Casey at the bat

Looks like the Indians finally have their first baseman...

The Indians have officially added first baseman Casey Kotchman to their ever-changing roster.

Cleveland finalized its $3 million, one-year deal with Kotchman on Friday, a day after reaching the agreement.

Kotchman, who batted a career-high .306 last season for Tampa Bay, likely will be Cleveland's starting first basemen. The left-handed hitter also is an exceptional fielder, which will help Cleveland's sinker-balling pitching staff.

The Indians set their sights on Kotchman after they were unable to sign Carlos Pena and Derrek Lee. Kotchman, 28, has a career .998 fielding percentage, the highest for a first basemen with at least 700 games.

Indians general manager Chris Antonetti has spent the offseason re-shaping the team. He has added six players from outside the organization to the 40-man roster.

Slowey recovery

It appears the Indians didn't waste any time in moving on past Fausto...er...I mean, Roberto Hernandez. From their website:

The Indians acted swiftly in trying to protect their rotation depth.

On Friday, Cleveland completed a trade with the Rockies, acquiring right-hander Kevin Slowey and cash ($1.25 million) in exchange for Minor League reliever Zach Putnam. Slowey will compete for a spot in the Tribe's rotation during Spring Training.

The fact that there is even a competition at all is a sudden development. Cleveland's rotation composition was drastically altered on Thursday, when the starter known to date as Fausto Carmona was arrested outside the United States consulate in the Dominican Republic for using a false identity. The pitcher's actual name is believed to be Roberto Hernandez Heredia.

Indians general manager Chris Antonetti insisted that the club did not acquire Slowey as a direct response to the situation involving Carmona.

"There's obviously some uncertainty with Fausto's situation," Antonetti said. "But as we've talked about throughout the course of the offseason, we've looked for opportunities to improve the team in any way we can. This is a guy we've had interest in for a while.

"For a lot of reasons, this made sense. Certainly, with the uncertainty about Fausto's situation, it gave us maybe a little more clarity about how he'll fit on the club."

Antonetti went as far as to say that the Indians have tried to acquire Slowey in the past.

"We've tried to trade for Kevin multiple times when he was with the Twins," Antonetti said. "Our interest in him has been longstanding. We've actually had dialogue with the Rockies for the better part of the offseason and, ultimately, were able to align at the right value at the right time."

Slowey would presumably compete against right-hander Jeanmar Gomez and lefty David Huff for the lone vacancy on the staff. Slowey does have a Minor League option remaining, so he could be sent to Triple-A Columbus without consequence. Antonetti noted that Slowey was not being considered as a bullpen option at this point.

Carmona was released from jail on Friday, but it is not clear how long it will be before he is able to return to the United States. The pitcher was instructed by Dominican authorities to remain in his native country while prosecutors continue an investigation into the matter.

It is unlikely that Carmona -- the Tribe's Opening Day starter a year ago -- will be in Arizona in time for his team's Feb. 19 Spring Training reporting date for pitchers and catchers. At this point, it is not even clear if Carmona will be a part of the Indians' rotation during the upcoming season.

The Indians are currently working to sort through their options.

Antonetti declined to comment on the matter.

"At this point, we're going to continue to refrain from commenting until we have a little more clarity," he said. "We're still in the process of trying to get some additional information to work through that situation."

The general manager did note that Indians manager Manny Acta has spoken with Carmona.

"Manny's talked with Fausto directly," Antonetti said. "We've had numerous conversations with his representatives as well as people in Major League Baseball and other authorities."

One possibility is that the club will place the pitcher on Major League Baseball's restricted list until the situation is resolved. Under that scenario, Carmona would not receive any of his $7 million 2012 salary until he returned to the United States.

In the meantime, Slowey gives the Indians an extra arm to throw into the mix.

"We feel that we've added and improved the quality of our starting pitching alternatives," Antonetti said. "After stringing together a number of good years with the Twins, Kevin struggled a little bit last year with some minor injuries.

"Our scouts that saw him last year feel he has the ability to get back to where he's been in the past to help our Major League team."

As things currently stand, Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez figure to compete for the Nos. 1-2 roles on the Indians' starting staff. Right-handers Josh Tomlin and Derek Lowe -- the latter acquired earlier this winter in a trade with Atlanta -- project to occupy to more spots.

Gomez and Huff, who both have Major League experience, follow that foursome on the Tribe's depth chart. Behind them are Minor Leaguers Zach McAllister, Scott Barnes and Corey Kluber.

The 27-year-old Slowey is coming off a subpar season, during which he went 0-8 with a 6.67 ERA in 14 appearances (eight starts) for the Twins. The righty was traded to Colorado on Dec. 6 and promptly avoided arbitration with his new team by inking a one-year contract worth $2.75 million for 2012.

In his big league career, which includes stints with the Twins in parts of five seasons, Slowey has gone 39-29 with a 4.66 ERA across 100 appearances. Between the 2008-2010 seasons, the righty compiled a 35-20 record with a 4.36 ERA. Over that span, Slowey struck out 314 and walked 68 in 406 2/3 innings.

