Tribe in Trouble: Why It's Time for the Cleveland Indians to Worry

I'm not sure what's shakier right now: the Indians’ pitching or the economy.

And Joe Borowski's disabled list stint—after blowing two April saves in fantastically painful ways—is kind of like the coming economic stimulus.

It will provide temporary relief but won't keep the ball club from getting screwed later. (Most of you will have to pay back that stimulus, by the way.)

The biggest problem the Tribe has isn't even Joe Blow or the closer position. It's the reigning AL Cy Young award winner, C.C. Sabathia. Sabathia is 0-3 with a preposterous 13.50 ERA after his shelling last night at the hands of the Detroit Tigers.

Though most of the damage came in a nightmarish fifth inning in which Sabathia did not record a single out, he totally harmed himself by walking five.

It was a troubling trend that fellow starter Fausto Carmona has also shown this April.

Analyst after analyst has said, "C.C.'s gonna snap out of it. He's too good." I sincerely hope they are all correct. But I wouldn't be me—the annoying, told-you-so, me—if I didn't point you to this post from the offseason.

I proposed the idea that if the Indians couldn't make a trade for Jason Bay or another everyday corner outfielder (didn't happen), and if they couldn't re-sign Sabathia before spring training started on their terms (also didn't happen), then they should shop him or trade him to get something for him before he bolts at contract's end.

As much as I hate to be wrong, sometimes I hate to be right. This is one of those times.

I got murdered for this idea by everyone who read it. Most were blinded by loyalty to No. 52 and because most of them never read Terry Pluto's book about the Indians, Dealing.

I was berated fiercely because one of the names I mentioned was Juan Pierre. I'll admit he does deliver an OPS akin to the attendance at most Florida Marlins games.

But, really, I imagined the Indians acquiring an outfielder, a closer (the Indians are without a legitimate one right now), and whatever prospects they could get to fill out the farm.

I suggested, logically, they trade him to a place like L.A., which is close to home for Sabathia. It has two organizations with the cash capabilities to pay him his astonishingly high market value when he becomes a free agent.

I won't rehash every ounce of logic I spewed there. Go back and read it yourself.

But what I will say is that Mark Shapiro—who is a genius for assembling the Indians’ core of Grady Sizemore, Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner, Jhonny Peralta, and Ryan Garko—couldn't quite put together a safe but bold offseason deal. This would have guaranteed the Indians as a winning ball club for years to come.

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