By now, it is more than obvious that the Indians will not be spending in free agency this off-season. The team has not made any major free agent signings, opting instead to shed payroll by unloading contracts and letting its own free agents like Michael Brantley walk without putting up a fight. This has understandably angered many Cleveland fans, but if fans’ anger could change the team’s off-season strategy, that strategy would have changed by now. It is nearly March, spring training games are under way, and the cruel reality is the team is not spending this off-season, period.
Enter Hanley Ramirez, the 35-year old former National League Rookie of the Year and three time All-Star. The Indians have signed Ramirez, a thirteen year veteran, to a minor league deal and he has joined the team in Goodyear, Arizona for spring training. At first glance this deal is puzzling, and a bit frustrating. The Indians’ outfield is in chaos, and Ramirez is not an outfielder. At this stage of his career Ramirez is a designated hitter, who could log some innings at first base if absolutely necessary. The Indians biggest off-season moves were bringing back Carlos Santana and trading for Jake Bauers. Both Santana and Bauers are good defensive first basemen. The general opinion during the off-season has been that these two will split time between first base and DH (although both could see some innings in left field depending on how the roster shakes out). So, why sign Ramirez?
No one will argue that the Indians’ lineup is in need of some power in the middle of the batting order. I was recently part of a debate about who should hit clean-up for the Tribe, and there was no clear answer and not even many viable options for a supposed World Series contender. If it were 2016, Ramirez would provide a clear solution to the Tribe’s clean-up conundrum. That year, Ramirez hit .286 with an .866 OPS, 30 home runs and 111 RBI for the Boston Red Sox. In 2017, his numbers dropped off a bit, but he still produced a respectable .242 batting average, .750 OPS, 23 home runs, and 62 RBI. Then in 2018, the Red Sox cut Ramirez in May after 44 games. In the process, the Red Sox ate the remainder of Ramirez’s lucrative contract, and of course went on to win 108 regular season games and the World Series. Before the Red Sox cut him, Ramirez hit .254, with a .708 OPS, six home runs, and 29 RBI.
So the question for the Tribe is whether Ramirez has anything left in the tank. Fans following the free agent market must accept that Bryce Harper is not swooping in to save this team’s outfield. Nor will super-utility man Marwin Gonzalez be offering his services to the Indians, as he signed with the rival Minnesota Twins. The Indians do not appear poised to sign any of the outfielders on the free agent market, even “past-their-prime” candidates such as Adam Jones or Carlos Gonzalez. In other words, no one is coming to save this offense via a lucrative major league contract. So, why not give Ramirez a look in spring training to see if has anything left to contribute to a major league lineup.
The stakes are low enough that if this does not work out then the Indians are not worse off. Reports are that the Indians will pay Ramirez a million bucks plus incentives if he makes the major league roster. And Ramirez is a right-handed hitter with some pop. Other than the three switch hitters in the lineup (SS Francisco Lindor, 3B Jose Ramirez, and 1B/DH Carlos Santana), the Indians are seriously lacking in right-handed hitters. Greg Allen is a switch hitter, but his offensive output and role with the team is yet to be determined. Jordan Luplow is a right-handed outfielder who hit.185 in 37 games with the Pittsburgh Pirates last year. Right-handed rookie Yu Chang could open the season at shortstop if Lindor’s calf is not fully healed, but he’s never had a major league at-bat. So why not see what Ramirez can do in spring training? Perhaps he can provide enough pop from the right side of the plate to give this lineup a lift. At the very least, he may be able to spell the left-handed hitting Bauers against left-handed pitching.
The Indians have been guilty of favoring older players whose best days are behind them, instead of giving promising but unproven younger players a chance at the big league level (we miss you this spring, Yandy Diaz). The Tribe had one of the oldest rosters in baseball last season, and entered the off-season with a goal of infusing youth into the roster. Signing Ramirez makes one nervous that the team won’t give younger players like Bauers a fair chance this season. But with no clear power from the right side of the plate, and with Lindor’s calf injury likely to keep him out of the lineup for at least the start of the season, a low stakes gamble on Ramirez is worth the risk.
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