Second base and third base remain in flux, but there are candidates who could become solid contributors for a while.
View full sizeShortstop Asdrubal Cabrera should be a mainstay in the infield for a while for the Indians.Q: Hey, Hoynsie: The Indians' infield has been in a state of flux for years. Who do you see as mainstays for the future out of the current roster and players in the farm system? -- Gareth Harris, Westlake
A: Hey, Gareth: I think you start with Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop, Carlos Santana at catcher and Matt LaPorta at first. Second and third base are up for grabs. Jayson Nix, Jason Donald, Luis Valbuena, Jason Kipnis and Cord Phelps are possibilities at second. Jhonny Peralta, Lonnie Chisenhall and Jared Goedert are candidates at third.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Do you feel that LeBron James leaving Cleveland will create a Cavs spiral similar to Larry Dolan buying the Indians? -- Carol Holmes, Barberton
A: Hey, Carol: No, I don't. For one thing, it's easier to build a good basketball team than it is a good baseball team, because you only need five players and only one or two dominant ones. Secondly, I think Dan Gilbert has a lot more money to spend than Larry and Paul Dolan.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: With interleague play in the books for the year, and Cleveland once again playing Pittsburgh, is this something we will see every year as a geographic-rivalry series? I'd certainly hope so, considering Pittsburgh is much more of a natural rival than Cincinnati. -- Kevin Koval, Youngstown
A: Hey, Kevin: I'd love to see the Indians play the Pirates every year in interleague play. This year's series at PNC Park drew great crowds for two bad ballclubs. Imagine if the Indians and Pirates ever got competitive?
Right now, MLB has the Tribe locked into a home and away series with the Reds every year. That's also drawn well, and I don't see that going away.
It would be nice if the schedule-makers could include a Cleveland-Pittsburgh series every year in the two teams' interleague schedules. We'll see what happens.
View full sizeJosh Barfield is in the minors with San Diego.Q: Hey, Hoynsie: With all the problems the Indians had been having with second base until Jayson Nix came along, I was wondering what happened to Josh Barfield and if the Tribe ever thought about giving him a chance to see what he could do again? -- Erich Golden, Westfield, N.J.
A: Hey, Erich: Barfield is in the minors with San Diego. I don't see him getting another shot with the Tribe. In fact, I would imagine Barfield would stay as far away from Cleveland as possible. This is where his career came to a dramatic halt.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Do you expect the Tribe to try to improve the team at the trade deadline? Do we have any minor-league talent that is highly regarded? -- Jerry Fogle, Grafton
A: Hey, Jerry: The Indians are going to be sellers, not buyers, at the trade deadlines of July 31 (nonwaiver) and Aug. 31 (waivers required).
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: I was surprised the Tribe called up Chris Gimenez to replace veteran catcher Mike Redmond. Isn't Gimenez an outfielder/first baseman? I thought he was an emergency catcher last year? -- George Hays, Cleveland
A: Hey, George: Last year, Gimenez appeared in 18 games at first, 14 games in left field, seven games in right field and eight at catcher with the Indians. At Class AAA Columbus this year, he played 33 games in the outfield, 17 games at catcher, three games at first base and one at third.
It's clear the Indians are trying to get as young as possible. It's also clear they weren't going to call up Lou Marson to sit behind Carlos Santana. They want Marson to play every day and try to get his offense back together.
Gimenez was the next option.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: I'm surprised you think Jhonny Peralta will be gone. I thought he was considered a "core" player for the team? -- John Walton, Cleveland
A: Hey, John: I like Peralta. I like him as a person and a player, but for the past couple of years, his game has been stuck in neutral. If he's around long enough in the second half to hit 20 homers, maybe he once again becomes a core player.
Right now, the chances of the Indians picking up his $7 million option for 2011 are slim and none.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: In your July 6 column, you mentioned that Larry Dolan and Mark Shapiro invested heavily in the minor-league system. Are there any facts to back that up? I know Dolan/Shapiro keep repeating that claim, but the Tribe has the minimum number of farm teams and does not spend on bonus payments in the draft. Even the Pirates outspend them in that respect every year. -- Lee Petersen, Akron
A: Hey, Lee: The Indians went above MLB's unofficial slotting system last year to sign No. 1 pick Alex White to a $2.25 million signing bonus. According to Baseball America, the Indians spent $3.85 million on their first 10 picks in last year's draft. They ranked 20th out of 30 teams, spending more than teams such as the Dodgers, Braves, Blue Jays, Rays, Cubs, Rangers, Phillies and Mets.
One of the reasons the Pirates spend more money on the draft than the Indians, and almost every other club, is because they've lost for so long that they always have a high pick. When you draft high, the best players are available and they demand big money.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: I've been an Indians fan since 1950, despite not living in Cleveland. I've made many trips to Cleveland, Toronto and New York to see them play. For the past several years, I've had the Major League Baseball package on cable, so I see virtually all of their games.
