The Cleveland Indians have five potential free agents and I’m thinking they probably won’t bring any of them back.  Here is how I see things:

Casey Kotchman:  29-year old lefty swinging Casey Kotchman was the starting 1B for most of the 2012 season, but he didn’t hit that well while showing off an outstanding glove.  Kotchman played in 142 games for the Indians last year and he was 106 of 463 (.229 avg, .612 OPS) with 46 runs scored, 12 homers, 55 RBIs and 3 stolen bases.  VERDICT:  LEAVING

Grady Sizemore:  30-year old lefty swinging CF Grady Sizemore got injured in spring training and he missed the entire 2012 season.  In his last four years with the Indians, Sizemore only played in 210 of them.  VERDICT:  LEAVING

Travis Hafner:  35-year old lefty swinging DH Travis Hafner played in only 66 games for the Indians last year and he was 50 for 219 (.228 avg, .784 OPS) with 23 runs scored, 12 homers and 34 RBIs.  The Indians have a $13 million dollar option on Hafner for 2013, or they can buy him out for $2.75 million bucks.  VERDICT:  LEAVING

Ubaldo Jimenez:  The Indians hold a $5 million dollar option for 28-year old righty starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez for 2013, or they can buy him out for $1 million bucks.  Jimenez pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Indians last year and he was 9-17 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP.   VERDICT:  LEAVING

Roberto Hernandez:  32-year old righty starting pitcher Roberto Hernandez (formerly known as Fausto Carmona) started only 3 games for the Indians last year due to suspension and injury and he was 0-3 with a 7.53 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.  The Indians hold an option on Hernandez for 2013.  VERDICT:  LEAVING

The Indians were o.k. for a while last year, but the last two months doomed both the team and manager Manny Acta (as he was fired).  The Indians finished up with a 68-94 record (42%), finishing in 4th place in the A.L. Central, 20 games behind the Tigers.  Here is a look at the players who made the biggest impacts for the Tribe in 2012, in my opinion:

Team MVP – Shin-Soo Choo – 30-year old lefty swinging RF Shin-Soo Choo was the one consistent hitter for the Indians in 2012.  Choo played in 155 games for the Indians last year and he was 169 of 598 (.283 avg, .815 OPS) with 88 runs scored, 16 homers, 67 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.

Best Pitcher – Vinnie Pestano – 27-year old righty set-up man Vinnie Pestano was the Indians’ best pitcher in 2012.  He pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the Tribe last year and he was 3-3 with 2 saves, a 2.57 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP.  Pestano gave up 53 hits and he walked 24 batters while whiffing 76 of them in only 70 innings pitched, which is pretty darn impressive.

Biggest Surprise – Esmil Rogers – The Indians dealt for 27-year old righty reliever Esmil Rogers during the season.  He pitched in 23 games (0 starts) for the Rockies in 2012 and he was 0-2 with a 8.06 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP.  So, the Indians weren’t expecting a whole lot, but  they were surprised.  Rogers pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Indians after the trade and he was 3-1 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP.

Biggest Disappointment – Ubaldo Jimenez – The Indians dealt four solid propects for 28-year old righty starting pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez a year and a half ago, and he has really sucked for them.  Jimenez pitched in 31 games (all starts) for the Indians last year and he was 9-17 with a 5.40 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP.  He lead the majors in losses in 2012.

33-year old righty swinging LF/1B Shelley Duncan has elected to leave the Indians as a free agent.  Duncan played in 81 games for the Indians in 2012 and he was 47 of 232 (.203 avg, .676 OPS) with 29 runs scored, 11 homers, 31 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  He played in 242 games in his three years with the Indians and he was 158 of 684 (.231 avg, .739 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 33 homers, 114 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  Duncan has now played in 310 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 190 of 830 (.229 avg, .732 OPS) with 111 runs scored, 41 homers, 138 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  The Indians won’t miss Duncan, but some team will give him a shot to win a roster spot next spring.

31-year old switch-hitting catcher Luke Carlin has elected to leave the Cleveland Indians as a free agent.  Carlin played in 4 games for the Indians this year and he was 3 for 14 (.214 avg, .500 OPS) with 2 runs scored, 1 RBI and 1 stolen base.  He played in 10 games in his two years with the Tribe and he was 8 for 28 (.286 avg, .869 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 2 homers, 4 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  Carlin has now played in 56 games in his first four years with the Indians and he is 25 of 140 (.179 avg, .549 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 3 homers, 11 RBIs and 1 stolen base.  The Indians won’t miss Carlin moving forward.

The Indians have hired 53-year old Terry Francona to a 4-year deal to serve as the manager of the ball club.  He will be taking over a team that finished up with 2012 season with a 68-94 record, which had them 4th place in the A.L. Central, 20 games behind the Detroit Tigers.  In Francona’s last season with the Boston Red Sox, he led his team to a 90-72 record.  Francona has a 1,029-915 (52.9%) record during the regular season in his first 12 years as a major league manager.  He also is 28-17 (62.2%) in the post-season, winning the World Series with the Red Sox both in 2004 and 2007.  If Francona could snap the Curse of the Bambino in Boston, he can certainly get the Indians a championship right?  Only time will tell.  Francona played for the Cleveland Indians in 1988, appearing in 62 games in which he was 66 of 212 (.311 avg, .687 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 1 homer and 12 RBIs.  Francona’s father Tito played six years with the Cleveland Indians, appearing in 835 games in which he was 832 of 2,926 (.284 avg, .789 OPS) with 413 runs scored, 85 homers, 378 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.  This was a signing to win now, so the front office and owner will have to start shelling out some cash for players to give Terry Francona the pieces he needs to succeed.