Here is my take on this. I know we all WANT the Indians to buy, trade and go for it, but the history of this FO (Dolan) doesn't bode well. I think the more LIKELY scenario is the Indians will unload a few players to contenders to get more omnipresent "prospects." My guess? Lowe, Jimenez, Damon, (if he hits at all) and maybe others (Santana?) go to contending teams as they really don't see this team contending even with a hitter or two...they really need two or more, plus middle relief. They can't get all that. I bet they start to sell and look at 2014. It wouldn't suprise me in the least. There is no sense of urgency here. Seriously, they haven't shown any since the 90's. Am I off base, here?

They will either be sellers or just stand pat thinking that when they get Hafner and Sizemore plus R. Perez, if he ever does come back, it will be like adding players without a trade. When this team has been in a better situation then they are this year they haven't spent, they haven't spent during the off seasons when they should have and as far as making trades, they need a starter, bullpen help and 2 right handed bats and they have nobody they can trade to get any of those yet alone all of them to make a difference.

i agree with X...

There really isn't anyone being talked about right now who can help the team, nor could we acquire them for nothing (which is essentially our trading chips at this point).

I also think if this skid hits 7 games the season is over, unless everyone else in our division goes on a skid.

I think, if we are sellers Lowe, hannahan, Kotchman, duncan, Damon (who no one really wants), Lopez, Sipp, donald, LaPorta...maybe even Perez, A-Cab or Choo could go.

I would even go out on a limb and say that Jimenez could get traded, if someone is really desperate and he continues to pitch decent enough.

I am leaning towards sellers now. We will know for sure at the all star break when after playing Bal, LAA, and Tampa the tribe maybe 5-7 games back and in third or fourth place. Plus, isn't nice we get swept by the Yankees now they lose 2 starters (CC, Pettitte) right before they play the whitesox so u know chicago will get at least a split if not take 3 of 4 now.

If we sell then its rebuilding time, we is getting to be old and worthless! we rebuild to what? a mediocre team with false hopes that turning into trade bait for the next rebuild!!

That pretty much sums it up. If they were not going to spend in the off season for just that one or two key players, that could of put us over the top, they certainly are not going to do it now. They then use the fact that all other teams are looking for the same thing, as their excuse going into the trading deadline.

Things will only change if there is a change at the top. (ownership)

If we are going to buy we need to do it NOW. The trade deadline would be far too late.

I would first try to trade Choo for someone like Cuddyer. It doesnt add much production wise but it balances out our lineup by adding a RH hitter. Plus we all know Choo will never sign with this team long term anyway so may as well trade him for an equal piece.

We then need to go after another RH bat - not someone too expensive - like Soriano.

SP... need to add at least 1 - not sure who we can trade to get that... Chisenhall?

Bullpen.... need probably 2 guys. I would like to try Gomez at long relief and maybe Perez coming back can be the other guy.

Biggest problem is we are missing a lot of pieces and have nothing but garbage to trade. So we would have to be creative like the Choo for Cuddyer thing to try to balance out this team.

We have so many bad players I dont even know where to start.

well they did spend. but instead of just paying one good player they handed out millions to Sizemore (5 mill), Carmona/Hernandez(5-7milll...debateable how much he makes now with the restructure), Slowey (1.5 mill i believe), Kotchman (3 mill), Duncan/Cunningham (1 mill), Damon (1 mill).

so i mean that is somewhere around 16 million...could have probably signed either Willingham or Cuddyer straight up for a few extra mill ontop of that (which would have came off the books from hafners contract)....

I am starting to believe that the Indians are in just unrealistic to the fact that quality is more important that quantity. This is like the 2nd or 3rd off season they have done this and it is just a huge error that the F.O. continues to make year in and year out with these guys.

They've done good and bad in spots, but (i agree) this is the 4th straight year they've needed offense...

Your right.... I guess I was just implying that we shouldn't expect anything big like last years deal at the deadline. I've already bashed them enough for their off season moves, and not giving that extra year for Willingham, which was replaced by the garbage players that you just listed, and adds up to the same amount of money.

They miscalculated badly on Sizemore, and what fans would think if they would have just parted ways with him. Take the emotion out of it, and Sizemore was everything that they should have been trying to get away from. ( another LH hitter that can't hit LH pitching, strikes out too much, and can't take the field.) And what was a bigger need? Kotchman another LH hitter at 1B for 3 mill, or take a chance on someone like Cody Ross for 3 mill. ( RH hitting outfielder)

" I am starting to believe that the Indians are just unrealistic to the fact that quality is more important then quantity."

There you go!.. Its like paying 12 bucks for garden hose and having to replace it every year instead buying the good one that will last for years. This front office comes across as these cool little computer geeks crunching stats, but lacks serious baseball knowledge.

I think we should sell. Not only sell, but sell heavy. I wouldn't be upset if we blew the team up. This team is not dreadful, but they aren't very good and certainly wont win any pennants or titles. That's ultimately what you build for. You don't build a team so you can be contenders in the AL Central. You build a team that can win or at least get to a WS. This team will not get that far in our little window of contention. Its time they sell high on guys like Choo, Perez and Asdrubal, swallow their pride and admit this rebuild was a failure.

