Mildly frustrated over the lack of moves this offseason by the Cleveland Indians’ front office, I decided to take a look at the Indians current depth chart and see how the team would look if they remained healthy for a full 162-game season.

There were no variables thrown into the calculations, it simply assumed a 162-game average based upon past major league performance only. The calculations did not take into account those who are up and coming (Kipnis, Chisenhall, Brantley) or those who are winding down in their career (Hafner).

It did provide an interesting look at what we hear so often as Tribe fans—potential.

Carlos Santana, C

In a full 162 game season, Santana would hypothetically bat .244 with 27 home runs, 81 RBIs, walk 108 times, and have an OBP of .362. The key figure here is the number of walks, which makes his less than spectacular batting average a lot easier to swallow.

Matt LaPorta, 1B

LaPorta’s less than savory numbers over three seasons would translate into a .238 batting average with 18 home runs, 69 RBIs, and an OBP of .304 over a 162 game season. These are hardly the numbers of the power-hitting prospect LaPorta was supposed to be.

Jason Kipnis, 2B

If Kipnis were to play a full 162 game season based upon his major league history he would potentially bat .272 with 32 home runs, 86 RBIs, steal 23 bases and have an OBP of .333. Could he be the power-hitter the Tribe so desperately needs provided he stays healthy in 2012?

Asdrubal Cabrera, SS

All-Star Cabrera continues to be a bright spot in the Indians’ offense in his 162-game average. He would bat .281 with 13 home runs, 78 RBIs, and boast an OBP of .343. Pair that with his stellar defense and you got one of the key players the Indians need to ink to a long term deal as soon as possible.

Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B

Much like Kipnis, Chisenhall’s potential cannot be factored into his limited major league performance. In a hypothetical 162-game average, he would bat .255 with 17 home runs, 54 RBIs, and have an OBP of .284. We all know the future of Chisenhall is much brighter than this.

Travis Hafner, DH

Oh, what I would not give for a healthy Travis Hafner for full 162 games this season. Based upon his career statistics he would bat .281 with 30 home runs, 103 RBIs, and boast an OBP of .383. Sadly there is very little realism in this hypothetical scenario.

Shin-Soo Choo, RF

The opportunity to have Choo be productive for a full season would greatly impact the Indians. He would potentially bat .291 with 20 home runs, 91 RBIs, and have a team high .384 OBP.

Grady Sizemore, CF

The one question many Tribe fans are left asking is what a healthy Grady Sizemore would look like if he were able to play a full 162 game season based upon his historical performance. He would bat .269 with 25 home runs, 83 RBIs, steal 24 bases, and have an OBP of .357. Wouldn’t that be nice to see?

Michael Brantley, LF

Brantley is another of the Indians’ players whose experience does not show his potential as a hitter in my opinion. He would bat .265 with eight home runs, 60 RBIs and have an OBP of .316.

More Cleveland Indians Commentary from this Contributor:

Meet your Cleveland Indians’ minor league free agents: A fan’s look

Fan’s take: Does the Cleveland Indians’ front office care about the fans?

Fan’s view: Are the Cleveland Indians asleep this offseason?

Cleveland Indians have room for Pie this holiday season: A fan’s reaction

Cleveland Indians sign free-agent Pagnozzi to minor league deal: A fan’s reaction

Sources:

All data provided by MLB.com

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Indians fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Indians have signed outfielder Felix Pie and infielder Jose Lopez to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training with the big league club in Goodyear, Ariz. Camp opens Feb. 20.

The Indians also traded for San Diego outfielder Aaron Cunningham in exchange for right-hander Cory Burns, who saved 35 games in 37 chances at Class AA Akron last season.

Pie can earn $700,000 if he makes the Indians out of spring training. The left-handed hitter has a chance to earn another $300,000 in performance incentives.

He played for Baltimore last season. He hit .220 (36-for-164) with eight doubles and 14 RBI. The Indians see Pie as a safety net for an injury prone outfield, starting with Grady Sizemore in center.

Pie, 26, played for Indians manager Manny Acta when he managed winter ball in the  Dominican Republic.

Lopez, 28, can make $900,000 if he makes the Indians out of camp. He played for Colorado and Florida last year. Lopez, who bats right-handed, spent most of his time at third base. He also played second and first.

He hit a combined .216 (50-for-231) with 12 doubles, eight homers and 21 RBI. He spent parts of seven seasons with Seattle. He hit .272 with 42 doubles, 25 homers and 96 RBI in 2009. He’s hit 18 homers since.

Cunningham, 25, is a right-handed hitter who played 52 games for San Diego this year. He hit .178. Burns was the Indians eighth round pick in 2009 out of the University of Arizona.

DALLAS, Texas –News, notes and quotes from MLB’s winter meetings at the Anatole Hilton Hotel.

