny Peralta and starter Fausto Carmona, are signed through 2010, suggesting at least two more years of contention beyond this season. Observes Detroit Tigers outfielder Curtis Granderson, who last month signed a five-year, $30.25 million extension, "A change of scenery is not always the best thing, and he's in a very good situation right now."

Can someone put that quote on C.C.’s locker…even if it came from Detroit?

I know that providing these links is akin to beating a dead horse and I’m the one holding the whip. But, unfortunately for us in Cleveland, it takes the national perspective to provide nice summations of the situations without degenerating into comments about convenience store shopping lists.

Even before the season, Tigers-Indians rivalry already intensifying
John Lowe
Detroit Free Press
March 12, 2008

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. -- Cleveland Indians first baseman Ryan Garko was working out on the treadmill in December when the bulletin crawled across the TV screen.

The Tigers, second to the Indians in the American League Central last season, had traded for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis.

"When I saw that, I turned the treadmill up a couple of notches higher," Garko said. "I thought, 'We'd all better start working a little harder. The Tigers just raised the bar a little bit.' "

Cleveland infielder Josh Barfield was away from home when he heard about the trade.

"I remember thinking, 'There's no way that can be right,' " Barfield said. "I had to check it out on the Internet when I got home."

He learned Florida had sent Cabrera, the slugging third baseman, and Willis, the durable and energetic left-hander, to Detroit for six young players.

"It's a great deal for the Tigers," Barfield said recently at training camp.

Indians pitcher Paul Byrd said: "Cabrera and Willis are two young cornerstone players who can change a game all by themselves. Add those two to an already great lineup, and you have an All-Star team in Detroit."

There are no big newcomers in Cleveland's spring clubhouse to equal Cabrera, Willis and Edgar Renteria, the Tigers' new shortstop.

The Indians' one notable off-season acquisition was right-handed Japanese reliever Masahide Kobayashi.

But the Indians have all of their front-line folks back -- every everyday player, starting pitcher and top reliever who got them past the Tigers and into the postseason.

That means Rafael Betancourt is still in the bullpen. The Betancourt of last season was what the Tigers had with Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney in 2006. And he's exactly what the Tigers didn't have when Zumaya and Rodney were hurt or ineffective most of last season.

The Tigers lost several games last season they led in the seventh inning or later. Betancourt had a 1.47 ERA as the Tribe's top setup man. Betancourt issued six unintentional walks all season. That's one per month. He had 80 strikeouts. That's an unfathomable strikeout-walk ratio of better than 13-to-1.

"There is something special about his fastball -- it seems tough to put the barrel of the bat on it," said Cleveland designated hitter Travis Hafner. "He comes right after people. He throws strikes."

Betancourt was the only reliever in the majors who pitched throughout last season without allowing more than one run in a game.

But against the Tigers, he was better. His performance against them was the best by any reliever against any team in baseball. In 10 outings against the Tigers, Betancourt pitched 13 2/3 scoreless innings. Research done through baseball-reference.com shows it was the most innings any reliever pitched against any team last season without allowing a run.

Betancourt thinks he might have done so well because the scoreboard kept demanding it. "It seemed like every game we played the Tigers was close," he said.

The Indians won the season series against the Tigers, 12-6. That accounted for most of the eight-game gap between the clubs in the final standings. Many of the Tigers-Indians games were decided in the late innings -- typically when the Indians came back against Detroit's bullpen or when Betancourt held a lead.

Betancourt didn't land on anyone's 10-man ballot for American League MVP. But in the Tigers-Indians season series, he was the MVP.

The Tribe also made five notable additions during last season, all from their farm system. "Difference makers," manager Eric Wedge calls them.

They were starting pitcher Aaron Laffey, relievers Rafael Perez and Jensen Lewis, rightfielder Franklin Gutierrez, and, above all, second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera, who showed he could be a catalyst in all three phases: hitting, defense and baserunning. Once all five got in place in Cleveland, the Indians began to pull away from the Tigers.

This season, Cabrera and Gutierrez remain in the lineup, and Perez and Lewis will stay in the bullpen. Laffey might be the fifth starter.

"This will be their first full year, and they will have a whole new set of challenges," Wedge said. "It's always different coming up with some momentum out of Triple-A during the season versus having expectations for your first full season. But they understand that."

