For the first time in at least five years, we’re on the
doorstep of baseball season with a reason to be interested, beyond the
essential fact that it’s the start of the season.
For the first time in five years, the Indians might – maybe,
possibly – have a decent chance at contending for a postseason berth.
And it’s because, for the first time, Larry and Paul Dolan
opened their family’s wallet and spent real money. Lots of it. Last summer, I
penned this article, outlining the many management-level blunders that have
occurred on the Dolans’ watch, and questioning whether they were competent
stewards of the Indians franchise anymore.
I questioned whether anything could save the Dolan regime,
other than spending significant dollars on the 25-man roster. Apparently, the
Dolans didn’t see much of an alternative, either.
They spent $56 million on Nick Swisher, $48 million on
Michael Bourn, $7 million on Brett Myers and $6 million on Mark Reynolds.
Not only that, in an offseason when many of us expected the
Tribe to offload multiple core players, they only jettisoned one, and it was a
productive trade at that, sending Shin-Soo Choo to Cincinnati as part of a
three-way deal with Arizona that netted the Indians outfielder Drew Stubbs from
the Reds and elite pitching prospect Trevor Bauer from the Diamondbacks, among
others.
Was this offseason an excuse for unbridled elation? Probably
not. Was it a much-needed sign of life from a team that has been flatlining
since 2008? Most definitely.
No one is trying to pretend that the Indians are poised to
take the American League by storm starting next week. No one is trying to
pretend that the AL’s balance of power shifted in any type of tectonic fashion.
The Indians can only hope to have a puncher’s chance against league
heavyweights like the Tigers, Angels and Rangers.
Given the canyon that exists between the Tigers and the rest of the AL Central, the ground rules pretty much state that the Indians are eyeing, at best, one of the AL wild card berths. But in baseball, all you need are inroads to the postseason. You can take your chances from there.
And let’s not pull too much wool over our eyes regarding the
Indians organization as a whole. This offseason’s spending spree serves as a
Band-Aid over the systemic problems that continue to plague the organization. The
farm system still has a woeful lack of franchise-caliber talent. The signings
of Swisher and Bourn were necessitated by the fact that no cavalry is capable
of riding in from Columbus should the big-league lineup falter.
But despite all that, the Indians approach Opening Day 2013
with a positive vibe in tow. Terry Francona is now in the manager’s office.
There will be new jerseys in the team shop at Progressive Field, bearing the
names of known players who aren’t limping toward retirement, as were Johnny
Damon and Derek Lowe last year.
The buzz is back. The team has an accomplished manager with
a leader’s personality, new toys to play with, and to top it all off, the
Yankees will be the home-opener opponent on April 9. It’s all enough to make
the turnstiles click, even if the chilly weather continues into April.
Of course, if the Indians start the season 2-10, that
feeling could evaporate in a hurry. But for now, on the precipice, we can
overlook the patchwork starting rotation, Chris Perez’s strained shoulder,
Jason Kipnis’ injured elbow and unremarkable spring, the threadbare farm
system, and focus on the good.
For the first time in quite a while, there’s a reason to
watch. There is a reason to go to the ballpark and check the team out, if only
to satisfy a case of initial curiosity. We’ll know soon enough whether this
team is going to be worth watching for 162 games. But at the very least, the
Indians have the fan base talking baseball in the final weeks of March.
It’s progress, and that alone is better than what we’ve seen
out of this team in recent years.
