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New ballpark in 2009, SportsTimeOhio are carrots
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, Mar 02, 2008
Will the Indians abandon Buffalo and sign a deal with Columbus to be their Triple-A affiliate?
From all accounts, the Tribe's deep-thinkers are pleased to have their highest farm team in Buffalo, where the Rich family runs one of the most professional operations in the minor leagues. The stadium is first class, the treatment is first class and the team is only three hours from Cleveland.
Columbus, on the other hand, is not known for being a well-oiled machine. True, the city is only 21/2 hours from Progressive Field, but that's not a big deal.
But this is: Columbus will have a new downtown ballpark in 2009. That would be a nice perk for the Indians, but there is a more important reason they are considering a change of venue. SportsTime Ohio already airs games in the capital city, and it would be a natural fit for the Tribe to field a Triple-A team in Central Ohio.
Not only would the marketing end of the franchise receive a boost — Columbus fans could watch and identify with future Indians — SportsTime Ohio could televise Triple-A games all around the state.
Those are tough incentives to pass up, so expect the Tribe to pull out of Buffalo after the current season.
Who will play third base and left field for the Indians next year?
Casey Blake's contract expires after this season. He will be a free agent, and I can't imagine General Manager Mark Shapiro paying top dollar for the third baseman, even though Blake has performed admirably on the field and in the clubhouse.
Obviously, at 35 (next year) Blake is not the third baseman of the future, but who is? Shapiro and his lieutenants can cross their fingers and hope that Andy Marte will catch fire and quickly blossom into the player they thought he would be when they acquired him in January 2006.
There are two things wrong with that thinking: If Marte doesn't make the team this spring as a utility player, he has a good chance of being lost on waivers. Moreover, Marte has given no indication he is about to figure it out and become an impact player.
This year's left-field platoon of David Dellucci and Jason Michaels also might be broken up, because Michaels is in the last year of his contract. More to the point, if the duo doesn't amass more potent numbers than a year ago (Dellucci gets a pass because he missed half the season), Shapiro won't be in any mood to try the same two guys out there again.
That would mean a foray into the free-agent market or maybe a trade or two. If Shapiro takes either of those paths, it could get expensive. Not that owner Larry Dolan is strapped for cash.
Then again, what if the Indians defy the odds and re-sign C.C. Sabathia? Does that possibility affect the future occupants of third base and left field?
Who will be the Tribe's closer in 2009?
It is not a foregone conclusion the team will dump Joe Borowski, but he will be 37 next year and it is doubtful Shapiro is planning to keep him.
Whereas the Indians might solve their prospective vacancies at third and left field by going into the marketplace, they might find it tougher to replace Borowski the same way.
Finding a free-agent closer certainly is not out of the question, but it wouldn't be easy locating a team willing to trade a competent save artist.
Another factor is that Shapiro likes to make a list of priorities. What will be his first: locating a closer, left fielder or third baseman? It's questionable whether any of the three can be replaced in-house, though at this early date, who knows?
Inasmuch as the Indians might have to fill all three positions, money could become a factor. Wrong. Money will become a factor.
What if Cliff Lee loses the competition to become the No. 5 starter?
At this juncture of camp, Lee probably is the front-runner over Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey, but he is no lock.
That said, life for Tribe staffers would be less complex if Lee became the winner of the rotation sweepstakes. Much as they would detest going back to the minors, Sowers and Laffey would play the good soldiers and try to work their way back to Cleveland from Buffalo.
Lee might not be so docile. It took him a long time last year before he was able to concede that his trip to Buffalo was warranted by his poor performance. If Lee were to make another trip to Triple-A, it is far from certain he would see it from the perspective of manager Eric Wedge or Shapiro.
He already has said he thought it strange a pitcher with a multiyear contract ($3.75 million this year) would be sent to the minor leagues. That's because Lee has a sense of entitlement about his job, which is fine as long as he holds up his end of the bargain.
Why has assistant General Manager Chris Antonetti turned down so many chances to become a GM for another club?
It's probably because in a few years Larry Dolan and his son, Paul, will elevate Shapiro to the post of team president and Antonetti will take his place as general manager.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
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