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As we near the end of June it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the Cleveland Indians are not going to make the playoffs this year. In fact, they'll probably not even be close. Not with all the costly injuries and under performing players on the team. The season is now old enough to know that this isn't just a temporary slump by a few players.

As the trading deadline comes into focus, they should definitely see it as an opportunity to improve the team for next year and beyond. Forget this year, it's over. Since they didn't take my advice and trade C.C. Sabathia before the start of the season like I told them to , they'd be stupid to not trade him soon to the highest bidder because they're certainly not going to resign him after this season. Same thing for semi-good players such as Casey Blake and Paul Byrd (both of whom are in the last year of their contracts) that teams still in contention will be salivating over like only major league baseball general managers can do.

I'd also throw Jhonny Peralta into the trading pool as well. His range for a shortstop is horrible, he's not a clutch hitter (last night's game against the Dodgers a rare exception) and he strikes out way too often on pitches so far outside the strike zone that he must think a walk is the same thing as an error. Give the shortstop position to Asdrubal Cabrera, the best fielder on the team, let Josh Barfield play second base when he returns from a finger injury, and give the third base position to Andre Marte for the rest of the season so he can be judged over an extended period of consistent playing time rather than the part time opportunities he's getting now.

Tribe fans (which I count myself as one) should prepare themselves to watch an at best .500 baseball team for the rest of the year.  With a lot of young and talented but still developing players that have a chance to become very good in the years ahead, especially if the team can make the right moves and trades this year, this team can still be very interesting to follow, just plan on buying tickets for the Browns games in October, not the Tribe.

Tags: cc sabathia, cleveland indians, jhonny peralta