Indians: Signing Wilson Ramos is a great low-risk get for the Tribe

The Indians signed Wilson Ramos for the rest of the 2021 season.

Turns out that sometimes all you need is a change of scenery. Albert Pujols is hitting .250 in Los Angeles after Anaheim (yeah, I said it) let him go. The Tribe is hoping to follow the Dodger’s lead by signing a former All-Star veteran in Wilson Ramos. Ramos was let go by the Detroit Tigers after signing with them in the offseason. The 34-years-old catcher started off strong to his season but cooled off due to a few ill-timed slumps and some injury issues.

Presumably healthy, Ramos is expected to be in Triple-A Columbus for the interim. He’ll likely be there to work on his swing while proving he’s healthy and ready to go. The Indians have been shallow at catcher ever since the Tribe traded away Yan Gomes. They’ve yet to have two real Major League-ready catchers at the same time and Roberto Perez has been their primary guy for the last few years.

A solid power hitter and a great asset to every pitcher on the Tribe’s roster, Perez excels in every way you want a catcher to excel at. The biggest issue with Perez is his offensive consistency.

The Indians signed former Astro’s starter Brad Peacock and former Brewers pitcher Zack Godley to similar deals over the last two weeks.

Wilson Ramos gives the Tribe a second genuine catcher to rely on

Despite the fact that he hit only .200 with the Tigers, he should still be an upgrade at the backup catcher position. Rene Rivera has done admirable work, but he’s 37 and is far from what you want. Ryan Lavarnway was also a nice addition as a battery member but he’s only played in four games so far this year. It’s clear the Indians aren’t happy with either of their backup’s backups.

Austin Hedges was supposed to solve the issue of a backup catcher but he’s been flat out awful since the Padres shipped him to Cleveland as part of the Mike Clevinger deal.

It’s clear there is a need for Ramos both offensively and defensively. Hopefully, the Indians are confident with what Ramos can give them, and he returns to some semblance of his former self.