MLB Trade Rumors: 5 players the Indians should acquire
3. Nick Markakis, RF, Atlanta Braves
The Braves are in a similar situation to the Padres, and have some veteran starters that might be of interest to Cleveland or another contender this summer: R.A. Dickey, Bartolo Colon and Jaime Garcia. However, the player that would likely be the best fit with the Indians is Atlanta outfielder Nick Markakis, a two-time Gold Glove Award winner that still knows how to handle the bat.
Though his defensive reputation has taken a hit over the past decade, and he dropped a costly routine fly ball Sunday, Markakis has a strong arm in right field and has shown improvement with his glove and range so far this year. Entering Sunday, according to FanGraphs, Markakis had a 2.7 UZR, his best since 2014, and 11.1 UZR/150, which is his best since 2008. He had 10 Defensive Runs Saved last season (also his best performance since 2008), and has one so far this season.
The 33-year-old left-handed hitter had a .302/.374/.390 slash line through his first 41 games this year – his best marks in batting average and on-base percentage since 2008 – and has a .764 OPS that would be his best since 2012. However, Markakis has just one home run this season. He is also due a hefty $11 million in 2018.
Nevertheless, Markakis would provide suitable outfield depth as a right fielder, and though he hasn’t played left field since 2006 (his rookie year), there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t be capable of filling in for Brantley in left when needed. On that note, Markakis is incredibly dependable, having played in 147 or more games in all but one of his 11previous big league seasons.