Cleveland Indians

Eric Wedge didn't like Milton Bradley and Milton Bradley didn't like Eric Wedge. Bradley had made a habit of doing the wrong thing, including fights, tenures in jail and not running out ground balls.

Days after announcing his first big surprise about Russell Branyan being his primary starter at first base, Manny Acta stirred the pot once again.

While he had this idea in his head since he first got the job, Acta is just now making it known that center fielder Grady Sizemore will be moving out of his long-time leadoff spot.

Asdrubal Cabrera will be replacing him.

Even more surprising, was the news that Sizemore wouldn't be moving to the three-hole like so many people yearn for, but he'd be following Cabrera and hitting in front of right fielder Shin-Soo Choo.

Sitting and watching a heavy snowfall, I am angry with the Cleveland Indians.

For a guy who lives within 50 miles of Lake Erie, I am not a winter person. I don't know about where you live, but where I live it's more than cold and snow; it's slate-gray skies, day after day after day. The lack of sunshine weighs on me and by February, without holidays to distract me, I am going crazy.

The Tribe held a fire sale last season by unloading several key veterans as Victor Martinez, Cliff Lee, Carl Pavano, Mark DeRosa, and Ben Francisco were all dealt in mid-season deals that left Indians fans wondering who was left. 

36 hours into Manny Acta’s first spring training as manager of the Indians, and he’s already nestled himself a nice, warm place in the back corner of Cleveland’s media doghouse.

That didn’t take long, did it?

On one of the youngest teams in the majors with question marks for most of the team, Acta has curiously already ended all speculation and named Russell Branyan the starting first basemen.

“He’ll get a majority of the time at first base,” said Acta. “We didn’t sign him to be a backup guy.”

The Cleveland Indians may be rebuilding again, but it's hard not to be optimistic when CHONE predicts the team to win at least 81 games and finish second in the division.

Let's take a closer look at those projections, using WAR—Wins Above Replacement.

Officially, pitchers and catchers were to report Sunday at the Indians' complex in Arizona.

Unofficially, just about the entire team is already there. With the report date for everyone else not until Wednesday and the first full-squad workout not until Friday, the new era of Indians baseball is underway early.

Manny Acta is pleased with the fact that some of his bigger stars in Travis Hafner, Grady Sizemore, and Asdrubal Cabrera have already been in Goodyear, but now he has to get to work.

For the first time that I can remember in the Mark Shapiro-era of the Cleveland Indians, the team might have actually made a sound free agent signing that didn't involve the term "low-risk."

Granted, the reported deal that Russell Branyan has accepted is a one-year deal worth $2 million dollars, this isn't a typical garbage heap signing Shapiro has pulled off in the past.

This is more along the lines of Kerry Wood, David Dellucci, and Roberto Hernandez being signed to major league deals. This is a player expected to come in and earn his salary, even if it is at a bargain.

If I were Russell Branyan, I would seriously consider firing my agent.

The Seattle Mariners offered Branyan at the beginning of the offseason, a one-year contract in the neighborhood of $6 million-$7 million. Branyan’s camp turned that offer down because they thought they could get a two- or three-year deal somewhere else.

Big mistake.

What planet was Branyan’s agent on where he thought he could get a multi-year deal for a 34-year-old with a bad back in a down economy?