Rally Caps Offseason Outlook - Cleveland Indians

The Indians front office has their work cut out for themselves as they drop some bad contracts and go into 2013 with a lot of payroll flexibility, arbitration and trade decisions, and a new manager. The team hasn't had a winning season since 2007 and has flirted with 100 losses in three of the last five seasons.

Pos	Player	Salary			Total
C	Carlos Santana	$750,000		2008	$78,970,066
1B	Yan Gomes	$500,000		2009	$81,579,166
2B	Jason Kipnis	$500,000		2010	$61,453,967
3B	Lonnie Chisenhall	$500,000		2011	$49,426,567
SS	Asdrubal Cabrera	$6,500,000		2012	$65,430,300
LF	Ezequiel Carrera	$500,000		Average	$67,372,013
CF	Michael Brantley	$500,000		2013	$48,100,000
RF	Shin-Soo Choo	$7,900,000		Budget	$19,272,013
DH	Mike Aviles	$2,300,000
C	Lou Marson	$800,000
IF	Lars Anderson	$500,000
OF	Tim Fedroff	$500,000
Util	Jason Donald	$500,000
SP	Justin Masterson	$5,700,000
SP	Ubaldo Jimenez	$5,750,000
SP	Zach McAllister	$500,000
SP	David Huff	$500,000
SP	Carlos Carrasco	$500,000
CP	Chris Perez	$7,200,000
SU	Vinnie Pestano	$500,000
SU	Joe Smith	$2,700,000
MRP	Tony Sipp	$1,000,000
MRP	Cody Allen	$500,000
MRP	Nick Hagadone	$500,000
LRP	Frank Herrmann	$500,000

The Indians have hole all throughout the roster, as they were near the bottom of the league last season in both offense and pitching. With that in mind, any area that the team looks set at could also potentially be a trade candidate.

Carlos Santana and Jason Kipnis are the only locks around the diamond. Both are young cost-controlled players who have already started to produce at the major league level. Lonnie Chisenhall hasn't hit that well in the majors, but also hasn't had much of an opportunity. The team could decide to give him a shot to run with the job, or they could bring in a stopgap and let him work out his kinks in the minors. The big issue across the board with the Indians is they lack impact prospects to either rely on or trade. Building your team through free agency can get expensive, but the Indians may need to depend on mercenaries to build the team. The Indians are very far from being competitive, but a couple of good signings can go a long way towards building a winning core. If the team doesn't trust Chisenhall, it could make sense to bring in kevin Youkilis as a backup. Youk has a rapport with new manager Terry Francona. Youkilis could also help fill their first base hole since the Indians current options, Yan Gomes, Lars Anderson, and Matt LaPorta, are all unreliable due to questions about their big league hitting ability. The team could also look to bring in Adam LaRoche to fill their first base hole.

The team has shortstop locked up right now with Asdrubal Cabrera, but Cabrera is also their best trade chip. The former Silver Slugger could bring in decent prospects and the team has Mike Aviles to slide over to shortstop in the meantime. Aviles is a major step down from Asdrubal, but the Indians aren't contending for the division in 2013.

The team also has another valuable trade chip in outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. Choo is the team's best outfielder, but, like Cabrera, could bring in a good prospect haul from a competing team looking for a right fielder. The team probably won't be able to bring in top outfield free agents like Shane Victorino, Michael Bourn, or Josh Hamilton due to their recent results, but cheaper alternatives like Ryan Ludwick and Reed Johnson exist. The team is also in a great position to take advantage of a post-hype sleeper like Ryan Raburn. Raburn was non-tendered by the Tigers, but had a lot of unreached potential that could be realized with a change of venue.

