Pitchers and Catchers report...

Yet another MLB season is upon us. As an Indians fan, I am optimistic about their prospects for re-taking the division from the surprise Twins last year. The Indians traded away Cy Youg winner Korey Kluber, but despite that, the starting pitching is solid, and the question remains the lineup and can they score enough runs to make them competitive. They failed to pick up the option on Jason Kipnis, which I was disappointed in but they added Cesar Hernandez, Sandy Leon and of course Delino Deshields in the Kluber trade with the Rangers. I am optimistic that they will in fact compete in the division, but that is where my optimism ends.

So long as you have franchises such as the Yankees and Dodgers breaking the bank and loading their roster with multi-million dollar talent, the Indians will wallow in what I call the second tier of MLB teams. Simply put, the Indians will have a payroll of about $119 million for 2020. Even though that may sound solid, it pales in comparison to the Yankees $154 million, the Dodgers $236 million and the Astros with $225 million. How do I hope for the Indians to compete?

Major League Baseball needs a salary cap. The fact that teams can spend what they want, lure any ace or major hitter to a team by throwing Fort Knox at them is disgusting. A salary cap will create parody, open opportunities for all teams to compete, and provide a much better product for MLB to attract fans to come back, for those that have left. This idea of mine isn't anything new, as it has been bounced around by any and all pundits in the media and sportswriters for years. The ultimate decision, of course, belongs to Rob Manfred, the Commissioner of MLB to lead the charge and bring the fans back to baseball. The bottom line, in my opinion, regarding why baseball has lost fans, is due to the fact that 75% of the teams in MLB have no chance to compete for a World Series due to the fact they just can't afford to spend the money that other teams can and are willing to spend.

So anyways... Pitchers and catchers report this week for all MLB clubs... despite all the negativity, I am optimistic, in that the Indians will be fun to watch this year, and it will take my mind off the bad season the Browns had. The Tampa Bay Rays will try and improve from last season and compete for a division title in the AL East, but again I fall back onto the juggernaut that is the NY Yankees. It's a long season and I haven't the time to go into all the new rule changes that are happening in MLB (Three batter rule) so I will, for now, focus on the beginning of the season and look to go into more detail as the season progresses. Anyway, Go Tribe, Go Rays, and you all enjoy your evening...