Cleveland was busy on Monday, as they announced the signing of free agent Ricky Gutierrez and a contract extension for the recently acquired Matt Lawton.

Gutierrez signed a three-year contract that is reportedly worth totaling somewhere around 11 to 12 million dollars with a club option for a fourth year. He will be the Indians starting second baseman in 2002, taking over for All-Star Roberto Alomar, who was traded to the New York Mets in the same deal that brought Matt Lawton to Cleveland. Gutierrez has spent the last several years playing SS for the Cubs and Astros, so Cleveland should maintain an excellent level of defense in their infield. It might take a little while for Gutierrez to get used to his new role in the double play, but according to an MLB.com article, that is something that the infielder is already planning to work on during the off-season with Gold Glover Harold Reynolds, seen most recently on ESPN's Baseball Tonight.

His ability to play short does give the Indians a rostered replacement if they decide to go forward with trading SS Omar Vizquel, a possibility that has been heavily rumored in the last few months. Jolbert Cabrera, the player that GM Mark Shapiro named as Cleveland's new second baseman after the Alomar trade, is still available to play 2B. However, they may be looking to sit tight after the dramatic trade of Roberto Alomar.

After discovering the identities of the two players to be named later in the CLE - NYM trade, the deal started to look a little more balanced, and Lawton's contract extension is another step in that direction. Cleveland signed Lawton to a 4-year deal worth $27 million, which will buy out his final year of arbitration and his first three years of free agency.

Lawton's remarks at the press conference announcing the signing seem to indicate that he was looking at Cleveland as a possible new home even before the trade, as he considered his post-2002 free agent options. Jacobs Field was evidently one of his favorite stadiums to visit when he was with the Minnesota Twins. Given Lawton's overall comfort level with the Indians, there is no reason to believe that the drop off he experienced after being traded from the Twins to the Mets will follow him in his return to the AL central. In fact, I would expect him to have a career year with his new team.

At this time it does appear that the club will be using Lawton as a lead-off hitter, a lineup slot he has held in the past and with which he is very comfortable. He also plans to take greater advantage of his base stealing abilities.

I have mixed feelings about Lawton in the lead-off position. While he is both comfortable in the slot and well suited to it, I think that Cleveland might be better off if they could place him more centrally in the lineup. However, I am hesitant to go into any specifics right now as the Indians have several internal options and may still make more moves. I keep remembering a November conversation I had with Tim where we discussed the probable details of Cleveland's lineup and the massive changes it has undergone since then.

While reading an article that included a third person quote from Ricky Gutierrez, I was reminded of another Ricky who also likes to refer to himself in third person and who might be a good fit for Cleveland. While the Indians already have a number of outfielders rostered, Henderson would be a better starting alternative than someone like Brady Anderson. His addition also would provide a future Hall of Famer to instruct young outfielders Bradley and Escobar on matters like plate discipline and a crowd attraction to help compensate for the loss of Alomar.

Regardless of where Lawton hits in the lineup, I think the Indians have locked up a talented player for what should be some of his peak years, and their offense should reap the benefits for the duration of his very reasonable contract.

The Newest Pinstriped Devil

Meanwhile the Yankees announced the signing of Rondell White to a 2-year deal worth a supposed $10 million. One of the biggest advantages that the Yankees have with their large pocket book is the ability to take on players of greater risk. White has the ability to be a one of the better outfielders in the game when healthy. However, White's injury history was a concern to other teams looking to sign him. Other organizations like the Mariners and the Cubs (his 2001 team) were not open to giving him a contract with significant guaranteed money. They wanted to put the bulk of the contract's value into performance-based incentives, so that if White re-injured himself, they wouldn't be stuck paying a lot of money to an incapacitated player. White obviously opted for the sure money, despite a good probability that his injuries will be less frequent now that he is another year removed from the Montreal turf. The Yankees can make this gamble, because they have the ability to absorb the cost and move on if things don't work out. I personally expect Rondell to have a career year with well over 500 at bats.

White should be New York's left fielder, though there is still some debate over where he will hit in the lineup. Peter Gammons has suggested that he may be the team's new cleanup hitter, but I have reservations as to whether that prediction will pan out. He is fully capable of hitting there when healthy, but we cannot forget that the Yankees probably will be making additional moves before opening day.

Monday also brought about numerous small and minor league signings, as teams extended spring training invitations. I'm going to save my commentary on those signings and the small trade between the Angels and the Devil Rays for the next slow day. With the holiday season upon us, I'm sure there will be a short break in the action in the near future.