Rangers @ Indians, 5.25.08

Today's loss was particularly painful because it was Ben Francisco who let the go ahead run come in. It's a shame, really, as Francisco has really been the main reason two watch the Tribe these days, at least from an offensive stand point.

Even worse, it was another blown hold by the bullpen, although they really didn't deserve it. At least Betancourt had a good outing.

So it should be clear by now that the Indians need to make a deal soon.

Fausto Carmona's injury complicates things, but not so much that the writing isn't still clear on the wall. In fact, keeping Laffey in the rotation could be a good thing if he continues to pitch as he had. His stock will only rise.

I know I keep assuming that Laffey's the one to go, but as well as Sowers has pitched in Buffalo, I don't see us getting that great of a return from him; he just doesn't have the MLB credibility that Laffey has managed to rack up.

I should probably be more concerned about our bullpen, but for some reason I'm just not. I think they need stability and an offense that lessens the pressure. I also have hopes for Adam Miller to join them in the next month, which I think will make a big difference. I think it's just a matter of finding the right mix.

I'm going to bring up something I've mentioned before, although it's become less relevant as Ryan Garko has struggled. But is there no way to get Michael Aubrey or Jordan Brown action at third? Why are our two best hitting prospects first basemen? We have a glut at first and no one at third. And considering how many people make that switch (if Carlos Guillen can do it, my grandmother could do it), why hasn't that been an option? It would seem to make sense to me, particularly given that Aubrey is showing much better plate discipline than almost anyone else in Cleveland and Jordan Brown is off to a great start since moving up to Buffalo.

Still, we're going to have to make a deal soon. I don't envy Shapiro.

It's getting to be that time.

Yes, I've returned.  I've been horribly derelict in my duty, I'll admit.  But sometimes the real world prevents me from blogging about the Tribe -- I know, totally lame.

But let's get right to it.  We've managed to lose 4 straight and fall below .500 yet again.  And, really, we're getting to the point where something needs to be done.

The two solutions that I actually enjoy would involve the rise of both Shin Soo Choo and Adam Miller.  Choo was 3 for 4 in Buffalo today with a homerun.  Miller threw five scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.88.

Now, these are some big assumptions to make, but if Choo can live up to his potential (the few times he was up with the Tribe) and Miller can do the same, those would be some nice additions to our outfield and our bullpen (where Miller would most likely have to go).  An outfield of Choo, Sizemore, and Francisco could be amazing, if they all perform like they can.

But clearly we can't bank on such things.  Our division is simply too competitive for that.

As much as it pains me to say this, I think we're going to have to trade away some pitching.

The worst part of that is the fact that two of our starting five are free agents after this year.  In theory, we'd need to bring up two guys from Buffalo to fill those spots next year, and that would leave us really exposed, especially since we've already used 7 different pitchers this year.

Even worse, Aaron Laffey seems to be the focus of most of these trade rumors, which makes sense as he'll get sent down when Westbrook returns.  I'd rather part with Sowers, but Laffey's value is pretty high.

So where do we send him?  There's been talk about Garret Atkins in Colorado, a great third baseman.  There's also been talk about Brian Roberts in Baltimore, a move that many like because it would allow the Tribe to move Cabrera to short full time.

And while I love the idea of Cabrera as our shortstop (and I've defended Peralta a lot in my time), I think I prefer the Atkins option, simply because we have NO depth at third.  There's also the fact that he'd probably be available much sooner than Roberts, as the Rockies are clearly dropping faster than the Orioles.

Still, the bottom line is that the Tribe is going to have to make a deal soon, because as leaky as our bullpen has been lately, our offense is the only reason we're losing.

Consider this, though: if Francisco is for real, then we have a good start, with Benny, Sizemore, and Martinez.  That's at least something to build on.