Cleveland Indians: Mike Aviles Files for Free Agency; Targeting Ryan Madson

Clevelinks: Mike Aviles Among Players to File for Free Agency

Three Cleveland Indians players were among those who filed for free agency on Tuesday. Utility man Mike Aviles was one of them, along with pitchers Ryan Webb and Gavin Floyd.

Aviles batted just .231/.282/.317 this season, as he struggled off of the field with the cancer diagnosis of one of his twin daughters. His best year with the Tribe came in 2013, when he hit .252/.282/.368, with nine home runs and eight stolen bases. Aviles was most valuable in the field, where he could play any position except first base and catcher (although some might argue that center field was also a stretch).

Webb pitched 50.2 innings for the Tribe in relief, making 40 appearances and finishing with a 3.20 ERA. He would have been a good candidate for the Indians to re-sign, and his loss will be felt in the bullpen.

Floyd didn’t have a major impact on the Tribe this season. He was intended to be a key part of their rotation, but he missed nearly the entire season due to injury, before finally making a handful of relief appearances at the end of the year. If the Indians had a regret from 2015, it would probably be signing Floyd to the contract they did. The only way they should try to get Floyd back is via a minor league deal with major league incentives.

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Indians Should Target Ryan Madson – The Indians could use a veteran presence in their bullpen, and free agent reliever Ryan Madson might be the answer. After a strong comeback season with the Kansas City Royals, Madson would be a terrific pickup for the Tribe.

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