The Indians, as mentioned elsewhere on this blog, have been courting Mark Mulder heavily. Anthony Castrovince is reporting that they've offered the left-hander a two-year deal worth at least $7.75M, and possibly more with incentives.
The reason the Indians want to give him the second year is mainly because that second year is theoretically going to be where they get the real value; Mulder is working his way back from rotator cuff surgery, and probably won't pitch until June or July.
Mulder's also a possible replacement for Jake Westbrook and/or Paul Byrd if either leave after this upcoming season. It's nice to speculate that Adam Miller and Fausto Carmona will neatly fit into those two rotation spots, but relying on that is a risky proposition. Of course, so is paying Mulder almost $8M after shoulder surgery.