The Lowe-down on the latest Indians moves

So it didn't take long for the Indians to start making waves in the off-season. Yesterday, two big announcements were made. First, the Tribe traded a low level minor leaguer for Atlanta Braves starter, Derek Lowe. Lowe has had some great success in his career, but did not have a very good 2011. This is clearly not meant to be a trade to dramatically improve the team. Lowe will likely be the fifth starter at best. And while the starting rotation wasn't one of the Tribe's weakest components, it's nice to see them make an attempt to shore it up. Now let's hope they can pick up some bats to go along with those arms. For more on the story, you can read about it here:

Tribe acquires veteran Lowe from Braves


In other roster moves, the Indians picked up the option on Fausto Carmona's contract, but did not on Grady Sizemore's making him a free agent. From my perspective the decision on both of these could have gone either way. A few years ago, letting either one of these guys go would have been unthinkable. But both of them have been plagued by injuries and have failed to live up to their potential. It'll be tough to see Grady go, but given his state he's become a liability. I'll be very curious who decides to take a chance on him and whether he'll rebound in a new location. As for Carmona, his ability to at times still shine is probably what saved him. He has somehow got to find a way to pitch well on a consistent basis though. If he can, then it'll prove wise for the Indians to have kept him around. For more on this story, you can read about it here:

Indians decline on Sizemore, keep Carmona