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Struggling to stay above .500, it's time to make personnel changes
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Sunday, May 04, 2008
Random thoughts and observations about the Indians . . .
• General Manager Mark Shapiro can't afford to wait the desired 40 games before he makes changes to the team's fractured offense.
The Tribe arguably has the best rotation in the American League, yet is struggling to keep its record above .500. There should be no more doubts that personnel changes are necessary. The 40-day rule doesn't really apply to the offense, because we saw the same softness in the attack for more than 40 days last year.
It would be the apex of wastefulness to continue down this road when even a moderately productive offense might be enough to get the Indians into the playoffs.
• Bring back Ben Francisco as soon as possible, which would be Tuesday. (Rules required him to stay in the minors for 10 days after being optioned.) Francisco isn't the answer to making the offense totally healthy, but he would help.
• Andy Marte is a luxury the Tribe cannot afford. He serves no useful purpose in taking up a roster spot; he is neither a valuable player at the plate nor in the field.
I know the team's deep thinkers fear Marte will be lost if he is exposed to waivers, but at this point, they have little choice. Besides, the odds he will be claimed probably are less than 50-50, so he probably would end up in Buffalo.
• When Shin-Soo Choo (elbow surgery) is ready to be activated in two or three weeks, he also should be added to the roster, which was the front office's plan anyway.
He was slated to take Marte's roster spot — the thinking being that by mid- or late May, few teams would be in a position to keep a player claimed on waivers. Choo also is out of options, and the front office has a greater desire to keep him than Marte, and for good reason: He can play.
• If Francisco takes Marte's roster spot, how can the Indians make room for Choo?
Shapiro must trade (or give away) David Dellucci or Jason Michaels. It's not fair to put the team's extended slump on these two players, but again, there isn't much choice.
If the Tribe adds two outfielders, it makes sense that at least one current outfielder has to go. Presumably, because he does not have a guaranteed contract for next year, Michaels would be easier to move. That doesn't mean teams are lining up to take him, but if Shapiro asks for little in return, he probably could make a deal for Michaels or maybe Dellucci.
• It would be nice if Shapiro could trade for an established outfielder (or even a third baseman, with Casey Blake moving to the outfield) who is a professional hitter.
But how realistic is that now? Even teams that have a minimal chance of qualifying for the postseason are not about to send a negative message to their fans in May. This early in the season, teams on the bubble still have hope.
More than likely, if Shapiro has aspirations for acquiring a hitter, he will have to wait until at least late June or early July, when also-rans begin thinking about dumping salary. That's why it's so important to summon Francisco and Choo as soon as possible to keep a finger in the dike until such time as a bigger fix is possible.
• This might not seem like a big deal, but it's indicative of the helplessness of the offense.
Between April 24 and Monday, no Tribe batter hit a ball for an out to the track, though the team did hit three home runs. In an eight-game span through Wednesday, only two balls were hit to the track for outs.
• Victor Martinez has been the Indians' brightest light at the plate, but even his impact has diminished compared to the norm he set in previous seasons.
Coming into this year, 33 percent of Martinez's hits had gone for extra bases. This season, only 16.7 percent have been doubles or triples, and he had no home runs in April.
• Here is a comparison of the Tribe's offense for April 2007 and last month.
April 2007 (22 games): .246 batting average, 36 doubles, 26 home runs, .346 on-base percentage, .406 slugging percentage, 5.2 runs per game.
April 2008 (28 games): .250 batting average, 49 doubles, 20 home runs, .332 on-base percentage, .375 slugging percentage, 4.5 runs per game (despite scoring 38 in four games).
• If I were manager (there's a straight line for you), I would let Travis Hafner put on his glove and spend a couple of games at first base.
That would give him something to think about besides the dozens of ground balls and pop flies he has been hitting. By the way, I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with Hafner. He will bounce back, maybe soon.
• In case you were wondering, the four-game series against the Tampa Bay Rays scheduled for Progressive Field in July probably will outdraw the four games played last weekend against the New York Yankees, which attracted 119,519 fans.
Why? It's not because Cleveland fans are in the vanguard of an exclusive group that thinks the Rays are the Next Big Thing. It's the weather, fool. Even the Yankees aren't worth the risk of contracting frostbite.
• Does anyone miss seeing whipped cream pies smashed in the faces of players doing postgame television interviews, a brainstorm of Trot Nixon? I didn't think so.
• I might have underestimated the amount of cash SportsTime Ohio is generating.
A source familiar with conversations involving local TV executives said that losing the Indians cost FSN $60 million a year. What happened to that money? All or most of it (maybe even more) probably is in the STO vault.
• Call me crazy, but it doesn't seem right that the blue Progressive Insurance sign atop the scoreboard hangs above the red script Indians logo.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
Get the full article here.
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