Shopping Spree

As this extremely poor class of free agents in Major League Baseball gets overpaid by a hungry group of teams looking to do anything to compete, the Cleveland Indians have been fairly conservative. No big deals to bolster the starting pitching, not a fat contract to shore up the back end of the bullpen, and no superstar to boost the Tribe into the playoffs. Evidently, GM Mark Shapiro and the rest of the Indians braintrust seems to think they have what they need already. And wouldn't you know it, I think they may just be right.
Now, do not get me wrong here, Cleveland has not been a bystander this offseason, not by any stretch of the imagination. Sky is the limit prospect Kevin Kouzmanoff, who looked downright incredible at Akron and Buffalo last summer before his September callup (which was equally impressive), was shipped out to San Diego for a young second baseman, Josh Barfield. This deal signified two things to Tribe fans. First, Andy Marte is being counted on as the future at third base after coming around in late September. Secondly, hustle guy Joe Inglett is going to see significantly less time on the field. Now, Shapiro is probably right about Marte; his potential is downright scary. I am not quite sold on Barfield, at least until I see him take the field, but anything he can do with the bat will be a huge plus over seeing Hector Luna swing at air. I just hope to see Inglett make the club as the utility man come Spring Training; he made the games last summer fun to watch, even after they were out of contention.
Earlier today, David Dellucci signed a three-year deal to be the starter in left field, alongside rising star CF Grady Sizemore and, most likely, Shin Soo Choo in right. He will be getting about $3.5 million a year for the next three years, and his signing pushes last year's starter in left, Jason Michaels, to either a platoon with Choo, or full-fledged fourth outfielder status. Michaels is great and all, but it will be nice to see a little more production at the plate from left field.
Barring an Eric Gagne signing, I do not expect much more movement in the free agent market from Cleveland, but do not be surprised to see more trades in an effort to upgrade the bullpen. The pitching overall is solid, but the 8th and 9th innings were quite the adventure after not resigning Bobby Howry and trading Bob Wickman. There is some depth in the minor leagues for the Tribe to dip into in order to improve at the big league level, but even given this, I don't foresee anything earth shaking. There simply are not that many good options available out there.
So, as it sits now, here is what the Opening Day roster should look like:
C-Victor Martinez (backup: Kelly Shoppach)
1B-Ryan Garko/Casey Blake platoon (Garko will be starting outright by summer)
2B-Josh Barfield
SS-Jhonny Peralta (Joe Inglett will see time at both middle infield spots, as will Hector Luna)
3B-Andy Marte (Blake can slide over to give Marte a day off here and there)
LF-David Dellucci
CF-Grady Sizemore
RF-Shin Soo Choo/Jason Michaels (Choo will gradually force Michaels to duty as a full time sub)
DH-Travis Hafner

Starters:
C.C. Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Jeremy Sowers, Jake Westbrook, Paul Byrd
-This group should be (barring injury) one of the top staffs in baseball, as it was in the second half of 2006, and Sabathia and Lee will be Cy Young contenders.

Bullpen:
Anyone's guess, to be honest. Tom Mastny, Jason Davis, and Edwin Mujica should be a part of whatever corps they throw together, but no one really won a role last year. The closer will most likely come from those three though. Brian Sikorski pitched well enough after being picked up off waivers, and Juan Lara and Fernando Cabrera will be in the mix, as will the venerable Fausto Carmona. Unless a trade is made or some of them have seriously developed in the offseason, this crew will continue to be a source of headaches for Eric Wedge.

A lot can indeed happen between now and April, and then during a 162-game schedule, but the future is bright in Cleveland. The two keys will be continuous improvement from their young position players and developing even a decent bullpen. If Ryan Garko, Josh Barfield, Andy Marte, and Shin Soo Choo can build on their debuts in 2006 and stay away from sophomore slumps, it will go a long way towards keeping the Indians in the playoff hunt. Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, and Travis Hafner are all proven players, so if the young guns step up to it, this will again be a team that scores plenty of runs. With Sizemore, Choo, Barfield, and Marte, look for a little more speed on the basepaths as well. The starting pitching will have the occasional bad outing during a long season, but they are top notch. All of the scoring and oppressive starting pitching will allow the Tribe a shot at the postseason, but all will be naught without a much better bullpen. The AL Central is far too good to let bad hurling in relief slide by and win the division. So, until then, I, for one, will be praying that Wedge and Shapiro learn how to catch lightning in a bottle before Opening Day.