The Indians on Wednesday declined to pick up outfielder Ryan Raburn’s club option for the 2016 season.
Raburn, 34, is now a free agent. Playing primarily against left-handed pitchers last season, he hit .301 with a .393 on-base percentage, eight home runs, 16 doubles and 29 RBI in 173 at-bats. Raburn helped to balance a lefty-heavy lineup at times but was the fourth or fifth outfielder on the roster.
The Indians have Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall, Abraham Almonte and Jerry Sands as active roster outfielders. To maintain the roster and financial flexibility gained with the trade of Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher, the Indians are keeping all options open heading into free agency. The 2016 option in Raburn’s contract would have paid him $3 million. He will instead receive a $100,000 buyout.
“In the end, a lot of this comes down to timing with where we are in the offseason,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said on a conference call. “We just felt we were best served by not committing those three million dollars at this point and that spot on the roster. That’s really what it came down to.”
The outfield is certainly one area in which the Indians have an opportunity to improve though free agency or a trade. Brantley is entrenched in left field but potentially could move to center field should the Indians land a bat to bolster the lineup.
Chisenhall carved out at least a part-time role in the lineup with his defensive and offensive play late in the season in right field, and Sands could serve as a capable fourth outfielder. Almonte got off to a hot start in Cleveland but cooled off, though as of now he is the top option to play everyday in center field.
“I don’t expect the roster as we sit here today to be the roster we have when we show up in Goodyear for spring training,” Antonetti said. “We will continue to look at a number of options to try to improve our team. As I said at the end of the season, I think most of our focus will be on the position player side.”
Raburn, with a $3 million price tag, could have offered some value. But he has an inconsistent history, and the Indians chose to potentially have more options available to them on the open market.
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