As Tribe Rebuilds, What Might Next Contender Look Like?

Here we go again, back at square one for Mark Shapiro and the Cleveland Indians.  Having just dealt Cleveland stars Victor Martinez and Cliff Lee for a bevy of prospects, Cleveland is most likely out of the 2009 and 2010 playoff races.  The question is whether Shapiro can once again assemble a championship caliber roster.

In my previous column I was too hard on Shapiro, calling for his removal as General Manager.  Outside of a few poor draft years, Shapiro has proven his worth as an executive in a number of ways, including his savvy in the trade market. 

It's certainly a shame Cleveland Indians ownership is too tightfisted spend in order to keep core players like Sabathia, Martinez and Lee around long enough to build a winner rather than through offseason acquistitions like Mark DeRosa and Kerry Wood.

Cleveland's rebuilding process essentially began last year in shipping Sabathia off to Milwaukee for stud hitting prospects Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley.  This season, Cleveland brought five new pitchers into its system through trades.

Jason Knapp and Nick Hagadone might be considered steals come 2012, while players like Justin Masterson, Lou Marson and Carlos Carrasco can contribute at the major league level almost immediately. 

Furthermore, the Ryan Garko trade a couple days before the deadline brought a highly-touted, left-handed pitcher from the Giants in Scott Barnes.  Throw in Chris Perez, relief pitcher acquired from St. Louis for Mark DeRosa and you have a Cleveland Indians system loaded with new pitching prospects.

In all likelihood, some of the acquisitions made in the past few days will never make it to the Majors.  We hope, however, that those who do can lead Cleveland to a winning record and a postseason berth within the next three to five years. 

Here I'll take a look at who on the current Major League roster Shapiro should hold onto in order to find success in the postseason (assuming the Indians can make it there).

1. Grady Sizemore: The obvious choice as the franchise cornerstone now that Vic and Lee are gone.  His contract runs through 2012, which essentially forces management to keep the team competitive until then in hopes of signing an extension.  His skill set is as versatile as any in the league, though he needs to learn to hit the ball to all fields rather than pulling it as often as he does.

2. Shin-Soo Choo: The South Korean outfielder has as strong an arm as any in the big leagues and he hits with power to all fields effectively.  Disciplined and consistent, the need to resign him is much more urgent considering his success in the past two seasons as well as the fact his contract is up after this (2009) season.

3. Asdrubal Cabrera: Gold Glove caliber defense at the most crucial defensive position, as well as good speed on the basepads and improvements at the plate since his ML debut in 2007.  Acquired from Seattle for Eduardo Perez in 2006.

4. Fausto Carmona: Assuming he can regain the focus and dominance he showed in his 18 win 2007 campaign, in addition to staying healthy, Carmona should be the ace of the staff for years to come.  When his sinker is at its best, it hits around 92-95 mph and torpedoes down-and-in on righties.  Needs to learn to stay calm when in pressure situations, as overthrown pitches were a big part of his 2008 and 2009 woes.

5. Luis Valbuena: A natural shortstop, Valbuena has good range and a strong arm playing second base.  However, Tribe executives hope he he can contribute offensively more so than defensively.  He has a quick stroke and good gap power, although he has improved his potential as a home run threat in the past two years.

6. Aaron Laffey: Lefty sinkerballer who has seen success in the Majors since his debut in 2007.  Has switched from starter to setup man to a starter once again during the '09 season, with his spot in the rotation solidified with the acquisitions of Masterson and Perez. 

Has shown flashes of a solid No. 3 or 4 starter with the potential of a crafty No. 2 lefty.  However, he has a fairly weak build and his stuff is not overpowering, so any injuries or command issues could cost him at some point.

7. Tony Sipp: While he's experienced some difficulty in the Majors, this rookie has a good fastball that sits around 92-94 and a slider that is a legitimate out-pitch at the ML level.  His changeup, which he has been throwing for less than two seasons, might be the pitch that makes him the future closer of the organization.  If not, good lefthanded arms in the bullpen are always valuable, possibly earning some time as a setup man.

8. Jhonny Peralta: A model of inconsistency, Peralta has never been the hitter Cleveland hoped he would become as he tore up the minors.  He swings at bad pitches and strikes out much too often. 

He'll have stretches where he hits everything he swings at, but quickly cools down and suffers through an equally lengthy slump.  Despite these flaws, he is usually good for 20 HR and 80 RBI in a given year, though he has yet to hit .300 in a season.  He has been moved to third after playing shortstop his first six years in the bigs giving Cleveland an infield full of natural shortstops. 

Additionally, the fact he is still only 27 with several years of experience means there's good potential in keeping him around, at least until he's on the wrong side of 30.

Finally, three players on the current roster who I would not like to see on a potential 2011, '12, or '13 Cleveland playoff squad are Travis Hafner, Kerry Wood and Kelly Shoppach. 

While Hafner's and Wood's contracts will have expired by the time Cleveland can legitimately compete for a playoff berth, Shoppach is a player whose contract I'd like to see extended beyond this season but not past 2011 or '12.  He is a valuable batterymate who generally calls a good game and has a rocket arm.

His glaring weakness is the ability to hit for average, as he is only batting .207 through 8/2/2009.  His raw power is of good value, however, with prospects Carlos Santana, Wyatt Toregas and newly acquired Lou Marson right behind him on the depth chart, it is a matter of time before he loses more and more time behind the plate.