Free Agents - Offensive Options

Lorenzo Cain signed a five-year deal with Milwaukee yesterday, dashing my recent post about his possible (albeit expensive) arrival in Cleveland. In an off-season that's seen player movement slow to a crawl, it was somewhat welcome to see Cain finally off the board, however disappointing it is that he's landed with the Brewers.

As a result of Cain's deal being completed, I thought I would take a look at some of the remaining free agents and potential targets still on the market. I'm looking at this from a purely offensive viewpoint, to address some of the holes in the lineup. I appreciate the bullpen requires some help too but I think I might look at that another day.

Eduardo Nunez

Nunez is a tremendously versatile player who would suit this Indians team perfectly, in my opinion. Manager Terry Francona is always keen to play guys in multiple positions, spreading players across the field, either in a full-time spot or as part of a platoon. Nunez could be a very useful asset for our skipper.

I've always considered Nunez as an infielder first and foremost but he can play the corner outfield positions too, which I feel would help this Indians team enormously. Michael Brantley and Jason Kipnis have both experienced their fair share of injury issues in recent years and having a player of Nunez’s caliber who can adequately cover them would be a real bonus for this contending Cleveland team. With the amount of injuries that often afflict MLB teams, it is more than likely Nunez would find playing time almost every day, even if it isn’t always in the same position.

2017 saw him split time between San Francisco and Boston, and he excelled on both coasts. He almost never strikes out, just 11% of the time in his 491 plate appearances. However he doesn’t work the count very often and isn’t very successful at drawing walks either (his BB% was just 3.7% last year).

His bat is decent though, and he posted a slash line of .313/.341/.460 with 12 home runs and 58 RBI. He also stole an impressive 24 bases too, which surprised me as a guy who mostly played third base.

Nunez is a right-handed bat, something the Indians’ lineup could use, and at 30 years-old he still figures to have a few good years left in him. If the Tribe could tie him down to a deal that worked out at approximately $5 million a year, I think it would be terrific business.

Jarrod Dyson

If we want to consider a player who is strictly an outfielder (unlike the versatile Nunez) then Jarrod Dyson might be a suitable option. Dyson slashed .251/.324/.350 with 5 home runs, 30 RBI, 56 runs scored and 28 stolen bases over 111 games with Seattle in 2017. Clearly his strengths do not lie within his offensive contribution but he’s not completely useless either.

If defensive stats are your thing then Dyson is considered a very solid fielder, finishing 2017 with an ultimate zone rating (UZR) of 5.4 and 10 defensive runs saved (DRS). He has been remarkably consistent (and defensive stats rarely are), having logged UZR ratings in the double digits three out of the last five years.

Dyson is now 33 years-old and, similar to my concerns over Cain, is a player whose game relies heavily on speed. In his career thus far Dyson has been a defense-first type of player and the Indians could make good use of that in their outfield, especially if injury strikes. He is a left-handed hitter, which the Tribe already have an abundance of, but he could be a very useful acquisition. A short-term deal would be beneficial for Cleveland and somewhere in the range of $3-4 million a year would be just right.

Carlos Gomez

Getting back to the matter of adding a right-handed bat, we now look at the 32 year-old Dominican outfielder Gomez. He spent last year with the Rangers and had a decent season, but he hasn’t really rediscovered the form that made him such a desirable target when he was in Milwaukee (7.4 and 5.7 fWAR in 2013 and 2014, respectively).

After an underwhelming 2016 he bounced back in 2017, with a slash line of .255/.340/.462 to go along with 17 home runs, 57 RBI and 13 stolen bases, good enough for a 110 wRC+. From a defensive standpoint, his days of winning gold gloves are likely over but most metrics are kind to him, grading him as at least average in center field last year.

He’ll be 33 soon after Opening Day and it appears that his health issues are unlikely to improve. Gomez hasn’t been close to an everyday player since 2014, when he appeared 148 times for the Brewers. The good news for Cleveland fans is they wouldn’t need him to be. Franconca could easily platoon him in a corner outfield spot to get the last ounces of production from Gomez before age finally catches up with him.

