4:59pm: Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer hears that the Indians are "not all that interested" in Abreu (Twitter link).
2:10pm: The Indians are interested in Bobby Abreu, who is playing in the Venezuelan Winter League and attempting a Major League comeback, according to Tony Lastoria of Indians Baseball Insider (on Twitter). Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports adds that the Indians have spoken to Abreu's agents at the Legacy Agency but have yet to make an offer (Twitter link).
Abreu has played in 50 games in the Venezuelan Winter League, hoping to catch the eye of a Major League club, and his stats are certainly impressive. The two-time All-Star has batted .322/.416/.461 with three homers, 10 doubles and three triple in Venezuela.
Abreu hasn't appeared in the Majors since 2012 with the Angels and Dodgers, when he posted the worst full-season OPS of his career (.693). His offense had been in a steady decline since 2008 — his final year with the Yankees.
A lifetime .292/.396/.477 hitter between the Astros, Phillies, Yankees, Angels and Dodgers, Abreu will turn 40 years old in March. He has parts of 17 Major League seasons under his belt and has already earned more than $124MM in his playing career.
Could be goo….aw who am I kidding. Even if he signs for the lowest amount possible there is no reward with this!
I thought he retired.
You’re thinking of Paul Byrd.
Hey, Paul Byrd could be our fifth starter. 🙂
He’s not old enough yet.
Old Players never retire.They just get designated For assignment.
Old Players never retire they just get DFA’d.
Why do I feel less hopeful with each piece of news I read about this team?
It would be nice if they were at least interested in Kendrys Morales.
I guess these are all depth signings, but I worry… what the hell is wrong with our AAA / AA teams if we can’t rely on them to fill holes? Last year it was Matt Carson and Jose Ramirez, who both did decently to help in the stretch. I don’t know why we can’t try to rely on guys like that to help fill in gaps.
Agreed. Absolutely nothing positive can be inferred about Cleveland’s AA or AAA after (1) signing Frenchy (albeit to a minor-league deal) and (2) kicking the tires on Abreu.
I understand that some value can be extracted from the bargain bin, but this is silly.
Those guys dont put butts in the seats.
Flash in the pan minor league contracts on aging veterans do… said nobody ever.
To play where? Indians have no need for another 1B/DH guy with Swisher and Santana in the fold. As it is we have a problem with too many guys for those positions. The ONLY way they would ever be interested in Morales is if Santana would be the full time starter at 3B and that is not going to happen. Even still, Morales isn’t even that great and no way do I give up my first round draft pick to sign him.
Numbers are comparable to Santana so it wouldn’t be that bad of a signing . Agree with the compensation though the guy is a solid player but I don’t know about tossing a draft pick at him just not this superstar player in which you’d understand it guy is a good player but idk if giving up a future player makes any sense at the moment.
Swish can still play the outfield if necessary
Swisher is done in the OF I believe. He had shoulder issues last year due to going back and forth between RF and 1B. With Murphy and Raburn platooning out there I believe the days of Swisher as an outfielder are long gone. Personally I agree that it would be nice to make room for a guy like Morales. But also consider that if Jesus Aguilar continues to play like he is, he can become a great 1B/DH option for us very soon. If we got any free agent I’d want it to be someone who could play 3B, not only 1B/DH.
Swish can still play the outfield if necessary
Morales? who do you cut to give him playing time Santana or Swisher?
This team has gone back to there old ways of dumpster diving and you wonder why fans have trouble jumping on to this team
There are always minor signings that are relatively irrelevant. The Indians positional team is set, they may add one more pitcher but I like the crop of young, high upside starters we already have like Carrasco and Bauer. And Tomlin and Marcum may also help. Despite this I still think they should probably add another arm or two but I am happy with the offense the way it is. We have a solid team with upgrades like Murphy and some nice new bullpen arms in the mix. This team should be similar to last year minus the starting pitching.
I was surprised last year that Abreu and Podsednik were passed over.
Thankfully MLB teams are now looking into giving each an opportunity.
They wouldn’t be expensive risks and could still have some pop left.
Why, because teams are smarter now? Every team should have a guy in AAA that can give what either or those two can while offering a higher upside, cheaper salary, and more roster flexibility. The days of below average players hanging around just because they’ve “been there” are pretty much over.
