Does the lack of a true middle-of-the-order hitter make the Indians' offense the Achilles heel of the team?
Hey, Hoynsie: What do you think is the biggest weakness in the Indians lineup? I think the lack of power with no big RBI production. The three-run homer is a nice weapon for any team to have at its disposal. I feel that The Tribe can pitch and field with most anyone in MLB, but run production will be lacking versus Detroit, Boston, etc. – Tim Corbett, Ladera Ranch, Calif.
Hey, Tim: It would be nice if the Indians had a legitimate 30-homer, 100-RBI hitter in the middle of the lineup, but they don’t. I still like the offense because it’s so balanced. In the season opener Monday in Oakland, manager Terry Francona had three switch-hitters, three lefties and three righties in the lineup.
Last year Nick Swisher led the team in homers with 22, certainly not an eye-opening number, but there were eight other players with 10 or more homers. They finished eighth in the 15-team AL with 171 homers and tied for fourth in runs with 745. With the exception of Drew Stubbs, all those players are back this year.
My concern is focused more on the starting rotation. Can Danny Salazar go wire-to-wire and is Carlos Carrasco ready to turn the corner as a starter?
Hey, Hoynsie: Do you think the Tribe would have jumped at the chance to extend "true aces" CC Sabathia and Cliff Lee at annual market value for half the years? If so, what does this say about their view of Justin Masterson? – Steve Cornelius, Rocky River.
Hey, Steve: The Indians actually signed Sabathia to two extensions: a four-year $9.5 million deal in 2002 and a two-year $17.5 million deal in 2005. They signed Lee to a four-year $15 million extension in 2006.
The price of doing business has certainly changed. Now those extensions would match one year for the price of a quality starter such as Masterson. It took the Indians years to regain their equilibrium – if they truly have – after trading Sabathia and Lee in consecutive seasons. The loss of Masterson will hurt as well.
Hey, Hoynsie: Do you have concerns about the Tribe’s bullpen? All the pieces that left - and who they were being replaced with - seems to have left it much weaker than it was a year ago. – Thomas Ryan, Fostoria.
Hey, Thomas: The Indians did lose talent with the free agent departures of Joe Smith, Matt Albers, Rich Hill and Chris Perez. Still, I like the pen GM Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona have put together.
There are five holdovers in Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Marc Rzepczynski, Vinnie Pestano and Blake Wood. The newcomers are John Axford, Josh Outman and Scott Atchison.
Francona has two lefties in Rzepczynski and Outman and two righties in his main set-up guys, Allen and Shaw. Axford is going to draw the most attention at closer because he lost the same job last year with Milwaukee. He did pass his first test Monday by saving the Tribe’s 2-0 victory over the A’s, but his two walks made things uneasy.
Outman appears to be a left-on-left guy and Atchison will be a jack-of-all-trades.
Considering how Pestano and Perez struggled last year, I think this pen has a chance to be better than the 2013 version.
Hey, Hoynsie: Why didn’t you report that Danny Salazar had arm soreness early in spring training? -- Jack Nolan, Cleveland.
Hey, Jack: Because everyone I talked to said there was nothing wrong with his arm, including Salazar. I don’t break out the rubber hose until the regular season.
Hey, Hoynsie: Justin Masterson wants $17.5 million a year for three years. Considering the money pitchers with less talent have gotten, how can the Indians not give it to him? – Angelo Costanzo, Cleveland.
Hey, Angelo: It’s simple, they just say no. This is strictly an ownership decision. Do you really think GM Chris Antonetti doesn’t want to keep his No.1 starter?
Hey, Hoynsie: It seems like last year I could always count on the Indians to make a comeback at some point when they were playing from behind, but once they had a lead the bats went cold. I'm getting the same vibes this spring (barring the minor league guys tearing it up). Is this just my imagination, or is there something lacking in their ability to score insurance runs? Winning one-run games is exciting, but I wouldn't mind a good blowout here and there. – Bobby Reichert, La Crosse, Wis.
Hey, Bobby: If you pay too much attention to the course of spring training games, you’ll end up staring into the mirror at 3 a.m. talking to yourself. I don’t know if the Indians are going to score 800 runs this season, but I do know they’ll have their fair share of blowouts on both sides of the ledger.
In Monday’s season opener, Nyjer Morgan gave the Tribe a 1-0 lead in the ninth inning with a sacrifice fly. Nick Swisher followed with a run-scoring single to make it 2-0. Since that was the final score, does Swisher’s RBI satisfy your need for an insurance run?
Hey, Hoynsie: Instead of the Indians always using the excuse that they have financial restrictions when they can't afford certain players, why don't they come together with other small and mid-market teams to try and force change? If it takes a lockout and losing a couple of seasons to break the players union, I am all for it because the game needs change. By doing nothing it just makes me believe (and I am sure other fans, as well) that the owners are better off then they let on or they just don't care. – Jeff P, Seven Hills.
Hey, Jeff: So you’re preaching revolution? Why not? Change can be messy, but invigorating at the same time.
One suggestion, check your history. In almost every labor dispute between the owners and the players union, the owners have broken first. They’ve tried lockouts, replacement players, colluding to control salaries – none of them worked.
You’re right about one thing, if it was a losing proposition to own an MLB team, wouldn’t a lot more teams be for sale?
Hey, Hoynsie: Apparently, last year Indians owner Paul Dolan said, "In Cleveland we remain committed to winning a World Championship." Do you know what he meant or who the "we" is? Or can you ask him? – Ray Givens, Cleveland.
Hey, Ray: I don’t think you really wanted an answer. It sounded like you just wanted to vent. Consider yourself vented.
Hey, Hoynsie: Can you make sense of these Paul Dolan statements for us? 'The Indians can’t afford Justin Masterson without making a trip to the World Series.'
'Dolan has no plans to sell and the organization remains committed to playing in a World Series.' – Dustin Potter, New York, New York.
Hey, Dustin: I know one thing, for sure. I have made a blood-oath commitment to give up Godiva chocolate cheesecake, but it always finds its way to the end of my fork. I eagerly await your interpretation.
I think Dolan is much the same way. He wants to win a World Series and is committed to it, but only to a certain degree.