The 2009 Major League Baseball trade deadline is much like it was a year ago for the Cleveland Indians, but that doesn't mean they need to take the same direction.
Last season, C.C. Sabathia indicated to general manager Mark Shapiro that he wanted to hold off on contract negotiations until after the season to avoid any distractions in the clubhouse - but he knew he wasn't going to be an Indian after the deadline.
Shapiro dealt Sabathia away for an impressive package from the Milwaukee Brewers, one worthy of returning a Cy Young Award winner.
But the Indians knew what they had in Cliff Lee, and a year ago, his spectacular ride to the Cy Young made the Sabathia trade a little easier to swallow.
Lee is now the ace, the guy
the top-of-the-rotation game-breaker that the Tribe needs to move forward with and build around.
He's not going anywhere.
Shapiro and his staff will undoubtedly listen to offers for Lee, and unless they are completely unearthed by an offer, it will be a relatively short conversation.
Simply put: the Indians cannot afford to deal away an ace in two consecutive seasons if they hope to return to competitive form next year.
What remains to be seen, though, are the contract demands Lee puts before the Indians.
It would seem unlikely that he wants Sabathia-type money, and he seems like the kind of guy that embraces being a member of the Indians organization.
But he will come at a hefty price tag, one that the Indians hope will be less than $15 million annually.
An avenue they should pursue to make room for a Lee extension would be dealing Victor Martinez, one of the best hitters in the American League.
Martinez has hovered around the top of the AL's batting average leader board for most of this season; Shapiro could conceivably turn him into some immediate pitching help and maybe a bat for the future.
Internet reports suggest that the Red Sox would be interested - someone proposed a Clay Buchholz for Martinez trade - but after Boston acquired Adam LaRoche from the Pirates yesterday, they would seem to be out of the Martinez picture.
Could the Red Sox still use some help behind the plate? Sure, but platooning Martinez and Jason Varitek would be a costly predicament.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, baseball's best team, could come calling if Manny Ramirez misses any time or if their offense starts to turn sour.
After fleecing Dodgers GM Ned Colletti in the Casey Blake deal (getting blue-chip catching prospect Carlos Santana), would Shapiro go back to Chavez Ravine for Martinez deal?
Would the Dodgers consider dealing Chad Billingsley for Martinez? Maybe, but the Indians are in the market for young pitching (namely prospects) should they choose to complete any deal prior to the deadline.
Those who read the Internet may have read the comments of numerous Dodgers fans who want to acquire Martinez for Juan Pierre and James Loney.
While the prospect of getting Loney is attractive, the Indians need to find someone to take on Ryan Garko.
As for Pierre...come on, that kind of stuff only happens in video games.
Unlike last year when the heat was on to get something in return for Sabathia, Shapiro's hands are not tied this year. His team is not contending, he doesn't have to trade away his ace or his best hitter, but he's in a position to listen to offers that will make his team better.
That's called the ideal position for a baseball executive.
- Rob Mixer is a senior studying journalism and The Summer Post's assistant managing editor. Any Indians fan that wants to see Cliff and VMart stick around for the haul should send him an e-mail at rm234405@ohiou.edu.
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Rob Mixer
