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It was not a very exciting offseason in Cleveland, to say the least. When your biggest acquisition is an unproven middle reliever from Japan (Masahide Kobayashi) you can evaluate it one of two ways: either GM Mark Shapiro was so shook up by the ALCS collapse he forgot it was the offseason, or he feels he's returning one of, if not the, strongest core of players in the league.

I think we all know which is closer to the truth. While the Indians were no doubt disappointed by how the season ended against Boston, they are all very excited to get the 2008 season started with all of the same guys who got them there a year too early.

The tandem of David Dellucci (OPS+ of 76) and Jason Michaels (87) in left will replace Kenny Lofton (87). 25-year-old Franklin Gutierrez (103) should inherit the majority of at bats in right, replacing Trot Nixon (78). Despite having four major league seasons under his belt and three top 25 MVP finishes, Grady Sizemore (122) is just 25-years-old and should continue to improve.

The only position battle will be at second base where Asdrubal Cabrera (101) and Josh Barfield (54) will battle it out in Florida before Cabrera settles in there. Rounding out the infield will be Casey Blake (101) at third, Jhonny Peralta (100) at short and Ryan Garko (117) at first.

The Victor Martinez (127) and Kelly Shoppach (101) tandem behind the plate is the best 1-2 combo at that position in MLB and, maybe, the best starter/backup at any position in baseball. Interchangeable and versatile to play first base, these two plus Garko and DH Travis Hafner (118) give the Indians a consistent presence in the 3, 4 and 5 spots in the lineup.

The pitching staff returns the reigning Cy Young winner in CC Sabathia (ERA+ of 143), rookie sensation Fausto Carmona (151) and two groundball makers in Jake Westbrook (107) and Paul Byrd (100). The fifth spot will be the only question mark, with Aaron Laffey (101), Jeremy Sowers (72) and Cliff Lee (73) all in consideration.

The bullpen will continue to be strong, despite the presence of Joe Borowski (91) at the end. Someday Borowski's tenure as closer will end, and the Indians have Rafael Betancourt (312) to take over. Second-year relievers Jensen Lewis (214) and Rafael Perez (259) look to continue their success from a year ago.

The elephant in the room is the Detroit Tigers' offseason. The Indians' rival added All-Star third baseman Miguel Cabrera and starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis, while the Indians added relief help from Japan and a backup middle infielder in Jamey Carroll. Still, looking at the ages of the Indians players, perhaps all they need is for their returning players to further develop.

Players by category with age as of March 9, 2008:

Still DevelopingIn PrimePast PrimeGutierrez (25)Blake (34)Dellucci (34)Sizemore (25)Martinez (29)Byrd (37)Cabrera (22)Shoppach (27)Borowski (36)Peralta (25)Hafner (30) Garko (27)Westbrook (30) Carmona (24)Lee (29) Laffey (22)Betancourt (32) Sowers (24)Michaels (31) Lewis (23)Sabathia (27) Perez (25)  

Further reading:

Laffey's mechanics and Gutierrez's development

By Jesse Santos of www.DugoutCentral.com