By Dan Messerschmidt
CCN Sports Director
Baseball has reached the so-called dog days of the season and the non-waiver trading deadline has passed.
As of this writing, the Cleveland Indians are sitting with a fairly comfortable ten-game lead over Minnesota in the American League Central Division.
Despite seeming to be in the proverbial catbird seat, skittish Indians’ fans wonder if Cleveland has enough to compete for a World Series with the likes of the Yankees, Red Sox or Astros.
Concerns are legitimate considering the, at times, erratic play of the Tribe. Early in the season, the bullpen was at near-disaster level, but with the acquisition of lefty closer Brad Hand from San Diego and the return from the disabled list of versatile southpaw Andrew Miller, the pen looks to be shored up.
However, position players — outfielders in particular — have been dropping like flies, rendering a potent offense inconsistent. Lonnie Chisenhall and Bradley Zimmer, starters when the season opened, have landed on the 60-day disabled list.
Manager Terry Francona had Tyler Naquin in his hip pocket. Of course, Naquin had hip surgery last week and is currently on the DL as well. The outfielder of most concern entering the season, Michael Brantley, has been the most reliable this year, playing in 99 games so far.
Indians’ President Chris Antonetti and General Manager Mike Chernoff re-signed 37-year-old Rajai Davis in the off-season, but Davis’ body is not able to withstand the rigors of playing every day. They have also acquired journeyman Melky Cabrera — twice, designating him for assignment and sending him back to Columbus when he passed through waivers.
They still have Brandon Guyer, whose primary job was to hit left-handed pitching but was not batting above the Mendoza Line during the first half. Thus, the Tribe leads by ten games with what has amounted to a make-shift outfield.
A trade with Detroit for centerfielder Leonys Martin has added stability for now, but is it enough?
Maybe. If Chisenhall and/or Naquin can return from the DL by September 1, they would add depth to the outfield. Even though both hit from the left side of the plate, as do Brantley and Martin, Francona would still have Davis and Guyer as right-hand options and Cabrera is a switch hitter.
The infield is explosive, with Jose Ramirez (33 HR, 83 RBI) and Francisco Lindor (27 HR, 95 runs) leading the way and Yonder Alonzo getting hot in the second half.
Starting pitching is deep, even with Danny Salazar on the 60-day DL. Cy Young candidates Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco along with youngsters Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber make up a formidable rotation.
So, don’t look for the Indians’ brain trusts to give away the farm for a key player. They have the luxury of virtually coasting to the postseason in the weak AL Central. If a rental player drops in their laps the caliber of Jay Bruce, for whom they traded last year, they’ll take it.
The Red Sox are on a record-setting pace in the East and the Astros seem to have the inside track in the West. The Yankees will have to hold off either streaking Oakland or Seattle to even make the one-game wild card playoff.
If the Indians can get — and stay — healthy, anything could happen. Expectations are high. Fans and Cleveland management are no longer satisfied with just making postseason.
With a few breaks, the Indians’ could catch lightning in a bottle. A World Series title would go a long way to easing the pain of LeBron James leaving town.
If only the solution to the Browns’ problems were this easy.