Cleveland Indians: Rajai Davis Gone After One Season

Rajai Davis is signing with the Oakland Athletics after one memorable season as a member of the Cleveland Indians.

The Cleveland Indians had a magical 2016, but nothing will ever top what Rajai Davis did in Game 7 of the World Series.

It is a rare thing to be so nostalgic about a game that ended in a season-ending loss, but Davis provided fans with a reason to be hopeful in the middle of what seemed like a hopeless situation.

Davis’ game-tying home run in Game 7 of the World Series did not win the game, but it is hard to watch the moment without getting goosebumps, even if one has seen it 1,000 times. How about one more.

The reason for the tweet from the team is the news that Davis is moving on after one season with the Indians, headed for the Pacific.

While the $6 million deal is not too expensive, it was clear the Indians would not have room to offer Davis too much money after committing $20 million a year to Edwin Encarnacion. The signing of the former Toronto Blue Jay essentially ended Davis’ tenure in Cleveland, along with that of Mike Napoli.

And although Davis was a reliable member of the team in 2016, the return of Michael Brantley left the Game 7 hero as the odd man out. With Brantley, Tyler Naquin, Brandon Guyer, Abraham Almonte, and Lonnie Chisenhall already on the roster, there simply wasn’t any room left. Coupled with Davis being 36 years old, it seemed like a fair move by the Indians to decide to move on.

It is easy to get caught up in recent history and declare certain moments to be the greatest in franchise history, but it is fair to say that Davis’ Game 7 heroics will go down as one of the most memorable moments that any Indians fan has ever witnessed. He now joins Napoli as a one-year wonder, but no one will ever forget his magical home run.