As Jay and I had talked about in another thread, it could be possible the Indians could resign Mota to a cheaper contract.  That may sound "funny" or outrageous at first based on what he has done this year, but if today's outing was any indication (I know, it's only one outing,) Mota may finally be getting his command back and he might be worth signing to provide some veteran leadership for this bullpen next year, especially since many of the components will be young (most under 30 by several years.)

I've noticed Mota was much more around the plate today than in any other outing this year - even the balls he threw were just off the plate.  If he can do that consistently over the rest of the year, he could regain the dominant form he showed with the Dodgers.  

He would be worth keeping if that was the case as either the set-up guy or even as next year's closer, since it seems unlikely Wickman will be back, Cabrera will need additional time before he could possibly inherit the closer's role, and it's not certain yet whether Carmona belongs in the bullpen or the rotation.  Mota might be the perfect guy to keep the position "warm" until the future closer emerges, whoever that might be.

Granted, that's presuming Mota builds on what he did today, but if he can do that, I think there's a decent chance he could be in the Indians' bullpen again next year, plus he'd have the most experience as a closer in that bullpen with the guys who are in there now or anyone else who comes up from the Minors, so him becoming next year's closer isn't as far of a stretch as it might first appear.

Just my 2 cents. :-)

It's maddening to see that the two relievers targeted by Shapiro, Ryan and Hoffman, have been absolutely lights-out this season.  That said, the 7th and 8th innings have been bigger problems for us than the 9th.

That's basically exactly the opposite of what everyone expected.  Our bullpen was supposed to have a questionable closer but terrific depth of quality.

That's all the more reason why they may keep Mota if they can get him straightened out and he pitches well - how many relievers can dominate like he can when he's on and throw 96-97 MPH with regularity?

Jay - I agree with you - have serious doubts about Jason Davis; by now, you think he would have shown some consistency at the ML level.  Maybe he gets one more try up here later this year (unless he's shipped off as part of a deadline deal,) but isn't he out of options next year as well?  

It seems his development time is quickly coming to a close as well and the Indians will have to make a decision on him - right now, it's probably likely they won't keep him either come next year.

Just my 2 cents. :-)

Please excuse the length of this post and bear with me - thanks! :-)

I appreciate your opinion and your analysis; however, I disagree with you on Cabrera.

Admittedly, he's had a poor year, but as I mentioned, I think the WBC has made him try to catch up the entire year - he really did not have a Spring Training; it's a bit similar to what Adam Miller went through last year when he missed all of Spring Training, then came back late in the year, and put up numbers that weren't even close to what he had put up in 2004 at High-A - his K/IP were significantly down, his H/IP were significantly up, etc.  

Granted, he had the injury, but it's not like he was throwing in the 80s; he still was pitching in the 90s, but the results weren't even remotely close to what he did at that level the previous year.

No, my guess is Cabrera will be on the '07 Indians, partly because he is out of options, but more so because he will have a full Spring Training to work with the coaches and such, which I believe will help him regain the form he showed in 2005.

His type of arm doesn't grow on trees.  Plus, from what I've heard, the free agent reliever market is very thin; I can definitely see them resigning Mota, but I'm not sure there is anyone else out there who would have a better ceiling or better ability than Cabrera.

No, I think the Indians will give him another opportunity next year; heck, they stayed with Jason Davis for 4 years; this is the first year Cabrera has struggled, and the WBC could be a legitimate reason why he has struggled - it's too early to give up on him - after all, he's only 24 and will be 25 for the 2007 season!  I'll be shocked if Cabrera is not part of the 2007 Indians bullpen.

As for Betancourt, that's debatable, but again, the WBC could have upset him for this year as well; plus, if you've noticed lately, Wedge has not used him that much - it's mostly been Carmona, Perez, and Wickman.  Betancourt has gotten sporadic work, which probably has also not helped him.

His departure from the 2007 Indians is more possible than Cabrera's, but again, is there a better reliever out there that we can sign?  I'm not so sure there is.  So I wouldn't be surprised if he's back next year either.

Regarding Davis, I don't know if the Indians would prefer to keep him or Andrew Brown; both have been inconsistent (Davis in the Majors, Brown in the Minors - he had a great year with his command in 2005, not so in 2006.)  

However, the Indians already know what they are getting with Davis - he succeeds for a few outings, then goes right back to collapsing and giving up big innings.  They don't know exactly what Brown will do in the Majors.  Plus, Brown is 1 year younger than Davis, so I'm not sure which route they might go - it may depend on whether they can trade one of them for something.

As for Perez, I was hoping he would be a starter as well, but with his great performances out of the bullpen and the lack of a dominant lefty, I'm not sure Perez will return to the rotation.  

If anything, Stanford might be likelier to compete for the fifth spot (along with Guthrie, who I would prefer to have start as well since he did quite well at Buffalo earlier this year for an extended period,) since Stanford showed he could do quite well as a starter.  From the limited outings he's had as a reliever, he hasn't done as well (sounds a bit like Sipp, who has been better as a starter than a reliever as well.)

It should be very interesting to see what happens in 2007, but I fully expect Cabrera to be on the 2007 Indians.

Just my 2 cents. :-)

You're welcome, and thank you for your thoughts also! :-)  

Yes, I agree that bullpen personnel and management can be extremely interesting, especially in regards to who stays, who goes, how they determine whether one would make a better reliever than a starter, etc.

I think having an actual Spring Training may help Cabrera, as he'll get more hands-on training and instruction from the coaches that will hopefully help him rediscover his mechanics that made him successful in 2005.

Regarding Stanford, I'd have to agree with Jay as well - probably the best case scenario for Stanford would be if he was competing for the 5th starter spot next spring, but I forgot about the impending 40-man roster crunch coming up (don't know how I forgot that,) so the only way I could see Stanford returning as an Indian next year is via an invite to Spring Training, and with Sowers, Guthrie, and possibly Carmona competing for a spot in the rotation, along with 3 or 4 veteran starters likely returning, it wouldn't surprise me if he is with another team next year.

If he had more options, he might be someone worth keeping around for depth, but as it is, it's likely he will be let go to protect some legitimate prospects who are coming up, such as Tony Sipp, who will need to be protected this offseason.

Just my 2 cents. :-)