Cleveland
Indians

News: LaPorta, who has a minor league option remaining, could begin the season at Triple-A following the signing of Casey Kotchman.
Impact: The Indians have been looking to upgrade at first base all winter and it appears the addition of Kotchman may seal LaPorta's fate. If the Indians aren't able to trade LaPorta it would seem likely that they'd rather him get regular playing time at Triple-A than come off the bench in the majors.

News: Perez and the Cleveland Indians have agreed to a one-year contract worth $2,005,000 and avoided salary arbitration.The agreement Thursday was for $5,000 above the midpoint between the $2.4 million he had asked for and the $1.6 million the Indians had offered when the sides exchanged arbitration figures last month. Perez can earn a $25,000 performance bonus if he appears in 55 games, a total he has reached in three of the last four seasons.
Impact: Perez went 5-2 with a 3.00 ERA last year, tying for second in the AL with 71 pitching appearances. He made $1.33 million.In six seasons with the Indians, the 29-year-old is 20-12 with a 3.64 ERA.

News: Kotchman has signed a contract with the Indians, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports.
Impact: This move is more an indictment of the failures of Matt LaPorta than anything. Had LaPorta shown anything resembling a bat over the past three years, he would be the unquestioned starter heading into 2011, but he has yet to post an OPS+ of 100 or better. Kotchman might end up starting or he might end up platooning; either way, he's an unimpressive option. The 28-year-old has a .383 slugging percentage since 2009 and offers none of the power one would expect out of the first base position. His solid year last season was built on an untenable foundation of BABIP (.335 against a career .280), and he could very well come crashing down to earth as an Indian.

News: Perez avoided arbitration with the Indians on Thursday and signed a one-year, $2 million deal, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Impact: The emergence of Tony Sipp has bumped Perez down in the bullpen pecking order a bit, so he'll likely serve as the second left-hander for manager Manny Acta again in 2012.