Cleveland Indians: 6 moves Tribe should make to win World Series in 2020

2. Sign Gennett, Castro or re-sign Kipnis

The Cleveland Indians decided they won’t pay Jason Kipnis $16.5 million to play second base in 2020. They’ll buy him out for $2.5 million.

This means the Tribe will be in the market for a second baseman.

Internally, there are options, but those possibilities include moving Jose Ramirez to second base. Ramirez played second before moving to third, but the Tribe might want to proceed with caution with the former All-Star.

Ramirez was finally finding the groove that had previously made him an MVP contender in prior years before going down with a  broken hamate bone.

Ramirez made it known during his exit interview that he would be up for moving to second. He just doesn’t want to flip-flop positions.

The other options at third are Yu Chang, who was promoted this year after Ramirez went on the IL. There are questions about what he can do at the dish, as he hit just .178 in 73 at-bats. He’s a career .251 hitter in the mind leagues (.738 OPS).

Nolan Jones is one of the Tribe’s most promising prospects, but he’s only 21 and just finished the season at Double-A. I’d hope he get the chance to show out in Spring Training, but the Tribe isn’t exactly known for promoting guys too early. Ask Oscar Mercado and James Karinchak.

With it being harder to find a third baseman who can hit and field, the Tribe is better off looking for a second baseman. Chang could be an option, but he hasn’t played their a ton in the minors.

So with money scarce, the Indians may have to go bargain hunting. Starlin Castro would be a nice option, but he may have priced himself out of the Tribe’s price range. That said, Castro is coming up on age 30. He may find his market now all that hot.

Someone like Scooter Gennett is more likely.

Gennett spent a lot of time on the IL in 2019, playing in just 21 games for the Reds and Giants. He’s just one season removed from being an All-Star though, and that’s exactly the type of lottery ticket Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff love to buy. The Lebanon, Ohio native is a .286 lifetime hitter (.776 OPS).

Re-signing Kipnis is on the table and more realistic than people think. At 32, teams won’t be signing up to give him a multi-year extension. For the right price, the Indians should jump at the chance to bring him back.