Veteran presence, leadership, blah blah
Giambi did have a serious veteran presence last year. I would give him a WAR of 3 or 4 just because of that.
He did and I’m glad he’s coming back. I’m not a skeptic about his role, I like him. I just hope the gajillion random signings will work out. We have to accept that’s the strategy – to hope for enough success among the scrap heap that they can cobble together a successful team. I think they have a good shot at 92+ wins if enough players work out. Call me crazy. It’s just… we make many small and uncertain bets instead of a few larger, more certain bets.
If Kluber and Salazar can remain as effective as last season then maybe. I also think Bauer would need to step up and at least fashion a sub 4 era.
I feel really good about a better offensive production than last year, and we were 4th in runs. So that’s a big plus. Replacing 150 strikeout guy with a 40 strikeout guy who generally hits better, especially when he platoons with Raburn… that’s big. Bourn getting better numbers, Swisher. Kipnis continuing to improve. Hopefully a better year from Acab, and ‘the experiment’ at 3rd base works out between Santana / Chisenhall / Aviles. Hoping Gomes can maintain something near his numbers from 2013, and Brantley being mr. consistent and clutching in tons of runs. It really does look pretty good. Now we have all these minor league signings to back them up in case of injury – decent insurance.
Only problem is pitching, and like you said if the front 4 do well, we’ve got a nice year ahead of us. If no. 5 breaks out (Bauer), we’ve got a playoff contender. Not to mention the bullpen looks solid now with the additions of Outman and Axford, the lesser minor league signings, and with Carrasco as long man in the pen.
I’ll start a war if you think he deserves an MLB roster spot just for a “veteran presence.” I’m all into leadership, but then make him a coach of some sort instead of taking a player’s spot when there is someone more deserving than him.
So which guys is more “deserving?” Or did you mean to say talented?
No I meant more deserving, which translates to someone that can actually be relevant in the field and/or at the plate. I have no problem with Giambi in the dugout, but he should not be taking up a 25-man spot.
I don’t think every team (like the Cardinals) has the luxury of possessing a stocked farm system… so
I don’t think it requires a “stocked” farm system to produce at a level that Bobby Abreu could at this point in his career.
Pods has a use. He gets on base, can play all 3 OF positions and can steal a base. Abreu? No. He isn’t able to play a passable defense anymore and doesn’t have power to play DH.
I was kind of surprised Pods didn’t sign an AAA deal last year so he could have at least been some PO team’s emergency callup during the year and helped them in September. He is at the LEAST a far superior version of Quentin Berry and Juan Pierre. Pierre was on the Marlins roster all year as an example.
Pods doesn’t embarrass himself with the glove and knows how to run/steal a base, plus handle the bat. A PO contender could do far worse than stash him at AAA.
Agreed. I think they both have something left in the tank. Look at Raul Ibanez and the years he’s been having. Giambi is still playing. I like it!
Abreu actually saw a pretty rapid decline with the bat and glove. His pop is almost non existent at this point. He does get on base and surprisingly, still shows respectable speed on the base paths. He also comes with reported character concerns.
Interested? Like the Indians would like to date him interested? That’s the only thing that makes sense
I would love to see those kinds of rumors pop up on here from time to time.
sounds juicy.
We would be unstoppable with Abreu and Giambi in the fold! Trade cash considerations for Lars Anderson and stamp our tickets to October!
I can see keeping Giambi around if you are a young team, he was once one of the best hitters in baseball, and really could teach some of these players these days about taking more walks, and about being a better hitter in general. If Cleveland fancies themselves a contender though, then Giambi really doesn’t make sense for a roster spot.
You must have missed last year.
Nope.
Was a long way around of saying he doesn’t really make sense for them on their roster.
I don’t think he made any sense last season. There were several guys in spring training who could have put up numbers as good as Giambi did if not better and backed up at least one position
but it was really easy to sign a guy coming off a .372 obp role as a ph, now not so much.
Geez, Carlos Santana can do the teaching about taking more walks. Seems like he does it every other at-bat.
Yeah, nobody on the senior (citizens) circuit could stop them
For sure..
Man do I miss the Senior MLB player’s league in Florida.. Those guys were as much fun to watch (to me) as regular MLB games were.
At Winter Haven? You could see The Spaceman Lee pitch at near 50 then and watch bernie Carbo, george Scott.. It was great.
