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The Indians front office, as usual, was relatively dormant in the offseason. By now, everyone has heard the joke: “were the Indians even AT the Winter Meetings?”. 

Still, with the ever-looming budget restrictions in mind, first-year GM Chris Antonetti made a series of smaller moves designed to support the team’s core of young players. 

With so many of the Indians’ offseason signings being minor league contracts for players who may not even make the Opening Day roster, it is difficult to grade Antonetti’s performance before a single pitch has been thrown. 

Thus it is with a great deal of uncertainty that I present the following grades for each significant move Antonetti and the Tribe front office made this offseason. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts on the matter in the comments below, and we’ll reassess the grades for these moves at the close of the 2011 season to see if the Antonetti’s offseason actions wind up looking better or worse after 162 games than they did on paper before Spring Training.

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I’ve always been a thankful Cleveland Indians fan.  Perhaps the feeling is based in being a fan of this baseball team in the dreadful 1970s.  Not a single Tribe team during between 1970 and 1970 finished above fourth place in A.L. East, and only two teams finished above .500.

It just got worse in the 1980s, with the Indians never finishing above fifth place, with only one team finishing above .500 (the now infamous 1986 Tribe, that led SI to put them on the cover of their 1987 preseason baseball issue, only to have the Tribe lose over 100 games).  No, it wasn’t pretty at all.

Growing up with those sad-sack teams has made it very easy for me to find the silver lining of just about any baseball club that Cleveland can field.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said, “Yeah, but he’s scrappy,” or “Sure he can’t throw a strike, but he hits 95 on the gun!”  I’ve learned to cope in a world in which coping is the only way to remain a fan.  No, the current version of the Indians aren’t going to remind anyone of the 1927 Yankees, but there certainly is a lot of good, mixed up with the bad.

Here are 10 reasons we all can be thankful for as Cleveland Indians fans.

No. 10: Asdrubal Cabrera could possibly be Cleveland’s version of Derek Jeter.

We all know that Cabrera didn’t have the year he could have had if he didn’t break his forearm last May.  We all know that Cabrera struggled a bit in the field for the first time in his career.  No, he wasn’t horrid, but compared to year’s past, he wasn’t up to par.  With that said, Cabrera did improve after struggling immediately after his return in mid-July.  His stick improved in both August and September, some of his power returned, and he began stealing bases again. 

In other words, the real Asdrubal Cabrera began to show up.  This kid is a slick fielder.  No, he’s not Omar Vizquel (who is), but he’s really good.  Offensively, this is a kid that can hit for .300, can steal 20 bases, can score 80-100 runs (on a good Tribe team) and can be to

the Tribe what Derek Jeter was to the Yankees, a quiet leader (no, not a guy asking for $24 million a year when he’s 37).


No. 9: Tom Hamilton really is one of the best announcers in baseball.

We have been blessed to have had Tom Hamilton announcing Cleveland Indians baseball games for the past 20 years.  It’s hard to believe that it has been that long.  I was talking to my Dad the other day, and he said, “You know, maybe we had all those good teams in the 90’s to make sure that Hamilton would stay in Cleveland.”  While I’m not going to go that far, it’s a good bet that Hamilton would have found a new home.  There was a day when San Diego, or San Francisco (can’t remember now) offered the great Hamilton a deal to become their play-by-play man, but Hamilton stayed. 

Now, his signature drive reverberates through my mind whenever I think of Indians baseball, “A swing and a drive, deep left center, awaaaayyyyy back…GONE.” As a matter of fact, one could make a case that the only entertaining part of Cleveland baseball is Hamilton these days.  The bottom line for me with Hamilton is that he embodies everything that is being a Cleveland Indians fan.  When things are going bad, being upset oozes out of his mouth like cement being poured out of a cement truck.  When the Indians are winning, he announces like the fans are feeling, with his emotions on his shoulder.  Here’s to you Tom Hamilton, the best announcer in baseball not named Vin Scully.

No. 8: Tim Belcher, are you “the one?”

I was never a Tim Belcher fan when he was a pitcher.  There was something about him that always annoyed me.  He was a cocky, in your face, I’m better than you kinda pitcher, that always used to just rub me the wrong way.  Let’s fast-forward a bit to 2010, and Tim Belcher was hired as the Indians pitching coach. 

