With the signing of free agent closer Kerry Wood and the acquisition of setup man Joe Smith from the Mets in a trade, Indians officials feel they have addressed their most glaring need this offseason, which was to bolster what was the American League's worst bullpen in 2008.
What's next? General manager Mark Shapiro says the club would like to add an infielder and a starting pitcher. Shapiro adds, however, that the team will be very selective in its shopping for those two commodities. "What we've done to this point in the offseason has given us more leverage to sift through what's out there," Shapiro said.
In other words, having signed the closer they felt they most wanted from the free agent pool, and having added a pitcher with a track record of being a quality middle reliever, Indians officials feel less of sense of urgency to fill their other needs, at least to the degree that they would be willing to take on more risk had they not already acquired Wood and Smith.
According to Shapiro, the Indians will fully explore the market for a No. 3 or 4 starter to plug into their rotation, as well as an infielder, preferably a second baseman or third baseman. But they will not push the envelope, in terms of money spent or prospects given up, to acquire either.
