Cleveland Indians rumors: Eddie Rosario not on free-agent radar

The Cleveland Indians probably won’t be signing free agent Eddie Rosario.

Scoring Eddie Rosario in free agency would be a huge coup for the Cleveland Indians. By adding the slugger, the Indians would be addressing a major need in the outfield by helping to subtract from the rival Twins.

Plus, Rosario would add some meat to the middle-of-the-order for a lineup that will struggle to score runs.

The Indians said they would re-invest some of the money they saved by trading Francisco Lindor, so naturally, Rosario is one of the players the Tribe fan base turned their eyes toward.

Unfortunately, while some team will get Rosario on a bargain deal, the contract he’ll receive will likely be too pricey for the Tribe’s liking.

Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto wrote that he heard whispers regarding Rosario, but “was told he’s not on the [Indians’] radar.”

Pluto added that he also heard the Indians like Red Sox free agent Jackie Bradley, but he too, will be outside of the Tribe’s budget.

1. At second base, Pluto wrote about the Indians desire to bring back the consistent Cesar Hernandez. The long-time columnist then discussed the number of free agents available at the position. ESPN projected a one-year, $7 million contract for Hernandez this winter. He signed for just over $6 million last season.

Pluto guesses the Indians would like to pay him $4 million for 2021. I’m not sure Hernandez will get what ESPN predict, but I don’t see him settling for the Tribe’s offer, either, if it is that low.

2. Pluto’s been writing about this since the trade and it’s starting to bother me: He expects newly acquired 22-year-old shortstop Andres Gimenez to open the season at Triple-A.

The Indians have historically played prospects who are close to the big leagues at Triple-A because the cold weather they deal with on the north shore could make for some frozen bats.

So to keep their confidence high, they go to the minors, fly under the radar and wait until sunny days pave their way from Columbus to Cleveland.

In that sense,  it makes sense: Give Gimenez the best chance to be successful. On the other hand, Amed Rosario will likely start at short while he’s gone. Rosario is the same guy Gimenez took the starting shortstop gig from while they were in New York.

When it comes to messaging, well, the Tribe can be in a league all to themselves sometimes.

3. Michael Brantley signed a two-year, $32 million contract with Houston, so yeah, it was a pipe dream to even think the outfielder could come back to Cleveland.

4. Pluto didn’t sources any of this, but he threw out some names as to players the Tribe should make a run at: Kevin Pillar (.288, .798 OPS) and Robbie Grossman  (.241, .722 OPS) with 15 HR in 674 plate appearances.

5. The Indians payroll is in the $35-$40 million range. They may add $5 million to $10 million (at the most), before the start of the season, according to Pluto.

6. Brad Hand signed a one-year, $10.5 million contract with the Indians. Cleveland released the closer after failing to pick up his option. The Tribe put him through waivers in an effort to induce a trade, but nobody bit and the Nationals got him without having to give anything up in return.