The Indians were originally expected to address their middle infield before attempting to sign one of the many second-tier closers on the market, but after determining that neither Orlando Hudson (wrist) nor Rafael Furcal (back) were worth the risk, they've now set their sights on plugging the back of their bullpen.According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Indians have spoken to Francisco Rodriguez but aren't confident they'll be able to outbid the Mets. And as my colleague Andrew Johnson noted last week, this really isn't the winter that teams should feel compelled to overpay for saves.
Instead, the Indians would be wise to let someone else give K-Rod a record-breaking contract while getting nearly the same production at half the price from Brian Fuentes, Kerry Wood, Trevor Hoffman, Brandon Lyon, or another free agent, or trade for one of the handful of accomplished closers rumored to be on the block, such as J.J. Putz, Jose Valverde or Bobby Jenks.
My guess is that the Indians make a move for Trevor Hoffman. GM Mark Shapiro has already admitted that Hoffman is one of the guys he wants to look at, and at 41 years old, Hoffman likely won't be looking for as many years as most of the other free agents. Plus, while most of the other guys will likely wait for K-Rod or the Mets make a move to set the bar, Hoffman would probably settle for just a modest raise from last year's $7.5 million.
Hat-tip: MLB Trade Rumors
