Six Tasks The Indians Should Accomplish This Offseason

Aug 2, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians designated hitter Nick Swisher (33) reacts after striking out during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

1.  Unload Nick Swisher in a Salary Dump Trade

When he was first signed, Swisher was supposed to be the new face of the franchise.  The original plan was for him to produce from the cleanup spot and provide offensive value for the Cleveland Indians while serving as a veteran presence on a team full of young talent.  Unfortunately, his fall from grace began with an inability to bat cleanup effectively, continued with a below-replacement level 2014, and concluded with a season-ending knee surgery.  Swisher has been an enormous albatross to a small-market Cleveland Indians team that overreached its usual spending limits to sign him to the largest free agent contract in franchise history.

The good news is that there are larger payroll teams who might be willing to take a flyer on him.  There’s a chance that his down year in 2014 was in part due to knee issues, and teams like the Yankees, Rangers, Red Sox and Giants all have payrolls with room for error, and a need either at first base or in the outfield.  It’s likely that the Indians would have to eat some of his salary, and unlikely that they would get anything more than a lottery ticket prospect in return.  But with a crowded outfield and the emergence of Carlos Santana as an effective defensive first baseman, the Indians no longer have a need for Swisher on the roster.  They need to free up some payroll space.  Which brings me to my next point…