It's Tribe Time

I'm back and just in time for MLB Free Agency, luckily for us Clevelanders we have nothing to worry about. Shin Soo Choo will be taking his talents to South Korea where we will need him to win the Asian Games so he will not have to serve his army time.

The 2010 Indians did the exact opposite of what was expected, they didn't hit and they pitched pretty well. With Santana, Cabrera and Sizemore healthy one can hope that the team will improve in 2011. However, there are some pieces in Free Agency that can certainly make the team more competitive.

Catcher - Carlos Santana is recovering well from his surgery, but that doesn't mean he won't have a setback. Lou Marson and Chris Gimenez are not serviceable options. A back-up catcher needs to be able to do 2 things, be good defensive players and bat at least .250. These guys combined to bat right around .194
---The Indians don't need to get Victor Martinez back, but taking a run at Yorvit Torrealba. Torrealba batted .270 last year with the Padres and has a career fielding percentage of .995. Torrealba signed a 2 year/$6m deal with the Rockies in 2007. Last year the 32 year old, signed a 1 year deal worth $750,000, coming off a year in which he batted .291. At that price he's a great fit back-up, for a team with a young catcher like Santana, a major upgrade.

C Total Spending: $830,000

First Base - Is Matt LaPorta ready yet? The guy doesn't hit for power, doesn't hit for average and is in his prime now. Of course the Indians are spinning OF Michael Brantley as the real "piece" in the Sabathia trade. It's because they're aren't quite sure they believe in LaPorta yet.
---I'd love to sign Adam Dunn, through the age of 30, Baseball Reference compares Dunn to Harmon Killebrew, Reggie Jackson and Ralph Kiner. What's crazy about Dunn is that he has been Top 5 in strikeouts in the NL every year since 2002, but he's also been Top 5 in walks. Add to that his 35+ HR power. Dunn has not hit historically well in Cleveland and I don't see management putting up enough money to sign him. But I think a deal similar to the Juan Gonzalez deal of 2001 (1 year/$10m) would be ideal.
A few other options could be Derrek Lee, Lyle Overbay or Aubrey Huff. The Indians don't have much in the minors.

1B Total Spending: $10,000,000

Come back tomorrow for 2nd, 3rd and short, Sunday for the outfield and Monday for pitchers.