rusty - if Andy got that cortisone shot TODAY, I don't expect him back for awhile.

That says to me it wasn't getting better on its own. We all know Andy sort of runs out of gas in some form every year.

Maybe backup is the perfect role for him - with the Cavs (behind Hawes and Tristan?) or wherever.

If we keep Hawes, Austin Carr will love him. GREAT passer for a big man.

I am attempting to convince myself to believe that Bauer will come through as predicted in college and will join Masterson and Salazar in a Big 3 with McAllister and Kluber perfectly capable inning eaters at the back of the rotation. Could be.

Good luck with that. Although that is his upside, I would be perfectly happy to see him hold down a regular rotation slot (4 or 5) and throw 150+ innings. Realistically doable.

Am I missing something, or are we back to all right handed starters again? Marcum and Tomlin and Carrasco give us 8 righties. Even Aaron Harang. The only LH starter on the roster is TJ House and he is nowhere near big league ready (may well never be).

Pluto on Justin Masterson

About Justin Masterson ...

This will be an interesting season for Justin Masterson and the Tribe.

He is headed to free agency, the Homer Bailey contract insured that.

Bailey was 11-12 with a 3.49 ERA for the Reds. Before his arbitration hearing, Bailey signed a six-year, $105 million deal with Reds.

Yes, SIX years and $105 MILLION for Homer Bailey!!!

Bailey is a 27-year-old right-hander with a 49-45 career mark and a 4.25 career ERA.

He was 13-10 with a 3.68 ERA in 2012, so this guy is a solid starter (24-22, 3.57 ERA) over the last two seasons.

But remember that he's in the National League. Most pitchers add about .50 to their ERA in the American League, where there is the DH.

Masterson made the All-Star team and was 14-10 with a 3.45 for the Tribe. He will be 29 on March 22, and has emerged as the ace of the Tribe's staff.

For his Tribe career, Masterson is 44-55 with a 4.08 ERA.

Yes, he loves pitching for Terry Francona, and Masterson has always said very positive things about Cleveland. He is a class act.

But he's also the team's player representative, and rarely does a union representative sign a contract with a significant discount.

If the Tribe is in the playoff race, they will hang on to Masterson. After the season, they will offer him a qualifying offer -- just as they did Ubaldo Jimenez. And if Masterson rejects it (as most players do), he will become a free agent. The Tribe will receive a sandwich pick (between the first and second rounds) in the 2015 draft.

If the Indians fall apart, it's possible they will deal Masterson.

But the plan is to keep him. They want to see if he can pitch well again and the Tribe can contend.

Pluto on Kipnis

About Jason Kipnis ...

The Tribe will soon make a serious push to sign Jason Kipnis to a long-term contract.

It will take more than the four-year, $25-million deal signed by Michael Brantley, because Kipnis is a superior player.

Brantley's deal chewed up three years of arbitration and one year of free agency. The Indians also have a team option for $11 million in 2018.

Kipnis can't be a free agent until the 2018 season. So the Indians would want at least a five-year deal -- covering the next four years plus 2018 (his first season of free agency).

They approached Kipnis last spring, but he seemed content to "bet on himself," as some players put it. He hoped to put up big numbers and keep enhancing his value.

Kipnis batted .284 (.818 OPS) with 17 homers. He led the team with 84 RBI and 30 stolen bases.

The only negative on Kipnis is he tends to wear down after the All-Star break. For his career, Kipnis has batted .289 before the All-Star break, .252 after.

Perhaps Francona can rest him a bit more in the second half.

But when the pressure was on at the end of the season to make the playoffs, Kipnis batted .464 in the final seven games.

The Braves recently signed shortstop Andrelton Simmons to a seven-year, $58-million deal.

The 24-year-old batted .248 (.692 OPS) with 17 homers. He is an exceptional defensive shortstop. The deal covers two possible free-agent years.

Would something like that interest Kipnis? The Indians should find out.

Interesting tidbit from Pluto (he is relating this to Ubaldo)

According to the Bill James Handbook, over the last three years Progressive Field was rated the third-best place to pitch in the American League. Only Anaheim and Tampa Bay were considered harder for hitters. Baltimore was rated the fourth best for hitters. The top three were Texas, Boston and the Chicago White Sox.

Indians-Reds game from Goodyear will be on MLB channel Wednesday!

It's a delayed broadcast, at 5 PM. If you can get STO, you can watch at 3 PM. STO is carrying Thursday's game, too.

Anyone see these crazy catches yesterday in a freaking exhibition game?

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-l ... 47305.html

Reddick's catch is reminiscent of one I saw Lofton make off BJ Surhoff:

http://m.mlb.com/video/v25506583/balcle ... zing-catch

We get another .200 hitting middle infielder from the Dodgers: Justin Sellers for cash, plus the guy makes almost 500K, we designate Titanium Cooper to make room for him.

Not sure what the point of that deal is. We have lots of utility IFs (David Adams and Elliot Johnson behind Mike Aviles); we have organizational depth in middle IFs from AA down. On the other hand, 1st base might be the system's thinnest position. Cooper is recovering from injury issues; maybe he's still not right? Or maybe his deal said he had to be released if he doesn't make the big league club, which he would have to beat out the immovable force at DH/coach Jason Giambi.

Sellers would be useful if we deal away Cabrera and need a good SS backing up Aviles until Lindor is deemed ready.

First base on the major league level is very crowded. Swisher is a first baseman now. Santana is a first baseman. Raburn can play first. Aviles can play first.

Tribe has been trying to acquire a utility infielder all off season. They went right down to the end with Jamey Carroll.