The Indians have released Chris Johnson, per the club’s transactions page at MLB.com. Johnson was designated for assignment earlier this month.
Johnson, 31, has a career slash line of .280/.316/.411 across seven big league seasons. He first arrived in Atlanta prior to the 2013 season as a part of the Justin Upton deal. This year, he was shipped to the Indians in a waiver trade that saw Michael Bourn,Nick Swisher, and cash considerations go to the Braves.
Johnson signed a three-year, $23.5MM contract prior to the 2014 season. Then 29 years old, Johnson was coming off a career year in which he batted .321/.358/.457 with 12 homers. However, much of that production was the result of a .394 batting average on balls in play, and his overall numbers have come back down to Earth as his BABIP regressed to his career norm. He hasn’t looked like an ~$8MM player as of late, but he could be a useful platoon bat given his success against lefties.
With Johnson out of DFA limbo, there are now only five players left hanging, according to the DFA Tracker: Rey Navarro (Orioles), Yoervis Medina (Cubs), Danny Reynolds (Dodgers), Johnny Monell (Mets), and Josmil Pinto (Padres).
Dodgers should pick up Johnson. He could get quite a few at-bats with the Dodgers if they intend to keep Justin Turner’s at-bats down so as not to wear him out.
I agree, if they can keep turner and start him at 3B. He is very comfortable there. Go Dodgers
So he is career .280 hitter that averages about 10 hrs a year? Too bad he isn’t an outfielder he could get 23 million a year.
Yep. His contract his still dirt cheap, given what we’ve seen this offseason. Many teams will want him. Even though he isn’t an OFer (Or Catcher) , any .280 position player with average power at his age will get about a 5 year/100M contract. Also, WAR has been very unkind to him. First of all, no .280 hitter with double digit HR power would be pegged at a negative career WAR, especially when considering that he’s played for quite a few seasons. Second, bbref gives his defense poor marks for WAR, and offense high marks. That’s fine, but it has his CAREER offensive WAR at + 6.5 .& CAREER defensive WAR at -6.3. Yet they give his career WAR a – 0.3, even though it should be positive 0.2, based on the difference.
I understand WAR very little, and agree with it very little, but baseball consists of just OFFENSE AND DEFENSE. (Pitching is defense) (Speed/Basestealing is offense).
So Chris Johnson is a way better player than bbref etc gives him credit for,
Again, in this market, if I were a team, I’d try to lure him with just 5/100M
lol.
WAR does not work that way, you can’t simply add up defensive WAR and offensive WAR and get a total.
that was poetic
I don’t know your team affiliation but man do you sound so bitter
Jason Heyward’s 162 Game Average = 19HR
Chris Johnson’s 162 Game Average = 13HR
Jason Heyward’s Career OBP = .353
Chris Johnson’s Career OBP = .316
Jason Heyward’s defense> All other corner outfielders in baseball
I’m not even going to laugh at you how uneducated your opinion is but Jason Heyward is a very good baseball player that has every tool except monstrous homer totals.
17.5 million for him NOT to play for the Indians in 2016-2017!
Isn’t Brandon Cunniff of the Braves still in DFA limbo? DFA’d 12/18/15 to make room for Emilio Bonifacio
I believe so.
+ Jerry Sands (CLE), Daniel Robertson (SEA), and Rob Rasmussen (SEA) in DFA limbo
He was good before he started becoming a club house cancer for teams I bet his career is over no one wants a club house cancer guy on their team
And yet AJ Pierzynski continues to get work.
Pierzynski’s a catcher who can hit.
There’s a lot more value to that then a light hitting third / first baseman.
A.J. has been a blessing in Atlanta. Unfortunately Bethancourt seemed unwilling to take advice from him. He oversaw the strides made by Perez, ManBan, Weber, Wisler, and Shelby last season. Unfortunately Perez and ManBan’s numbers look much worse than they were as each were allowed to pitch through injury.
AJ showed a lot last season he has become a team leader to the younger guys and pitching staff I didn’t hear anything bad about AJ last year. Glad to have him back
Would say that he was a lucky guy who never should have been a regular.
Never walked, was always lucky with his BABIP being above league average.
Wasn’t more than a utility guy although his defensive metrics aren’t great either.
Don’t forget his stellar persona.
this guy should go to Japan.
why?
he sucks. but he would hit lots of homers in Japan and get paid.
Hey Bob! I bet he is WAY better at baseball than you are. How long did you play in ML’s??
irrelevent. he sucks. might be the reason he got released.
You should go apply to be the Indians DH, tell them you hit worse than Chris Johnson and also tell them you’ve never played professional baseball at any level. See how long it takes them to offer you a major league deal.
Indians will just offer him a minor league one instead.
I am a Braves fan and have watched him play, terrible third baseman, no range,bad attitude, buyer beware
I’m a Braves fan as well, and I think part of his attitude problem is the way Fredi G handles his lineups. There’s never any sort of a consistency with it. MLB players like consistent.
Fredi does not offer that to his players. Chris was one who seemed to have attitude problems w/ a benching, but Fredi would bench him after a good game/streak or a bad game.
Plenty of “play matchup” managers have been very successful. Fredi is pretty middle of the pack, all things considered.
I can see him getting a minor league deal with a weak farm system
“I am a Braves fan and have watched him play, terrible third baseman, no range,bad attitude, buyer beware”
Of course here we have an ignorant fan who devalues Johnson’s contribution to the Braves team including the NLDS in 2013.
Well if you need a DH, who can hit lefties than he’s your guy.
I don’t get it. He gets the 17.5 MM left on the contract and the tribe only gets the minimum back when/if he signs with someone else. Given how many teams need help at 3B, why didn’t the tribe outright him to AAA like the Sox did with Craig. They pay him the same and have a chance to get someone to assume more of the contract if he looks decent in the spring. Hell 3b is so weak that Wil Middlebrooks got signed for 1.2 MM.
He has over 5 years of service time. With that comes an ability to refuse minor league assignment and also the right to elect free agency and get paid in full. The Indians know this and didn’t waste their time thinking he wouldn’t just elect Free Agency.
Craig has under 5 years of service time by the way (not that it would matter as he had an option still last season before he was outrighted) meaning he would give up their remainder of his guaranteed contract if he were to ask the Red Sox to release him.
Article XIX of the CBA states that players with more than 5 yrs service time can refuse minor league assignment but section A. (2) (a) states that a five yr player who refuses assignment : “shall not be entitled to receive termination pay” I realize that there may be some other provision requiring payment but I could not find it.
He didn’t go to arbitration, if he did he would be subjected to that. He instead has a guaranteed deal and with that comes salary owed because of his ability to refuse assignment.
The Braves look very wise coming out of the Johnson deal. He was not a good clubhouse presence and didn’t make up for that on offense or defense.
Bourn had some very poor fortune last season and Swisher still looks pretty lost but at least he can take a walk. Either way both are off the payroll next year and could conceivably bring in a small haul should they rebound.
The Braves should have tried to flip Olivera to The Tribe for C.J Lol After seeing the Braves named in a few places as having interest in Bronson Arroyo, nothing else would surprise me.