Cleveland Indians: 4 free agents to sign with Francisco Lindor savings

2. Michael Brantley

The Indians plan to talk to their former left fielder, according to Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto.

Brantley hit a combined .309 (.867 OPS)  in two seasons with the Astros and was an All-Star who returned to Progressive Field receiving thunders cheers from the crowd.

Pluto believes a team will offer Brantley a lucrative, multi-year contract.

Brantley’s yet to truly cash in through free agency. He signed a two-year, $32 million contract with Houston following the 2018 season. He battled injuries in Cleveland and obviously, teams were gun shy about offering something long-term.

Now, at 33, perhaps Brantley will cash in. But before he does, it sounds like he’ll do the Indians a courtesy of seeing what paltry offer they have to make.

If there’s one thing playing in Cleveland’s favor, it’s Brantley’s age. Thirty-three year olds don’t exactly collect new, long-term deals.

Brantley’s kind of a dying breed in baseball in that he will hit .300, but not rack up huge home-run numbers. Considering the lack of fire power in Cleveland’s lineup, though, he’d be a Godsend in 2021.