Could be worse, they could sign Giambi again! Oh wait…
I still think he can give you a benefit if your dh goes down. The guy still draws a ton of walks. May not have any power left, but can still give you right around 100 wRC+, which puts him around 100th in league in offense, so he is quite a bit better than many regulars still.
Him and Athchison could talk Prohibition stories on the road to the team
He’s had a solid career.
If he’s healthy, he’s got some attainable Milestones:
59 R from 1500
63 H from 2500
13 HR from 300
1 SB from 400
44 BB from 1500
He probably has one SB left in him but the rest are pretty far out of reach, I don’t see any team giving 300+ PA he would need just to come close to 63 H or 44 BB, he would need 600+ PA to get 59 R and 13 HR.
I thought the Indians already had a 40+ year old, left-handed, awful DH.?
I didn’t realize he was only a two time all star. I figured he’d have been on at least five all star teams given the numbers he put up in Philly (granted those were some terrible teams).
I know.
Even after almost a decade since his power fell off he still has a career .292/.396/.477 line.
Really goes to show how much a sham it is. 5 straight seasons of over .900 ops, one season he even hit .995 ops and none of them resulted in an asg.
Yeah that year the OF starters were Gwynn, Sosa, and Walker. Reserves: Burnitz (963 OPS year), Gonzo (led league in hits), Vlad, Sheffield, B. Jordan.
Why not? Especially if he can come through in the clutch like the other 40-year old did for them last year.
Abreu wouldn’t be a bad guy to carry as a 5th OF: While his power has faded, his on-base skills haven’t. (At least beyond what is to be expected as his ability to punish pitchers has been diminished by his fading power.) A .350 OBP guy off the bench has its uses, even if a pinch hitter who prioritizes getting on base rather than posing a power threat is unusual.
Hey, I’d much rather have the obp guy, than the pinch hitter who is trying to swing for the fences. You aren’t usually pinch hitting for your best hitters, it is simply for the bottom of the order hitters who end your inning. Abreu can do that.
Is there no team that will take Abreu even on an invite? Hell, the Padres can sign Nady and Franceour can find a spot with Cleveland. surely, someone can pop this guy in their ST roster
How did he leg out triples, he was slow with the dodgers and angels.
From 2011-2013 Abreu played in 214 games and produce an fWAR of 0.1. His defense is awful now, his power is gone, his speed is gone. All he has left if plate discipline. I’d rather have Abreu on the coaching staff than in the game!
Sir, you don’t seem that optimistic about Mr. Abreu’s chances at big league success in 2014.
“He has parts of 17 Major League seasons under his belt…”
Isn’t that kind of the problem?
Jon Morosi: “Indians are very interested.”
Hoynes: “Indians not that interested.”
Nice.
Does anyone listen to either one of them anymore?
I think the league retired Bobby Abreu instead of Bobby Abreu retiring from baseball
Would be a decent move.
Dale Murphy wasn’t available?
They finally figured out this is Bobby and not Jose Dariel
Why are the Indians in panic mode dumpster diving for backups? Do they not have any youth? Frenchy and now Bobby? Neither one of them has anything left.
39-year olds who have lost their power stroke and have hit at or around .250 for the last 4 years he played the game, having sat out the entirety of the 2013 season, would truly be lucky to get a look on a minor league deal. The last thing major league clubs want to do is have a guy like that be a road block for a young hungry position prospect.
He could perhaps be useful to us as a Bench or Platoon player as long as we do not put too heavy a load on him.The way the Braves used Julio Franco at the end of his playing career is a good model of how we might use Abreu.The positive is that the guy clearly loves playing and is not ready to quit.Others like him have included Jesse Orosco,Jamie Moyer,Julio, Rickey Henderson,Omar Vizquel.These guys loved to play and kept at for years.Vizquel would still be out there if he had not been given a coaching job.Henderson eventually played independent league ball after age 50.And from what I understand Julio Franco still plays in Latin America.These guys can be great for a club wiith their knowledge and enthusiasm.
I’ll try again.He might have use as a bench or platoon player the way guys like Julio Franco,Rickey Henderson & Omar Vizquel were used at the end of their careers.They clearly love to play and have a lot of knowledge of the game to pass on.We just need to be careful not to overexpose these type players.
Good luck Bobby if you sign. I really believe Abreu has enough left on offence for some team lacking punch specially on the American league to take a chance on him for the right price.