Prior to that, he spent the past eight years working for the Tribe as a special assistant, helping instruct big-league and minor-league pitchers in spring training, instructing pitchers in the minors and doing advance scouting for the big-league club.  He’d been with the club for years and knew this organization.  Go figure, the very thing that irritated me when he was a player is what makes him a solid pitching coach. 

He teaches the Tribe pitchers to pound the strike zone and attack the hitters.  Virtually every pitching statistic improved by leaps and bounds from the year prior.  Still, his most impressive feat may have been his remaking Fausto Carmona into a big league pitcher.  There were moments when the kid looked every bit as good as he did in 2007.  No, Belcher didn’t have any Cy Young guys to work with, but sometimes that’s when a pitching coach really proves his mettle.

No. 7: Terry Pluto is one of the good ones. 

There are some really cruddy journalists here in the city of Cleveland, and many of them report on our very own Cleveland Indians.  Fortunately, in the midst of most of that fodder is perhaps the best Cleveland sports writer in recent memory. 

Pluto never jumps the gun, and almost always has original thoughts on what the Indians should have done, is doing, or what they might do.  He never falls into the typical entrapments of the other local media that just aren’t as informed or always reporting the next pratfall.  Instead, Pluto reports with sense and a bit of sensibility.  He also mentored Brian Windhurst, who is one of the best NBA reporters in the business, even if he did leave Cleveland for the murky waters of Miami and ESPN.

 
No. 6: Chris Perez has the stuff to become one of the best closers in baseball.

Cleveland has had closers with a lot of saves over the years (Joe Borowski and Bob Wickman), but rarely have they had a closer that was equated as their best reliever.  Perez likely could be that guy.  He has a plus fastball and slider and has a similar matter-of-fact mentality with regards to closing that Mariano Rivera and Joe Nathan have. 

No, I’m not putting Perez there, but he’s less of a weirdo and more of a “get-the-job-done” kind of guy.  He was dominant last year, saving 23-of-27 games and rolling out a 1.71 ERA, a 1.08 Whip and an 8.9 K per 9 innings.  We all know the volatility of the closer position, but at the very least, we’ve got this kid locked up for four more years.  With a solid group behind him and the likes of Rob Bryson, Cory Burns and Nick Hagadone waiting in the wings, things will only get better.

No. 5: The Diatribe and the Indians Prospect Insider are the best thought out blogs in the land of the Tribe.

I’ve followed the Diatribe faithfully over the past five years, and if you haven’t had a visit yet, you need to.  While I don’t subscribe to Sabrmetrics, I do subscribe to the view that there is some validity to their usefulness.  Still, reading a blog about the wonderful world of sabr is about as exciting as watching Michigan football. 

Paul Cousineau (formerly known as Pat Tabler) writes with the emotion of being a lifelong Cleveland fan on his sleeve, while adding a solid mix of sabr to match his thoughts.  It’s not exactly off the beaten path, but Cousineau is way ahead of the curve of most Indian writers, Pluto included. 

As a matter of fact, in recent days, PC has “scooped” Pluto and his thoughts.  For example, PC recently commented on the potential of the Indians going after Kevin Kouzmanoff.  A couple of weeks later, there is Pluto, talking K2.  When you have the best writer in Cleveland following your lead, well, it doesn’t get much better than that, does it.

Tony Lastoria started off at Swerbs Blurbs/ The Cleveland Fan, before developing his own site, Indians Prospect Insider, to continue developing his thoughts on the Tribe’s minor league system.  IPI is now the definitive Tribe minor league site, with substantial information on all levels of the Tribe system.  You can currently find Tony’s work at the Ashtabula Star Beacon, as well as at Sports Time Ohio, where he’s writing an independent blog entitled, Minor Happenings.

Seriously, it’s rare for big market teams to have two quality sites like The Diatribe and Indians Prospect Insider (Don’t miss out on The Cleveland Fan either).

No. 4: A side order of Jason Kipnis, Carlos Carrasco, Lonnie Chisenhall, Austin Adams, Cord Phelps, Alex White, Nick Weglarz, Matt Packer, Joe Gardner and Chun Chen, if you please.

