"Unfortunately for Northeast Ohio fans, the biggest Indians headlines of the winter have revolved around the revelation that Fausto Carmona has been using a false identity since he was a teenager in the Dominican Republic.

This has put his availability in the Tribe's rotation in doubt. It might take months for him to persuade the U.S. government to renew his work permit so he can return to the team.

But as Indians manager Manny Acta said Saturday when he attended a fan event at Summit Mall: "We are hoping to get him back."

In the meantime, life goes on. Acta believes he will have a viable rotation with or without the right-hander formerly known as Fausto Carmona, the mainstays being Justin Masterson, Josh Tomlin, Ubaldo Jimenez and newly acquired Derek Lowe.

"We have our four guys," Acta said, "and we've added [Kevin] Slowey. He will compete with Jeanmar Gomez, Zach McAllister and David Huff."

Slowey is not being given a free pass into the rotation, but he certainly rates the favorite tag over the other three contenders. That might seem strange, considering that he is coming off an 0-8 season in which he posted a 6.67 earned-run average.

But there were mitigating circumstances. Slowey pitched only 14 times all year, eight of them as a starter. He missed the bulk of the season with a strained oblique and bursitis in his shoulder. At the moment, he is believed to be 100 percent healthy.

"We are looking at a guy who has had some success," Acta said. "He's fairly young [27], and he has had some injuries. That said, he will still compete with the other guys."

Before his 2011 season disintegrated, Slowey was a reliable if unspectacular starter — in terms of stuff — for the Twins. From 2007 through 2010, he compiled a 39-21 record with a 4.41 ERA."