View full sizeIndians designated hitter Travis Hafner.Of all the things I've experienced as a Tribe fan, I can't remember anything stranger than the deterioration of Travis Hafner. He is one of my favorite Indians and has gone from the "feel good" story of getting out of Rafael Palmeiro's shadow in Texas and being one the most feared hitters in the league, to a player who probably no longer belongs in the majors. Yet very little is said or written about this incredible decline of a once very good player. As far as I know, he is now healthy and has never tested positive for any illegal substances.
I have two questions. First, what do you think is the cause of Hafner's rapid decline? Second, how long will the Indians keep him on the roster? I'm aware of the money owed him over the next several years. But that doesn't justify giving him at-bats that hurt the team and take away from others who might help the team in the future. -- John Eckhardt, Pittsford, N.Y.
A: Hey, John: Hafner is on record as saying he never used steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. If you believe him, and I do, then his decline has to be tied to the surgery he had on his right shoulder two years ago.
I think he's lost bat speed and gets beat inside by pitches that didn't beat him during his run from 2004 through 2007. I think he's lost confidence and plate discipline. Pitchers no longer fear him, and it shows.
Hafner's contract is not only the biggest in Indians history, but the worst. He's scheduled to make $13 million in 2011 and $13 million in 2012. I would think the club has to address it sometime in the near future.
If incoming General Manager Chris Antonetti can somehow get out from under this deal, it will be akin to former Cavs GM Jim Paxson unloading Shawn Kemp. If not, I don't think Hafner is going anywhere. I can't imagine ownership agreeing to release him while owing him so much money.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: You've been close to the Tribe for a long time. Can you give us your opinions as to why the organization of the 1990s was so successful? -- Fred Talbot, Cleveland
A: Hey, Fred: Is this some kind of test?
Let's try good players, a good manager, a good general manager, good drafts, a good farm system, good scouts, a sold-out ballpark and a competitive payroll. Nothing to it, right?
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: I get why the Indians had to trade Cliff Lee and CC Sabathia. I don't get why they had to trade Carl Pavano, who didn't make that much money and who would have really strengthened the starting rotation. -- James Thompson, Oak Park, Ill.
A: Hey, James: Like the trades of Sabathia, Lee and Victor Martinez, the trade of Pavano was all about money. The Indians signed Pavano for $1.5 million, but he was on the verge of shaking the bonus tree for an additional $2.85 million, and the Indians didn't want to pay it.
The Indians and Twins reportedly negotiated a deal on how to pay for the bonuses.
One more thing that led to Pavano's trade. He was eligible for arbitration. He didn't file but signed a one-year deal worth $7 million with the Twins. The Indians were never going to pay that much to keep him.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Why will the Dolans not sell the Indians to somebody who will keep the players that become stars and bring in new players? Imagine all the ex-Indians that were given away over the past 10 years and look at the All-Star lineup we would now have. Will they never sell? Or are the Indians nothing more than a write-off? Can they ever be forced to sell? -- Skip Herndeen, Maple Heights
A: Hey, Skip: How many people do you think are lined up to buy the last-place Indians at this point? And why would the Dolans sell them now when they almost assuredly wouldn't get what they paid for it?
I can't foresee any reason why MLB would force the Dolans to sell the club. As long as owners pay their bills, it's hard to fire them just because they put a lousy product on the field.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: We've been hearing a lot about the success of Bryce Stowell and T.J. McFarland in the daily minor-league reports. Do you know what style of pitchers they are? -- Casey Valentine, Dublin, Ohio
A: Hey, Casey: Stowell is a 6-2, 205-pound right-hander from University of California Irvine and Pepperdine University.
The Indians took him with the 22nd pick in the 2008 draft. He started the year in the bullpen at Class A Kinston before moving to Class AA Akron, where he went 7-for-7 in saves in 14 scoreless appearances.
He's in Class AAA Columbus and still hasn't allowed a run since May 15. He normally throws between 94 mph and 97 mph, and one scout clocked him at 100 mph. He has 81 strikeouts, 22 walks and has allowed 33 hits in 52 innings and has put himself in line for a big-league look this year.
McFarland is a 6-3, 190-pound left-hander. He was the Tribe's fourth-round pick out of high school in 2007. He's similar to a young Aaron Laffey. He has a good slider with a good sinking fastball and induces a lot of ground balls.
He's 9-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 17 games, including 12 starts. McFarland has 62 strikeouts, 25 walks and has allowed 86 hits in 95 innings. He's in line for a promotion to Akron.
Q: Hey, Hoynsie: Here is a question I am not sure I would have asked even a month ago. Any chance the Indians release Jhonny Peralta and bring up the red-hot Jared Goedert to play third soon? -- Paul Welling, Rossford
A: Hey, Paul: I think the Indians would much rather trade Peralta than release him. Goedert could get a look in September. If he does, that would put Peralta on the bench for a time.
-- Hoynsie
Got an Indians question? Send it in. Submit your question at cleveland.com/heyhoynsie, and Plain Dealer Indians beat writer Paul Hoynes will choose at least one to answer each Sunday here in the Sports section. All of Paul's answers are archived online.