Inbox: How will Indians fare with current roster?

Offensively, Cleveland needs Jason Kipnis, Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn to avoid more injury woes and return to a level more representative of their respective career norms. The Indians also need Brandon Moss to show -- through strong production post-sugery -- that his second-half tailspin last year was indeed merely a result of his hip issues.

On the defensive front, the Indians need shortstop Jose Ramirez to continue to be the stellar fielder he was for the club in the second half of 2014. Cleveland needs improvement from both third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and second baseman Jason Kipnis, too. Even a marginal gain in defensive production maybe would help close the gap that existed in the American League Wild Card standings last season.

Maybe this all sounds like a lot to ask. What I see is a team that -- despite second-half offensive issues and subpar defense (most prominently in the first half) -- remained in contention until the final weekend of the season. So, yes, I'm optimistic about the Tribe's ability to be a legitimate Wild Card contender again in '15. With health, the Indians could even compete for the AL Central title.

So, is now a good time to point out that Corey Kluber will be (at best) the fourth-highest paid Indians starting pitcher in 2015? -- Matt B., Greenville, S.C.

Talk about getting extremely great value from a starting rotation. You're right, Matt. Even with that AL Cy Young Award in his trophy case now, Kluber will head into Spring Training ranked fifth in the rotation in terms of salary for 2015. Here is a look at the Tribe's top four starters in terms of salary:

1. Gavin Floyd: $4 million (plus $6 million possible through incentives) 2. Carlos Carrasco: $2,337,500 (avoided arbitration) 3. Trevor Bauer: $1.94 million (coming off multiyear MLB deal) 4. Josh Tomlin: $1.5 million (avoided arbitration)

Kluber, Danny Salazar, T.J. House and Zach McAllister each project to earn a salary within range of the league's minimum requirement for the upcoming season. The Cy Young winner will not be eligible for salary arbitration until next offseason, but it's possible that the Indians will explore signing the right-hander to a multiyear extension prior to Opening Day.

Would the Indians actually try to sign free agent James Shields? -- Zach M., Niles, Ohio

I know there was an Internet rumor floating around that Cleveland had interest, but I have not heard anything along those lines. The Indians currently project to have a payroll around $83-84 million, which is right around the level at which the team operated last season. If Floyd were to hit all his incentives, the payroll could jump to around $90 million. Would Shields look nice in the rotation's second slot? Definitely. Right now, though, I don't think Cleveland will make that kind of monetary splash.

Is it true the Indians are looking for a back-end reliever, possibly a closer? -- Graydon F., Akron, Ohio

Read the original post:
Inbox: How will Indians fare with current roster?