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.
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