Overall last year, Slowey went 1-11 with a 5.26 ERA in stops at three different levels in the Twins' system. Besides pitching for Minnesota, he spent time with Class A Fort Myers, Triple-A Rochester. Slowey landed on the disabled list twice last year due to a right shoulder issue and an abdominal strain.

Putnam, 24, had a shot at competing for a spot in the Indians' bullpen during Spring Training. The right-hander spent the bulk of 2011 with Triple-A Columbus, where he went 6-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 44 outings. In 69 innings of work, Putnam struck out 68 and walked 23.

"In the end, we felt like we had some depth in the bullpen," Antonetti said. "In order to improve our rotation, it necessitated moving a guy like Zach. We're excited to have Kevin in the organization and excited to see him come into Spring Training to compete for a job."

One (Size)more year

Looks like Grady's Ladies can breathe easy now...

Even as other teams made him offers, Grady Sizemore knew there was only one that made sense for him.

He still belonged with the Indians.

"I wasn't ready to say goodbye and move on," he said.

On Wednesday, the Indians re-signed Sizemore to a one-year, incentive-based contract, bringing the oft-injured former All-Star outfielder back for another chance to become the electrifying player whose career has been derailed the past three seasons by injuries and surgeries.

Sizemore's journey into free agency didn't take him every far.

Although there were "good offers from good organizations," Sizemore decided to stay with the one that has patiently waited for him to get healthy.

"They know me better than anybody," Sizemore said.

The Indians, who last month declined a $9 million option for 2012 on Sizemore, will pay him a base salary of $5 million next season. The 29-year-old can make another $4 million based on plate appearances. The deal also includes an awards package that includes $500,000 if Sizemore is selected comeback player of the year.

The performance bonuses max out with fewer plate appearances than Sizemore had in any season from 2005-08.

Sizemore has undergone five surgeries, including a microfracture procedure on his left knee, the past two years and has only played in 210 games over the last three seasons because of injuries. But the Indians are confident that a healthy Sizemore can help them contend in the AL Central.

"We're obviously optimistic," said general manager Chris Antonetti. "We know that when he's been on the field, he's been a very productive player. We know it's not going to be for 155 or 160 games per year, but we feel optimistic Grady will get back to the point that he is a very good player for us."

Following the World Series, the Indians cut ties with Sizemore by declining the option for next season, making him a free agent for the first time. Antonetti flew to Arizona to personally meet with Sizemore and explain the team's reasons for letting him go. Antonetti said the team was not closing the door on Sizemore and the Indians would gladly re-sign him -- at the right price.

That gesture of loyalty, and the team's patience with Sizemore while he was hurt, meant a lot to him.

As other teams made offers, the Indians stayed in touch with Sizemore's representative and never wavered in their pursuit of one of the club's most popular players.

"The Indians were aggressive in wanting to keep Grady, and he has said all along he would keep an open mind toward returning," said agent Joe Urbon. "He appreciates the interest from other clubs, and he just felt that the best place to reassert himself as a great player is in Cleveland. He can stay in center field, which is important to him, and he has enjoyed his time there.

"Now, he can focus on his play without the distractions of new surroundings, and he will be a free agent again just after his 30th birthday."

Sizemore acknowledged he had some doubts as he ventured into free agency unsure of his future.

"I really didn't know what to expect," he said. "I was in the dark a little bit."

But as the process unfolded, it became clear to Sizemore -- and the Indians -- that they're relationship was not supposed to end. Sizemore said he's eager to put the past three years behind him and hopefully help the Indians win.

"It's been frustrating, " he said. "I've always loved being a part of this organization and I never pictured myself playing anywhere else."

Sizemore played in only 71 games after beginning last season on the disabled list. He made three trips to the DL and underwent right knee surgery on Oct. 3, just days after his season ended with a .224 batting average 10 homers, 32 RBIs and zero steals for the first time in his career.

Sizemore is continuing to rehab his injury and believes he'll be ready when spring training camp opens in February.

With Sizemore back, and assuming he can stay healthy, the Indians' starting outfielder appears to be settled with Sizemore in center, Michael Brantley in left and Shin-Soo Choo in right. The club still needs to add some depth and Antonetti promised the team will continue "trying to make our ballclub better."

Cleveland is looking for more offensive help, and it's likely the club's focus will be an upgrade at first base. Manager Manny Acta said incumbent first baseman Matt LaPorta will have to earn a roster spot this spring.

Sizemore joined the Indians in 2002, coming over as part of the six-player blockbuster trade that sent ace Bartolo Colon to Montreal. Sizemore's blend of speed and power were unlike any player in club history and he's the only Indians player with at least 100 homers, 200 doubles and 100 steals.

There are skeptics who doubt Sizemore will ever play at the level he once did. He's not worried about anything other than getting ready to play.

"I want to prove to everyone that I can stay healthy and I can perform," he said. "I want to have a healthy year and get back to playing like I know I can."

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