The Cleveland Indians are reeling. They have lost 14 of their last 23 games, and fortunately for them the Tigers are having problems as well, so the team remains just one game out in the AL Central. The Tribe also did not make any moves at the trading deadline, as GM Mark Shapiro deemed the cost for relievers like Octavio Dotel and Eric Gagne too high. Only time will tell if he is right. However, the ballclub’s roster still has problems that were not addressed at the deadline.
I was already to rant and rave about the front office’s inability to make a decision on Fernando Cabrera, but he was designated for assignment after last night’s 3-1 loss to Texas. Aaron Fultz will be activated today to take his roster spot, giving the team a second lefty in the bullpen. They still have Mike Rouse on the team, thus giving Eric Wedge no options on the infield if someone needs a rest or is simply not hitting. The ABJ’s Terry Pluto advocates bringing up Luis Rivas from Buffalo. Rivas played for Minnesota a few years ago, hitting around .250, or about 120 points higher than Rouse. He has spent most of this year playing SS at Triple A. He would make a more useful bench player for the skipper.
If you look at the history of the Shapiro-Wedge partnership, this isn’t unusual. There is normally dead weight on the roster, mostly because of the manager’s reluctance to play someone. Cabrera was that guy on the pitching staff this year, although Wedge’s hesitance was due to the pitcher’s inability to get people out. In the past that player has been the utility infielder (John McDonald or Ramon Vazquez). I don’t think much of Chicago’s Ozzie Guillen as a manager, but he makes use of every man on his roster. There is no dead weight there. I think the Indians play at a disadvantage at time, because they really only have a 23 or 24 man team. The minute the manager loses confidence in a player, that guy needs to go.
Another weakness of the organization is the hording of prospects, sometimes past the date of maximum value. This paints Shapiro into a corner, and that’s where bad decisions are made. Think of Brandon Phillips. He was out of options, and no move with was made until the end of spring training. The return on Phillips was far less than it would have been had he been dealt over the winter. It seems the same thing is occuring with Andy Marte. Look at the young outfielders on the big league roster and the top two levels of the minors: Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco, Brad Snyder, Trevor Crowe, and Brian Barton. You only can play three at a time, yet Shapiro is unwilling to part with one of them to improve a team with playoff aspirations.
I understand the Tribe needs to continue to develop prospects because they don’t have the unlimited resources of the Yankees and Red Sox. They need to have more than one option at each position. But, you also have to take advantage of a chance to make the playoffs when the opportunity is there. With two legitimate aces at the top of the rotation, a better chance might not come along for awhile. I think Mark Shapiro does an outstanding job, but sometimes front office people can fall in love with their prospects.
In the meantime, Gutierrez needs to play. Another fielding mistake by Nixon, a veteran, missing a cut off man, assisted the Rangers in getting two runs last night. This miscue, plus an error by Casey Blake, cost Fausto Carmona two runs. When you aren’t hitting, these errors, both mental and physical, come back to bite you. As the page is turned to start August, the Cleveland Indians need to make a fresh start, and their manager needs to play the best players, whether or not they have experience.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 