Is there a more disappointing team in baseball this year than the Cleveland Indians? 

Last year, Mark Shapiro looked like a genius when his ambitious plan to rebuild the entire organization in three short years produced a 93 win team that barely missed the playoffs. The Indians jumped out of the starting gate, winning six of their first seven. And then the bottom dropped out. Completely. Since that start, the Indians have gone 26-38. That is an impressive, sustained stretch of bad baseball.

There appears to be a very real possibility that the team checked out for good two weeks ago in Chicago. That weekend, the Indians blew leads after the seventh inning on consecutive nights, culminating in a very public spat between Paul Byrd and Bob Wickman in the locker room after the game. Since that point, the Indians have lost nine of twelve.

Perhaps based on last year's miraculous resurgence in August and September, Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge have been exceedingly patient. Some of that patience finally wore out this week when Shapiro designated Jason Johnson for assignment. Tellingly, Johnson allegedly packed up and simply left without saying a word to anyone.

So Jeremy Sowers, a promising young lefty who has absolutely dominated the International League this year, will get a chance. Sowers should be a good one, but don't be surprised if he struggles initially. He doesn't have a clear outpitch, and chances are that the mix that AAA hitters find so baffling will be less effective against major leaguers for now. Nonetheless, Sowers is obviously a guy to grab in AL-only leagues if he is available.

The big question then becomes this: what else will the Indians do? Last summer, the Indians nearly did the impossible by coming back from fifteen games against the White Sox. This year, they sit fifteen back of the Tigers -- and fourteen back of the White Sox. With two teams that far ahead, a comeback is a practical impossibility.

That leaves a very real possibility that the fiscally responsible Indians will trade some veteran parts who may not be returning. Things look bleak for the Indians, but the silver lining is that their demise provides fantasy opportunity.

The most likely to go would be Aaron Boone and Ron Belliard, two players who have struggled this year but could have an appeal to a contender looking for experience in the infield and a righty bat. Eduardo Perez, who pounds lefties, is another possibility.

The interesting thing about a Boone deal is that it would give Andy Marte a chance to come up to the big leagues. Marte struggled initially at Buffalo, but has caught fire of late. He has regressed a bit defensively this year, but so has Boone. Marte, like Sowers, is probably already taken in a lot of deep AL-only leagues, but he's a good guy to take a shot at if he's available.

Second base is a more difficult question. Joe Inglett would probably get the first shot internally, but he probably isn't anything more than a utility player ultimately.

Perez's replacement could be Ryan Garko, who hasn't had a particularly good year at Buffalo thus far. More likely, perhaps, is that Ben Broussard's good first half would translate into a shot at playing everyday.

On the pitching side, Bob Wickman would be likely to go if Shapiro pulls the plug. That could negatively impact Wickman's value, as he could find himself in a setup role elsewhere. As for who would replace him, that's tricky. The Indians have a lot of strong arms in the bullpen who haven't found a way to be successful at all yet, let alone as a closer.

Rafael Betancourt probably should get a shot, given his WHIP and K/BB ratio. However, he failed in the role in 2004 and seems to get worse the further back he moves in the bullpen. The current setup man, Fausto Carmona, would appear to be too green, but so is everyone else.

The starting pitching is likely to stay intact, as the top four starters are all under the Indians control through next year.