Clevelinks: Cleveland Indians Connected to Shane Victorino; Which Players Could End Their Careers as a Top-20 Indian?

Rumors connect the Cleveland Indians to a new outfielder

The Cleveland Indians, like every other team, has an all-time best list in both the minds of fans and the archives of websites. People use many different ways of deciding who is better than whom, but one of the methods used most frequently is WAR, wins above a replacement player. With this in mind, Merritt Rohfling looks at several current Cleveland Indians who have a chance to crack the Tribe’s all-time top 20 WAR list.

On a different note, the Cleveland Indians have long been rumored to trade a starting pitcher, but much of this remains pure speculation. Only one particular report on a potential deal that would send Carlos Carrasco to the Blue Jays has held credibility with the baseball community. In fact, most recent scoops have spoken of an aversion to dealing one of the Tribe’s best starting pitchers. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com continued this trend in his latest piece, saying that the Indians would want to receive a “clear-cut, impact player”.

More from Cleveland Guardians News

• Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona becomes meme in profanity-laced ejection
• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season
• The Cleveland Guardians offense is suddenly inept

Most of these suggested trades would involve this Indians adding an outfield to the roster, and outfield assistance is an area in which the Tribe needs an upgrade. With this in mind, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com reports that the Indians may be looking to sign Shane Victorino. Victorino, 35 tomorrow, has spent the last three seasons in Boston after being connected to the Cleveland Indians. He played very well in his first season, racking up an impressive fWAR of 5.9, but played at the replacement level for the next two seasons.

Adding the switch-hitter will probably not require a multi-year contract, which will allow the team to field prospects such as James Ramsey, Bradley Zimmer, and Clint Frazier in 2017 and beyond. Even further, Victorino can play all three positions and is a former Gold Glove center fielder. These reasons make the Hawaiian native an ideal candidate for the Tribe, even though he is unlikely to play at a spectacular level.

More from around the AL Central:

History in the Making: Reaching the Cleveland Indians All-Time Top 20 – Wahoo’s on First

Cleveland Indians: A Look at the Bullpen Options – Wahoo’s on First

Inbox: Will the Indians Trade a Starting Pitcher? – Indians.com

Cleveland Indians Shopping in Shane Victorino’s Aisle for Free-Agent Outfielders – Cleveland.com

#Indians on Social Media

Be sure to follow @WahoosonFirst on Twitter!