The team's rotation is in a state of disarray. They had a bottom five rotation last season and could use some fresh faces. Justin Masterson performed fairly well in the past and Zach McAllister, David Huff, and Carlos Carrasco have the potential, but run the risk of being overexposed too early in their development. The team could use free agent acquisitions like Shaun Marcum, Ryan Dempster, or Brandon McCarthy to help build a rotation that can eat up innings. The team already made a curious move exercising Ubaldo Jimenez's option after a disappointing season and a half. Ubaldo arguably wouldn't have received $6 million on the open market and that money could have been used for other acquisitions. In general, the team probably needs at least two pitchers that can give them innings so they aren't leaning on their youngsters for a full season.

The team had an average bullpen last season, but relied on younger pitchers that could potentially take a step forward this season. Chris Perez is a solid big league closer and the setup duo of Vinnie Pestano and Tony Sipp could both be relied upon in save situations. The team could look to move Perez if a good package presents itself and replace his production on the free agent market.

The Indians are a few seasons away from having a true contender, but 2013 could be a transitional year for a team with a new manager and the freedom from Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore's large contracts.

 

American League
East	Central	West
Baltimore Orioles	Chicago White Sox	Houston Astros
Boston Red Sox	Cleveland Indians	Los Angeles Angels
New York Yankees	Detroit Tigers	Oakland Athletics
Tampa Bay Rays	Kansas City Royals	Seattle Mariners
Toronto Blue Jays	Minnesota Twins	Texas Rangers
National League
East	Central	West
Atlanta Braves	Chicago Cubs	Arizona Diamondbacks
Miami Marlins	Cincinnati Reds	Colorado Rockies
New York Mets	Milwaukee Brewers	Los Angeles Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies	Pittsburgh Pirates	San Diego Padres
Washington Nationals	St Louis Cardinals	San Francisco Giants

Rally Caps Offseason Outlook - Cincinnati Reds

The Reds have been on the cusp of making a legitimate World Series run for the past few years but have continued to fall just short of their goal. This season, they bring back a team that, on paper, looks again to be ready to compete. What do they need to get the job done this time around?

Pos	Player	Salary			Total
C	Ryan Hanigan	$2,150,000		2008	$74,117,695
1B	Joey Votto	$19,000,000		2009	$73,558,500
2B	Brandon Phillips	$10,000,000		2010	$76,151,500
3B	Todd Frazier	$500,000		2011	$80,826,667
SS	Zack Cozart	$500,000		2012	$87,826,167
LF	Chris Heisey	$1,300,000		Average	$78,496,106
CF	Drew Stubbs	$2,900,000		2013	$94,700,000
RF	Jay Bruce	$7,541,667		Budget	-$16,203,894
C	Devin Mesoraco	$500,000
IF	Henry Rodriguez	$500,000
OF	Xavier Paul	$500,000
OF	Denis Phipps	$500,000
Util	Emmanuel Burriss	$500,000
SP	Johnny Cueto	$7,400,000
SP	Mat Latos	$4,600,000
SP	Bronson Arroyo	$11,500,000
SP	Homer Bailey	$5,100,000
SP	Aroldis Chapman	$4,708,333
CP	Jonathan Broxton	$4,000,000
SU	Sean Marshall	$4,500,000
SU	Jose Arredondo	$1,200,000
MRP	Logan Ondrusek	$900,000
MRP	Nick Masset	$3,100,000
MRP	Alfredo Simon	$800,000
LRP	Sam LeCure	$500,000

The Reds don't really have a lot of holes to fill as they enter the 2013 season. That's not to say the team listed above is the one that will be listed on the Opening Day roster. There are definitely moves to be made as the team lacks a true leadoff hitter and could really use some work on the bench.

The catching situation is fine. Ryan Hanigan is entering the last season of his contract so we will probably see Devin Mesoraco ease more into the starting role. Last season, Hanigan started in 98 games while Mesoraco started 48. I see that split getting closer this season with the possibility of being completely flipped. Hanigan still puts up good enough numbers to be considered a fringe starter, so I don't see him being interested in a timeshare with the Reds in 2014. Mesoraco didn't show much ability at the plate last season, but did show more pop than the incumbent. With more playing time, he could get more comfortable at the plate.