The Indians, who won 96 games last year to tie Boston for most regular-season victories, are speaking the same language this spring that manager Jim Leyland wants the amped-up Tigers to speak: Regardless of talent, the path to the postseason is by playing right, one game at a time.

Byrd, who has pitched for six teams, said: "I do like our team. If we don't worry about other people and just do the things we do well and play defense and get guys over, I think we're going to win a lot of games. I'm excited."

Said Garko: "It's about being consistent this year. Continuing to pitch well and play defense and, hopefully, improve offensively. It's also important to focus on the day-to-day aspect. We can't get caught up in the September run to the championship in April. We need to focus on our first game against the White Sox."

That will be March 31 in Cleveland. On the same day, the Tigers open the season at home against Kansas City. It could be cold that day on the Great Lakes, as cold as it would be for postseason ball in October. In between for the Indians and Tigers lies a long summer's path that, like Garko's treadmill, could get steeper and steeper.

From the DiaTribe yesterday:



Trust me, I'm not holding my breath, but it is something to hold on to.

Buster Olney has some thoughts on the matter w/ Rizzo.

http://espncleveland.com/audio/podcasts.shtml


Time to start concentrating on the field and forget about this mess, or at least the mess that will come down the road next Fall.

I would love to see Brodzoski (The Close) get dumped and Betencourt as the closer and Elerton in the pen.

The DiaTribe has a nice photoshopped picture of his "new" jersey. JoeBo is now "The Close"...

Good write-ups on the Indians as a whole, and Hafner and Sabathia individually in this week's Sporting News. Anyone know how Hafner is doing this spring?

Very good.

.333/.484/.583/1.067...only 1 hr...but 3 doubles...and a bunch of RBI.

Last year I think he hit about .200 with no homers.

Looks like it's official....Cliff Lee #5 starter.

Yes, it's official.
How about Westbrook today- 6 perfect innings with 8 strikeouts.

And remembering back to the offseason thread, I said it was ridiculus that we picked up Fultz's team option. Now we cut him before the season starts. Wasted money right there. Might need to cut bait with Dellucci too, although he's signed thru 09 I believe.

Will be at the Civil Rights game this Saturday in Memphis where the Indians will be facing the Cardinals.

$75/seat for 12th row center behind home..... steep but worth every penny given getting to see MLB in the tiny AutoZone park.

Will post my take on how everyone's looking after the game.

There, Shapiro could look at an Indians team well positioned to make another run at the World Series, a defending division champion with stars in the starting rotation, the bullpen, center field and at catcher. Shapiro also could see a team that should be competitive for years to come. These Indians are not built only for today.

''I'm not looking for us to be here today and gone tomorrow,'' manager Eric Wedge said as the 2008 season approached. ''I said that from Day One. We're looking to sustain a level of championship play.''

Shapiro would argue that the team has done just that the past three years.

In 2005, the Indians won 93 games.

In 2006, they won 78 games because of a bullpen collapse, but Shapiro points out that the team's run differential was plus-88 and its starting pitching and run scoring were among the best in baseball.

In 2007, the Indians won 96 games and went to the American League Championship Series.

The team's run, Shapiro said, already has started.

''We're right in the middle of it, probably,'' he said. ''You really have to look at '05 as the beginning.''




Shapiro concedes that there is a frailty to the Indians' situation every year, especially because of their financial position. The Indians are not the New York Yankees, who have led the major leagues in payroll each of the past seven years. The Indians must be more careful and judicious in the ways they spend money, making their margin of error slim and their challenge that much greater.

But the Indians' position the next few years is summed up this way: The only major player whom they could lose to free agency is starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia.

''We're forced to confront decisions every year,'' Shapiro said. ''We don't lose much next year. We lose one core player next year . . . maybe not. But then the two years that follow we lose almost no one — and none of our core players.

''The biggest challenge that we've got over the next four years, the three years that follow this one, is how we handle losing C.C., if we lose him.''

It would appear the Indians already are prepared. Fausto Carmona could step into the No. 1 starter's role. Jake Westbrook could move up. Cliff Lee has been more like his old self this spring. And the Indians have Adam Miller, Aaron Laffey and Jeremy Sowers in the minors.

