Tribe Needs to Weather Schedule Storm

Everyone is aware that the Cleveland Indians are going through a tough patch right now, having lost 12 of their last 16 games. Their next nine games are against three teams that going into the season, most experts regarded as prime contenders to win the World Series: the Tigers, Rangers, and Nationals.

That will end a brutal stretch were the Tribe also played the Yankees, Red Sox, Reds, and Rays. That’s a tough schedule for any team.

However, the only teams that really beat up on Cleveland were the Bronx Bombers and their friends from the AL East, the BoSox. The Tribe went 2-12 against them, they are still 28-17 vs. everybody else in major league baseball.

A quick glance at the schedule shows things are about to change, and if Terry Francona’s team wants to stay in the race all season long, they have the opportunity to do just that.

This is not to underestimate any opponent, because at the beginning of the season, we felt the American League was brutal, with 13 of the 15 teams having a legitimate shot at the post-season. We excluded the Twins and Astros because of their rebuilding modes, although the former is in third place, just 2-1/2 games behind the Indians.

Still, have the Nationals visit Progressive Field next weekend, 25 of the next 33 contests are against Minnesota, the White Sox, Royals, Blue Jays, and Mariners. Only two four games series, one vs. Baltimore and the other against the Tigers, are against opponents considered among the best in the American League.

That basically takes the Indians through the end of July (and close to the trading deadline).

If you look at the balance of the schedule, there do not seem to be a lot of big bumps the rest of the way. There are three games against the Rangers, seven vs. Detroit, a three game set against the Orioles, and a three game interleague series vs. Atlanta, and three more against Oakland. The majority of the slate is games against the other AL Central teams, along with seven contests against the Astros and Marlins.

The Tribe will also play the Angels six times, but at this point it is difficult to say whether or not people should consider Los Angeles a quality team or not. They were highly touted coming into the season, but currently sit eight games below the .500 mark.

Again, this is not to take any team lightly, because the Indians need to improve the way they have hit and pitched over the last three weeks to start winning again.

And they struggled against the Yankees this season, and we feel they will end the season not making the playoffs based on the injuries and collective age of their team. They’ve been doing it with mirrors, and that likely will end. That said, the Tribe could only beat them once in seven tries.

The point is, after this stretch of games, the Cleveland Indians have an opportunity to play a lot of baseball against teams they figure to have more talent than, at least on paper.

Of course, we all know games are played on grass, not paper.

Still, things could be looking up soon for Francona’s bunch. At least, according to the schedule set up by major league baseball.

Left-Handed Relief Not There for Tribe.

Many fans of the Cleveland Indians have been concerned about the bullpen recently, mostly because of the health of closer Chris Perez and set up man Vinnie Pestano.

Yes, there was that weekend in Boston, when on consecutive days both Pestano and Perez blew games, which made for crushing defeats. But for the most part, the back end of the Tribe bullpen has been fine.

However, there is bigger problem for the Terry Francona’s bullpen, and that is the need for an effective left-handed pitcher to work late in games.

Right now, Nick Hagadone and Rich Hill have been a disaster in relief.

This past weekend, the Tampa Bay Rays scored 20 runs in the three game series. Thirteen of the runs were charged to Hagadone, Hill, and another lefty Scott Barnes, who was sent back to Columbus Saturday after giving up five runs on Friday night.

Barnes looked good in his two previous appearances, a three inning save against the Red Sox and a one inning stint against the Reds. In his appearance on Friday, he came in and gave up a pair of two run homers to left-handed hitters Matt Joyce and James Loney.

The other two guys, Hagadone and Hill have had problems throwing strikes consistently, a must for relief pitchers.

Hagadone is a power arm, but falls behind in counts and then when he comes into the strike zone, the batters smash the ball. He was last seen yesterday giving up a bomb Rays’ SS Yunel Escobar, currently batting .246.

When he can get ahead of hitters, Hagadone can be lethal, capable of striking out the best left-handed batters. But he has walked 11 in 15 innings this season, way too many, and that doesn’t count the hitters he puts into good hitters’ counts.

