Cleveland signed free agent Shane Spencer to a one-year deal in early January. With the Indians, Spencer will almost certainly have a role larger than any he ever filled for the Yankees. Matt Lawton is expect to be on the DL for at least the first month of the season, so Spencer will probably start daily either in left or right field until Lawton returns. At that point, he'll likely continue to receive at-bats at the outfield corners, while also occasionally spelling Ellis Burks at DH and Travis Hafner at first, depending on how fast Hafner adapts to the majors.

Spencer claims he's been limited by the Yankees decision not to use him in a larger role and feels his production will expand with more playing time. Unfortunately, aside from a small jump in his walk rate, his performance seemed to decline somewhat last season. The 30-year-old was bothered by a couple minor but annoying injuries last season, so he may rebound with improved health in 2003. His platoon split has been narrowing, though more because his production against left-handed pitchers has fallen rather than through any improvement in his performance against righties. He'll reportedly receive a base salary resembling the $885,000 he earned with the Yankees last season and have the opportunity to earn bonuses that could increase that to over $1M.

Around the same time, the Indians re-signed Terry Mulholland and Dave Burba. Mulholland will have a base salary of $500,000 and can earn up to $700,000 incentives. Burba has the same base salary and can earn as much in bonuses in the majors, but he signed a minor league deal, so the Indians don't have to add him to roster immediately.

I hope the incentives are difficult to reach, as Mulholland barely deserves his base salary. The 39-year-old still has solid control, but he's lost almost all of his always-limited dominance and has struggled with homers. There were numerous pitchers on the market who would have signed for less and provided Cleveland with more.

Burba will likely break camp in the Indians bullpen as a long reliever and spot starter. The 36-year-old isn't fantastic, but he provides them with a reliable veteran arm, which is something they could really use, so I'm much less opposed to his salary.

Cleveland has added several more players to the organization through minor league contracts, including 1B-L Brant Brown, OF-R Wendell Magee, 1B-R Ron Wright, RHP Rafael Betancourt and RHP Paul Rigdon. Brown didn't play baseball last season, and while the 31-year-old offers some power upside, his contact rate is too poor to justify giving him even a small role as an injury replacement.

Magee will compete for a reserve outfield job in Spring Training, and provided the Indians send Jody Gerut back to AAA for additional seasoning, he should break camp with the team. The 30-year-old needs to improve his plate discipline, however he offers solid power and can cover centerfield.

Wright needs to improve his contact rate to earn a starting role in the majors, and given his lack of position flexibility, he likely won't find a bench position. Consequently, his best shot at playing time in the near future is a first base injury, though the Indians have other players that would likely cover the position before him. However, once he receives an extended shot in the majors, the 27-year-old should display considerable power skills.

Betancourt missed last season following elbow surgery, but the former infielder was developing into a decent reliever prior to his injury. I expect him to spend most of the season rehabbing in AAA, however if the 27-year-old rebounds strongly from the surgery he could contribute to the Indians' pen later in the season.

Rigdon missed most of last season due to shoulder problems, which required surgery in June. While he's expected to be ready to pitch in Spring Training, I suspect he'll spend at least the first few months of the season in AAA rehabbing, since he was having command problems in the majors before the injury. If he performs solidly at AAA, the 27-year-old should be a candidate to spot start during the season.

Kansas City signed James Baldwin to a minor league deal in late January. If he makes the team, he'll reportedly receive a $575,000 base salary and have a chance to earn up to $675,000 in possible incentives. I see almost no circumstances under which the 31-year-old fails to make the team provided he doesn't suffer an injury during Spring Training; signing him to a minor league deal was merely a way to hold open roster space for a couple months if needed. The Royals really needed to add a veteran innings-eater, and Baldwin at this price fits the bill quite well. Baldwin is not a highly dominant pitcher and he struggles with homer problems, however he maintains decent control and can provide innings of near league average quality.

The Royals have also signed RHP Sean Lowe and OF-R Mike Kelly to minor league deals. Lowe will compete for a spot on the pitching staff in Spring Training with the performance of Kansas City's younger pitchers likely determining whether he starts the season in the minors, the bullpen, or even the rotation. I suspect they may stash the 31-year-old in AAA for a bit until injury or ineffectiveness creates an opening. While I'd prefer to use a pitcher with stronger skills or more upside, Lowe can perform adequately when needed and adds useful depth to the Royals.

I can't find a record of Mike Kelly playing baseball in any of the last three seasons. Atlanta drafted Kelly out of Arizona State University with the second overall pick of the first round of the 1991 draft and then traded him to the Reds for Chad Fox and Ray King before the 1996 season. Cincinnati then traded Kelly to Tampa Bay for Dmitri Young after the 1997 season. The Devil Rays released him prior to the 1999 season and he signed with Colorado. As a free agent after that season, he signed with the Mets, but he failed to play in the minors the following year. When he was playing he demonstrated moderate power skills as well as a bit of speed and only needed to improve his contact rate to deserve a regular job in the majors. The 32-year-old will likely be rusty, but after a few months at AAA, he could be a solid potential injury replacement for the Royals.