Know When to Hold 'Em

As I mentioned a few days ago, a lot has been made of the Detroit deal to get Miguel Cabrera, even though it's not a move that fixes any of the Tigers' problems. It does, however, directly effect the Indians, but not the extent that so many people think.

I was right there with everyone else when I started screaming for the Tribe to make a trade, something to counter what Detroit did. And while Jason Bay seemed interesting, my sights were set on Dan Haren.

I might have been upset that we lost out on Haren, but I'm glad we didn't pay the price that Arizona did. If the recent past has taught us anything, it's that we NEED to have depth in Buffalo. We cannot survive without it. The Indians' biggest strength last year wasn't so much any one area on the field as it was the fact that we had so many different guys that we could call up who were able to perform at a high level.

And that's exactly why NOT making a trade before the season starts might actually work out fine for the Tribe.

Here's the thing: the team we saw at the end of last season was not the team that we saw for the beginning of last season. Imagine a team:

1) That has Asdrubal Cabrera all year (brought up August 8th of last year)
2) That has Franklin Gutierrez in right field every day
3) That has Ryan Garko at first base from the start
4) That has Rafael Perez all year (used regularly starting May 29th last year)
5) That has Jensen Lewis all year (brought up July 16th last year)
6) That has a healthy Jake Westbrook all year
7) That has a fifth starter who earns it by battling 3-4 guys for the spot

Would I like to see a better bat in left field or at third? Sure, but we're I think we're going to start the season much better off than we started last season. For that matter, we HAVE those bats for left field and third in the form of Ben Francisco, Sin-Soo Choo, or Andy Marte. It's just a matter of working them in -- not unlike we did Franklin Gutierrez and Asdrubal Cabrera last year.

And while it should be hard to call a 100 RBI season a slump, I would be shocked if Travis Hafner didn't return to form next year. I can't imagine he's doing anything else in the off season but practicing hitting.

Will our offense match the Tigers or the Red Sox or the Yankees? No, but it NEVER WILL. Only an idiot would try to keep up with those teams in such a way. They are loaded and it would be impossible to put together a line-up that could out bash them.

The Tribe has to be better in other ways, and that means pitching, and we have a boatload of that.

Imagine a rotation with C.C. and Fausto at the front and a healthy Jake Westbrook at #3. Then we have Paul Byrd at #4 who, assuming his performance last season was sans HGH, is exactly the kind of guy you want at the back end of your rotation. And now we'll have a #5 starter who is going to have to battle in the spring training for that spot. It could be a rejuvenated Cliff Lee or Jeremy Sowers. It could be Aaron Laffey, who looked impressive down the stretch. It could be the infamous Adam Miller, who didn't give up an earned run last year in spring training. It could even be rising start Chuck Lofgren. Whoever it is, they're going to have to work for that spot, which means we're going to get someone pretty good. That's huge, considering the rest of the league seem to be throwing warm bodies into that last spot.

Now look at our bullpen. As amazing as it is to say, our bullpen could be unbelievable next year. We're returning the core four of Borowski, Lewis, and the two Rafaels. We've added one of the top relievers from Japan. That gives us five guys who can get the job done. I would imagine Fultz will get a spot since they picked up his option, which is fine because we need a lefty to give Perez some breaks. That means, yet again, we will have a number of pitchers battling for that final spot, which can only be a good thing.

We have incredible depth, but not so much that we can just send people away in trades. We have to hold on to it. It's what got us so far last year and what will do the same next year.

So, no, the Tribe don't have to make a big trade to compete next season. They just need to stick with what worked for them last year.