The Core of the Team

Going into the off-season there was obviously a lot of improvement the Tribe could make to it's roster, but the questions weren't if they could improve, it was where to improve the team without sacrificing the core of the roster?  Well first thing you have to figure out who you think represents this team's core for building them into a perennial contender.  For me there core is Asdrubal Cabrera(SS), Carlos Santana(C), Jason Kipnis(2B) and Shin-Soo Choo(RF) for the positional players, and for pitchers, Chris Perez(CP), Vinnie Pestano(Setup), Justin Masterson(SP), and Ubaldo Jimenez(SP). 

I know that list may upset some or cause some questions, feel free to post who I should have left off or who you would add.  My theory is this, the core is the guys who are virtually untradeable to make a title run, and are young enough that if this team will make a run at any championship, we need these guys to stay healthy and play to their abilities.  They are all also young enough, that who ever you add around them will be the pieces to get them over the top. 

First let's take a look at the fielders, I gave you A-Cab, Santana, Kipnis, and Choo as the core.  In the past the core players were the young up-and-comers like Sizemore, Peralta, and Hafner.  Unfortunately their time as the core of this team is over.  For me it's a disappointment, because the talent remains there for those guys, but the injury problems persist too much that you can pay big money on them to be the core of any contender.  I am ecstatic we got Sizemore to comeback, but with his injury history, he is now trade-able and not worth a high % of our payroll like he used to be.  A-Cab, Santana, Kipnis, and Choo are trade-able assets, but unless we are out of contention, and we get a king's ransom, I can't see the Tribe pulling the trigger on any of these guys.  You trade them, you are signaling a rebuild of the team if you ask me.  Everybody else on the roster you could trade to upgrade the same position or a different one.  Two guys should be on the list, but I just can't add right now, and those guys are Lonnie Chisenhall and Michael Brantley.  I am a huge Brantley fan, especially when he is our lead-off hitter.  However if Sizemore can stay healthy, he is a very trade-able player since he is young, left-handed, good at drawing up pitchcounts, and the outfield is a place that is ripe to add that right-handed power bat that the team is actively looking for.  If the the Tribe are contenders in July again, depending on which teams aren't, I could see Brantley being shopped with another prospect to get us a big-time LF.  Chisenhall is young, and has a huge upside also, but I can't see him as the core until he officially supplants Jack Hannahan for good.  Going into spring training he has to compete for the starting job.  If he doesn't get it, I can see him going to Triple-A to start the season for more seasoning.

I listed a few pitchers as the core of the rotation and bullpen.  Obviously the bullpen is the back-end where you need a great setup guy and a great closer.  We got both in Pestano and Perez.  The only reason I left Joe Smith off, is because I think that Pestano is even more valuable to the team, as you could see him as a closer in the future.  Masterson is some run support away from being a legit Cy Young candidate, and Ubaldo Jimenez has Cy Young stuff, and cost us our top two pitching prospects.  Fausto Carmona remains in the rotation, but since he has had a tough time with consistency, I think the team has moved on from building the staff around him.  He still has Cy Young stuff, and I want to see him dominate this season, but he is hot and cold and may be too erratic to rely on as a #1 starter anymore.

Overall these are my picks, and I can elaborate more if you disagree or have questions.  However the point is that these are the guys who will be in a Tribe uniform as long as we are close to the playoff race.  If you want to see the Tribe go far this season, these are the guys who have to step up.  Most importantly, we need them and their supporting cast to avoid the massive injury bug this year.  Nothing hurts a team more than bad clubhouse personalities and injuries.  We are fortunate to have quality personalities all over our clubhouse, now we just got to avoid the injuries.

Next Post:  What Causes Injuries?  Answer...running the bases.