Nine of those walks have come against right-handed hitters.

Hill is more of a situational lefty, someone who specializes against tough left-handed hitters, the David Ortizs and Robinson Canos of the world, players who will not be pinch hit for when a lefty comes into the game.

To be fair, Francona has had to use him in some blowout games to save his main relievers, so Hill has seen more right-handed hitter than he should. He has faced 40 hitters from that side of the plate, more than Francona probably wants him to.

Those hitters are batting .353 against Hill with a 925 OPS, which means every right-handed hitter the southpaw faces turns into Miguel Cabrera.

However, Hill has walked six left-handed hitters and has allowed two home runs to them as well, meaning he isn’t exactly shutting down those guys either.

This is developing into a huge problem for Francona and pitching coach Mickey Calloway, because they need someone who can get those tough left-handed hitters out consistently.

If Hill and Hagadone can’t do the job, then it will be up to GM Chris Antonetti to find someone who can.

If you watch the games, it really isn’t Perez and Pestano that are killing the Tribe consistently it is the left-handed pitchers.

Too many walks and home runs allowed by the set up lefties can blow up an entire bullpen.

Looking at Tribe After Two Months

The calendar turns another page today and as we enter June, we are also entering the third month of the major league baseball schedule.

And it is fitting that the Cleveland Indians played their 54th game last night/this morning, which also marks 1/3 of the schedule has been played. The Tribe’s record is 29-25, which means they are on pace to win 87 games in 2013.

For the record, for the first 27 games of the season, Cleveland went 14-13, which means they improved slightly in the last 27 contests.

The Indians’ offense has been a little better than expected, ranking fourth in the American League in runs scored per game at 4.93, trailing just Detroit, Baltimore, and Tampa Bay. They rank 7th in on base percentage, but 3rd in slugging behind the Orioles and Rangers, both of whom play in great hitters parks.

The Tribe is 4th in the AL in home runs, behind those same two teams and Toronto, another team that plays in a very good place if you have a bat in your hands.

The one concern about the Cleveland offense going into the season was strikeouts, and that concern has manifested itself. The Indians hitters have struck out 455 times, an average of 8.4 per game, although you have to go down to 10th among the league leaders to find an Indian, with Mark Reynolds and Drew Stubbs tied for that spot.

Both players have fanned over 200 times in a season, so that’s not a surprise.

Individually, really no one really overachieving among the everyday players, although fans should be pleasantly surprised by the production of Ryan Raburn (.296, 5HR, 16 RBI in 98 at bats) and Yan Gomes (.310, 5 HR, 14 RBI in just 71 at bats).

Jason Kipnis has been streaky and his numbers reflect it (.238 average, .307 OBP). The Tribe needs better out of the second baseman if they are to contend all season. Asdrubal Cabrera got off to a slow start, but had a solid May (.278, 2 HR, 13 RBI, 806 OPS) and actually leads the Indians in extra base hits with 24, ahead of Nick Swisher and Carlos Santana’s 21 each.

To us, an elite offensive player is a guy who has an on base percentage over .350, and a slugging percentage of over .450. The Tribe currently has two of these players: Santana and Swisher. That should put to rest any concern about these two players.

Santana’s average slipped big time in May, but he still takes walks and has a .390 on base percentage. We’ve heard some mild concern about Swisher, but people have to realize big money doesn’t make you a better player. Swisher is who he is, a player who has pop and gets on base.

The recent problem for the Indians has been pitching, with the staff ranking 10th in the AL in ERA. However, the starting pitching, supposedly the weak link of the team, hasn’t been bad, but the bullpen has struggled mightily of late.

New pitching coach Mickey Calloway has emphasized throwing strikes, and all five Tribe starters have strikeout to walk ratios of over 2:1, which is outstanding.

The only complaint about the starters is the need to work longer in the games. With the bullpen struggling, the starters need to get through six innings consistently. There have been too many “five and flys” this season.

With Chris Perez on the disabled list, much focus has been put on the back-end of the ‘pen, but the left-handed relievers have been terrible. Terry Francona cannot be confident in any situation where he needs to get a tough left-handed hitter out, because Nick Hagadone, Scott Barnes, and Rich Hill have not been effective, nor have they been able to throw strikes.

