For the first time in at least five years, we’re on the doorstep of baseball season with a reason to be interested, beyond the essential fact that it’s the start of the season.
For the first time in five years, the Indians might – maybe, possibly – have a decent chance at contending for a postseason berth.
And it’s because, for the first time, Larry and Paul Dolan opened their family’s wallet and spent real money. Lots of it. Last summer, I penned this article, outlining the many management-level blunders that have occurred on the Dolans’ watch, and questioning whether they were competent stewards of the Indians franchise anymore.
I questioned whether anything could save the Dolan regime, other than spending significant dollars on the 25-man roster. Apparently, the Dolans didn’t see much of an alternative, either.
They spent $56 million on Nick Swisher, $48 million on Michael Bourn, $7 million on Brett Myers and $6 million on Mark Reynolds.
Not only that, in an offseason when many of us expected the Tribe to offload multiple core players, they only jettisoned one, and it was a productive trade at that, sending Shin-Soo Choo to Cincinnati as part of a three-way deal with Arizona that netted the Indians outfielder Drew Stubbs from the Reds and elite pitching prospect Trevor Bauer from the Diamondbacks, among others.
Was this offseason an excuse for unbridled elation? Probably not. Was it a much-needed sign of life from a team that has been flatlining since 2009? Most definitely.
No one is trying to pretend that the Indians are poised to take the American League by storm starting next week. No one is trying to pretend that the AL’s balance of power shifted in any type of tectonic fashion. The Indians can only hope to have a puncher’s chance against league heavyweights like the Tigers, Angels and Rangers.
This is one installment in a team effort by The Cleveland Fan, highlighting the top local sports figures by jersey number. Please weigh in with your thoughts, in the Boards. As David Letterman would say, “For entertainment purposes only; please, no wagering.”
With eight days until the 2013 season begins in Toronto, the Indians announced most of their final preseason roster moves today. There are no big surprises, as the roster has been pretty much set for a while now. Jason Giambi will make the team in a reserve DH role, but he will start the season on the 15-day disabled list with a lower back strain. Putting Giambi on the disabled list allows the Indians to keep Carlos Carrasco, who is serving a six-game suspension for an incident with Billy Butler in 2011, before Carrasco was shut down for Tommy John surgery in September 2011. Giambi will be eligible to come off of the disabled list on April 9, which would send Carrasco back to Triple-A Columbus after his suspension is served.
Ok, maybe not THE President, as the White House Office of Public Affairs continues to ignore my requests for a one-on-one interview with Mr. Obama. But we’ve got the next best thing here on this Lazy Sunday, as the Indians media relations people are much more accommodating than those at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Indians team president Mark Shapiro was gracious enough to take about 45 minutes out of his extremely busy day on Friday to sit down and talk to me here in beautiful Goodyear, AZ. I really enjoyed our conversation, and he was very open and forthcoming with every question I asked him (as you’ll see). The following is the (lightly edited) text of our interview, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Most of you have probably already completed your fantasy baseball drafts or you are going to. Unlike in recent years, the rosters of the teams in your league are going to include a much higher number of Indians position players. Knowing when to draft them and putting aside your fan-related bias could be the difference between winning your league and wasting your entry fee, especially if you’re playing with a lot of local guys.