Cleveland Indians: 3 free agents who could boost Tribe’s outfield

3 free agents who could boost Cleveland Indians outfield

The Cleveland Indians outfield has been one of the team’s biggest weaknesses over the last handful of seasons at least. However, this season there was starting to be signs of answers with the addition of Eddie Rosario through free agency and emergence of both Josh Naylor and Harold Ramirez.

Unfortunately, the injury to Naylor will be a big step back for the unit and push them to scramble a little bit once more. Bradley Zimmer is the next man up for a starting role and Oscar Mercado got the call-up to fill the roster spot with the hopes that maybe he can reclaim his swing from the 2019 season.

If Zimmer and Mercado are unable to fill the role adequately, then there are few options left to consider. Daniel Johnson is the only other player on the 40-man, meaning an addition of sorts could be on the horizon for the Tribe.

If that’s the case, the options on the free agent market are few and far between. There’s a few players that could offer a possibility, but there isn’t a big name out there to sign. Any player that the team looks to add is going to have some sort of knock. Whether it be age, injury, off the field concerns, there’s a reason that these players are still available at the halfway point of the season.

Now, if the Cleveland Indians want to go this route, they can’t be picky. This is the cheaper route for a player addition and with that will come concerns that might not be as prominent if they opted for a trade instead. Nevertheless, these players are still in contention to be added by the Tribe down the stretch if another major league ready outfielder proves to be a need of the club heading into the second half of the season.

Cleveland Indians Free Agent Option #2: Yoenis Cespedes

While health has been a concern over the last five seasons or so for Yoenis Cespedes, he’s still one of the better options on the free agent market. He hasn’t played over 100 games since the 2016 season and missed the 2019 campaign entirely, but that’s just how depleted the free agent market currently is.

Cespedes struggled through eight games during the 2020 season, so we have to jump back to 2018 to get some sort of sample and that was only 38 games. Anyway, those 38 games saw him slash .262/.325/.496 with six doubles and nine home runs. He’s also not that too far removed from the 2016 season that saw him as an All-Star and Silver Slugger.

The question for Cespedes would be if he can still play in the field. He was a Gold Glove outfielder in 2015, but with his missed time and injuries he hasn’t played outfield since 2018. Now, he still has a .980 fielding percentage, but that could be a far cry from what his ability might allow now.

Cespedes isn’t a great option, but there really aren’t any great options on the free agent market at this point in the season. If he would sign for a cheap deal, it might be worth exploring.

Cleveland Indians Free Agent Option #3: Matt Kemp

This probably isn’t an option, but it just goes to show how little there is on the free agent market. The third best option for outfield help is Matt Kemp. While he’s only a few seasons removed from an All-Star performance in 2018, Kemp only played one game in the outfield in 2020 and just 17 in 2019.

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Now, this wouldn’t be the first time that Kemp could come out of the woodwork. The 2018 All-Star appearance was his first since 2012, so there’s no telling when his career could either end or be revived.

The 2020 season wasn’t spectacular for Kemp at the plate with a slash line of .239/.326/.419 and just six home runs, but that might end up being better than the internal options of the club. Neither Oscar Mercado or Daniel Johnson have been able to eclipse those numbers in Triple-A, let alone the majors.

Being 36-years old, Kemp would most likely be a cheap option on the books. Statistically he isn’t great and who knows if he can still play the field, but there just aren’t very many free agent options to consider. Worst comes to worst, he could be a last resort, but hopefully it doesn’t come to that for the Cleveland Indians.