Talk to Sabathia, though, and he says how much he enjoys being part of the Indians' run. The future, to hear him talk, is in Cleveland.

''We went through the whole rebuilding deal, but I think we're at the start,'' Sabathia said. ''With the silent confidence we have, we know that if we can play our brand of baseball we can beat anybody.''

It's not easy to build a championship team, but the Indians turned things around in a hurry. They started rebuilding in 2002, and by 2005 were one game from the playoffs. Compare that to the Kansas City Royals, who have been near .500 once since 2002, or the Baltimore Orioles, who have not won more than 78 games in the same years.

Only two teams have repeated as World Series champions in the past 30 years.

In the past three seasons, six American League teams have played in the AL Championship Series.

The Chicago White Sox have not been back to the playoffs since winning the World Series in 2005.

The Detroit Tigers went to the World Series two years ago and missed the playoffs last season.

Only five of the 14 AL teams have won 90 games in two of the past three seasons. The Indians are among that list.

In the 13 years of the AL Division Series, only three teams have made seven appearances. Two of them are the big spenders: the Yankees and the Boston Red Sox.

The third? Your Indians.

Most of those playoff appearances came, though, in the heydey of the '90s. At that time, the Indians, buttressed by sellout after sellout, were in the top five in league payroll. This team is in the bottom third of league payroll, yet it has won and appears ready to keep winning.

The job of maintaining is complex. The Indians conduct studies, compile charts, make sure contracts are staggered, conduct revenue projections and try to determine industry trends to ensure they are ahead of the game.

''There isn't much that's available to us that we don't look at,'' Shapiro said.

Being good, though, means picking lower in the amateur baseball draft.

''That's probably our single greatest challenge that no one realizes,'' Shapiro said.

Since 1995, the Indians have had only one occasion to pick in the top 10. Compare that to the Tigers (six picks in the top eight since 1996), Minnesota Twins (three in the top two since '96) and Oakland A's (four in the top 10 from '95-'99).

The baseball draft does not get the publicity of the NFL Draft, and baseball drafts do not produce immediate major-leaguers. To Shapiro, however, they're vital, especially to a team in a market such as the Indians, because they never can and never will be able to count on free agency in the present financial environment.

Shapiro said a player taken in the top five of the draft should be a core player, one taken in the top 10 a starter. He said the difference between picking in the top five and 25 to 30 ''in terms of chance of impact and level of impact is dramatic.''

That forces the team to supplement its minor leagues via trade. The Indians missed when they dealt second baseman Brandon Phillips, but they have made some huge acquisitions via trade, including second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and designated hitter Travis Hafner.

Shapiro called it creative compensation, which he tries to use in the international markets and in the draft as well.

He also has to look very closely at the character of the people he signs. The Indians simply cannot afford to give big money to a player whose off-field behavior affects the team.

In that regard, the Indians have been very successful.

''It's very unique,'' said pitcher Paul Byrd, who has been with six organizations in his career. ''Young guys, old guys. Guys with a lot of experience, guys with only a year or half a year. It's just a really nice blend of guys — with great chemistry.

''I don't know if there's a formula to put together chemistry, but Mark Shapiro has definitely assembled it here.''

What helps most is that the team's best players, its leaders — players like Hafner, Sabathia, catcher Victor Martinez and center fielder Grady Sizemore — are also the ones without obvious egos.

''It's very rare to have the quality of personality, quality of people and quality of talent on the field together,'' Byrd said.

Sabathia said the chemistry is a product of growing up together, of rebuilding together. He said a player with ego would stand out, and not in a positive way.

''For any guy to come in here and have an ego would be weird,'' he said.

Add the pieces, and the picture is a bright one. The situation of any team can change in a hurry, but the Indians appear in the midst of, or on the verge of, fielding a team that could be good for years to come.

''We won 93 games a couple years ago,'' Wedge said. ''We won 96 games last year. That's pretty good.

''We went a lot further last year than a couple years ago. We still want to go further than that.

''We'll see.''

Stark: 93-69 2nd (behind Detroit)
Kurkjian: 94-68 1st
Olney: 97-65 1st
Law: 94-68 1st
Phillips: 92-70 2nd (behind Detroit)