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Spring Training Has Launched; Time to Get to Work
There are some speculations currently swirling, but they are simply just speculations

Time to dust of the spikes, pull out the bats, loosen up the arm, and get to work. Spring Training is upon us, and before we know it March Madness will have calmed and Opening Day will be here.

The Indians have few position battles. They made few personnel changes. They are almost the same exact team that came within one game of the World Series in 2007 – and no one thinks that is a bad thing.

But there will always be speculation about certain facets of the team. This season – despite the stability throughout the lineup – is no different.

C.C. Sabathia - 2-28-08
This is obviously the biggest issue the Tribe was faced with in the offseason and will continue to be as long as he is in an Indians uniform and not signed for 2009.

For 2008 though, he isn’t going anywhere…yet. The Tribe ace will be on the mound every fifth day despite the pleading of some to go ahead and trade him now. Mark Shapiro will absolutely not trade him at this point, no matter what he could get in return. Trading C.C. would be a public relations nightmare, telling fans and media alike that the Indians are willing to take a step back today for the promise of prospects tomorrow. If the Tribe (God forbid) is out of the playoff race come the trade deadline, then he will for sure be shipped to the highest bidder. They simply can not part with his services now. He is a leader of this club and the reining Cy Young winner, and the team would take a serious step back parting with him before the season.

Left Field - 2-29-08
The left field platoon fiasco has been puzzling since the day the Indians extended Jason Michaels’ contract or signed David Dellucci to a three-year deal. Simply put: platoons don’t work. Two seasons ago, Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez were taking turns manning first base, and neither finished the season in Cleveland. Last year, the Tribe lineup seemed to change depending on the starting pitcher, the Earth’s rotation, what day of the week it was, etc. Trot Nixon, Casey Blake, Ryan Garko, David Dellucci, and Jason Michaels were moving to and from anywhere in Jacob’s Field it seemed like. By the end of the year, Blake was starting regularly at a position he hadn’t played in three years and Garko emerged from the aforementioned veterans, garnering consistent playing time.

Once again, Michaels and Dellucci are set to be the two-headed monster in left in 2008. Their inflated, immovable contracts kept the Tribe from making any deal to get a proven outfielder in the offseason. One of these career-fourth-outfielders may emerge as an everyday guy, but the platoon will eventually fall out of favor, especially with Shin-Soo Choo, Trevor Crowe and Ben Francisco waiting to take a stab.

Third Base - 3-1-08
Blake is set to man the hot corner with Andy Marte as his backup. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a backup third baseman – teams simply don’t have the luxury to have a player on their bench that only plays third base. The reasoning is Shapiro & Co. still believe Marte is the player with the hype they traded for two seasons ago, despite the fact he is out of Minor League options. He’s either on the roster or he’s gone.

Unfortunately, his numbers are anything-but-promising. He mustered a .267 average with 16 homers and 60 RBIs at Triple-A Buffalo in 2007. And it gets worse. He hit .198 in 30 games in the Dominican Winter League. To top it all off, his glove which was supposed to be his greatest attribute has been shaky too. They’ve even gone as far to try him at first base (probably in an attempt to make him more marketable to other teams in hopes of trading him). He hasn’t been the cornerstone player that they thought they were getting in the 2006 Coco Crisp trade.

It may be time to sever ties with Marte for low-class Minor Leaguers or draft picks. Blake isn’t the long term answer, but for now, his numbers and defense are far better than his “backup.”

Infield - 3-2-08
Not the largest issue that fans have discussed during the offseason, but still something that gets brought up: Jhonny Peralta moving to third, with Asdrubal Cabrera shifting to his natural position of shortstop and Josh Barfield reassuming second. From everything that’s been reported, this will never happen. Peralta has tried third, where some believe that his lack of pure quickness would not be exploited as much. His fielding percentage of .974 in 2007 is not Omar Vizquel, but it’s not like Cecil Fielder is out there either. Plus, the Indians will deal with having a mediocre shortstop if Peralta can put up better-than-average offensive numbers for a shortstop that he did last season (.270, 21, 72). Peralta – as long as he’s in a Tribe uniform – will be playing shortstop, not third base.

Barfield did not impress during his first season in Cleveland. After some time in Buffalo this year, hopefully he can return as a solid contributor someday. Until that time, the spot looks to be Cabrera’s to loose. Cabrera is a natural fit at short, but he transitioned flawlessly into a premiere second baseman at the end of last year. His emergence is one of the best things the Indians could have asked for. Not only is he pushing Barfield into improving his game, but he also keeps Peralta on his toes. Cabrera is the better defensive shortstop, and if Peralta ever begins to slip and Barfield takes the leap back into the starting lineup, they may decide to let Cabrera take a crack.

Either way, three young, talented middle infielders grace the Indians’ roster, and the best two will play everyday, with the third one pushing the others to be on top of their games.

The Fifth Rotation Spot- 3-3-08
Rounding this Wahoo Report is a return to the starting rotation. The fifth spot in the rotation is apparently up for grabs. Cliff Lee is making $3 million a year, and is one of the pitchers in consideration for this spot. Otherwise, he’ll be spending the year in Buffalo. The other two candidates for the job - Jeremy Sowers and Aaron Laffey – are both also deserving of the opportunity.

Unfortunately though for Laffey and Sowers, Lee will earn this position. Everyone around the Tribe, including Lee, were uncomfortable with sending him to Triple-A last year, and front office is not prepared to send someone making more than Fausto Carmona, Laffey and Sowers combined back down. More importantly, the Indians have proven they are not willing to trade starting depth. They have eight (if you include Adam Miller) starting pitchers that could conceivably start in the Major Leagues.

Sowers and Laffey will get regular starts and will be ready to make that trip down I-90 should their number be called upon. Who knows, one of them (or Miller) could be this year’s Carmona should one of the regular starters gets injured or is terribly inconsistent…cough, cough, Cliff Lee…cough.

Tags: aaron laffey, andy marte, asdrubal cabrera, ben francisco, casey blake, cc sabathia, cliff lee, david dellucci, jason michaels, jeremy sowers, jhonny peralta, josh barfield, ryan garko, trevor crowe