These certainly aren’t all of the top prospects in the Tribe’s minor league chain-of-command (and I haven’t even mentioned the 2010 picks), but these should be at the top of the pecking order heading into the 2011 season.  I’m not going to give you a play-by-play today of all these guys, but they are good. 

My personal favorites on this list are second baseman Jason Kipnis, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall, right-handed starter Alex White and big lefty, Joe Gardner.  The system is loaded, and there are potential superstars waiting in the wings.  Now, if these draft prospects pan out, and the Indians begin to fix their draft program, it can only get better.

No. 3: Thank goodness for the 1948 Cleveland Indians, led by Lou Boudreau!

I recently received an e-mail asking me why I had a Cleveland Indians blog named Bringing Back Boudreau.  After picking my jaw up off the ground, I replied, “Type these three items into your search engine—Lou Boudreau, 1948, and World Series.”  Boudreau was the player/manager of that team in 1948, which just happens to be the last time the Tribe won the series.  I wasn’t anywhere close to being alive then, but hope upon all hope that I can someday change the name of this blog to, “Brought Back Boudreau.”

No. 2: Shin-Soo Choo, the most unsung baseball player in the majors.

I am certain that if you asked 50-of-100 baseball fans about Shin-Soo Choo, they would say bless you.  Choo is a good ballplayer.  Wait, that doesn’t do the kid justice.  Choo is a fantastic ballplayer, and without him on this team over the past two-and-one-half seasons, I’m not sure if there would be any offensive players of note over that same time period. 

He hit .300 again last season, with 22 homers and 90 RBI.  He had a .484 OBP and an .885 OPS.  He stole 22 bases for the second straight year and scored 81 runs in only 144 games.  Choo isn’t all that unsung, as he did finish 14th in the MVP voting, but boy, you do have to wonder just how bad it could be without our favorite South Korean.  Choo also gained exempt status from the South Korean military this offseason just as tension escalated with North Korea.  Lots to be thankful for here. 

No. 1: A main course of Carlos Santana.

Santana only played in 46 games last season but did manage to prove that average doesn’t mean a thing.  He “only” batted .260, with six homers and 22 RBI.  He walked a stellar 37 times, while only striking out 26 times.  His OBP was .401, and his slugging was a stellar .467.  He’s got a cannon for an arm, calls a good game and can play in the infield, with rumors everywhere from first base, to returning to third base. 

Santana is a prodigious talent and has the potential to be a special, special major leaguer.  Think back to when Manny was coming up; he’s that kind of player.  You can tell he was built to be a ballplayer, and he’ll be the centerpiece of the Tribe offense for years to come.

You see what I mean…if you close your eyes long enough, finding 10 reasons for us Tribe fans to be thankful isn’t all that difficult, now is it. 

Remember, at least we aren’t Pirate’s fans…;)

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Welcome to Tribe Talk, where Bleacher Report’s Cleveland Indians fans weigh in on the ups and downs of the club each week throughout the season.

This week, we present our final installment of Tribe Talk for 2010, handing out our end-of-season awards for the team and sharing our final thoughts on the 2010 Cleveland Indians. 

I would like to thank participants Dale Thomas, Nino Colla, Lewie Pollis, and The Coop for their outstanding contributions this week and throughout the season. 

This discussion is open to all, so please feel free to comment below and pitch in your thoughts on the questions we’re addressing this week. Enjoy the offseason, Tribe fans. Tribe Talk will return at the start of Spring Training in 2011.

Go Tribe!

***

1. 2010 Indians Offensive MVP:

Samantha Bunten: Shin-Soo Choo

Nino Colla: Shin-Soo Choo

The Coop: Shin-Soo Choo

Dale Thomas: Shin-Soo Choo

Lewie Pollis: CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

2. 2010 indians Defensive MVP: 

Samantha Bunten: Lou Marson

Nino Colla: Lou Marson

The Coop: Shin-Soo Choo

Dale Thomas: Shin-Soo Choo

Lewie Pollis: CHOOOOOOOOOOOO! (Honorable mention: Jhonny Peralta)

3. 2010 Indians Cy Young:

Samantha Bunten: Chris Perez

Nino Colla: Chris Perez

The Coop: Chris Perez

Dale Thomas: Fausto Carmona

Lewie Pollis: Chris Perez

4. 2010 Indians Player Who Was The Biggest Disappointment: 

Samantha Bunten: Nimartuena (not including Andy Marte’s amazing pitching performance). Or perhaps not so much the players themselves, but the organization’s complete and total failure to find anyone who could play third base at all at any point in the season. 

