The Cleveland Indians front office has admitted that the 2009 season was a mess. After making a series of moves over the winter to put this team in contention, the ballclub got off to a slow start in April, and was virtually out of the race by the beginning of June. What could GM Mark Shapiro have done in retrospect to avoid the situation the Tribe is in right now?
We know this is a total second guess.
Shapiro invested a lot of cash into a closer, signing Kerry Wood to an estimated $10 million per year contract. After last year’s relief problems, this seems like a logical move. However, Jensen Lewis converted 13 straight save opportunities late last season, so was this really a need? I understand the logic, but Wood has struggled this season, and you have to ask the question of whether or not this money was wasted.
The Indians were banking on Fausto Carmona returning to his 2007 form, when he won 19 games, to bolster their starting rotation. They signed Carl Pavano as a free agent, but he should have been thought of as a 5th starter, not plopped into the third spot where he started the season.
Sure, Shapiro theoretically improved the bullpen, but the rotation was left in tatters.
Would Shapiro have been better suited adding a veteran reliable starting pitcher, think Jon Garland, instead of going for the marquee closer? It could have been done via free agency or a trade.
Besides, as former GM John Hart used to say, closers fall out of trees. Look at Seattle this year. There is no way they thought David Aardsma would be their closer at the beginning of the year. Yet, he made the all-star team and is among the league leaders in saves this season.
Having another veteran starter would have reduced the need for Carmona to pitch like an ace, and getting an innings eater would have eased the work put on the bullpen. Remember, Carmona was struggling to get to the seventh inning, and Anthony Reyes was working just five or six innings per start. When Aaron Laffey was called up a week into the season, he was at least able to get through six frames.
Would the pitching woes have been abated if the Indians had spent $10 million on starting pitching instead of a closer? We will never know. But, we do know this, having a good closer for a bad team is a big waste of money. It makes you wonder if Wood will open the 2010 season wearing a Cleveland uniform.
NOTES: Jose Veras is the latest reliever to get his walking papers as he was designated for assignment, and the other pitcher picked up in the Mark DeRosa trade, Jess Todd, was called up…Chris Gimenez is a nice player, a good utility guy, but he should be sent back to Columbus (or get rid of a pitcher, the team now has 13) in order to have Matt LaPorta playing everyday in LF…It seems like the skipper is back to his old habits with relief pitchers. Tony Sipp has now pitched in three of the last four games. There was no need to bring him in yesterday trailing 9-0…Nice to see Jensen Lewis back here giving up the long ball.
KM
Cleveland Sports Perspective 