Indians Offseason Update

The Tribe kicks off their spring training schedule February 25th at a brand spanking new facility in Goodyear, Arizona. A few new faces will be welcomed to the roster as well. Mark Shapiro spent the offseason looking to improve an Indians team that underachieved last season (81-81, third place AL Central) with a limited budget.

Shapiro addressed the hole at closer by signing right hander Kerry Wood, who converted 34 saves last year for the Cubs, to a 2 year, $20.5M contract. Wood is an obvious injury risk having been on the disabled list 12 times in his career, but in 2008 his only visit to the DL was for a blister. Wood was given a physical before the deal went through, and the results were positive.

With most of his budget already spent, Mark creatively entered into a three way trade with the Mariners and Mets that sent Franklin Gutierrez to Seattle, J.J. Putz to the Mets, and brought relief pitcher Joe Smith to Cleveland. Smith, an Ohio native, absolutely dominated right handed hitters in 2008 (.192 BAA), and will be used as a middle reliever in 2009.

Shapiro didn’t find a shortstop to allow Jhonny Peralta, who has been criticized for his limited range defensively, to move to third base. Instead, to fill the gap at third base, Shapiro traded for infielder Mark DeRosa, a career .279 hitter that drove in 87 runs last year. More intriguing, though, is DeRosa’s defensive versatility– with the Cubs in 2008 he started at least once at 3B, 2B, 1B, SS, RF, and LF. In all likelihood, DeRosa will see playing time at multiple positions in Cleveland as well. All of this, of course, doesn’t bode well for third baseman Andy Marte, who is now facing an uphill battle to keep his job.

The starting rotation is still a question mark. Shapiro signed right hander Carl Pavano to a modest contract and guaranteed him a spot in the rotation. In 2004, Pavano went 18-8 with 3.00 ERA. However, after signing with the Yankees, his production steadily declined in 4 injury riddled seasons. Now healthy, Pavano is looking for a fresh start in Cleveland, and could prove to be a major bargain. The only other starters with a guaranteed rotation spot are Cliff Lee and Fausto Carmona. Vying for the final 2 openings are Aaron Laffey, Anthony Reyes, David Huff, and Jeremy Sowers.

Shapiro’s offseason has generally been viewed positively by analysts, and with a healthy Travis Hafner, he remains optimistic about the 2009 campaign. Stay tuned for more updates throughout spring training.