Hill has walked 10 in 15-1/3 innings, and Hagadone has also issued 10 in 13-1/3 frames. Barnes has only walked three in eight innings, but has allowed three home runs.

The team needs to find someone who can be effective in this role, or it will haunt them all season.

The Cleveland Indians hit the one-third point in the campaign in good shape, on pace to win 87 games and just a half game out of first. Fortifying the bullpen, especially with an effective southpaw would seem to be #1 on the priority list right now.

#32’s Return Doesn’t Mean Much for Browns

One of the most overblown stories of the week is Jim Brown’s return to the Cleveland Browns as a special adviser.

While we would agree that Brown is the greatest football player of all time, in the grand scheme of things, this is just a nice public relations move, that is all.

Brown will have little impact on the field, outside of talking to players about the importance of being a Brown, sharing the rich tradition of the franchise, even though that heritage seemingly ends with the decade of the 1980’s, the last time Cleveland’s franchise was relevant in the NFL.

Look, it is better to have the team’s greatest player on the side of the current ownership and administration than it is to have him on the outside, but let’s face it, Brown is somewhat of a loose canyon, and that’s what he wants to be.

However, it is hard to forget Brown showing up with Art Modell when the Ravens, at that time just recently moved to Baltimore, went to their first Super Bowl. He also counts Bill Belichick as a “friend”, and talked to the Patriots on the coach’s behalf during one of their visits to the Super Bowl.

Don’t forget, he also defended LeBron James’ departure when the superstar turned his back on the franchise and went to Miami.

Brown may say he respects and loves the fans of Cleveland, but he is certainly not one of us. He has turned his back on the Cleveland fan base time and again.

Brown will defend himself by saying he is his own man, always was and always will be. But his actions make it difficult for the fan base of the brown and orange to embrace him fully.

He even snubbed his nose at the fans when he decided to let his feelings toward former team president Mike Holmgren get in the way of attending the unveiling of the Browns’ “Ring of Honor”.

That’s right, the greatest Brown of them all decided to skip the event because he was mad at a front office guy.

The event was staged to allow the fans to honor and remember the rich heritage that is the Cleveland Browns’ franchise. At one point, a very long time ago (1950’s and 60’s), the Browns were the hallmark franchise of the NFL, winning league titles in 1950, 1954, 1955, and 1964, and making the playoffs 15 times from 1950 through 1972.

Brown didn’t care about that, he had his own personal agenda, which didn’t include the football fans in this city. He will say it is principle, we say it was a slap in the face to the fans.

#32 will no doubt be active in the community, and he has a great history of helping youths in gangs and in the inner city. That cannot be considered anything but a good thing.

Still, Brown will have minimal effect on the product on the field, and after decades of losing seasons, that is what is important to supporters of the Browns.

The legend, #32, the greatest running back in the history of the league, is back with the Cleveland Browns. Excuse us for not thinking it is a big deal.

Can Tribe Bullpen Hold Up?

Up until the beginning of last week, everyone thought (us included) thought one of the Cleveland Indians’ strengths was its bullpen.

Then came the last game of the homestand against Seattle, when Vinnie Pestano, Chris Perez, and Joe Smith all allowed solo home runs to tie a game in which the Tribe eventually won.

Later in the week, Pestano had a bad outing to cost the Indians a win against Boston. His velocity was down, and he turned a 4-3 lead into a 7-4 deficit, although Mike Carp’s double is only that in Fenway Park, and the last two runs scored on a wind-blown pop fly that fell in.

Still, because Pestano has been so reliable for so long, and he is just coming off a stint on the disabled list for a sore elbow, there is reason for concern.

Then yesterday, Perez turned a three run lead into a crushing loss to the Red Sox, and left the game with an apparent shoulder injury in the process.

There are warning signs for both hurlers. Pestano’s strikeout to walk ratio this season is just 12 to 7 in 12 innings pitched. For his career, the right-hander has struck out three times as many hitters as he has walked (180 to 60) and averages almost 11 punchouts per nine innings.

