3. Eddie Rosario
Every once in a while a team is able to steal a productive bat from a division rival for themselves and reap the benefits. That was the thought process behind agreeing to terms with Eddie Rosario ahead of the 2021 season.
Rosario was an absolute menace when facing Cleveland pitching, seemingly crushing anything thrown against him. With a 162-game average of 31 doubles and 28 home runs over his first six seasons (697 games from 2015-2020) while slashing .277/.310/.478, signing Rosario seemed like a slam-dunk proposition for Cleveland. The problem was that Rosario was unable to deliver and provide some much-needed power to their lineup.
It was a struggle for Rosario in his first and only season in Cleveland, seeing his slash line decrease to .254/.296/.389 with 15 doubles and seven home runs in 78 games. This was not what the organization thought they were getting, and decided to part ways with Rosario before the end of the season. Rosario was able to contribute in his new landing spot, Atlanta, by being part of an outfield by committee in the absence of Ronald Acuna Jr., eventually being crowned World Series Champions.
2023 was a nice rebound season for Rosario after struggling in an abbreviated 2022 that did not go particularly well. Rosario would hit 24 doubles and 21 home runs with 74 RBI, his highest total since 2019. The performance from last season seems like it would be very attractive to teams in need of outfield help, but it appears a level of caution is being exercised with how much his production has dropped off overall in recent years.