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Two lengthy articles by Anthony Castrovince that I felt should be posted together. Good reads, IMO. I highlighted in red anything that looked like new news (there isn't much at this time) or points of interest.
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'Reloading' Tribe looking to build in 2010
Indians eyeing future with young lineup, uncertain rotation
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
01/01/10 10:00 AM EST
The Indians, indisputably, have their fair share of question marks as the New Year dawns.
What follows is a quick look at some of the more important questions -- 10 for 2010 -- pertaining to a Tribe team that underwent dramatic changes last year.
1. What kind of manager is Manny Acta?
We know he's personable, and we know he's enthusiastic about guiding this young ballclub. But Acta, the former Nationals skipper who is taking over for Eric Wedge and has a three-year guarantee in his contract, has managed a rebuilding ballclub before and had very little success at this level. Acta believes he learned from his experiences in Washington, and he believes he can help mold the Tribe's youngsters into a contending ballclub.
2. Can Fausto Carmona get back on track?
The Indians took the drastic step of demoting Carmona, a former 19-game winner, all the way to the Arizona Rookie League in June 2009. The experiment didn't exactly produce immediate results. Carmona worked his way up the Minor League ladder and returned to the Tribe in the second half, but his command problems continued. The Indians were encouraged by the two strong starts Carmona turned in at season's end, and they hope he eked some positives out of his stint in the Dominican Winter League. Helping Carmona return to form as a reliable arm near the top of the rotation will be among new pitching coach Tim Belcher's top priorities.
3. Will Michael Brantley supplant Grady Sizemore in the leadoff spot?
With Sizemore's season cut short by surgery, Brantley burst onto the big league scene in a big way in September. He hit safely in his first eight Major League games and took over Sizemore's leadoff duties. Brantley reached safely in 25 of his 28 games played. Acta has already declared a healthy Sizemore his likely leadoff hitter at the outset of the season. But considering Sizemore's power and run-production potential and Brantley's September success, it's possible Sizemore will slide down and Brantley (the likely regular in left field) will be bumped back up by the second half of the season. It all depends on how well Brantley adjusts to Major League pitchers who will now have a book on him.
4. Will Jake Westbrook be ready to lead the rotation?
Westbrook, who had Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery performed in June 2008, had two setbacks in his recovery that prevented him from pitching in the big leagues in 2009. Yet, because of the Tribe's youth movement, Westbrook projects as the club's Opening Day starter and No. 1 arm in 2010. Westbrook is 32 years old, and there's no guarantee he'll find the form that once made him a dependable arm. But he pitched in the Puerto Rican Winter League in December to get his mechanics in order. If Westbrook pitches well and the Indians are out of contention come July, the veteran right-hander could become trade bait in this final year of his contract.
5. Which young arms will step up in the rotation?
If the Indians are going to be successful in their "reloading" plan, they're going to need to see their young rotation options develop into reliable Major Leaguers. Aaron Laffey has had flashes of brilliance at this level, but the Indians would like to see more consistency. Justin Masterson has good stuff, but his transition from the Red Sox bullpen to the Tribe rotation last summer left quite a bit to be desired. David Huff led the Tribe in wins as a rookie in '09, but he also had his share of rocky outings. Jeremy Sowers, out of Minor League options, has to use Spring Training to shake the label that he's better off in long relief. Carlos Carrasco and Hector Rondon will likely begin the season at Triple-A Columbus but could impact the rotation in the near future.
6. Following two offseason surgeries, what's in store for Matt LaPorta?
LaPorta is recovering from surgeries on his left hip and left big toe. He might be behind in Spring Training and possibly at the start of the regular season. If that's the case, then the door could open for Andy Marte or Jordan Brown, or the Tribe could seek help from outside the organization. Once LaPorta is back up to speed, the Indians hope the key acquisition in the 2008 CC Sabathia trade will become an intimidating presence in the middle of the order. LaPorta, in just his second full professional season, got his first taste of the big leagues in 2009 and showed some encouraging signs at the plate. In the field, he's expected to make more of a full-time transition from left field to first base.
7. Will the Tribe keep Kerry Wood?
The Indians signed Wood to a two-year, $20.5 million contract a year ago because they expected to be a contender. Now that the club is geared more toward development than contention for 2010, the remaining $10.5 million guarantee on Wood's deal sticks out like a sore thumb. Because his contract is currently hard to move, the Indians are expected to keep Wood for the first half, then shop him at or before the July Trade Deadline. They must also keep a close eye on his usage, as he receives an $11 million guarantee for 2011 if he finishes 55 games this season.