As for Perez, he normally fans 2.22 hitters for everyone he walks and averages a strikeout per inning. His whiffs are on pace (18 in 16-2/3 frames), but he’s walked 10 in his work thus far.

Loss of command and decreased velocity are warning signs of an injury.

So where does Terry Francona go from here?

He does have some options to close, and remember what former Tribe GM John Hart used to say, closers fall out of trees. The skipper can turn to young Cody Allen, who MLB Network’s Peter Gammons called the best young reliever in the AL. Allen already has one save on the year, and has allowed only 16 hits in 23-1/3 innings, striking out 30 and walking seven in the process.

He also has Smith, also with a save on the season. Smitty is a veteran, and has allowed 11 hits in 17 innings, walking five while striking out 18. Because he is a sidearmer, the tendency is to think of him as a specialist vs. right handers, but his velocity allows him to get left-handed hitters out too. He’s allowed lefty hitters a .251 batting average for his career, compared to .218 to right-handed batters.

Bryan Shaw is another intriguing alternative. Shaw, sort of a throw in coming along with Matt Albers in getting Trevor Bauer for Shin-Soo Choo, looks to have closer stuff. He’s allowed 20 hits in 24-1/3 innings, striking out 24 and walking eight. At the very least, he will probably start getting work in the seventh and eighth innings as opposed to the sixth now.

One other pitcher has been mentioned as well, veteran Brett Myers, now rehabbing an elbow problem. The veteran saved 19 games last year in Houston before getting traded to the White Sox, and with Cory Kluber pitching well, there doesn’t seem to be a spot in the starting rotation for him. It is difficult to think Francona will go to him in this role until he has proven to be healthy and effective at the big league level.

Of course, the best think for the bullpen will be more innings from the starting pitchers. The rotation has been a little better than expected, but there have been far too many starts of just five innings. In the last turn through the rotation, both Zack McAllister and Scott Kazmir had “five and fly” outings, and Ubaldo Jimenez made it through only four frames vs. Detroit.

That cannot continue to happen, or the weaknesses cropping up in the bullpen could cause it to implode.

It’s been a tough week for the Tribe relief corps, but only that. One week. The Indians still have some reliable power arms ready to use at the end of games.

Experts Agree: No Clear Cut Choice for Cavs

After the Cleveland Cavaliers secured the first pick in the NBA draft, sports talk shows in the city rounded up the noted draft experts around the country to inform fans on who GM Chris Grant should choose when the selection process starts.

Unfortunately, there were several names that kept coming up. Either the person told us Nerlens Noel, from Kentucky, was going to be a solid NBA big man once he gets bigger and stronger, or they said Kansas’ Ben McLemore has the smooth shooting stroke to succeed in the league.

Others said Georgetown’s Otto Porter would be a good small forward, or UNLV’s Alex Bennett, who could become a similar player to former Rebels’ standout Larry Johnson.

There are two problems with this talk.

First, there is no clear-cut guy at #1. The lack of a consensus player coming out is a problem. Even if there were two players such as when Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams came out, it would be better for the Cavaliers.

Second, there are a lot of maybes, woulds, and similar in the comments listed above. That means scouts are drafting on potential, not on actual performance.

According to NBADraft.net, here are some of the comparables for the first five players they project in next month’s draft:

McLemore–Ray Allen
Noel–Larry Sanders/Dikembe Mutombo
Porter–Tayshuan Prince
Victor Oladipo–Tony Allen/Terry Teague
Bennett–Rodney Rogers/Jason Maxiell

There are two all-star type players mentioned here, Allen, who is one of the great shooters of all time, and is still a productive player in his late 30’s, and Mutombo, a tremendous defensive player for many years, and an eight time all-star, but a guy who never had much of an offensive game.

Prince is a nice player, a starter on the Piston team that won a title, but he was not the primary scorer there, and Allen might be the best wing defender in the NBA. However, both have been role players for much of their careers. Good ones, but still role players.

Sanders is an up and coming player, who averaged 9.8 points and 9.5 rebounds for Milwaukee this season.

