Contenders or Pretenders: Cleveland Indians

Indians GM Chris Antonetti is definitely going to have a busy summer

The Indians are currently in second place behind the White Sox in the AL Central. Most people expected to see the Indians-Tigers fight out for the divisional title this year. Cleveland is a really underrated team with a lot of talent. The problem is they always get hampered with injuries and it is no different this year. They have still managed to win games and different players seem to step up each game.

Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner are on the DL as usual and the offense could use some help. Jason Kipnis, Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana and others are enjoying nice years and could potentially be All-Stars. Michael Brantley has been a nice surprise this season. The Indians desperately need a first baseman and third baseman because Lonnie Chisenhall and Casey Kotchman are just not going to cut it. Justin Morneau and Kevin Youkilis could be nice fits in Cleveland's lineup.

As for the pitching, basically nothing has changed from last year. Ubaldo Jimenez is turning into a huge best and Justin Masterson has been inconsistent. Derek Lowe has been a pleasant surprise. Starting pitching is definitely an area of need for Cleveland. The bullpen, however, has been very dominant this year. Chris Perez has been shaky at times, but Vinnie Pestano and Tony Sipp have been keeping the team in games. I don't think the Indians will have to many any changes to their bullpen, but adding a cheap arm like Grant Balfour or Carlos Marmol couldn't hurt.

Overall, the Indians have a key pieces to add before they can compete with the big teams. They will need to get a third baseman, first baseman and some starting pitching help to become a serious threat in the AL. If they want to make the playoffs, they will probably have to win the division because there is a great chance that two teams from the AL East will snatch up the wildcard spots. So Contenders or Pretenders? I'll choose Contenders, but they will have to add some pieces to become a powerhouse club in the American League.