The baseball world has packed its bags and headed to Nashville for the annual winter meetings, which begin Monday.
The Indians have already made a few minor deals, and league-wide two $200-million-plus free-agent dominoes have fallen. But for all 30 franchises, there are still needs to fill and some of the top free agents on the market remain available.
Here are some things to look for in terms of the Indians and the league.
Where Indians stand
The Indians have made two smaller deals already, acquiring outfielder Collin Cowgill from the Los Angeles Angels and relief pitcher Kirby Yates from the Tampa Bay Rays, both for cash considerations.
Cowgill, who was eligible for arbitration and has come to a contract agreement with the Indians for $1 million for the 2016 season, could end up filling a number of roles in the Indians’ outfield.
Cowgill struggled last season with a sprained right wrist and hit just .188 in 55 games. He has experience at all three spots, though, and is a career .271 hitter against left-handed pitching. Cowgill could be an option in center field, fill in for Michael Brantley in left field until he returns from shoulder surgery and/or form a platoon in right field with Lonnie Chisenhall.
The Indians, though, might not be done addressing their outfield situation. They could still be searching for an everyday center fielder, pushing Cowgill to a similar role that Ryan Raburn had served. Austin Jackson, Denard Span, Gerardo Parra and others are all options as everyday outfielders who could be added to the mix, with projected price tags of around $8 million to $12 million a year.
The Indians could also add a bat to be inserted as an everyday designated hitter. Mike Napoli could be an option, as well as Chris Carter and Pedro Alvarez, who were recently non-tendered by their respective teams. Adding a bat to bolster the lineup stands as the Indians’ No. 2 need behind finding an everyday center fielder.
As president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said shortly after the conclusion of the regular season, the Indians are looking to improve offensively this offseason.
“We’ll definitely look to try to improve offensively,” Antonetti said. “We’ll look to try to improve our pitching staff, too, but I think we have more work to do on our position player side maybe than we do on the pitching side.
“It’s easy to sit here in the offseason and make up a wish list of things we’d like to have. It’s much more difficult to go out and do that.”
The Indians could also address their needs through the trade market, though it will likely come at the expense of their biggest strength, the starting rotation. With Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco, Danny Salazar and Trevor Bauer under team control for the foreseeable future, along with Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin in the mix, the Indians have an abundance of controllable starting pitching. Carrasco’s name has been thrown around in trade rumors quite a bit already, most recently with Toronto, the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and San Francisco.
The winter meetings can lend themselves to a flurry of moves, and with several teams interested in one of the Indians’ starting pitchers, they could certainly be involved. Members of the front office have repeatedly said they won’t be able to compete for the higher-priced targets on the free-agent market, and fulfilling needs through the trade market could prove to be a more reliable avenue.
The Indians will be looking down both routes to see if a fit can be reached, as there are limited resources available on the open market.
“We’ll exhaust the trade market to find players that we think fit and will help us be better, and then we’ll also look to free agency to complement that,” Antonetti said. “I don’t think we’ll be in a position where we build our roster through free agency.”
League story lines
Two of the biggest names — both among the game’s best starting pitchers — have already been taken off the market. That would be David Price to Boston and Zack Greinke to Arizona, both for long-term deals reaching more than $200 million and $30 million annually. The Detroit Tigers also made a major splash, signing starting pitcher Jordan Zimmerman to a five-year, $110 million deal.
The biggest name left on the market who can move the needle is right fielder Jason Heyward. Heyward was one of the more valuable players in the National League last season (6.0 WAR) and is still only 26 and entering his prime. Because of his talent and youth, his deal could dwarf that of Price or Greinke’s. Outfielders Justin Upton and Yoenis Cespedes and first baseman Chris Davis are other free agents to watch.
In terms of the Indians, the two teams to watch are the Kansas City Royals and Tigers.
The Royals have three high-priced free agents who might be on their way out — ace Johnny Cueto, left fielder Alex Gordon and second baseman Ben Zobrist. Cueto is likely a strong option to leave to the highest bidder. Gordon could perhaps give the Royals a hometown discount, but his price tag could still be too high for the Royals’ budget restraints. Zobrist, meanwhile, can play nearly every position and could be an option for a higher number of teams.
The Tigers, meanwhile, have been busy spending cash, and they might not be done after owner Mike Ilitch said last week he doesn’t care about how much money the team spends to try to win now.
New arrivals Cameron Maybin and Francisco Rodriguez had already filled two needs in the outfield and bullpen, respectively, and the Zimmerman signing signaled ownership’s openness to being aggressive. They then added starter Mike Pelfrey to the rotation as well.
The Tigers had a rather severe collapse last season after Miguel Cabrera missed a considerable amount of time and Price and Cespedes were dealt. But ownership and the front office have already shown they’re looking to reload instead of rebuild.
The Royals are trying to find ways to stay atop the division, the Indians are looking to bolster the lineup any way they can and the Tigers are scrambling to climb back into contention.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