The front office of the Cleveland Indians was optimistic in spring training about how the 2011 season would turn out.
They liked the way their pitching staff finished the year, and thought guys like Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin, and Carlos Carrasco could be effective major league starters.
Then, the Tribe got off to a red-hot start, winning 30 of their first 45 games, and the team looked like one that had post-season aspirations.
Since then, the Indians have lost 20 of 30 games, and now sit at just five games above the .500 mark. But they are still tied for first place with Detroit with the halfway point of the season a week away.
What should they do at the July 31st trading deadline?
Well, in a month’s time, the Indians’ season could be very different. They could be firmly in first place, still battling with Detroit and/or Chicago, or they could be out of the race.
However, right now, they are very much contenders, and they owe it to the players on the roster and to their fans to do everything they can to try to win right now, even though they may be a year or two ahead of schedule.
It’s premature to start thinking of trading some of Cleveland’s top prospects to help a pennant drive. Forget about dealing players such as Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, Alex White (who is currently injured), and Drew Pomerantz.
Those players are the foundation for what hopefully will be years of post-season contention by the organization.
GM Chris Antonetti can look to move some decent prospects to help fill the current holes on the roster, but the problem there is finding a trade partner.
A current look at the American League standings show no team is more than 10 games out of first place, and only five clubs are more than five games out.
So, there aren’t many AL teams looking to tell their fans that it is time to look toward 2012.
In the National League, four teams (Marlins, Cubs, Astros, and Padres) are more than 10 games out of first, and the Mets and Dodgers are 9-1/2 out.
Those might be teams looking to trade players on the last year of their contracts. A lot of speculation has centered on Padres OF Ryan Ludwick, who is a good right-handed bat, and may be available.
Another player to try to get would be Cubs OF Reed Johnson, a fourth outfielder type who has had good success against left-handed pitching.
The point is this, it’s easy to say the Indians should go out and make a trade, but there aren’t a lot of teams ready to call it a season and trade veteran players.
Therefore, it is incumbent on the front office to go to the minor leagues for some help, because it is clear that there is need for improvement, particularly now that Shin-Soo Choo will be out for at least six weeks.
Players like Luis Valbuena deserve a shot to be more productive with the bat that the Austin Kearns and Adam Everetts of the world. Valbuena, who suffered through a horrible season with the Tribe last year, is hitting .314 with 10 HR and 49 RBI and a 892 OPS at Columbus.
As for Everett, he could be replaced soon by Jason Donald, who spent much of last year with the Indians.
If the Indians continue to hover around first place in a month, there won’t be much of a debate. The Tribe management will need to do something to bolster the team for the stretch run. If they don’t, more questions will enter the minds of the fans regarding the current ownership.
MW
Cleveland Sports Perspective 