Now, we understand that the web site doesn’t want to compare players to all time great, because if the player doesn’t become that it looks bad.

So , let’s look at the site’s comparables for the 2012 draft:

Anthony Davis–Kevin Garnett/Marcus Camby
Bradley Beal–Eric Gordon/Marcus Thornton
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist–Gerald Wallace/Andre Iguodala
Harrison Barnes–Glen Rice
Thomas Robinson–Derrick Williams/Patrick Patterson

Of that group, Garnett is an all-time great player, and Iguodala and Wallace have made all-star teams in their careers. Rice averaged 18.3 points a game for his career and made three all-star teams.

Gordon has been held back by injuries, but most people think he will be very good if he stays healthy.

It just reiterates what we’ve been saying about this draft all along, it’s very speculative. Whoever the Cavs draft, there is potential for a good player, probably not a great one, and there is also the possibility the player will be a huge bust.

For a franchise that has publicly stated they want to make the playoffs next season, it appears to make that leap, they will have to find an impact player somewhere else. It doesn’t look like that guy will be available in the draft.

On Perez and the Cavs Getting the First Pick

Just a couple of observations on the Cleveland sports scene—

Chris Perez and Twitter

The Indians’ closer had a tough series against Seattle, allowing two home runs on Saturday to turn a 4-2 lead into a tie game, which the Tribe won in the bottom of the ninth, and he allowed another bomb on Monday, which gave the Mariners a lead in a contest Cleveland also won.

Apparently, that gave the fans that follow Perez on Twitter to start blasting him. A little Internet muscle for those fans who wouldn’t say those things to his face.

This isn’t about Perez’ performance, which has generally been very good since assuming the closer role in 2010. Although, we will say that a closer who gives up home runs doesn’t last long and CP has given up four (five if we count the blown call vs. Oakland) in 16 innings, not a very good ratio.

To be fair, those are the only runs he has allowed this season.

We don’t follow any professional athletes for this reason. First, they are people just like us, and whatever comments they want to make on the social networking site aren’t more interesting because they are professional athletes.

And second, there is no temptation to make stupid comments to those players after watching a game and being upset with the outcome.

Again, these people wouldn’t say the things they tweet if they met Perez, and just because he’s an outspoken guy doesn’t mean he should be ripped to shreds or booed when he doesn’t succeed.

Actually, he speaks the truth much of the time. Fans should support this team better. They have blind loyalty to a mediocre football organization, but hold the Indians’ lack of success against them.

Whatever his performance on the field is, and regardless what he says about baseball in Cleveland, the things tweeted to Chris Perez were out of line.

Cavs Get the First Pick in the Draft

Wish we could be more excited about this news, but since there isn’t a franchise type player available this year, it’s the same feeling about having the third or fourth overall selection.

Obviously, it is better to have the first pick, because it has the most value. Perhaps another team thinks a player like Ben McLemore or Nerlens Noel is the greatest thing since sliced bread, and would be willing to deal to move up.

However, that’s probably not going to happen, but GM Chris Grant should keep his ears open to listen if anyone comes forward to trade.

The Cavs have publicly stated their intention to not be in the lottery next season, and to make that come true; they need more help than just that available in the draft.

Grant has a lot of draft picks at his disposal to help sweeten the pot. Besides their own picks, they also have first round picks from Miami and Sacramento (maybe) over the next few years.

Plus, they also have salary cap space, which with the new collective bargaining agreement is something precious to teams above the cap, who don’t want to pay a prohibitive salary cap penalty.

Having the first overall pick in a draft is valuable only if there is someone available that other teams covet.

Right now, the Cavs are like a guy trying to create a market for a $1000 bill in a room full of millionaires.

Grant is Firmly on Hot Seat

With the results for the NBA Draft Lottery being learned tomorrow, it reminds us how critical this off-season is for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had the third worst record in the league this season.

While many basketball fans in the area are anxious to hear if the wine and gold indeed move up in the selection process, the reality is what do they win if they do get the first overall pick?

Most experts believe this is a very weak draft, meaning no one selected next month can be expected to make an immediate impact on their new team.

