General Manager Mark Shapiro won't like it. Neither will manager Eric Wedge and the prosperous serfs in the Indians' clubhouse.

But obsessing about the status of C.C. Sabathia's contract by the fans and the media won't stop just because Sabathia said talks are off until after the season or because spring training began Thursday in Winter Haven, Fla., with pitchers and catchers reporting.

During the winter, interest in the team centered on one question: ''Will he or won't he?'' Will Sabathia remain with the Tribe after his contract expires in October, or will he flee on the heels of free agency to a
richer franchise?

Shapiro's inability to swing a major trade or free-agent signing in the offseason had something to do with keeping the Sabathia issue front and center, but not much.

Mostly, Sabathia's continued employment with the Tribe has become a big deal with the sporting public, because it genuinely is a big deal. The man is the ace of the staff and the defending Cy Young Award winner in the American League. Teaming him with Fausto Carmona gives the Tribe arguably the best duo of starters in the majors.

So no matter what else happens in spring training — absent a trade for Alex Rodriguez or signing Barry Bonds — what people will talk about most is whether Sabathia succumbs to the charms of the Terminal Tower and the Warehouse District or elects to take the biggest pot of gold at the end of a rainbow that alights in New York, Boston, San Francisco or Los Angeles.

Most of Northeast Ohio seems to think that chasing Sabathia already is a lost cause, particularly in the wake of the six-year, $123 million contract that Johan Santana signed a couple of weeks ago with the New York Mets. Maybe so, but not necessarily.

For one thing, new information was revealed last week, diminishing the value of Santana's deal — thought to be worth $137 million — dragging the average all the way down to $20.5 million a year.

The real problem for Shapiro and owner Larry Dolan is the length of a prospective Sabathia contract. Inasmuch as the insurance industry will not indemnify a contract for more than three seasons — pitchers are more likely to miss blocks of time because of injuries — it is almost inconceivable that Shapiro would agree to anything more than four guaranteed years, unless the club was protected by give-backs in the event of a lengthy stay on the disabled list.

We don't know much about what Shapiro has proposed, but it appears that he has offered Sabathia a four-year contract (plus a hefty raise this year) worth $17 million or $18 million per season. That didn't get it done, but the front office had to start somewhere.

Sabathia's agent has two choices: He can follow Santana's lead and ask for a six-year, or even seven-year, contract. But because Sabathia will be only 28 when next season begins, he might prefer a four-year commitment. Why? Because he could become a free agent again and negotiate another four-year or five-year pact while he still is in his prime.

But why not go ahead and max out a deal? Because it's almost impossible to know what the market will be in 2013 and beyond, and Sabathia could seriously undersell himself with a six-year contract that begins in 2009.

All well and good, you say, but history tells us that the Dolans will not shell out $20 million or more a year for any player. Then again, times might be a-changin'.

SportsTime Ohio, the Indians' television arm, appears to be producing major dollars, significantly more than the club would have earned by selling its broadcast rights. There is an average of $3.6 million per year coming in from Progressive Insurance for naming rights to the ballpark. Season-ticket sales and group-ticket sales are up.

Moreover, the added expense of a new contract for Sabathia might not be as overwhelming as it initially appears. This year, the rotation will cost about $33 million, including $11.25 million for Sabathia. Jake Westbrook will make $10 million, Paul Byrd $7.5 million and Cliff Lee is guaranteed $3.75 million, and he is not a lock to make the club.

Carmona, for all of his excellence last year, probably won't earn much more than $550,000, because he is not yet eligible for arbitration and has no leverage.

The two starters who will try to displace Lee in the rotation — Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey — won't be paid much more than $400,000 apiece.

In 2009, Byrd probably will be gone. Unless Lee wins back his spot in the rotation, he is likely to be traded sometime this season.

Though predicting what will happen one year out is risky, the rotation in 2009 could look like this: Westbrook ($10 million), Carmona (estimated $1.2 million), Sowers or Laffey (estimated $550,000 apiece) and possibly Lee ($5.75 million guaranteed). Add $21 million for Sabathia, and the total for five pitchers (including Lee) would be an estimated $38.5 million. If Shapiro trades Lee, the total would drop to less than $33 million, about what the rotation will cost this year.

Selecting the fifth pitcher in the rotation will be the No. 1 priority in spring training. Shapiro and Wedge were so disappointed with Lee's inability to recognize the flaws in his approach (and his unwillingness to make corrections), they would gladly have included him in a winter trade.

Consequently, Lee (5-8, 6.29 ERA) might not be the favorite to win the battle with Laffey and Sowers, even though before his fall from grace he had compiled a 49-28 big-league record.

Sowers also struggled in 2007 after an impressive rookie season of 2006 (7-4, 3.57 ERA), posting a 1-6 record and 6.42 ERA. Like Lee, he ended up in Triple-A Buffalo to get his act together. Unaccustomed to failure, Sowers seemed confused by his inability to get batters out, but in his final start after being summoned back to Cleveland, he threw five shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners. Laffey made his major-league debut in August and effectively won over the hearts and minds of his bosses by going 4-2 with a 4.56 ERA.

Among the three contenders, Lee remains the pitcher with the superior arm. Sowers is the thinking-man's pitcher, and Laffey retires batters using guile and command. The fact that all three are left-handed doesn't hurt either.

The bullpen underwent numerous alterations during the season. But the final incarnation of the relievers should approximate the group that begins the season on March 31 at Progressive Field: closer Joe Borowski, setup-man Rafael Betancourt, lefties Rafael Perez and Aaron Fultz, plus Jensen Lewis. The guaranteed newcomer will be Masahide Kobayashi, the veteran Japanese closer signed during the winter.

Kobayashi will be brought along relatively slowly, working first in the sixth and seventh innings. If he is successful, he likely will be used in the eighth inning to ease the burden on Betancourt. Eventually, curiosity and necessity will cause Wedge to try him in the closer's role, when Borowski needs a rest.

One bullpen spot is unfilled. Tom Mastny might be the front-runner to win the berth, but others will receive an opportunity, namely Jorge Julio, Rick Bauer, Scott Lewis and Edward Mujica.

There seem to be outfielders coming out of every nook and cranny of the clubhouse, but the truth is that area of the team is relatively settled. Grady Sizemore will be in center, and like last year, David Dellucci and Jason Michaels will platoon in left. It has not yet been written in stone, but Franklin Gutierrez is the odds-on favorite to win the right-field job after batting .266 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI in 271 at-bats.

Shin-Soo Choo might have offered up competition, but he is still recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery and probably will miss at least a couple of months of the season. The fifth outfielder is likely to be Ben Francisco, who might push Gutierrez if he dazzles the club's deep-thinkers during exhibition season.

Naturally, there will be a utility-infield berth up for grabs. If Andy Marte, who is out of options to go back to the minor leagues, is to make the team, it will be in this capacity. But first, he must become proficient (or at least adequate) at a position other than third base. He has been learning to play first.

The other candidates of renown are Andy Gonzalez and Danny Sandoval. Josh Barfield, the regular at second to start the last season, seems to have his ticket punched for the minors already.

And of course, what would spring training be without bunting practice? You can rest assured that Wedge and his staff will be on the lookout for slackers.