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5 Moves The Cleveland Indians Must Make To Contend For a World Series In 2016

By Nick Dudukovich

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Oct 3, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians first baseman Carlos Santana (41) celebrates his solo home run in the second inning against the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Clean Up The No. 4 Hole

Carlos Santana is the Tribe’s cleanup hitter and he does one thing really, really, well: walk.

When you bat fourth and are expected to drive in runs, that’s not a good thing.

Santana does lead the Tribe with 18 homers, and he’s tied for the team lead with 84 RBI, but his swing either booms or busts–with a lot more bust–and that may mean the the first baseman/DH will be playing elsewhere in 2016, according to Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes.

"“…I think if the Indians have a chance to trade him, they will. He’s never adjusted his all-or-nothing swing and there have been too many times this season where he’s been overmatched at the plate.”"

Moving Santana ties into fixing the Tribe’s other problems. Perhaps Santana would be moved with a young starter to bring back a power-hitting outfielder. Perhaps he won’t, but like Carrasco, Santana has a team friendly contract and there should be takers, which should allow for the Indians to improve at the clean-up spot.

Santana will make $8.25 million in 2016, and has a cup option in the $12 million range for 2017.

Next: Find A Late-Inning Reliever

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