i was looking at the list of the 2010 free agents and i know the indians will not sign anyone significant..heck, they might not even sign anyone to a MLB contract but there are a couple of players i wouldn't mind they signing/taking a chance on>

as of right now this is who i see on the team 1-9 and bench

1st - Laporta
2nd - Valbuena
Short - Cabrera
3rd - Peralta
C - Shoppach
RF - Choo
CF - Grady
LF - Crowe/Brantley
DH - Hafner

4th OF - Crowe/Brantley
INF - none
INF - none
Backup Catcher - Toregas

SP1 - Westbrook
SP2 - Huff
SP3 - Masterson
SP4 - Laffey
SP5 - Sowers/Carmona
R1 - Carmona/Sowers
R2 - none
R3 - none
R4 - none
R5 - Joe Smith
Setup - Chris Perez
Closer - Woods

FA's i dont' think would cost a lot (compared with others)

Jamey Carroll
John McDonald
Chad Cordero
Tom Gordon
Justin Speier
Scott Schoeneweis

I don't think we need guys like Dellucci to block young guys from playing, but we do need a few people in positions that arn't filled and are important.

I really think that Shoppach will be gone because of being arbitration eligible and Marson will take his place on your list. Infield most likely will be Donald. I think you can add R.Perez to the bullpen and Jensen Lewis is another possibility and Sipp also. I doubt there will be any free agent signings except a few guys for backup and fill in at Columbus but nobody for the major league team. Look for a lot of spring training invites and maybe one or two of them might stick around depending on what they show they can do like another utility player for the infield and maybe someone who can be added to the bullpen. Other then that I think they go with most of the players they already have from the 2009 team and guys who were in AAA this year.

i hope you are right about Shoppach and wrong about Marson...that dude is terrible. Like i said, i didn't think they would sign anyone serious, but perez and lewis arn't MLB material, they have had 3 years to prove themselves and couldn't do it.

Right now I would say they don't have anyone who is ready to be a major league catcher but with the way the pitching has so many question marks I really think they will just dump Shoppach to save money and hope that by the break Santana has shown he is ready to make his move to the Majors. Yes I don't have very much hope as far as Jensen Lewis and Perez are concerned but unless they want to really just give up and go with players who don't have any or very much Major League experience I think Lewis and Perez will be given every chance to make the 25 man roster when spring training camp breaks. It will be up to them to prove they deserve another chance depending on if others don't step up like a guy like Todd, who I think after seeing him he should start the year in Columbus as their closer and then go from there with him. I have a feeling there will be all kinds of pitchers in spring training because there isn't much set in stone as far as the rotation goes and for sure the bullpen.

i dunno, i think all the "wedge guys" might not get the special treatment they got in the past (perez, shoppach (if he is still on the team)...i would rather have a sal fasano for a year than marson. I am just curious to see about spring training, becuase i expect things to be different this time.

SP1 - Westbrook
SP2 - Huff
SP3 - Masterson
SP4 - Laffey
SP5 - Sowers/Carmona

Seeing this 1-5 is very scary, and not in a good way. It's going to be a long season.

Yeah with Wedge gone that is why I feel pretty much for sure that Shoppach is gone. I understand what you are saying about Fasano compared to Marson catching next year I just have a feeling they will go with Marson unless they decide to pick up a veteran catcher to be the starter at least until Santana is ready and then have that veteran catcher continue to catch most of the games the second half easing Santana in. Things should be different when spring training starts and there will be just about everyone looking to see what is different. Perez might not make the team in 2010 if he is as lost as he was in 2009 but I still see him in camp for spring training. Where it goes from there is anyone guess especially with guys like R. Perez and Carmona who haven't really shown very much the last two years. Lots of questions will need to be answered when it comes to pitching in 2010 and some of those questions might not be answered until 2011.

marson nearly won the starting catcher's job for the defending world champs last spring - i really think you guys are undervaluing him in all of this.

Not possible considering everything they got in trades was garbage and will never be anything.

LOL, amazing how a guy rated as a very good prospect is written off before he even gets a chance.

