Indians Sign Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis

Wednesday afternoon saw the Indians react to the big Todd Frazier trade to Chicago by signing two veteran free agents in Mike Napoli and Rajai Davis, pending physicals.

Napoli is a 34 year-old right-handed bat who is expected to be the Tribe's primary first baseman, leaving Carlos Santana at DH. Napoli spent 2015 between Boston and Texas, being traded to the Rangers in August, and hit .224/.324/.410 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 18 home runs and 50 RBI over 133 games. The first part of his season in Boston was not so kind to him, batting .207/.307/.386 with a 85 OPS+, but he really turned things around back in Texas, hitting .295/.396/.513 down the stretch for an OPS+ of 143. The Indians will be hoping his late season surge is a sign of things to come. The deal is reportedly for $7 million for 1 year, making Napoli the Indians' most expensive signing of the winter thus far. I like this signing quite a bit and as long as he can stay healthy, Napoli's powerful bat is a welcome addition to the Indians' lineup. With this addition, the club now has three full-time 1B/DH types on the 25-man roster in Napoli, Santana and Chris Johnson. There's a strong possibility that three is a crowd in this situation and one of Santana or Johnson could be traded. Watch this space.

Davis is a 35 year-old right-handed outfielder and is somewhat of a journeyman over the course of his 10 year MLB career, featuring for 6 teams now including Cleveland. He spent 2015 with the Tigers where he hit .258/.306/.440 with 8 home runs, 30 RBI, and 18 stolen bases in 112 games. The Indians will be looking to get the most value out of Davis with his above-average defensive abilities. He can play anywhere in the outfield and has great range and speed, even at 35 years of age (he had a 8.2 UZR/150 in the outfield in 2015, his highest since 2009.) Davis is reportedly signing a one-year deal for just over $5 million, plus incentives, which is about in line with what Detroit paid him last year.

His acquisition is another example of the club's off-season strategy regarding the outfield; instead of trading prospects and young talent, the Indians seem content to pick up an assortment of veteran cast-offs hoping somebody elevates themselves and sticks on the team. Davis will compete with the other newcomers in Robbie Grossman, Joey Butler, and Collin Cowgill, as well as the incumbent outfielders already at the club in Abraham Almonte, Lonnie Chisenhall et al. All the new guys will likely be keeping Michael Brantley's seat warm until he comes back, but Davis and friends will be hoping to show enough to stay on the club as a valuable fourth outfielder.

------------------------------

Cleveland has finally put down some money, although not in the way many fans would have liked. The signings of Napoli and Davis are not blockbuster additions but they are probably the most realistic options at this point. Not only is Cleveland a small-market club with limited means, these days it can be a struggle to attract the higher-profile free agents who might choose to join a more glamorous club in cities with brighter lights. Most importantly, the new signings don't put pressure on the payroll like the Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher signings in 2013 did, and so there's very little risk if Napoli and Davis don't pan out. As much as I'd love to see a superstar outfielder join the team, I can't blame the organisation for holding onto their talent.

Thanks for reading.