Nino Colla: Asdrubal Cabrera

The Coop: Grady Sizemore – unless you are required to play more than than 25 percent of the season. Then it’s Travis Hafner.

Dale Thomas: Luis Valbuena

Lewie Pollis: Grady Sizemore

5. 2010 Indians Player Who Was The Biggest Pleasant Surprise: 

Samantha Bunten: Fausto Carmona

Nino Colla: Jeanmar Gomez

The Coop: Fausto Carmona

Dale Thomas: Chris Perez

Lewie Pollis: Carlos Santana

6. 2010 Indians Most Improved Player: 

Samantha Bunten: Fausto Carmona

Nino Colla: Chris Perez

The Coop: Fausto Carmona

Dale Thomas: Michael Brantley

Lewie Pollis: Chris Perez

7. Which three players do you believe were most vital to the team’s success (however small that was) this season, and why? 

Samantha Bunten: Choo, Carmona, and Perez. These are the three players who came to the ballpark every day and did their job as they’re paid to do, and sometimes even a little better than that. 

These three (along with Santana) gave the Tribe something to build around for the future. In a season wracked with disappointment, these three stood out as the players who not only didn’t fail us, they gave us a reason to keep watching. 

Nino Colla: I think it is quite obvious who the three players are and there probably isn’t much debate. 

Shin-Soo Choo was this team’s rock in the lineup. Fausto Carmona‘s return to decent pitching was much needed. And of course Chris Perez’s dominance in the ninth inning was a breath of fresh air.

The Coop: Fausto Carmona, Chris Perez, and Shin-Soo Choo. Quite simply, without one or more of these guys, the season would have been over in May, much sooner than when it really ended (in June).

Dale Thomas: Choo, Carmona, and Chris Perez. These are the guys that did their jobs well. Without them, we may not have recorded a win in 2010. Okay, maybe that’s overstated, but I’m just sayin’…

Lewie Pollis: Gotta start with Choo here. Baseball-Reference.com has him at 7.3 WAR, good for second-best in all of baseball. His fantastic defense, plus power, and amazing plate discipline should have made him an MVP candidate. 

Next has got to be Carlos Santana. Who cares if he was up for only two months—he was absolutely amazing. Great power, a solid arm, and plate discipline well beyond his years. He’ll be a perennial All-Star, starting in 2011. 

I have to throw a bone to Chris Perez. He made a terrible first impression, but he put his early-season woes behind him quickly. Since April 17, he’s posted a 1.35 ERA, and opposing batters have hit .174 against him with a miniscule .556 OPS. He hasn’t given up a run since August 6 or taken a loss since May 5. That puts him on par with the best closers in the league.

8. Predict the Indians’ record in 2011:

Samantha Bunten: 80-82

Nino Colla: 80-82

The Coop: 75-87, 4th in the AL Central

Dale Thomas: 81-81

Lewie Pollis: 81-81

9. Please share your final thoughts on the Indians’ 2010 season in 200 words or less:

Samantha Bunten: Sadly, the overall impression the 2010 Indians left is that they managed to somehow still be completely disappointing despite the fact that no one expected a thing out of them. 

It’s easy to blame injuries to key players to make their failures as a team more palatable, but truthfully, can we really say they would have done significantly better without these bad breaks? I’m inclined to say yes, because we all have to find a reason to keep hoping, but the truth is, it’s impossible to say for sure. 

It was tough to watch this season: we had to endure those injuries, the perpetual disaster at third base, a lackluster offense, terrible infield defense, and Trevor. 

Luckily, the Tribe did give us a few reasons to keep hoping: Fausto Carmona rising from the ashes, and the better-than-expected rotation as a whole. Shin-Soo Choo continuing to prove that he’s an all-star-caliber player. 

Carlos Santana providing hope for the future. Watching Chris Perez’s pitching and his hair shine. And the young kids putting on a good show at the end of the season when we had nothing to lose. 

Nino Colla: Ah well, what can you say other than we did a lot of what we were expected to do? 

We found out about players we needed to find out about. We answered a lot of questions. 

