Cleveland GM Shapiro Ready To Talk Trades

The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Joe Maxse writes that Indians GM Mark Shapiro will soon be talking to every team in an effort to upgrade his roster. The Tribe have gotten off to a surprisingly slow start in April and May and currently have a 22-26 record, 4 1/2 games behind the first-place Chicago White Sox.

While Shapiro concedes that major trades don’t usually occur so early in the season, he’s already apparently ready to consider all options:

"We will get on the phone with every team in the league, although sometimes a trade of magnitude comes down the road. We will explore everything at this point."

The question then becomes "What could Shapiro do". The Indians’ pitching staff has been fantastic in 2008, only allowing roughly 3.8 runs per game. But the offense has been lacking, scoring 4.1 per game.  Thus far, Grady Sizemore has been the only starter pulling his weight offensively. But does the Cleveland lineup even have any movable parts right now?

Posted by Paul Moro