I was impressed with Marson when I went to 6 Columbus games this year and for a while he was batting around .300 and he looked like he had a good arm throwing out a couple guys trying to steal. I do think they got him to be the catcher for 2010 and to just keep the spot warm until Santana is ready but he did seem pretty lost at the plate in September for the Indians swinging at some really bad pitches. Just because he nearly was the starting catcher for the Phillies this year it doesn't mean he would have continued to be their starter after a while at the Major League level. I have been saying all along that Marson will be on the 2010 team with maybe Toregas as the backup but with a new manager who knows what will happen, he might know a veteran catcher who is out of a job who he might want to bring in for spring training. I do think they will have a couple of catchers invited to spring training who weren't with the Indians in 2009.

I agree they will bring in a catcher or 2. Their are a ton of vet catchers who would be fairly cheap available. I'd like to see a guy who hits lefty to give Marson a break against certain RHP's. Josh Bard might be a good fit, and he'll be cheap.

I think a guy like Bard could be a good idea and as you said he wouldn't cost that much. I do think they will look for someone else to back up Marson because I just don't think too many people were impressed with what Toregas did offensively and you would like to have at backup who can at least get on base once in a while and not be such a dead spot in the lineup as Toregas is. The trouble is with Marson and Toregas who they have now they both will be learning the pitchers at the Major League level and the one who ends up being the backup won't be getting enough at bats to do him much good so they really do need to bring in a veteran backup for 2010.

I don't see them bringing in another catcher for 2010. When they acquired Marson, I think they did so with the intent of having him be the everyday catcher until Santana is ready, and then use Marson as the long-term backup catcher, which as we've seen can be an important piece to the puzzle. Marson will never be the high-profile type guy that Santana is pegged as, but he has a chance to be a high OBP, decent average hitter and a solid defender. I think that going forward, the combination of Santana/Marson behind the plate is a lot more well rounded and effective than Martinez/Shoppach.

With a young pitching staff it simply does not make sense to have 2 rookie catchers on the roster. A veteran catcher not only helps your pitchers but also Marson, as far as calling a game and knowing hitters. It just makes since to add someone, which means we probably won't do it, lol

I wish Yorvit Torrealba weren't a Type-B.

He'd be my first choice.

You could be right that they will be happy to just go with a combo of Marson and Toregas but I really think they will look at a couple of invitees for spring training at catcher because right now the way it looks it would be someone like Gimenez if there is an injury and I really don't think they want Toregas as the backup and Gimenez as the 3rd backup until Santana is ready. The Marson pickup still seems strange to me because with time he could be too good to be just a backup for the Indians. Time will tell I guess and with the way the Browns have played this season I am already looking forward to spring training starting.... lol

Very good point especially when you look at a lot of young pitchers in the organization who have a chance to make the team in 2010 and a veteran would help with the pitchers and Marson. If Wedge was still the manager I would say you are right that doing the right thing won't happen because Wedge would be campaigning to keep Shoppach as the starter next year with Marson as the backup.

i'm not sure i agree w/ your assesment of marson's hitting. he showed decent strike zone recognition and has a really nice inside out swing that could mean a lot of doubles in the right-center gap.

44 at bats isn't much of a sample but he did hit .250 w/6 doubles. 14 Ks wasn't so hot however.

I did see more of him with Columbus when they came to Toledo and I liked his swing a lot because he hit linedrives and his average was up there around .300 but by the time I saw him the last time late in the season his average went down about 30 points. I wouldn't expect much from him at the Major league level when he got called up considering he only had 22 at bats before the Indian called him up in September. With only 66 Major League at bats and changing leagues it will take him some time to adjust to the AL pitchers but I don't see that as a problem since the Indians are not really going anywhere in 2010 so let the young guys play and get at bats and playing time and see if they can get going for the 2011 season. But as a couple others have said I don't think bringing in a veteran backup at catcher would be a bad idea. It would be a cheap move and it could mean they wouldn't have to hurry Santana to the Majors too quickly. I remember reading that he is supposed to be a pretty good defensive catcher and should hit for a decent average but without very much power. Who knows, he is still young and power might increase as he gets older like it does with others. I sure can see him getting the majority of the playing time in 2010 at least until Santana gets the call and maybe in 2010 they would bring Santana along slowly since there isn't a big reason to push him right now.