Cleveland Indians: One mainstay who could be sent away this offseason

The Cleveland Indians have a veteran on the roster who may be sent away this offseason if he can’t turn things around in September and October.

There were Cleveland Indians fans this offseason who desperately wanted to see Jason Kipnis traded away. Others wanted to see if he could still produce.

Kipnis had a solid day over the weekend but is still not doing all that well this season. He is slashing .223/.310/.359, with all three categories being below his career average.

This has led to more fans calling for him to be traded, although that obviously can’t happen now. And the reason it likely didn’t happen in the offseason was that his contract was just too hard to move. Or Terry Francona likes him too much.

A recent article on Bleacher Report by Joel Reuter went through each MLB team and picked one player who may be sent away this offseason. Kipnis was his choice for the Indians.

From the article:

"With one guaranteed season left on his contract, the Indians could shop him aggressively this winter with the idea of moving Jose Ramirez to second base.That would open the door or someone like Yandy Diaz or prospect Yu-Cheng Chang to step into an everyday role at third base."

That last sentence is what some Indians fans have been clamoring for all year, especially when it comes to Yandy Diaz. But Francona recently made it clear that Jose Ramirez is not moving to second base this season.

Even if Kipnis does well in October, his numbers are consistently low enough where he will likely be offered up in trades. No hard feelings, just business. The problem is that he is owed nearly $15 million. That may be a tough sell for a player whose numbers have been declining over the past several years.

This is a situation to worry about in a few months but is still something to keep in mind. Especially for diehard Kipnis fans who may want to start preparing for him to play in another uniform starting next year. That is, if another team is willing to take on that contract.