Fausto Carmona, Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, Aaron Laffey, Michael Brantley, Matt LaPorta, Luis Valbuena, Jason Donald, Trevor Crowe, Carlos Santana, Lou Marson, and Tony Sipp answered a lot of questions for us. 

Sure, there are still more questions to be answered with some of those guys, but we now know a lot of things we didn’t know at the start of this season and the club is going to be better for it in the long run.

The Coop: The Indians’ 2010 season was pretty much a disaster. However, to make an omelette, you’ve got to break a few eggs, and I think that’s what the Indians are doing. 

Getting rid of overpaid, under-talented players like Kerry Wood and Jhonny Peralta opened the door for young guys to get some run and show what they can do. T

The starting rotation was a very unexpected surprise, particularly the reinvention of Fausto Carmona. They definitely have a staff to build around for the future. 

Chris Perez is nasty and is more than capable of being the closer in the near-term. 

The Indians biggest problem is their offense. The complete lack of power in the lineup would be okay if they had a bunch of .300 hitters who could run and advance runners. But they don’t. 

The pitching staff is only going to get better, but they’ll never reach their full potential if they get lackluster run support. 

A lot of position players also struggled in their first extended time up in The Show, so we can only hope that these growing pains manifest themselves into a team that is ready to break through in 2011 (or, realistically, 2012).

Dale Thomas: This was a team that was never seriously expected to contend. 

It was a game camp designed to develop young players. Watch them grow, so to say, under the tutelage of a few select veterans and a new manager who only really asked for two things: Don’t commit errors and don’t issue walks. This team did not subscribe to either. 

No blame, no shame for a team plagued by injury. Grady Sizemore, one of the Tribe’s most reliable players goes down with a knee injury and became one of the Tribe’s most injury-prone players in the last two years. 

Cabrera missed almost 50 games due to a broken forearm, and really never returned to his pre-injury form. Santana, our brightest prospect in eons goes down in a heap after an ugly collision at home plate with a knee injury. 

Hafner continued his part-time status, and it all adds up to a season of gloom. 

Still, there are bright spots: Choo’s 20-20 season, Perez establishing himself as a closer and the absolute sizzle that Santana showed before being injured. 

There are lots of questions yet to be answered, especially in the rotation. Was Talbot’s first half a fluke? Can Masterson pitch at all?

Lewie Pollis: I predicted in the spring that, while the Indians’ season would be filled with pain, frustration, and occasional nausea, we would see glimmers of hope for a brighter future as our tremendously talented young players begins their ascent to the Show. 

I didn’t expect much going into the season, yet I still came away disappointed. 

Valbuena and Marson took steps back, LaPorta and Brantley took longer than they should have to adjust to big-league pitching, and Sizemore and Hafner were complete wastes of money and roster space. 

And yet, we saw some great things, too. Choo took his game to a whole new level. LaPorta had the first hot streak of his career. Carmona improved, Masterson made strides, and Carrasco was terrific. 

Cabrera made some Omar-esque plays at shortstop, and Marson showed off his cannon arm. And, of course, Santana made us all believe again. 

Since I still have some word space left, I’d like to remind everyone that it’s too early to give up on Masterson. He finished the year with a 3.93 FIP, .332 BABIP, and 66.6 percent strand rate. So don’t start crying for him to be moved to the ‘pen because of his 4.70 ERA. 

CHOOOOOOOO! (exactly 200 words)

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The Indians’ disappointing summer is finally over, finishing with a 69-93 record, but still beating out the Kansas City Royals for fourth place in the AL Central.

Before we look ahead to next season, let’s hand out some awards for the Wahoo Warriors who deserve them most.

Not surprisingly, the Choo train tops the list.

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It’s time to continue our journey around the league, looking at each team’s closer situation.  

The AL Central is home to one of the most fluid closing situations and also one of the most stable options in the league.  Let’s take a look at their updated situation, as well as the other three teams in the division:

Chicago White Sox

Closer: Bobby Jenks
Waiting in the Wings: Sergio Santos
Closer of the Future: Matt Thornton

The White Sox closer situation has been in flux all year long, with questions surrounding Jenks’ ability floating around. 

He is currently sporting a 4.40 ERA and 1.38 WHIP, though injuries to J.J. Putz and Thornton have basically removed all the potential competition, temporarily.

