Cleveland Indians Roundup: Indians Sign Will Venable; Abraham Almonte Suspended

The Cleveland Indians both lost and gained an outfielder

The Cleveland Indians received bad news yesterday when they learned that Major League Baseball suspended Abraham Almonte for the first 80 games of the season. The outfielder violated the Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program by testing positive for a Boldenone, a performance-enhancing substance. Almonte was supposed to be one of the team’s starting outfielders this year, but he now the team will have to find another option.

One possibility for the Indians is to sign Austin Jackson. Just a few days ago, it has only been a few days since my declaration that signing Austin Jackson makes little sense, but it appears that this is no longer the case. Now that Jackson is not replacing Almonte, he has a significantly higher value to the team. It seems that a one-year, $10 million deal could get the job done.

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In other news, the Cleveland Indians signed Will Venable to a minor league deal. The 33-year-old was a 20/20 player back in 2013, but he has struggled ever since. Last year he batted a sad .244, which was somehow an improvement over the prior season. At the very least, he stole 16 bases in 17 attempts in 2015.

Venable will join an increasingly crowded outfield picture, including Michael Choice, Collin Cowgill, Shane Robinson, and Robbie Grossman. He could find some at-bats in a platoon with Rajai Davis, but the Indians have younger options who could do the same. All in all, it seems unlikely that he makes the team out of Spring Training.

More from around the American League Central:

Cleveland Indians: Abraham Almonte Suspended 80 Games – Wahoo’s on First

Cleveland Indians Add Will Venable to Outfield Mix – Wahoo’s on First

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Cleveland Indians: What to Do With Giovanny Urshela – Wahoo’s on First

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