With finals week and summer break fast approaching, this will be the last Cleveland Baseball Weekly until the fall semester. Most of the baseball season will take place while we are on hiatus, so it only feels right to do a little preview and prediction combination to prepare you for the summer.The starting rotation will finally settle downTo date, thanks to the inconsistent contributions of Ubaldo Jimenez, Brett Myers, Carlos Carrasco and Scott Kazmir, the starting pitching in Cleveland cannot be counted on to win any ballgames. Unfortunately, winning starts with the rotation keeping the team in the game, so it is no shock to find Cleveland below .500 as we reach May.There is hope, though. Cleveland is not all that far below .500 and that is with some of the worst starting pitching in baseball. Eventually, I expect general manager Chris Antonetti and manager Terry Francona to find out which pitchers can help them and jettison those who are dragging the team down.Fixing the rotation will require a tradeThat said, I do not think that all the starting pitching necessary to fix the rotation is currently on the roster. Top pitching prospect Trevor Bauer should help at some point this year, but he may still need a little more work until he reaches his ceiling. As such, Antonetti will likely need to go outside of the organization to fill the rotation.It is too early to tell who exactly will be available around the July 31 trading deadline, but Bud Norris of the Houston Astros and Ricky Nolasco of the Miami Marlins are two who will likely be moved. I have no idea if Cleveland will acquire either of those two pitchers, but I do expect that the team will find someone to help make the rotation better.Chris Perez will be on the trading blockCleveland’s bullpen, unlike the starting rotation, is filled with plenty of available arms. As a result, I expect Antonetti to explore trading Perez in July. A team that is looking to contend does not typically sell off its closer midseason, but it may be the best long-term decision for Cleveland.Next year will be the last Perez is under contract, and he will likely be due around $10 million through arbitration. Cleveland’s payroll will probably fall in the $80 million range again in 2014, making it hard to devote 13 percent of it to someone who only throws 70 innings. It will not be the most popular move, but trading Perez will get something that will help the team and free up money to spend in other places.Cleveland will be in the hunt for the playoffsThe pitching has been a mess at times, but the team as a whole is treading water thanks to the offense. Things will not always be as good as Tuesday night’s seven home-run barrage against the Phillies, but Antonetti spent the offseason fixing the offense and that work is paying off.Catcher Carlos Santana is looking like a Most Valuable Player candidate. Designated hitter Mark Reynolds is flashing his trademark power in the middle of the lineup. First baseman Nick Swisher is walking almost as much as he strikes out and is bringing a steady presence to the team.Through April, Cleveland owns one of the best offenses in baseball, and that includes center fielder Michael Bourn missing time due to injuries and poor performances from shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and second baseman Jason Kipnis. It is wrong to assume that everything will stay this good, but it is hard not to be optimistic about the hitting moving forward in 2013.I do not expect Cleveland to make the playoffs — there were simply too many holes in the roster following last year’s debacle — but the team has made enough moves to make September baseball interesting. I know I’ll be watching and I hope you are too.That is all for Cleveland Baseball Weekly. See you again in the fall!Jim Piascik is a baseball columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Follow @JimPiascik Contact him at [email protected].