Cleveland Indians – They address their outfield by trading Jason Kipnis
One of the stalwarts of the Cleveland Indians recent run of success has been second baseman Jason Kipnis. He struggled with injuries in 2017 and never really found his footing, establishing career lows in just about every relevant offensive category. He was bothered by shoulder and hamstring issues but he’s coming into this season healthy and ready to roll. There’s every reason to expect a bounce-back given he’s only 30 years old. It just won’t take place in Cleveland for the entire season.
The Indians are looking to win the World Series this season after coming oh-so-close in 2016. They have the depth in the starting rotation, a very good bullpen, and a big bat in the middle of the order in Edwin Encarnacion. What they really could use is one more quality outfielder. They have no idea what to expect from Michael Brantley after injuries have taken their toll. Bradley Zimmer has potential although he’s unproven. The other spot is going to be manned mostly by Lonnie Chisenhall. It’s going to be a sore spot for the Indians until they decide to deal Kipnis to attempt to help.
One team that could be a good fit is the Milwaukee Brewers. They have too many outfielders with the acquisitions of Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich. A player like Domingo Santana could make a lot of sense and maybe the teams could work something out to include Jonathan Villar to give Cleveland more flexibility in the infield. Kipnis does have a good chunk of money left on his contract but it won’t stop Cleveland from finding him a new home.