Which is the worst case scenario for the Cavs.

GM Chris Grant needs to bring in someone who can help this team contend for a playoff spot in the 2013-14 season. He brought in Mike Brown to coach the squad, but no matter who great a job Brown does next season, the fact remains that he has to improve the Cavaliers’ record by 14 games, the amount Cleveland was behind the 8th playoff seed in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks.

Yes, several of the Cavs’ young players will improve, mostly meaning the four picks in the last two drafts: Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, and Tyler Zeller. And the new emphasis on defense will help as well, but the fact remains that Grant needs to add a quality veteran to the mix for the wine and gold to take a quantum leap, record-wise, in ’13-’14.

The best post player available in Kentucky’s Nerlens Noel, who is 6’11” weighs 225 pounds, and is coming off a knee injury. At his weight, he is unlikely to be ready to play meaningful, productive minutes against experienced NBA big men. Keep in mind, Noel is 25 pounds lighter than Zeller, who was pushed around a lot last season.

The best wing player is Kansas’ Ben McLemore, who played well in one NCAA tournament game, and disappeared in the rest. While he may wind up to be a good NBA player, it wouldn’t be a good bet to say that will happen next season.

Why not take a project like these guys if given the opportunity?

First, once again, the Cavaliers need to start winning right away because it is important for the young players not to start developing a losing mentality. That’s why many teams that inhabit the lottery every year remain there. The continued losing permeates the organization.

The second reason is that by the time the project starts becoming a legitimate player, his rookie contract has expired. Therefore, the team has to make the decision to tie a non-proven player up to a long-term contract.

The key word for most of the players who will be picked during the draft is “potential”, and Grant can’t afford to wait for these guys to develop. He needs someone who can step in to the small forward spot, thus rendering Alonzo Gee to the bench.

They need someone who can play in the post and can score as well.

They have assets to trade. Grant has four picks in the draft at his disposal and also the wild card could be Anderson Varejao, a very good big man who has had a problem playing at the same time as Thompson.

No matter what happens tomorrow night in the lottery selection or after the actual draft itself, the Cleveland Cavaliers have to be a much improved team. The pressure is on Chris Grant to make that happen.

Is ’13 Tribe’s Success Sustainable?

The cynical Indians fans among us will say it’s the same ol’, same ol’ for this year’s Tribe.

They have hit the season’s quarter pole at 24-17, on a pace to win over 90 games under new manager Terry Francona. However, last year they were 23-18 at this point, but finished the season 68-94 and in fourth place.

In 2011, they were 26-15 after 41 games, and actually got to 30-15 before falling apart and finishing 80-82. They went a combined 21-32 in June and July, reminiscent of the June swoons of the late 60’s and 70’s.

So why is this year any different? Let’s take a look at the make up of those two teams.

Here are the regular players on that 2011 edition of the Indians. The regular 2B was Orlando Cabrera, who contributed a few big hits early, but by June he couldn’t hit to save his life and was traded to the Giants before the end of July.

The 3B was Jack Hannahan, a whipping boy for this blog. He’s an excellent defender, but simply cannot hit.

Then manager Manny Acta was also the recipient of what may be the last gasp of Grady Sizemore’s career. That April, Sizemore hit .378 with 4 HR and 9 RBIs. The rest of the year, he hit .193, and hasn’t been in a big league since.

As for the pitching, Justin Masterson went 5-0 in April and had his best season overall, but because of a lack of run support, he was 5-6 by the end of June. They also had Carlos Carrasco emerging, as he was 8-6 with a 4.21 ERA at the end of June. Josh Tomlin also proved to be a solid starter.

In 2012, some of the regular players were 1B Casey Kotchman, Hannahan, and left field was a mishmosh of Johnny Damon, Shelley Duncan, and Ezequiel Carrera, none of whom are currently in the major leagues. It is no wonder that the Indians finished 13th in the AL in runs scored.

Masterson was having a mediocre campaign, and the good start early was fueled by veteran Derek Lowe, who was 6-3 through the end of May. And the bullpen was outstanding before running out of gas from overwork.

