Tribe's only priority for rest of 2008 should be 2009

Tribe's only priority for rest of 2008 should be 2009, says Terry Pluto
by Terry Pluto Thursday July 17, 2008, 6:55 PM

Cleveland -- If I had to take over the Indians for the rest of the season, these are the moves I'd make. I'm not talking about stuff for the off-season, but things that can be done within the next three months only.


My approach: Everything done after the All-Star break should be aimed at making the team better for 2009. We don't need to see much of Dave Dellucci, who is 34 and has hit .230 and .231 in his last two years with the Tribe. No need to sign Barry Bonds, Richie Sexson or some other older veteran with physical problems. Use this time to evaluate players under the glare and pressure of the regular season, not meaningless games in September or spring training.

Their approach: In their recent meetings, the Indians agreed that playing time is the key to next year. They say they plan to really watch young outfielders Shin-Soo Choo, Ben Francisco and Franklin Gutierrez in left and right fields. They don't want to bring in a veteran just for the sake of adding a "name" player. My general approach, especially to the outfield, matches the Tribe's.



Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer
Asdrubal Cabrera's return to the Indians is a good decision, writes Terry Pluto, but the team may be wasting an opportunity if they only play Cabrera at second base for the rest of the season.My shortstop: Consider that Omar Vizquel came to the majors with Seattle at the age of 19. He batted .220-.247-.230 in his first three big-league seasons. The Indians should install 22-year-old Asdrubal Cabrera at short. After hitting .184, he was sent to Class AAA Buffalo to work on his hitting. Well, he's batting .326 with a team-leading .856 OPS. His defense remains superb, according to scouts. The Bisons shortstop was just named the International League Batter of the Week (13-of-33, .394, 3 HR). Cabrera loves Vizquel. Like Omar, he is from Venezuela, wears No. 13 and is a switch-hitter. He does need to learn to watch his conditioning, because Vizquel played into his 40s by being in great shape.
Their shortstop: For now, the Indians are committed to Jhonny Peralta at short, with Cabrera (set to join the team this weekend) playing mostly second base.

My third baseman: I'd have Peralta and Andy Marte split time at the position. When Marte is at third, Peralta can be the DH. One of these guys should be the third baseman in 2009, let's find out which one. I'd start with Marte there four times a week, Peralta the other three. Peralta's only extended time at third was in 2004, when he made 14 errors in 59 games at Buffalo. That was four years ago, let's see how he looks there now.

Their third baseman: They want to take an extensive look at Marte at third, or at least that's the plan now. They have been pleased by his defense, which was terrible in spring training and has been improved during his brief outings this season. Casey Blake will play there when Marte sits.


Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer
Casey Blake has provided one of the few reliable bats for the Indians this summer, but at age 34, his best value to the team is likely to be greater as trade bait as the deadline approaches.My deal: I'd love to see Blake on a contender where his versatility would be valuable, and he also may bring something decent in return. Blake is having a career year batting .282 (.390 with runners in scoring position). He makes $6 million, will be a free agent and he'll be 35 on Aug. 23. It doesn't seem he will be in the plans for 2009, so they should trade him now.
Their deal: They may keep Blake and use him at first base the rest of the year. They don't want to just give him away, and they see him as a safety valve at several positions. They also think they will have a chance to re-sign him to a short-term deal at the end of the season.

My second baseman: I really wanted to see Josh Barfield (broken finger), but he's out another 3-4 weeks. I'd stick with Jamey Carroll there, with Cabrera at short and my Marte/Peralta combo at third until Barfield is healthy.

Their second baseman: Cabrera will get heavy duty at that spot for now.

My first baseman: If he comes back from his elbow surgery this season, play Victor Martinez a lot. Give his body a break from catching, where he caught more games from 2004-06 than anyone in the American League. He ranked fifth in that category last year. Between the elbow and hamstring injuries, he paid for it in 2008. In the meantime, I'd look at Ryan Garko, unless Blake is still here.

Their first baseman: It will be Blake and Garko. Manager Eric Wedge and I both think Garko can hit, and wish he'd get started. If not, they will need a new first baseman in 2009.

My rotation: Assuming Fausto Carmona is indeed two weeks away from returning, the rotation would be Cliff Lee, Carmona, Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers and Paul Byrd -- with the idea of moving Byrd if a contender is interested. A key is finding out about Sowers. I believe they are on the same page.

My idea that won't work: I wanted to be bring Jeff Stevens up from Buffalo and add him to the bullpen, and then promote Matt LaPorta from Class AA Akron to Buffalo. But both are in the Olympics, which will chew up the month of August. After the Olympics, I'd add both to the September roster and play them. LaPorta will play mostly first base in the Olympics.

My idea for the bullpen: I don't have too many other than the obvious ... close with Raffy Perez. Revive Raffy Betancourt. See if Edward Mujica can help somehow. Jensen Lewis? Tom Mastny? I don't know, hope one of them can help. I have a feeling Juan Rincon is the next Jorge Julio. Watch the innings for Masa Kobayashi, who is 34 and has not appeared in more than 53 games or thrown more than 58 innings in the last seven years.

Their idea for the bullpen: They will close with Kobayashi, at least for now -- and watch his workload. They are excited by Perez, confounded by Betancourt. They have been encouraged by Mujica, and think Rich Rundles at some point can come up from Buffalo and help as a lefty reliever.

My idea that some fans won't like: I won't fire the manager, batting coach or anyone else this season. The biggest failures are the injuries, the bullpen and not making any major off-season additions. To dump a coach or manager in the middle of this mess is a scapegoat approach and masks the real problem, which is the roster and a farm system that is not producing right now. I can't fault Wedge and the rest for that.