CLEVELAND INDIANS

2005 finish: 93-69, 2^nd place in AL Central

Manager: Eric Wedge (4^th season)

Incoming: RHP Paul Byrd, RHP Guillermo Mota, OF Jason Michaels, RHP Jason Johnson, 1B Eduardo Perez, 3B Andy Marte, RHP Danny Graves, C Kelly Shoppach, RHP Steve Karsay, C Einar Diaz, OF Todd Hollandsworth

Long gone: RHP Kevin Millwood, OF Coco Crisp, RHP Bobby Howry, RHP Scott Elarton, LHP Arthur Rhodes, RHP David Riske, C Josh Bard, IF Jose Hernandez, OF Juan Gonzalez

Rotation: LHP C.C. Sabathia, RHP Jake Westbrook, LHP Cliff Lee, RHP Paul Byrd, RHP Jason Johnson

Relievers: Closer: Bob Wickman; Setup men: RHP Guillermo Mota, RHP Rafael Betancourt, LHP Scott Sauerbeck, RHP Fernando Cabrera, RHP Danny Graves, RHP Matt Miller, RHP Steve Karsay, RHP Jason Davis

Regulars: CF Grady Sizemore, LF Jason Michaels, SS Jhonny Peralta, DH Travis Hafner, C Victor Martinez, 2B Ronnie Belliard, 1B Ben Broussard, RF Casey Blake, 3B Aaron Boone

Role players: C Kelly Shoppach or C Einar Diaz, 1B Eduardo Perez, IF Ramon Vazquez, OF Todd Hollandsworth, IF Brandon Phillips, OF Jason Dubois

The pressure is on: Jason Michaels finally gets a chance to play regularly, but the task of replacing popular Coco Crisp won’t be easy.

Breakout candidate: Fernando Cabrera is regarded as the Tribe’s closer of the future, and could emerge as a key setup man this season if Guillermo Mota can’t stay healthy.

Rundown: After an overachieving 2005 in which they went to the final weekend in the wildcard race, the Tribe has had to swallow another dose of mid-market reality. They had no chance to retain ace Kevin Millwood, who got $46 million from Texas, and couldn’t hold onto key setup man Bobby Howry or No. 5 starter Scott Elarton. They tried to sign Trevor Hoffman, offering more guaranteed money than San Diego, but lost out on a hometown discount, and had interest in Nomar Garciaparra, but he ended up in Los Angeles. General manager Mark Shapiro has filled the holes as best he could, getting veteran right-handers Paul Byrd and Jason Johnson for a rotation that also will include C.C. Sabathia, Jake Westbrook and Cliff Lee, as well as re-signing veteran closer Bob Wickman. But the deals Shapiro made appear to be better for the near-future than for 2006 in particular. And when you add in the fact that the bullpen isn’t likely to match a league-leading 2.88 ERA from a year ago, plus stronger teams expected in both Toronto and Oakland, it’s going to be tough for the Indians to go as far as they did last season. But rest assured that many franchises are envious of the Tribe’s nucleus of young talent. In Sabathia, 25, Lee, 27, and Westbrook, 28, manager Eric Wedge has three talented and durable starters on the upswing. The trio has combined to win 43 and 44 games in the last two seasons, Lee is a remarkable 32-13 in that time, and Sabathia is 69-45 lifetime. Byrd bounced back to log 204 innings last season, and Johnson has averaged just below 200 innings over the last three seasons, so a stable rotation could help take the load off the bullpen, which is missing Arthur Rhodes and David Riske, but added Guillermo Mota. Underrated Rafael Betancourt and hard-throwing rookie Fernando Cabrera will be two more late-inning, right-handed options, and Scott Sauerbeck is set as the primary left-hander. Matt Miller is coming off surgery, so is a bit of a question mark, and there is one spot left between Jason Davis and veteran free-agent signees Danny Graves and Steve Karsay. Grady Sizemore’s emergence a bit ahead of schedule pushed Crisp to left field last season, and out the door to Boston this winter in a deal that brought top third-base prospect Andy Marte, 22, and a very good catching prospect in Kelly Shoppach, 26. Marte could supplant Aaron Boone later this season, and most likely will do so in 2007. Shoppach eventually could push Victor Martinez to first base, but for now, he’ll have to win a fight with Einar Diaz for the backup job. Add in outfield prospect Franklin Gutierrez, 23, who debuted late last season, and you can see the near-future, and it appears very bright, with Sizemore only 23 and Peralta only 24. This year’s offense has to revolve around Martinez and Travis Hafner, who appears to have overcome the effects of a mid-season beaning. Eduardo Perez will take away some at-bats at first base from Ben Broussard. A fast start could help this season, as the Tribe is 25-47 in the last three Aprils, 216-198 the rest of the way. This remains a dangerous team, one poised to contend for awhile. But it may take a step back in 2006 before it moves forward.

Prediction: 2^nd place, 87-75

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