Cleveland Indians: Should they sign a free agent outfielder?

The Cleveland Indians have a lot of talented outfielders, but very few certain options. Perhaps they need to sign a free agent outfielder to shore up the position group.

This is a topic that’s going to be talked about a lot this spring. What are the Indians going to do in the outfield? Michael Brantley may miss some time, same with Brandon Guyer and his chances of making the roster. Bradley Zimmer is still young and Lonnie Chisenhall has dealt with a lot of injuries recently. Greg Allen has a chance to make it, Rajai Davis is older and may not be as productive. So what do they do?

By now, everyone is aware of the slow moving free agent market. Several major league quality options remain available. And at this point, even some of the better players will be available for below market deals, which give the Cleveland Indians a chance at signing them.

The signing of J.D. Martinez, who was rumored to be a potential fit in Cleveland, gave this market a little bit of a jumpstart. Soon after, Jarrod Dyson signed with Arizona and now options are flying off the board, finally. But there are still some good players that could make some sense for the Tribe.

Free agent outfield options for the Indians

Carlos Gomez

Gomez hasn’t been the same since the Brewers traded him to Houston in July 2015. He struggled so much there that he was released before his contract was up. The Rangers picked him up and he achieved some success there but is a free agent once again.

He was a two time All Star in 2013 and 2014, and is a Gold Glove winner. In his prime, Gomez was good for a .280 average and 20-25 homers a season. Last season, he hit .255/.340/.462 with 17 homers with Texas. He still gives solid production and is a strong defender.

Gomez was probably shooting for a two year deal at the outset of the offseason, but is now likely to only earn a one year contract at a discount rate. He still has value to teams and even though he’s an outfielder by trade, he can play in the corners and produce.

One big plus on Gomez is that he’s a right handed hitter, which is something the Indians could use in the outfield. All of their current starters are lefty and balancing the lineup would be a good idea. While he can sometimes be an annoyance to other teams, he’s a good veteran presence and will do whatever the team asks of him. A one year deal for a few million bucks could be a smart signing for the Cleveland Indians.

Carlos Gonzalez

Gonzalez was once part of one of the best lineup tandems in baseball, with him and Troy Tulowitzki destroying baseballs with the Colorado Rockies. In his prime, Gonzalez hit for a .300 average with 20-30 homers a season, and won three Gold Gloves. In 2015, he knocked 40 home runs.

But it’s been downhill for Gonzalez a bit lately. In 2017, CarGo hit .262 with only 14 homers, the lowest total in his career over a full season. As far as where his power went and if he can get it back, it’s anyone’s guess. But generally speaking, leaving Coors Field for another park doesn’t help increase power numbers.

He’s a big name but teams aren’t valuing him very highly. Perhaps they view his price tag as too high or they don’t believe he has a chance to regain his old form. Either way, there’s no denying the man has talent.

At 32 years of age, Gonzalez’s best days are behind him, and teams would be foolish to overpay for him. Another strike against him is that he’s a left handed hitter. The Cleveland Indians should prioritize a right handed hitter. His price is going to come way down, and he has the chance to regain his power, so it wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to sign him to a short term contract.

Melky Cabrera

Cabrera burst out in 2012 with the San Francisco Giants and was the All Star Game hero that year but did have to deal with a suspension for PEDs. Still, he’s been a productive player since and finished last season with a .285 average with 17 homers and 85 RBIs. He’s never struck out more than 100 times in a season and gets on base a decent clip.

He can play both left and right field, but has been primarily used as a left fielder throughout his career. At 33 years old, Cabrera, like the other remaining free agents, has seen the best days of his career already. But a one or two year deal for someone who’s still a fairly productive outfielder that stays healthy isn’t unreasonable. He’s played at least 150 games in each of the past three seasons.

Cabrera is a switch hitter, which always adds value. He doesn’t grade out particularly well as a defender, meaning his bat is what the team is going to pay big for. But it’s a good bat, and a healthy one at that. And a healthy corner outfielder that can hit is worth more than an injured corner outfielder. He should at least be considered.

Next: No major pace of play changes this year

The Cleveland Indians have few certain options in the outfield. Signing one of these healthy free agent outfielders to what will certainly be a below market bargain deal makes a lot of sense for Indians brass to consider.