by Steve Dimatteo

Created on: January 08, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

It is certainly obvious what the Cleveland Indians were looking to do during the off-season: improve one of the worst bullpens in all of baseball. With only 24 saves all of last season, Indians management knew that in order to compete in a highly competitive division they would have to bolster the back-end of the bullpen. Therefore, it should be no surprise to anyone that the Indians have signed both Joe Borowksi and Keith Foulke to help bring saves to a team desperate for them. Both Borowski and Foulke are getting up there in age and have been battling injuries, especially Foulke, but the Indians training staff has been known to keep starters healthy, even those with past injury problems (i.e. Kevin Millwood).

Sticking with the injury-riddled theme for a moment, it would have been nice to see the Tribe sign Eric Gagne. If anyone remembers, he was the most dominant closer in the game just a few years ago and could return to that form in the right setting. Unfortunately, he did not choose Cleveland, but the Indians were left with two reliable options. The third choice, 89-year-old Roberto Hernandez, is the possible option at closer should Borowski and Foulke both fail and/or go down with injuries. Nonetheless, the signing of these veterans will bring stability to a very young bullpen and allow the young pitchers to mature in roles with less pressure.

It is no doubt that the Indians have a high-powered offense that can carry them into the post-season. With the combined efforts of players like Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, and Victor Martinez, the team continually sits atop or near the top of the standings for most runs scored in the American League. Also, the starting rotation has never been an issue as almost every starter has remained healthy. Some also wonder if 2007 will be the year where the injury bug finally hits the rotation and some key players go down.

First of all, the injury "curse" can go both ways. Once you are injury-riddled, you will always be injury-riddled and the chance to get hurt again is high. However, when a player remains healthy for a number of years and he takes care of his body, I believe he will be a sure bet to remain healthy, except for the age factor. The Indians starters are still in their prime so the prospect of a serious injury affecting the rotation this year seems unlikely. Should a starter actually go down with an injury, because I am not always right, there are a number of young guys that can assume the role and thrive in it (i.e. Fausto Carmona, Adam Miller, and Jason Davis if he ever gains some control).

Considering then that the offense and the rotation is set, the only concern would have been the bullpen in the off-season. That issue has been addressed effectively with veteran additions that know how to win in critical situations. The AL Central is competitive, but extremely winnable. The starting rotation and strong bullpen won the Indians 93 games in 2005 and brought them within one game of the playoffs and they essentially have the same core group of players, so the thought of the post-season in 2007 is not totally absurd. Essentially, it will be up to the top-notch training staff to ensure that these new players stay as healthy as possible (and in the Indians case, they are lucky to be one of the few teams that can turn around an injured player's career) to allow the Indians to make a run. The Twins won the division in 2006 and the Tigers won the Wild Card. In 2005, the division winner was the White Sox. Who's to say that 2007 won't be the Indians' year?

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