We already have guys like Kipnis, Santana (like it or not, he isn't going anywhere), Lindor, Chisenhall and Brantley to build around. Maybe we can get Masterson an extension and be in business. Our cupboards are pretty bare and trading those 3 can get us 6 or more good/great prospects. Not to mention, we will definitely be picking in the top 5 of the draft for the next year or 2 at least if we do. So we can add another couple highly rated impact players.

Shapiro and Antonetti's contracts are both up and we can decline Acta's 2013 option and get 3 fresh faces in key places for a rebuild. Its the perfect time to do it really.

I am right with you and Joe. I think we are sellers and they may blow the whole team up. I could easily see this happen. We will gt the spin and smoke about doing it now so they will be in the hunt earlier. This is just their MO since that Dolans purchased the team. Next year payrol could fall to 30 mil and we will see a AA team on the field but they will spin up the players as what could happen.

Bottom line we are sellers and it could get much worse. Antoinetti is an unknown entity. That is IF he is the shot caller and not Shapiro.

If we become sellers, we will go deeper into the depths of the bottom of the barrel of baseball players
We will sell Choo, Cabrera, Kipnis, brantley, Vinnie, C Perez, and Masterson. We willl keep Santana because because he was destined for greatness. We wll again fight with the Cubs for the worst team in baseball. Maybe next season, we will win 39 games. I hope that Fans stay away.No season tickets. we need some games with attendance of less than 1000 fans. we need a number that MLB can not cover. they will keep this idiot Manny Acta who does not care about winning. I see that more, and more every day.

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Instead of trading away Chisenhall, what about our closer who does not Like Cleveland Fans? We should be able to get someone really Good for him. We still have Vinnie, and a guy down in Columbus who is doing real well down there. I say we tade both Chris Perez, and Santana. We should be able to get a couple of good players for them. Maybe they have a hitting coach that can kick Santana's rear ,and get his viper like stride back to somthing more normal. or Balarina
he has the dumbest batting stance in any league.

The way Jimenez is pitching now I think him and Perez are the two guys they could get a really good return on right now plus that way they wouldn't have to pick up the option on Jimenez this coming off season. I doubt there is much trade value in guys like Duncan, Lopez or Sipp and I think there was a no trade clause in the contract Damon signed.

They wouldn't go the extra year to sign Willingham who would have been around for what was supposed to be the 2 or 3 year open window for the division this past off season and now it would take a trade and they really have nobody worth anything to get a return of what they need so I don't think there is anyway this team is going be buyers. They didn't get what they needed after that 2007 season and they didn't go out and get what they needed to finish off this season so I don't see them doing anything to improve and get what they need before this trade deadline. History will just repeat itself and we will be hearing and reading all the same excuses. Same excuses different year.

Joe...honestly...get off the Willingham thing. I know he's your go-to guy to bash the front office, but be realistic. The guy is a career .260 hitter, do you really honestly believe that signing one right-handed bat would have solved all of our issues right now? Sometimes it's not as simple as just saying oh the front office didn't do their job, it's their fault.

I have to agree. I really like Perez, i think most people on here (not in general) seem to take him for granted and I think trading him would be a HUGE mistake, but we probably won't contend next season (if they do a sell off) and he will be gone in 2 years, so why not now?

As far as the scrubs i listed, that was more for a deal where someone might want a bat off the bench (in duncan's case). They see what he did last season, maybe they would give us a singe A guy with some upside, who knows. Shapiro (who i think still runs the show) did well trading those types in the past.

Freda, I dont think they will go thatfar..but guys on last year of contracts without long term futures, yes. I dont see Cabrera, Kipnis, or the late relief corps going anywhere. Anyone else, I believe, is expendable.

This is just another example of a poor offseason. I am sorry, but Sizemore was never going to play 60 games this season. No one would touch him, but the Indians give him 5 million...really?

I understand overpaying for FA's (and i believe you have to to get them), but was Sizemore really in demand? No.

I don't have the list offhand, but the Indians do terrible in the off season, they blow their shots every time. There is a reason Shapiro said that he wishes he could just skip Free Agency.

I mean Dellucci (who got a 3 year deal!!!), jason michaels, trot nixon, mark derosa (which was one of the good moves), borrowski (who had 1 good year), matt lawton (who got signed to a ridicules extension when we trade for him), derek lowe, kerry wood.... those are the "big name" guys we have gotten to put us over the hump....your kidding me.

The philosophy of filling holes with minor league free agents needs to stop. Fill the Holes with young guys. I seriously would rather see Ziek Carrera out there getting experience and hitting 220, than seeing Damon out there hitting 220. It just seems pointless to me.

And platooning 4 spots in a lineup............don't even get me started on that junk.

I don't see the Indians taking on 13:$10.5M, 14:$10.5M for Cuddyer even thought they will have over $23M coming off at the end of this season plus he isn't going to be enough to help this team this year.