Cleveland Indians: A familiar deal for Melvin Upton Jr.

The deal in place between the Cleveland Indians and Melvin Upton Jr. is similar to a deal given to another veteran outfielder a season ago.

The Cleveland Indians’ most notable move this offseason was bringing in Yonder Alonso to replace Carlos Santana, but it wasn’t the only move.

The Indians have invited several players to Spring Training, with Melvin Upton Jr. being the biggest name among that group.

If he does make the team out of Spring Training, he has a nice payday awaiting him in 2018.

This is a nice low-risk deal for the Indians. If Upton doesn’t make the team, then it is no big deal. But if he plays great and earns a spot, getting production from a veteran player for $1.5 million is a steal.

This is similar to what the Indians did a season ago when Austin Jackson was invited to camp, also on a $1.5 million deal. Jackson wasn’t an everyday player in 2017, but he did enough to where that contract was a bargain for the team.

The Indians are likely never going to try, or be able, to outspend big market teams, so small deals like this one can be where the difference is made up. While teams like the Yankees and Red Sox hand out monster deals, the Indians can continue to search for talent that may have been forgotten by the rest of the league.

And with the way this team is already stacked with talent, finding a few supporting pieces is all that needs to be done right now.

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Hoping for some hot stove news

We have written stories about Christian Yelich and J.D. Martinez over the past few days, so maybe the Indians will surprise us and swing a deal for one of the two.

It isn’t like, but it never hurts to dream.