Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2009.After falling just short of the World Series in 2007, the Indians entered 2008 with lofty expectations. Thanks to a combination of down years from and injuries to players who made significant contributions to the 96-win team of 2007, Cleveland fell well short of those expectations, needing a late-season surge just to finish at .500.
There is some reason for optimism, however. Despite the injuries and trades, the Indians outscored their opponents by 44 runs, not far behind division leaders Chicago (plus-81) and Minnesota (plus-85). If some of the guys that struggled in '08 bounce back and the front office plugs some of the holes one the roster, there's no reason to think the Tribe couldn't compete in the Central in '09.
Who may leave?C Sal Fasano (free agent)
What do they need?Cleveland's free agent list would've been a lot longer if you compiled it back in April, but the Indians got rid of nearly all of their impending free agents after falling out of contention.
CC Sabathia,
Casey Blake, and
Paul Byrd were all traded away to contenders, and
Joe Borowski was released in July. So although they can bring back almost everyone who was on the roster after the deadline, there is work to do.
Aside from
Cliff Lee, there are a lot of question marks in the rotation. After a great 2007,
Fausto Carmona had serious control problems both before and after going on the DL, with 70 walks in 120.2 innings. After that, they really just have a collection of No. 5 starters, with Jeremy Sowers, Anthony Reyes, and Scott Lewis leading the way. Jake Westbrook is expected to return from Tommy John surgery around midseason, but relying on a big contribution from him in 2009 would probably be a mistake.
Making snap judgments after one start is about as useful as a screen door on a submarine, especially when you're facing the Rangers in their launching pad in Arlington. That said, Cliff Lee didn't do much to inspire hopes of a second straight Cy Young award. He gave up seven runs and 10 hits in five innings of a 9-1 loss.
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