Thornton has 5 saves this season, to go with a 2.66 ERA and 1.10 WHIP, not to mention 64 K over 47.1 innings.

He seems like a lock to move into the role for 2011, with Jenks likely heading out of town (he is not signed for next year). 

If you are in a keeper league and Thornton is still sitting on the waiver wire, he’s certainly worth stashing immediately.

Cleveland Indians

Closer: Chris Perez
Waiting in the Wings: Rafael Perez
Closer of the Future: Chris Perez

When the Indians traded Kerry Wood to the Yankees at the Trade Deadline, they opened the door for Chris Perez to finally assume full-time closing duties.

He had been acting as the closer at times this season, saving 16 games thus far with a 2.06 ERA and 1.15 WHIP. 

Perez was acquired last year from the Cardinals in the deal that sent Mark DeRosa to St. Louis and at the time, he was instantly dubbed the team’s closer of the future. 

At this point, there appears to be little reason to discuss any other option.  He should hold the job for the long haul.

Detroit Tigers

Closer: Jose Valverde
Waiting in the Wings: Phil Coke
Closer of the Future: Daniel Schlereth

It was long thought that Joel Zumaya would eventually assume closer duties, but one injury after another has completely killed his potential.  For now, however, Jose Valverde has a firm hold on the job. 

Signed in January, he scored a two-year deal with an option for 2012.  Overall he has been great (2.83 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 24 saves), but things certainly haven’t been good since the All-Star Break. 

He’s carrying a 7.80 ERA, having walked 13 batters in 15 innings. 

Yes, it is troubling, but the Tigers don’t really have anywhere else to turn.  Schlereth has the stuff to be a closer in the future, with 60 Ks in 49.1 innings at Triple-A, but he needs to get his control in order (in that same span, he walked 34 batters). 

In 9 Major League innings, he’s walked four.  That’s just not going to cut it.

Kansas City Royals
Closer: Joakim Soria
Waiting in the Wings: Blake Wood
Closer of the Future: Joakim Soria

We can discuss the trade rumors as much as we want, but the fact is that the Royals have one of the elite closers in the game at an extremely discounted rate.  According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts he is signed for 2011 at $4 million, then the team has options for the subsequent three seasons ($6 million, $8 million and $8.75 million).  He already has 125 saves with a 2.04 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.  I know having an elite closer on a bad team is a luxury, but with the contract they have him under, can you say that the team will, without a doubt, not be competing by 2014?  Unless they are absolutely blown away, there really is no reason for the team to move him.

Minnesota Twins

Closer: Matt Capps
Waiting in the Wings: Jon Rauch/Brian Fuentes
Closer of the Future: Anthony Slama

The Twins are just accumulating late inning options, aren’t they?  First they developed Rauch.  Then, they acquired Capps in a Trade Deadline deal.  Now, they are awarded Fuentes off waivers. 

The fact is, Capps should hold down the job, unless the wheels fall off, with Rauch and Fuentes forming a dynamic righty/lefty combo to bridge from the starter to Capps (and get the occasional save). 

It’s certainly a nice situation to have, especially for a team with questionable late-inning relief early in the season. 

As for moving forward, that’s the million-dollar question.  Joe Nathan should be ready for 2011, and you would think would ultimately return to the closer’s role once ready.  However, he’ll be 36 years old and not a long-term solution.

While the Twins continue not giving Slama a real look, he just continues to thrive at Triple-A. 

The 26-year old has a 2.23 ERA and 71 Ks in 40.2 innings, yet has gotten just 4.2 innings of Major League experience this season.  Sooner or later, they will be forced to see what he can do.

What are your thoughts on these situations?

Make sure to check out our look at the other divisions in baseball:

• NL East
• AL East
• AL West

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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And we’re back. Hopefully the short week didn’t treat you too badly. Good to see the NL finally win an All-Star game, couldn’t believe it has been 14 years since their last win.

But now we get move to one of the most fun parts of the baseball season: the trade deadline.

The waiver wire suddenly gets a big boost in activity as people jump on players who suddenly have value due to the transactions of playoff hopefuls and surrender monkeys.

The position of most impact is relief pitching, as two or three closers always get traded to a contender looking for bullpen help, paving the way for a young up-and-comer to take over ninth-inning duties.