-Indians GM Chris Antonetti had no comment when asked if he was interested in signing Manny Ramirez. The former Indians outfielder is seeking reinstatement from MLB’s retirement list.

Ramirez, facing a 100-game suspension last season for violating MLB’s drug policy, retired early last season with the Rays. MLB has announced that Ramirez would only face a 50-game suspension if he can find work with a big league club.

Since 2008, Ramirez has played with Boston, the Dodgers, White Sox and Rays. He hit 37 homers in 2008, but only 28 since. Ramirez’s career numbers, without the two drug infractions, are Hall of Fame worthy at .312, 2,574 hits, 547 doubles, 555 homers and 1831 RBI.

He played with the Indians from 1993 through 2000.

-Ron Santo, the Cubs late third baseman, was elected to the Hall of Fame on Monday by a vote of the Golden Era Committee.

A player needed 12 votes to gain admission. Former Indian Minnie Minoso received nine. Louie Tiant, another former Indians, received fewer than three.

-The Indians have told catcher Carlos Santana that he cannot play winter ball. Santana, just over a year removed from surgery on his left knee, is coming off a season in which he led the Indians with 155 games played and finished second with 552 at-bats.

Santana, Fausto Carmona and Ubaldo Jimenez have been conditioning with Nelson Perez, Indians athletic trainer, in the Dominican Republic for the last five weeks. The Indians want Santana rested and healthy when he reports to spring training in February.

The switch-hitting Santana batted .239 (132-for-552) with 35 doubles, 27 homers and 79 RBI, 133 strikeouts and 97 walks. Santana’s 27 homers set a club record for switching hitters.

-Jimenez, who did not pitch winter ball last offseason, will make his first start for Licey on Dec. 15. Manager Manny Acta will be on hand to watch.

-ESPN is reporting that the Indians are one of nine teams interested in free agent outfielder Josh Willingham. No surprise there because they tried get him at the trading deadline in July.

Willingham, a right-handed hitter, hit .246 (120-for-480) with 26 doubles, 29 homers and 98 RBI for Oakland last season.

-Kosuke Fukudome did a nice job for the Indians after being acquired from the Cubs for the stretch run, but it’s unlikely they’ll re-sign the free agent outfielder. It may have been a different story if Fukudome hit right-handed instead of left-handed.

With the re-signing of free agent Grady Sizemore, the Indians are expecting to open the season with three left-handed hitting outfielders in Sizemore, Michael Brantley and Shin-Soo Choo.

-Right-hander Chad Durbin, the Indians other free agent, will not be back.

 

Back on September 20, 2011 I wrote piece titled Fan’s view: Is Carlos Santana the answer to Indians’ 1B dilemma in 2012? In that story I discussed potential first base options for the Cleveland Indians moving forward into 2012.

It was obvious at that time that current first baseman Matt LaPorta(notes) was struggling to perform at the expectations set forth for him. Whether or not he will ever reach that potential is yet to be determined, but time is certainly running out.

Carlos Santana(notes) is definitely an option having spent a good portion of the season playing that position in addition to his regular catching duties. A bat like Santana’s needs to be in the lineup as often as possible, and often the regular catcher needs more time off than your traditional position player.

One option I called into question in that story was trading for Miami Marlins 1B/LF Logan Morrison(notes). What is interesting, is with the Winter Meetings scheduled to take place starting on December 5, Morrison trade rumors are starting to surface.

I figured why not revisit the idea of Morrison joining the Indians. Would he even be a fit?

With the trade for pitcher Derek Lowe(notes) and the free agent (re) signing of Grady Sizemore(notes), the Indians were able to fill the gap left by Carlos Carrasco(notes) in the starting rotation and retain their starting center fielder provided Sizemore stays healthy.

They still have a need for a right-handed bat, a first baseman, a utility outfielder, and possibly an additional arm in the bullpen.

Morrison bats left-handed but is the power hitting first baseman the Indians desperately need. He could also fill a utility role in the outfield to rest one of the starters or when Santana needs a break from behind the plate.

In 123 games with the Marlins last season, Morrison batted .247 with 23 home runs and 72 RBIs. His salary in 2011 was just under $500,000.

An issue that could be both a blessing and a curse is that Morrison told Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post that he may need surgery on his right knee but is confident he will be ready for spring training.

This revelation may inspire the Marlins to reconsider moving him, and who likes outfielders with knee issues more than the Cleveland Indians? A full time first base job may be just what he needs.

Months later after the thought had crossed my mind; I still like the idea of Morrison as a Cleveland Indian. Now it is up to Chris Antonetti to determine if it is a deal worth making, and at what price. Has it even crossed his mind?

