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How do the Indians Solve their infield o

    • 358 posts
    December 4, 2022 6:22 AM EST

    Every year longtime Indians second basemen Jason Kipnis would stand at the players parking lot gate at Progre sive Field at the end of the season and give away his many shoes to lucky fans.This year though was different, as Tyree Jackson Jersey when Kipnis was handing out the cleats it felt more like a 'good-bye' than a 'see you next year.'Kipnis is going to be a free agent this winter, as the team declined to pick up the option on his contract, one that would have paid him $16.5 million in 2020. Instead the team paid his club buyout of $2.5 million.Coming back to the Indians in 2020 seems like a bit of a long shot for the 32-year-old who will turn 33 on April 3rd. Does he still have gas in the tank? Likely yes, but the Indians might be ready to turn the page and find another player for the right side of the infield.The team is going to need to look at the options they have, one of which is already on the roster in third basemen Jose Ramirez.Ramirez has already offered to make the move to second base in 2020, something that he's done in the past, but he did make it known that he does not want to go back and forth between third and second.Which leaves the Indians with a decision to make as free agency and the 2019 MLB Winter Meetings close in, do they try and fill a void at second, or do they shift Ramirez and go get a player to take the spot at third base?Let's start with second base, and take a look at the free agents that are out there that the Tribe might be able to go after in Brian Westbrook Jersey just a few weeks if they so choose. Eric Sogard (34)Brian Dozier (33)Jonathan Schoop (28)Starlin Castro (30)Brock Holt (32)Brad Miller (30)Wilmer Flores (28)Ben Zobrist (39)Cory Spangenberg (29)Gordon Beckham (33)Hernn Prez (29)Yangervis Solarte (32)Scooter Gennett (30)Josh Harrison (32)Chris Owings (28)Eduardo Nuez (33) There are not many marquee names on the list for second base, but one player whose name has come up as a po sible option that could be affordable is that of Brian Dozier. The 33-year-old last season hit .238 with 20 homers and 50 runs batted in for the World Series champion Washington Nationals.Last season he played on a one-year deal with the Nationals for $9 million. The season before that with the Minnesota Twins his deal also paid him $9 million. If he is willing to play on a one or two year deal for say $7-8 million per season might not be that far fetched if he is willing to come back to the American League.Scroll to ContinueScooter Gennett who played for both the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants last season might make an interesting option, but his bat Alex Singleton Jersey was lacking in a big way in 2019, hitting just .226 in 42 games. He can likely be had on the cheap, but he's not a great option to fill the void. Jonathan Schoop is a player the Indians know quite well, as he played for the AL Central champion Minnesota Twins, hitting .256 with 23 homers and 59 RBI. Likely the Twins are going to make a push to keep his services.With all that said on the second base side, here's the free agents at third base should the team make the decision to shift Ramirez over to second. Anthony Rendon (30)Josh Donaldson Miles Sanders Hoodies Sweatshirts (34)Mike Moustakas (31)Asdrbal Cabrera (34)Todd Frazier (34)Pablo Sandoval (33)Sean Rodrguez (35)Kaleb Cowart (28)Ryan Flaherty (33)Jedd Gyorko (31)Jung Ho Kang (33)Martn Prado (36) Mike Moustakas is a name that Tribe fans would love to have, coming off an All-Star season hitting 35 homers and an average of .254. Just like with Shoop look for Milwaukee to make a hard push to keep him and sign him to a multi-year deal. Martn Prado is a name to look at as an affordable option if the Indians want to pay a player who is likely to hit about .230 with single digit homers, but again, these are the types of players that the team will likely look at with their current budget. Todd Frazier is another name that the Indians and fans would love to see make the jump to the American League. Other than his one year with the Chicago White Sox he's been in the National League for eight of his nine seasons. Last year he hit 21 homers with a .254 average.As far as players on the current roster that will get looks, you can bet that Yu Chang will draw plenty of eyes this spring at third Le'Raven Clark Jersey and Mike Freeman who actually had a decent year in limited time could get more of a chance at second if Ramirez stays put.It will be an interesting race to see how the Indians handle their infield this offseason, and one that will require some tough decisions on how to handle both third base and second.