The Indians are never heavy players in free agency and that shouldn’t change this year, but if they are active, there are two obvious places for offensive improvement. These are the outfield and third base.
Giovanny Urshela played just as expected during his rookie season, providing excellent defense with some power, but overall a disappointing offensive output. It was the addition of Urshela as much as that of Lindor that turned the Indians around from being one of the worst teams in baseball defensively into one of the best.
Despite this, and also because Mike Aviles appears to be leaving through free agency, the Indians could be in the market to improve on the corner. They shouldn’t need an every day starter as Urshela is still expected to play often, but someone who could DH and play third while providing some thump would be a great asset.
It may seem silly to begin a discussion on possible third base options with a man who has played just one inning there in his entire MLB career, but the fact is, the free agent market for third basemen is completely barren. There are literally only four players who are considered primary third basemen who are eligible free agents so if the Indians are trying to fill this spot, they will likely have to look elsewhere.
Ramirez could actually be an interesting option there, however, as his rocket arm at short stop was often a cause of errors. As a third baseman, he would have less range to cover and a longer distance to take advantage of that big arm.
His real value will be in his bat, something that wasn’t worth $9M for the White Sox, but could be for the Indians. He hit 10 home runs last year and knocked in 62, stealing 17 bases as well. While his rate stats aren’t terrific, his BABIP of .264, 30 points lower than his career average, could be much to blame for that. Ramirez is only in his mid-30’s and has produced consistently throughout his career, averaging 14 home runs, 18 steals and a .709 OPS over a 162 game season.
Continuing to add to his value, Ramirez is a very versatile, Terry Francona friendly player. In his career he has played second, short, third and in the outfield and considering his value in dollars is obviously less than $10M, he could be a great option as a part time utility man and DH. He isn’t great at any position defensively, but he is still quick enough to play them all and could be used as a short term option at any.
Legitimately, the Indians don’t need a reserve second baseman or short stop as both Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis should be expected to play at least 150 games next year, so a player who could play a game or two when necessary would be all they need. While Jose Ramirez already provides this, he doesn’t provide it offensively to the extent that Alexei would, particularly considering power and base running. Besides this, if Ramirez (Alexei) was able to play third semi-regularly, it would save the other Ramirez for use as a pinch runner and middle infielder back up. There is room on the roster for two bench infielders and a DH, so there is plenty of space for additions while including both Jose Ramirez and Chris Johnson.
Looking at the other options at third, they are almost all defense first players, many of whom are well beyond their prime. The rest of the list includes Alberto Callaspo, Casey McGehee and Juan Uribe assuming that David Freese, who stands to garner much more interest in the market as the top 3B and will likely get pushed out of the Indians price range.
That price will be what makes or breaks any deal for Ramirez. With Urshela expecting to start at third and Yandy Diaz (also a Cuban native) coming up quickly through the minor leagues to provide a bit more power. There is no direct need to sign someone to a long term deal (more than two years) or to trade for a major talent. This may be banking a lot on one or two players, but both are/were considered top prospects and at the moment, there aren’t really any other options for the long term future.
Of course, this whole discussion stems from the idea that Ramirez will be willing and able to move to third base and to come to Cleveland in the first place. There should be no disrespect taken from the idea from moving a few feet to the right, particularly considering who the starting short stop is. In fact, the idea of playing next to Lindor should be a bonus as his incredible range should make it easy for any third baseman.
The Indians should be happy with their defensive upgrades last season, but there needs to be a significant improvement to the offense one way or another or another season in third place or worse could be expected. Trading one of the top four starters for a top hitter would likely be a treading water move as they would lose as much in one aspect as they would gain in the other. Signing a free agent at third, DH or in the outfield would be the most efficient way to add some offense without losing anything other than money. There haven’t been any leaks about Ramirez, but he seems like a cheap and easy fix for a couple problems and a good fit for the 2016 Indians.
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