Pick up Carmona's option.
Re-sign Fukudome.
Work a much cheaper deal with Sizemore or let him walk.
Sign a veteran arm (Mark Buehrle would be my first choice if possible) to stick in that rotation, or trade for one.
Get a decent power bat for the middle of the lineup. I'm not sure what the list of free agents is for this particular role, rep for anyone who can provide me with at least a short list.
I like our rotation going into next season. Masterson is a stud, Tomlin is solid, and Jimenez is starting to come around. Fausto is good for the back of the rotation and is a guy that can at least give you 5-6 innings, which is fine as long as he does it on a consistent basis (which I honestly think he's too good not to). Our bullpen, for the most part, is also pretty good. We've got some good young relievers and a decent/above average closer. My concern about him is that he seems to lack mental toughness, which is a must when you're going out there trying to seal the deal in a tight game. I dunno, he gets the job done for the most part but at this point he's probably a top 10-15 closer in this league, which is not bad by any means but certainly not elite either.
The offense needs to get figured out, as well. I'm confident (and I'm sure the Indians are too) that they're actually looking good when it comes to young, solid bats in the lineup. Kipnis is good, Chisenhall can be good, Hafner was good when healthy, Cabrera was good (at least for the first half of the season, but even then he slid back into his typical numbers which isn't as bad as it seems), and I think Santana is going to come around and hit for a much higher average next season. Also, let's not forget what a healthy Choo and a healthy Sizemore (assuming he's here) can do with a bat. Fukudome is also a guy who can get on base with regularity and proved to be a very nice pick up in the end (believe me, I was very disappointed and skeptical when they first traded for him, as were many here). They're just another solid bat or two away from being able to contend for a division title, imo, and seeing as the division is probably going to be much better next year, that's a good thing. I could easily see it being a 4-horse race down to the final month of the regular season next year.
That's assuming, of course, that the Indians are able to stay healthy. It's no secret that injuries absolutely sabotaged their hopes of contending for the playoffs. It killed momentum and forced guys to try to step up and play better that simply weren't good enough to do so. It's a tall order considering there are 162 games in the regular season, but if there's any team in the majors that needs to spend some extra time with the training staff (and probably the hitting coaches, too :chuckles
it's these guys.
Oh, and I hope Cord Phelps never puts on an Indians uniform again.