If he’s still unsigned as we get closer to Spring Training, I think the Indians would be wise to offer the veteran something in the range of $9 million a year, but no more than a two-year deal.

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Ultimately, the Indians will probably stay put with what they have as we head into the new season, but if they want to take one more dip in the ocean of free agents, I wouldn’t be unhappy if it was one of the above guys. Each of them could bring something positive to the Indians and their bid for a championship.

Adiós Austin, Come In Cain?

2018 hasn't been the particularly kind start to the new year many Indians fans might have hoped for. More players, key players at that, have departed the club than new players have joined. Carlos Santana joined the Phillies, Bryan Shaw is now a Rockie, Joe Smith is an Astro, Jay Bruce is back in New York with the Mets, and Boone Logan has moved to Milwaukee.

With the news that Austin Jackson signed for the Giants yesterday, another one bites the dust. The Tribe have not had the greatest off-season when it comes to retaining their free agents. Jackson moves to the west coast on a 2-year deal worth $6 million initially and with eyes on a starting gig in center field.

I was optimistic about Jackson's chances in Cleveland and he proved me right. I felt he was fantastic value for money as a depth option in the outfield and he brought solid and consistent defense to a position that required some of that. He was offensively decent too; over 85 games Jackson batted .318 with a .869 OPS, to go along with 7 home runs and 35 RBI. Not too shabby for a minor league invite. Unfortunately two trips to the disabled list somewhat derailed his output over the whole season but he was undoubtedly effective when he was in the lineup.

Oh, and he did this too.

Jackson's departure leaves the Indians with Bradley Zimmer, Michael Brantley, and Lonnie Chisenhall as their primary outfielders. Minor league invitee Melvin Upton will be hoping to replicate Jackson's 2017 success and make a case for himself to be on the roster as well. Prospects like Greg Allen will also be hoping to catch the eye of manager Terry Francona.

Apart from Upton, the Indians' outfield is looking very one dimensional at the moment, with Zimmer, Brantley and Chisenhall all left-handed batters. Upton is a righty but he's not even a sure thing to make it through spring training.

So before the sunny skies of Arizona shortly greet this 2018 ballclub, they could really do with an extra dimension in the outfield. Specifically, a right-handed one.

One option still available is Lorenzo Cain and, coincidentally, he bats right-handed.

Cain is arguably the top free agent left on the market. Though likely to be more expensive than what Jackson cost San Francisco, his output was superior in 2017. Cain slashed .300/.363/.440 with an .803 OPS, good enough for a 112 OPS+ over 155 games for the Royals. He hit 15 home runs, 49 RBI and stole 26 bases, combining for a 4.1 WAR overall. Cain is clearly an asset that will benefit the majority of major league teams

One possible red flag to consider is the similarities he shares with a certain Michael Bourn - a speedy player who uses those legs to cover the outfield, but hits for a high average too. Bourn's legs and overall production declined soon after his big money move to Cleveland. The concern is that Bourn's time with the Indians provides a cautionary tale ahead of any potential deal for Cain.

However Cain might not be the kind of player we presume him to be. Maybe there's more to him than just speed and good defense. In fact, the outfielder might be getting better in some aspects, especially when it concerns his offensive abilities. In 2017, he posted the best walk rate of his career at 8.4% and his strikeout rate was a career-low, just 15.5%. Perhaps he can avoid the same path as Bourn, even as he approaches 32 years of age.

Another factor to consider is Cain's qualifying offer from the Royals, which will unfortunately cost any team that signs him up to two Draft picks. And last but not least, the biggest obstacle in the Indians’ way could be Cain’s contract demands, as he isn’t likely to be cheap. A player of his quality and at his age will be looking for the most he can get (understandably) so the Tribe could miss out to one of their wealthier rivals if they can’t negotiate a deal.

With doubts still lingering over how healthy Michael Brantley can be in 2018, signing Cain to man left field could be a wise decision. I would certainly welcome him on a short-term deal, and if the Indians could pick him up for 2 years I think it could be a great acquisition. I'm a big Brantley fan and would love to see him return to the sort of form we saw in 2014-15, but I think the smartest move would be to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Signing Cain, one of the top outfielders in this market, would be significantly wise preparation.