The Cleveland pitching staff ranked last in the American League in ERA.

This year, Francona has a lineup that can score runs, ranking 4th in the league in runs scored. Whereas the past few years, the Indians had to put out a squad that had three or four players who really weren’t a threat with a bat in their hands, in 2013, the skipper has used lineup where Michael Brantley has batted eighth.

Last year, the left fielder spent most of his time hitting in the #5 hole.

Instead of Kotchman, Orlando Cabrera, and Hannahan, this year’s team has Michael Bourn, Nick Swisher, and Mark Reynolds.

The starting pitching is still a question mark, but Masterson looks to be the same guy he was in ’11, having a solid year, and Zack McAllister provides solid outings pretty much every time he goes out there.

The wild cards have been Ubaldo Jimenez, who has put together four straight solid outing (although it would be better if he could work longer) and Scott Kazmir, who looks closer to the former all-star he was than the guy who pitched in the independent league last season.

As for the bullpen, Francona seems to have made it a crusade to keep his relievers rested, so they will be strong all year. And because the offense has provided some blowouts, he can afford to be judicious in using Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano, and Chris Perez.

This isn’t to say the Indians will cruise into the post-season for the first time since 2007, but don’t confuse this team with those of the past two years. There’s much more talent in 2013.

If Tribe Makes Move, It Should Be Dealing from Strength

With the Cleveland Indians playing well and actually getting into a tie for first place after Sunday’s win over the Tigers, Tribe fans are thinking about what GM Chris Antonetti can do to put his team over the top.

Most everyone feels Terry Francona needs one more quality starting pitcher if his team is going stay in the race into and throughout September.

That leads to speculation as to what the Indians would have to give up to land someone who would upgrade the starting rotation.

Keep in mind that weakening your squad in one area to help in another doesn’t usually work out unless you have someone as good to take the place of the player you are dealing.

That would mean not trading one of the players who consistently comes up in this discussion, SS Asdrubal Cabrera.

Mike Aviles is a nice player, and has done a solid job with the Tribe, but he’s not an everyday player, let alone an everyday SS. Check his numbers, he is much more productive getting 350 to 400 at bats in a season, not 600 in a year.

That’s the argument for some so-called “experts”, you can trade Cabrera because Aviles can step in and play short.

If Antonetti was to deal Cabrera, a two-time all-star, he would have to get a top of the rotation type starter, and who is going to deal one of those? We don’t see teams willing to make that kind of trade.

If you are going to get a middle of the road starter, aren’t you better off just going with Trevor Bauer or Carlos Carrasco, either of whom might be better than someone a bad team is trying to unload?

The other player usually mentioned in trade talk is SS Francisco Lindor, Cleveland’s best prospect now playing at Class A Carolina and hitting .330 at age 19.

Certainly, Lindor would be desirable to any organization. Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan said that Lindor might just be the minor league’s top prospect period by the end of the season.

Many teams, particularly those out of the race and looking to shed salary, would be happy to trade you a good to very good starter for Lindor. However, Lindor may be the Cleveland version of Derek Jeter, a franchise SS who can play 10-15 years with the Indians.

That’s not to denigrate Cabrera, who is a very good player, arguably the best shortstop in the American League.

But Lindor is showing signs that he is special, and the Indians cannot take the chance of trading him and having him develop into a perennial all-star type player.

As said before, you have to make these types of deals from a position of strength. And where does the Indians’ organization have a lot of talent? The bullpen.

That’s why a possible trade for closer Chris Perez could make sense. The Indians have a few options they could look at to close games, such as Vinnie Pestano, Cody Allen, and perhaps Bryan Shaw.

The farm system is also filled with bullpen candidates like Trey Haley, Preston Guilmet, Scott Barnes, Bryce Stowell, and Austin Adams.

Understand that the concern there would be switching to an unproven closer in the middle of a successful season, but with the depth in this area, it’s a well calculated gamble.

If the Indians stay in contention going into July, there is little doubt they will do something. But weakening one part of the team to help somewhere else makes no sense. That’s something to watch as the season unfolds.