Just once. Just once couldn't the Cleveland Indians be on the other end of a blockbuster deal?

Wouldn't it be nice if just once the Tribe received an impact player by trading prospects to the other team? There are many, many Indians fans alive who would like to see a Matt Holliday come to the Indians for a package of prospects. Most fans have watched a major Indians player traded for a handful of players and a boatload of prayers. Yes, as Jeff Erickson points out, Mark Shapiro has a good track record for prospect trades. But they take time to pan out. Bartolo Colon, and Indian favorite was traded for Cliff Lee, Grady Sizemore and Brandon Phillips. It worked out very well (except for Phillips.) But it took time. The Indians have done well trading proven players to Seattle for prospects. The ex-Mariners seem to do well in Cleveland. Still, Indians fans scratch their heads and wonder why they can't be in the hunt for a Roy Halladay? The Indians have the prospects to fetch a pitcher of his quality. The Indians are loaded with prospects. Prospects are used for two reasons-for development to play on the major league club or to use in trade. Trading prospects is risky. They may can come back to haunt. The Indians got Jonathan Meloan from the Dodgers along with Carlos Santana for Casey Blake. Good trade? We don't know yet. But Indians fans, even though they trust the track record Jeff Erickson speaks of, are tired of waiting. They are tired of the hype prior to every season. They want to believe that the team has improved from the previous year. But really-it's year after year.

This year the loyalty of Indians fans didn't carry over to the box office. Comments about the management of the team (or lack thereof) have been heard on talk radio and have been written on blogs. The attendance should be less than the 2 million projected. That will have yet another impact on the bottom line budget for player salaries and player development. And the cycle continues. No money to pay, no playoffs, no attendance and you know the rest. No wins.

Granted, it isn't only money that wins championships. Good scouting resulting in drafting quality prospects is vital to success. Teams can not be built solely on trades and free agency. Good teams have to draft and develop players. The Indians have not done that regarding pitching. Consequently, they now must trade to fill in the blanks. And the cycle continues. The cycle includes trading hitting for pitching. Hopefully, the hitting won't suffer. If it does, the cycle will spin to trading hitting for pitching. But the Tribe is not alone.

Pittsburgh Pirates fans and Kansas City Royals fans come to mind. Those mid to low market teams have not drafted well even though they have had excellent drafting positions for years. Why not? Money. It costs money to draft the best players. Just ask the Washington Nationals about what they are going through now. So the draft system that rewards the teams with less financial resources actually sets those same teams back if the team doesn't choose to spend the money on the top quality players. Ah, that's the rub. It's a choice ownership makes. If they are in the game of baseball to win, then they must know the cost of playing, right? You can't ask a painter to go to work every day without paint. How can you ask a front office to produce a winner without the proper resources? None of us have access to the checkbooks and bank accounts of owners. But how can one own a team, representing a city and not be playing with resources? And if a team doesn't spend money on the draft, then the front office has to get it right! There is no room for error. This year might be different because of the hit the economy is taking. But what about 5 years ago? Pittsburgh, Kansas City and Cleveland all had the same frugal approach then as well as now. But it is a fact that much more highly regarded players were available when those clubs drafted. But those players were not signable. By those clubs. Of course, someone else always signs the players with high ceilings and expensive contracts. The draft is an area very much impacted by ownership. There are owners who abide by the MLB player slots in the draft and there are those owners who don't. The playing field regarding paying draft choices must be evened. I wrote about that when I indicated what I would do if I were the Commissioner. The draft rules must be changed. A salary schedule must be implemented. But even a schedule won't eliminate player evaluation mistakes or bad luck.

There are teams other than Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Kansas City mired in the cycle of baseball. But if you are a fan of one of them, you really don't want to hear excuses anymore. You have expectations of ownership. That's another reason why the luxury tax money received by teams must be put right back into player development.

If you are in the Red Sox Nation, a Yankee fan or a fan of one of the teams spending resources, be thankful. Be grateful. If you are a fan of a team that is trying to compete on limited resources, here are some words of advice for you....wait until next year. Ever hear that before? For most fans, next year means now! The cycle can't claim those teams again!

Those are my thoughts. I'd like to hear yours. Comment below or write me at thebigstrawhat@aol.com