There was one opening in the rotation at the start of camp. The winner of the competition to fill that spot was left-hander Scott Lewis.

Lewis actually will be in the No. 4 spot in the rotation, behind left-hander Cliff Lee, right-hander Fausto Carmona and right-hander Carl Pavano and ahead of right-hander Anthony Reyes.

It's a rotation that has either health or lack of track record question marks in the last three spots.

The bullpen has a new closer, and a much needed power arm, with the addition of right-hander Kerry Wood, and right-hander Joe Smith, added in a trade with the Mets. It will have to be sturdy because the rotation could require early help on many days.

The Indians have fewer question marks in their lineup. The return to health of catcher Victor Martinez and designated hitter Travis Hafner, who both missed the bulk of 2008 because of injuries, should help, although Hafner did not hit with much power in spring training.

Mark DeRosa, acquired in a trade with the Cubs, takes over at third base, and the Indians have above average offensive players at shortstop (Jhonny Peralta) and center field (Grady Sizemore) and a potential budding star in right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, who batted .320 in the second half of last season.

The Indians' bench should be an upgrade from a year ago.

Start with the fact that backup catcher Kelly Shoppach figures to get more than a backup catcher's allotment of at-bats this year, given his breakout 2008 season in which he led American League catchers with 21 home runs.

The utility infielder will be veteran Jamey Carroll, who should benefit offensively by the fact that it will be his second season in the American League. He had spent all of his career in the National League before last season.

Rookie Trevor Crowe and Josh Barfield earned spots on the bench.

THE INDIANS WILL CONTEND IF ...: Left-hander Cliff Lee and right-hander Fausto Carmona, at the top of the rotation, both win 15-20 games. There are so many question marks in the last three spots of the rotation that it's incumbent on Lee and Carmona to have big seasons. It's difficult to see the Indians winning their division without big contributions from those two.

PRIMED FOR A BIG SEASON: 2B Asdrubal Cabrera batted .320 after the All-Star break last year. He came to training camp in terrific shape and it showed. He was one of the club's best all-around players in camp, frequently driving balls into the gaps for extra bases while exhibiting superior range and making several outstanding plays defensively.

ON THE DECLINE: OF David Dellucci, who will open the season on the disabled list because of a left calf strain. He's in the last year of a three-year, $11.5 million contract and hasn't done much in either of the first two seasons of that deal, batting .230 and .238. He'll make $4 million this year and will open the season as the club's fourth outfielder. The Indians would love to trade Dellucci, but unless his performance improves it's hard to imagine any team being interested in him.