As the season sails away further and further with another blown save by Joe Borowski, the time to start the tryout camp for 2009 draws near. The first bit of business for GM Mark Shapiro is C.C. Sabathia. If the reigning Cy Young Award winner is interested in re-opening negotiations before the trading deadline, which is doubtful, Shapiro and the Dolan family have to make a determination they can sign him to a long-term deal. If the big lefty doesn’t want to talk during the season, the Indians have no choice but to make a mega-deal.
I am a firm believer in the “can’t do any worse” theory, particularly in sports. For example, since I have mentioned Joe Borowski, why doesn’t Eric Wedge try Masa Kobayashi as the closer, since he “can’t do any worse” than JoeBo’s four blown saves in 10 opportunities. He certainly could do the same as the man who led the AL in saves last season, but it is virtually impossible to do any worse. The added bonus is you might find out that Kobayashi can do the job better.
With that in mind, there are several moves the front office can make prior to a possible huge trade involving Sabathia. The first involves the DH spot, where David Dellucci has proved to be a bust. Giving the 34-year-old extended at-bats doesn’t do anything for the Tribe’s future. The veteran received the benefit of the doubt last season because of injuries, but his numbers this year should not earn him any more playing time. Why not bring up Michael Aubrey to take these opportunities, or maybe even Jordan Brown who has been hot at Buffalo? A left-handed hitter, Brown is up to .290 at Class AAA. He has just three home runs, but has banged out 20 doubles. As an added bonus, he doesn’t strike out a lot, whiffing just 37 times in 238 at-bats.
Besides making Kobayashi the closer, there are some moves to make with the bullpen as well. Why not take a look at Jeff Stevens, the pitcher acquired from the Reds in the Brandon Phillips transaction? The right-hander had his first bad outing at Buffalo the other day, which raised his ERA to 5.40 at the AAA level. However, he has struck out 22 batters in 13-1/3 innings, and opposing batters are hitting just .204 against him. Why not give him a shot at closing? Heck, last night, the Rays used Twins reject Grant Balfour to close out a win against the Red Sox.
Besides C.C., another Indian that should be popular on the trade market is 3B Casey Blake, who is having a solid year and can play four positions. That would leave an opening at the hot corner, and apparently the management has no intention of filling the spot with Andy Marte. One possibility that should be looked at is moving Jhonny Peralta to 3B, and replacing him with Asdrubal Cabrera, who has a better glove. Peralta drives people crazy, but will provide the team with 20 HR, and his lack of range shouldn’t be an issue at third. Wes Hodges, who is hitting over .300 at Class AA Akron, is another option.
The Cleveland Indians are sitting at 10 games below the .500 mark, and 11-1/2 games out of first place. They are in last place in the AL Central Division. The management of this team needs to stop wasting time wishing that it is still 2007, and start looking at some alternatives. The fans would also enjoy seeing new people try to succeed rather than watching another summer rerun.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 