More Cleveland Indians Commentary from this Contributor:

Indians showing very little change this offseason: A fan’s take

Grady Sizemore rejoins Cleveland Indians, team starting to take shape: A fan’s reaction

MLB gears up for major changes in 2013: A fan’s take

Cleveland Indians’ potential OF free-agent Targets: A fan’s look

Carlos Pena is not the Indians’ answer at 1B: A fan’s take

Sources:

All data provided by MLB.com

Palm Beach Post – Miami Marlins’ Logan Morrison is getting along with front office but is concerned about his right knee

Paul Rados is an avid Cleveland Indians fan and a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @PSRados or leave him a message on Facebook. For a complete look at his freelance work please visit his Blog.

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

Right-handed pitcher Chen-Chang Lee and infielder Jason Kipnis have won the top minor league awards in the Cleveland Indians farm system.

Lee has been named the 2011 Bob Feller Award recipient as the top pitcher in the Indians’ minor leagues.

Lee, 25, played at Class AA Akron and Class AAA Columbus in 2011, going a combined 6-1 with a save and 2.40 earned run average in 44 relief appearances. He averaged 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched and limited minor league hitters to a .210 average against.

On the season, right-handed batters hit .197 off him with just four extra base hits. After beginning the season in Akron, where he had a 2.50 ERA in 23 games, he was promoted to Columbus on June 22 and went 4-0 with a 2.27 ERA in 21 games.

Lee hails from Taiwan and was signed as an amateur by the Indians in September 2008. He owns a three-year minor league career record of 15-11 with a 3.01 ERA in 133 relief appearances.

Kipnis won the Lou Boudreau Award as the team’s top minor league player of the year for the second straight time, joining Victor Martinez as the only Indian position player to win the award in consecutive seasons.

Kipnis spent the first three and one-half months of the 2011 season at Class AAA Columbus, hitting .280 with 16 doubles, nine triples and 55 RBI in 92 games. At the time of his July 22 promotion to Cleveland, he was leading the International League in triples, was second in runs (65) and tied for 12th in hits (92) and RBI.

A 2009 second-round pick out of Arizona State University, Kipnis hit .272 with Cleveland over the final two months of the season with nine doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 19 RBI in 36 games.

Here are the Bob Feller and Lou Boudreau winners in Indians team history:

FELLER: 1990 Charles Nagy; 1991 Mike Soper; 1992 Chad Ogea; 1993 John Carter; 1994 Steve Kline; 1995 Danny Graves; 1996 Danny Graves; 1997 Marc Deschenes; 1998 David Riske; 1999 Robert Pugmire; 2000 Jason Stanford 2001 Mike Bacsik; 2002 Billy Traber; 2003 Fausto Carmona; 2004 Adam Miller; 2005 Jeremy Sowers; 2006 Adam Miller; 2007 Aaron Laffey; 2008 David Huff; 2009 Hector Rondon; 2010 Alex White; 2011 Chen-Chang Lee.

BOUDREAU: 1990 Jim Thome; 1991 Manny Ramirez; 1992 Ken Ramos; 1993 Jim Thome; 1994 David Bell; 1995 Richie Sexson; 1996 Russ Branyan 1997 Sean Casey; 1998 Alex Ramirez 1999 Scott Morgan; 2000 Billy Munoz; 2001 Victor Martinez; 2002 Victor Martinez; 2003 Grady Sizemore; 2004 Ryan Garko; 2005 Ryan Mulhern; 2006 Kevin Kouzmanoff; 2007 Asdrubal Cabrera; 2008 Beau Mills; 2009 Carlos Santana; 2010 Jason Kipnis; 2011 Kipnis.

The Cleveland Indians signed outfielder Grady Sizemore to a one-year, $5 million deal on Wednesday night according to Cleveland.com.

After playing in 106, 33 and 71 games respectively over the past three years, the Indians reasonably structured the contract with incentives, up to $4 million, based on plate appearances. The contract also includes a $500,000 bonus if Sizemore is named Comeback Player of the Year.

Sizemore was courted by the Phillies, Cubs and Rockies among other teams, but the lifelong Indian opted to stay with the only MLB club he has known.

“At the end of the day, this felt like the best fit for me,” said Sizemore. “I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. I wasn’t ready to move on.”

Sizemore was the definition of durability during four standout seasons with Cleveland from 2005-2008 when he smashed an average of 26.7 home runs per year and stole an average of 28.7 bases per year, but he has undergone five operations in the last three years, including microfracture surgery on his left knee in 2010 and arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on Oct. 3.

Said Sizemore, “I don’t think there’s a day that goes by where I’ve ever thought I can’t stay healthy for a year.”

Sizemore is projected to start in center field, flanked by Michael Brantley in left field and Shin-Soo Choo in right field.