The Reds infield is completely locked up. Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips signed extensions that will keep them in Cincinnati for quite a while. The team also trusted Zack Cosart enough to make 131 starts last season, so will obviously be willing to give him the reins again this season. The team lost Scott Rolen to free agency and possible retirement, but Todd Frazier should slot right into the starting role. Things get somewhat interesting, though, as the team's top three offensive prospects, Didi Gregorious, Billy Hamilton, and Henry Rodriguez play shortstop (Gregorious and Hamilton) and third (Rodriguez). The team has started to get creative already by moving Hamilton to center field with an eye towards having him ready to make the team midway through 2013 or the beginning of 2014. The other two could create competition for Cosart and Frazier going forward.

In the outfield, the only true lock is Jay Bruce. Bruce has a power bat that earned him a Silver Slugger award last season. He will continue to serve as the cleanup hitter behind Joey Votto. The team lost Ryan Ludwick to free agency, though, and may not have the money to bring him back unless they raise payroll a bit. The team doesn't have the resources to bring in one of the top names like Josh Hamilton or Michael Bourn, but will need to get creative and bring in some kind of outfield solution to help with their present situation. Drew Stubbs will get the bulk of the starts in center field but his bat is anemic against right-handed pitchers. He gives the team a great speed and decent pop for the position, but something has to be done to combat a .41 OPS against fair-handed hurlers. A similar situation exists with Chris Heisey. Heisey has the tools to be the teams primary left fielder, but possesses a .680 OPS against righties, hence the reason to have Ludwick on the roster. In Xavier Paul, the team has a player who can play left field against righties, as his .867 OPS against them last year showed. The team will need to bring someone aboard who can play center field against right-handed pitchers, though. The team could dip into its crop of prospects and try to make a stopgap trade to fill the position until Hamilton is ready. Matching up with Oakland for Coco Crisp is a possibility, as he became somewhat superfluous after the trade for Chris Young.

The bench is pretty set right now, as Mesoraco, Rodriguez, Paul, and Burriss's jobs are secure. If theteam brings a center field option aboard, Dennis Phipps could be sent down.

The team had one of the best rotations last season, as its five starters made nearly all of the team's starts for the season. Obviously, they can't count on that to happen again, but they have the depth to account for an injury. Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Bronson Arroyo, and Homer Bailey are locks for their spots. The team brought back Jonathan Broxton, which gives them the flexibility to try the dominant Aroldis Chapman in the rotation. I'm not the biggest fan of the move, as Chapman experienced a bit of dead arm at the end of last season. With Mike Leake and prospects Tony Cingrani and Daniel Corcino, the Reds have the depth to deal with an injury.

The Reds had the third best bullpen in the National League and return the unit mostly intact. The bullpen obviously takes a huge blow if Chapman is moved into the rotation, but with Broxton and Marshall in tow, they have the depth to stay strong despite the move. If the Reds are nervous about their unit, they could look into a reclamation signing of the recently non-tendered Brian Wilson. Ultimately, though, the team can probably get positive results even with a slight step down from last season's production.

 

American League
East	Central	West
Baltimore Orioles	Chicago White Sox	Houston Astros
Boston Red Sox	Cleveland Indians	Los Angeles Angels
New York Yankees	Detroit Tigers	Oakland Athletics
Tampa Bay Rays	Kansas City Royals	Seattle Mariners
Toronto Blue Jays	Minnesota Twins	Texas Rangers
National League
East	Central	West
Atlanta Braves	Chicago Cubs	Arizona Diamondbacks
Miami Marlins	Cincinnati Reds	Colorado Rockies
New York Mets	Milwaukee Brewers	Los Angeles Dodgers
Philadelphia Phillies	Pittsburgh Pirates	San Diego Padres
Washington Nationals	St Louis Cardinals	San Francisco Giants