Indians are not far off the pace

The acquisition of Derek Lowe should only

be the first of several moves for the Indians

this offseason (Photo: AP).

When watching the World Series this year and last year it is hard not to come away with a belief that the Indians are not that far away from reaching the playoffs and maybe one day making it to and winning a World Series. While there is a disparity between the teams that spend and the teams that do not, one thing that is showing itself more and more is that there are few if any truly dominating teams in baseball.

The New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies are the closest thing in each league to a dominating team, but even with all the money they spend both teams are flawed. They have the money to sustain contention every year, but as always once the playoffs begin almost any team has a chance to win. We have seen it time and time again, and that is why if the Indians can just get back to the postseason they will have as good a chance as anyone to win a World Series.

When you look at the last three World Series participants the Texas Rangers (twice), St. Louis Cardinals, and San Francisco Giants these teams all had significant flaws. The Rangers no doubt have a very good offense, but even with an All Star closer their bullpen has been shaky and their starting pitching is solid as a whole but really lacks much star power at the top. The Cardinals also have a very good offense, but they also have bullpen issues and a very inconsistent starting rotation.

The formula for success in this year’s World Series was the exact opposite of what usually brings success to a team. Both the Cardinals and Rangers had the best offense in their respective leagues but had mediocre to slightly above average pitching staffs as a whole. Teams like that typically do not go very far in the playoffs.

This year’s offensive dominated playoffs was the exception. It is in contrast to last year’s World Series winner the San Francisco Giants who rode their way to a title the traditional way by getting outstanding pitching from a very good rotation and bullpen as well as some very timely hitting by their anemic offense.

So where do the Indians fit in this?

Well, thankfully they do not have to worry about the Cardinals or Giants since they are both in the National League, and the Rangers, Red Sox and Yankees are in different divisions in the American League. The Indians only need to focus on being better than the other four teams in their division the Tigers, White Sox, Twins and Royals.

Going into the offseason the Tigers are still the clear favorite in the AL Central next year, but the Indians and other teams have a chance to make some headway by making the right moves this offseason. Just like several of the Tigers' midseason moves this past season vaulted their performance to a different level, the same could happen for the Indians this offseason. Also young teams like the Indians and Royals with a lot of good young players should show considerable improvement next year just by being a year older.

Time will tell, but the Indians have the makings of a nice starting rotation with two very good pitchers at the front end with right-handers Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez. If Jimenez can get back to anything remotely close to his 2010 form the Masterson-Jimenez duo at the top of the rotation could be one of the best in baseball.

On top of that the Indians have three solid starters making up the rest of the rotation. Right-hander Josh Tomlin has consistently pitched deep into games and been a winner and even though right-hander Fausto Carmona is an enigma he has the talent to be a good #2 or #3 pitcher for almost any rotation.

Add in recently acquired right-handed pitcher Derek Lowe and the Indians have a starting staff that can eat a lot of innings. You combine that with a very good bullpen and that is a team that can compete with anyone.

There are certainly a lot of “ifs” with the rotation. It could be great if Jimenez and Carmona find their old form, and could just as easily implode if they struggle and injuries crop up. So, yeah, there are a lot of “ifs” for sure, though what team does not have those in their rotation?

The key to getting the Indians back to the playoffs and competing for a World Series trophy is mostly going to come down to two things: the health of their pitching staff and the improvements made by the offense.

General Manager Chris Antonetti got things rolling right away this offseason on Monday when he traded for Lowe to fill their need for a veteran starting pitcher. Whether or not Lowe was the right guy to go after is debatable, but to the Indians he filled that veteran starting pitching void they wanted to fill. With his durability and consistency from year to year they believe he will help the stabilize the rotation.

With the Lowe move the Indians now will likely focus all of their attention the rest of this offseason on improving the offense and defense. With Lowe in tow they may be more willing to trade some of their young starting pitching depth to help get that bat or two they seek at first base and the outfield.

Now that outfielder Grady Sizemore’s option has been declined the Indians have the freedom to use his $9 million in salary he would have earned next season and spend it on other lineup needs. This is in addition to other available money due to an expected increased payroll next year. Without Sizemore on the roster they now have the flexibility to trade for or sign a corner outfielder or a center fielder. Their focus will be on a center fielder, but if that market runs dry they may opt to put Michael Brantley in center field and acquire a left fielder.

The other position they need to shore up is first base as right now their options there are just Matt LaPorta, Shelley Duncan, and Carlos Santana. They still want Santana to be the primary catcher, Duncan had a good season in limited duty but he is still best used in a reserve role, and LaPorta has been a big disappointment since coming over in the C.C. Sabathia trade. Upgrading the position not just from an offensive perspective but defensively as well to help their groundball heavy rotation is a must this offseason.

A lot of people around the game believe the Indians have a good core of young position players, but that they lack that player or two to tie the lineup together and make it a good unit. That may mean acquiring a difference maker in free agency or trade, or it could mean trading for or signing an undervalued player that would fit in well with the team sort of like Mike Napoli with the Rangers this year. There is no clear cut direction the Indians will go this offseason, which is what makes this offseason so fascinating.

Those are the challenges the Indians face this offseason as they will try to find that player or two to add to young lineup ready to breakout and be considered one of the game’s elite.

They are not that far away, but they are also in a crucial period where they need to hit on almost every move make this offseason and over the course of next season in order to get back to the playoffs.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

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