This is a huge opportunity for you save chasers (myself included) to load your bullpens with saves.

We’ll start with four guys who could end up closers before the trade deadline ends then hit some other numbers.

1.50 – ERA for Indians’ set up man Chris Perez since June. We’re starting with him because you need to stop reading and go grab him now if he’s for some reason still available. I’ll explain when you get back.

Ready? Okay, current closer Kerry Wood (he of the 6.30 ERA) recently went to the DL with a blister on his right thumb, making Perez the closer.

Wood has already been on the trading block for quite some time now, and while this injury doesn’t exactly make him more attractive to potential buyers, he will be back from the DL before the deadline and will most likely be moved.

Thus, it can be speculated that Perez’s reign as closer will continue unabated the rest of the season. I dropped Chad Qualls for him without blinking, but that might not be saying much.

6 – Number of earned runs allowed for Evan Meek over 43 appearances this season.

I know I drooled all over him last week, but since we’re talking about set-up men with impending save opportunities, I’m reminding you again to grab him. He’s been fantastic all season and is probably the best guy in this foursome.

Unfortunately, he also plays for Pirates, so keep in mind save opportunities won’t come as frequently.

3.64 – ERA for Brandon League , the man next in line to receive saves in Sea-Town.

The Mariners are sellers once again, and David Aardsma’s name has been thrown around in more than a few scenarios.

There’s no one else in the Seattle pen worthy of taking over the closer’s role, and while the ERA may not look spectacular, but minus a few bad days (four worst outings: 2.2 innings, 13 runs allowed.

Rest of season: 44.1 innings, six runs allowed) League really has been great this season. Pounce as soon as Aardsma gets moved.

21 – Strikeouts for Drew Storen over his first 25 appearances.

This is the biggest long shot of the group, as current closer Matt Capps is still under contract until 2011 and with Tyler Clippard struggling lately the Nats may not want to throw their rookie phenom into fire right away.

But Washington is a seller and Storen’s peripherals along with his future role as dynasty closer means there is at least a slight chance we could see him take over his throne sooner rather than later.

Click and you shall receive more numbers.

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While “punting” categories can be successful in Head-to-Head leagues, what are the rest of us rotisserie guys supposed to do?  Finding a player who can bring you fortune in one category can help pay the bills at the end of the season.  Stolen bases can be found just about anywhere on the waiver wire, but finding saves can be like winning the out-of-state lottery.  

First up, let’s take a look at some base stealers who could score you some easy points during the second half, followed by some relievers who could find you some cheap saves and have in their possession high strikeout totals.

Easy Steals

Nyjer Morgan – OF, WSH (35% owned) – Despite having an on-base percentage (OBP) of just .313 this season, Morgan is currently second in the NL with 21 swipes.  Now, certainly reaching base is an issue for Morgan and the rest of the Nationals lineup, but when he does reach he’s a lock for a stolen base or two.

Juan Pierre – OF, CWS (41% owned) – After slumping in April and May, in which Pierre had a combined OBP of .304, one thing stayed steady —his stolen base numbers (19).  For the season, Juan leads all of baseball with 32 steals. And with the White Sox playing red-hot right now, Pierre is a steady figure atop the lineup.  Since June 24 th , Pierre is hitting at a .333 clip with an OBP of .415.  Sound like a guy who could steal his way into your heart during the second half?

Andres Torres – OF, SF (20% owned) – This switch-hitting speedster has found a nice home atop the Giants’ lineup during the past month.  He missed a few games with a groin injury, but seems to be healthy again. 

Torres has 17 swipes this season and is hitting over .300 during the month of July so far.  Certainly not a “power” guy, Torres already has 4 homers this month. He may be done in the home run department this month, but his steals and runs scored categories should continue to see production.

Speedsters to Monitor  

Corey Patterson – OF, BAL (11% owned) – Can Felix Pie stay healthy the rest of the year?

Fred Lewis – OF, TOR (5% owned) – A nice AL only option, but is usually omitted from the lineup against left-handed pitching)

Cheap Thrills

Chris Perez – RP, CLE (23% owned) – With fellow Tribe reliever Kerry Wood hitting the DL this weekend, Perez becomes the number one closer on the depth chart.  Now we’re still talking about the Indians here, so save chances may be few and far between, but that’s why this is called cheap thrills.

