The Cleveland Indians, notorious for not spending substantial money on free agents in recent years, reversed that trend by signing former Atlanta Brave Michael Bourn to a four-year, $48 million contract.
This comes after last month signing Nick Swisher to a four-year, $56 million deal.
Suffice it to say the Indians are trying to win.
Bourn was an All-Star with Atlanta last season at centerfield. He batted .274 with nine homers, 57 RBIs and 42 steals last season.
However, Atlanta rebuilt its outfield by acquiring brothers B.J. Upton and Justin Upton, a clear message to Bourn to seek employment elsewhere.
He was wanted by many teams, too, including the New York Mets. But the Indians got him, which is part of an overhaul that includes the hiring of new manager Terry Francona, the World Series champion with the Boston Red Sox, and starting pitcher Brett Myers.
The Mets offered the same four-year, $48 million deal as Cleveland, a major league source told ESPN. However, the Mets were unwilling to depart with their 11th overall pick in the draft as a penalty for signing the free agent, the source said.
The same source believes the Mets were Bourn’s first choice.
To get Bourn, a two-time All-Star, Golden Glove winner and three-time steals leader in the NL, Indians gave up selections in June’s amateur draft. They consider it not much of a loss to acquire a speedy player on the base paths who is a strong defender. And maybe his exciting brand of baseball will attract more fans this season. To wit, Cleveland averaged just 19,797 fans at home last season. Not good.
Bourn likely will start in the outfield alongside Swisher and Michael Brantley. It’s possible Swisher could be moved to first base or even be used as the club’s designated hitter.
Other pieces to the reconstructed Indians include power hitter Jason Giambi and pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.