8. When will Travis Hafner prove his worth?
Thus far, the contract extension the Indians agreed to with the man known as Pronk in 2007 has been a burden on the Tribe's books. Hafner has spent more time nursing a sore shoulder than driving in runs. Now that he's more than a year removed from arthroscopic surgery on the shoulder, Hafner is hopeful that everyday play will allow him to get closer to his 2006 production. The Indians sure hope so, too, because they still owe Hafner another $40.25 million between now and 2013.
9. When will Carlos Santana reach Cleveland?
With both Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach dealt elsewhere in '09, the Indians have a young prospect ready to assume the catching duties in Lou Marson. But it's Santana who projects as the Tribe's catcher of the future, and his progress at Triple-A Columbus will be monitored closely. The run-producing, switch-hitting Santana suffered a broken hamate bone in his right hand during winter ball, so he might be a bit behind in camp and he could see some power loss this season. The Indians, though, expect Santana to be in the big league mix before September.
10. In a weak division, do the Indians have the pieces to contend?
When general manager Mark Shapiro pulled the trigger on the Cliff Lee trade last year, he admitted that contention in 2010 was unlikely. It's difficult to dispute that notion, particularly given the Tribe's rotation situation. Still, hope springs eternal in baseball, and hope is not hard to come by in the AL Central Division. After all, the Twins claimed the division crown last year with just 87 wins. The Indians should have a lineup that produces runs. If they find a rotation formula that works (admittedly, it's a big "if"), they might be able to stay in the thick of things.
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Inbox: What will bullpen look like in '10?
MLB.com's Castrovince answers your Tribe questions
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
01/04/10 2:15 PM EST
Major Leaguers have many decisions made for them. When they look at the calendar, they see the schedule-makers have laid out their travel itinerary. When they come to work, their predetermined attire is hanging in their locker. And when they finish a game, the clubhouse cook has already selected and prepared their dinner.
So it is with New Year's resolutions, which I have taken the liberty of providing for a handful of members of the Tribe:
Jake Westbrook: You're penciled in for Opening Day. Put it in ink.
Fausto Carmona: Leave the Goodyear (Ariz.) player-development complex at the end of Spring Training. Do not return midseason.
Travis Hafner: Four games played in a row would be nice, Pronk. And if you return to the old days of driving in 100 runs, you can keep the WWE championship belt.
Jhonny Peralta: Now that you know you're on the hot corner, avoid another cold start.
Shin-Soo Choo: Make them say, "Chooooo!"
Lou Marson: Make them say, "Louuuuu!"
Manny Acta: By all means, keep sporting that fedora. But make winning seem like old hat.
And my personal resolution is to continue to use this space to answer your Tribe-related queries. So let's get to it in this first Inbox of 2010.
What's in store for the bullpen depth chart? Does David Huff figure into the 'pen at all?
-- John N., Cleveland
If I had to guess the Opening Day composition of the bullpen, I'd say it includes Kerry Wood as the closer, Chris Perez as the primary setup man and Rafael Perez, Tony Sipp, Joe Smith, Jason Grilli (currently a non-roster invitee) and Jensen Lewis in there in some capacity.
But it's Jan. 4. By April 4, we'll know more about Rule 5 pickup Hector Ambriz, non-roster invitee Saul Rivera and trade pickup Mitch Talbot (who will initially compete for a starting spot but could factor into the 'pen). We'll also know whether the Indians view Jeremy Sowers as a bullpen possibility if he doesn't crack the rotation.
Keep in mind that the Indians have Minor League options remaining on Jess Todd, Lewis, Sipp and Smith. Of that group, I'd say Smith and Sipp are, at present, the safest to remain in the bigs, while Todd and Lewis are more likely to get optioned out, should it come to that.
And to answer your second question, Huff does not figure into the bullpen. He'll compete for a rotation spot, and, if he doesn't land one, he'll begin the year in the Triple-A Columbus rotation.
Assuming that he returns in good health and has a productive spring camp, what is the likelihood the Tribe will trade Grady Sizemore by the end of Spring Training or by the Trade Deadline?