The strikeout per nine-inning ratio (K/9) for Perez is way down this season (4.7 K/9) compared to his 10.7 K/9 ratio from last season. Either way, your waiver wire is probably scarce with closers, so pick him up if you can.

Mike Gonzalez – RP, BAL (20% owned) – Gonzo hasn’t been able to find much luck this season, pitching in only two innings, acquiring zero saves, and posting a WHIP of 4.50 before hitting disabled list.  On the bright side, he did have three strikeouts in those two innings.  He’s still on rehab assignment, but it appears he could be back sometime within the next week or two. 

Now, along with Perez of the Indians, the Orioles find their closers few save opportunities.  The rehab assignments have been somewhat encouraging if you are looking at Gonzalez on the waiver wire, as he’s posted 10.8 K/9 ratio and has only walked two batters in 11 2/3 innings. 

The other good sign is that his velocity is in the 92-94 MPH range, which has been an issue all season long. 

The Orioles certainly won’t give Gonzo the ninth-inning spot right away when he returns because of Alfredo Simon’s limited success, but you don’t pay a guy $12 million over two years to be a setup man (unless you are the Houston Astros).

Juan Gutierrez – RP, ARI (2% owned) – The Arizona bullpen is a disaster and who can blame interim manager, Kirk Gibson, for keeping the closer role an open audition.  Chad Qualls has been a disaster and the Aaron Heilman experiment lasted for a few days, so who or what’s next? 

Come on down, Mr. Gutierrez. 

In two games prior to the All Star break, he’s pitched two innings, while allowing zero hits and walks, and has struck out one batter.  The K/9 ratio sits right at 7.5 for the season, but Gutierrez has a lively fastball and slide-piece that could see his strikeout numbers increase as we march down the homestretch. 

Another reliever from Arizona who should be on your radar if things continue to be a downward spiral in Arizona is rookie Sam Demel (1% owned).  Demel has pitched 12 innings this season, while striking out 11 and walking just two.

Relievers to Monitor

Brandon League – RP, SEA (2% owned)

Manny Corpas – RP & Franklin Morales – RP, COL (17 % and 3% owned) – Morales is at Triple-A right now working on his mechanics, but has allowed one earned run, walked six, and struck out four batters in six innings.

Written by Reggie Yinger exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Reggie Yinger is a programmer in the IT field and also writes for Baseball Press.com. He previously worked for a Minor League Baseball team and hopes to return to baseball full-time in some fashion. You can follow him on Twitter @sacksjacked .

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Entering Sunday Night’s save opportunity, Kerry Wood’s ERA was a less than modest 7.98.  He was 1-3 with five saves in eight chances.  His ticket out of here, originally thought to be through a trade, was likely heading towards an end of the year release after the Indians refused to trigger the club option on his contract.

Then, something crazy happened.  Maybe it was all this Stephen Strasburg talk, sending Wood back to the days when he was Strasburg.  Maybe it was all the talk about Wood being stuck with the Indians for the rest of the year.  Perhaps he’s just figured something out.  Regardless of what you believe, Wood regained the form that enticed the Indians into signing him nearly two years ago.

Wood threw 17 pitches, 11 of which were strikes.  Wood would strike out the side, and gain his 6th save, while lowering his ERA by half a run, to 7.48.

Tonight, Wood came in and threw 18 balls, 12 of which were strikes.  He would give up a two-out hit, and strike out two in getting save #7.  He lowered his ERA nearly another half run, to 7.02.

What does this mean?  Kerry Wood might be making himself valuable again.  There’s always room for relievers on contending clubs, and Kerry Wood is one of the more enticing ones.  Why?  He still throws in the mid-90’s, and when he’s on, he is one of the better relievers in the league.

The Indians and Mark Shapiro are likely looking at all options as we speak, with Wood’s coals directly in the fire.  Can they get a top prospect for Wood?  Not likely.  But with another couple of shut-down performances, perhaps there is someone with some upside waiting in the wings.

With Chris Perez waiting in the wings (he had a hold in tonight’s game, after giving up two runs last night) as the heir-apparent closer, Wood might just be pitching his way right out of Cleveland.

Where to?  More on that as we get closer to the deadline.

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