-- John F., no location given
I wouldn't initiate the Sizemore swap watch just yet, John. While Grady's trade value is inherently high, it is not quite as high as it might usually be, as he's coming off an injury-plagued '09 in which his numbers took a hit. Furthermore, the Tribe has him locked up through 2012, so the incentive to deal him and his affordable contract (he'll make $5.6 million this year and $7.5 million in 2011, with a club option in '12 worth as much as $10.5 million) just isn't there at present.
But beginning next year, multiple factors -- most notably Sizemore's performance, the team's performance and the development of Michael Brantley -- will coalesce to force the Tribe to determine whether Sizemore is available to other clubs. And by midseason 2012, at the absolute latest, the Indians will have to decide if they want to take advantage of Sizemore's trade value, because, as I've written several times before, it's difficult to imagine him signing his next multiyear deal here.
Any chance the Indians could make a run at someone coming off injury but with a huge upside like Ben Sheets? Sheets would be a nice addition, assuming he can show his velocity is back. I know our payroll is extremely limited, but our pitching staff needs a lot of help.
-- Reid, Norwalk, Ohio
The Indians have a history of signing injured pitchers at a discount and rehabbing them with the hope that they can find some semblance of their old form. So ordinarily, I'd say they might kick the tires on a Sheets or a Chien-Ming Wang. But given the club's economic circumstances and the focus on internal player development, I wouldn't expect such activity this offseason.
It was reported elsewhere that the Indians would probably listen to any trade offers for Carmona. Any truth to this?
-- Kevin F., Wadsworth, Ohio
Well, yeah. When you owe a guy $11 million over the next two seasons and he's coming off a two-year span in which he walked more guys (140) than he struck out (137) while posting a 5.89 ERA in the process, you tend to be open-minded about trade possibilities.
But the Indians simply wouldn't get a worthwhile return for Carmona at this juncture. They're better off continuing to try to fix him and turn him back into a top-of-the-rotation arm.
How do you think Acta will cooperate with general manager Mark Shapiro? Do you think there could be some potential clashing if Acta doesn't appreciate as much input from Shapiro and the front office as there is likely to be?
-- Chris P., Peoria, Ariz.
I don't think Shapiro and company would have selected Acta if they didn't think they could work with him the way they worked with Eric Wedge. That's why it was so surprising -- to me, anyway -- that Bobby Valentine was a finalist for this job. Perhaps it's an unfair assertion on my part, but it seemed difficult to imagine Valentine going along with that kind of input.
Anyway, it's already obvious that the front office had a strong voice in the selection of Acta's coaching staff, as the pitching-coach spot -- arguably the most important position on the staff, given the team's direction -- was filled in-house by Tim Belcher, as were the hitting-coach (Jon Nunnally) and bullpen-coach (Scott Radinsky) posts.
Acta, for the record, has seen this happen before, as his second coaching staff in Washington (the first was all but dissolved after his first two seasons at the helm) was created with a great deal of influence from the front office.
For now, Acta appears to be in "happy to be here" mode, and that tends to lead to agreeability. Both sides have a lot riding on the success of this relationship and, of course, the end results on the field.
When talking about the Cliff Lee trade to Philly and then Philly to Seattle, one thing that gets overlooked in the discussion always seems to be that we also dealt Ben Francisco. So, we didn't get four prospects for Lee. We got four prospects for Lee and Francisco.
-- Keith K., Westlake, Ohio
True. Francisco was viewed as a "throw-in" at the time of the trade, though the Phillies had him in their starting lineup in two World Series games. He has value as a fourth outfielder, particularly in the National League. The Indians' outfield depth made Francisco expendable.
In the grand scheme of things, the trade will be remembered as the one that shipped Lee to Philly for four prospects. And even without the inclusion of Francisco in that sentence, it's too early to tell if the Indians got enough in the deal. The early returns obviously leave a bit to be desired.
Are the Indians planning on doing the annual media tour in January? Usually there has been some information out before Christmas on this great PR event that the Indians do, but I have yet to see anything on it.
-- Josh C., Holmesville, Ohio
The tour will take place over a three-day span -- Jan. 26-28 -- and will include stops in Akron, Youngstown, Ashtabula, Toledo, Sandusky, Mansfield, Columbus, Lima, Wooster, Elyria and Erie (Pa.). Full details will be announced soon.
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