Derek Dietrich should be on Indians radar

The Miami Marlins recently parted ways with Derek Dietrich. Now Dietrich is a free agent and should be on the radar of the Cleveland Indians.

The interest in Derek Dietrich should go beyond the fact that he is a Cleveland native. Dietrich can play all over the field and most notably in the outfield. The former Marlin appeared in the outfield for 97 games last season. Additionally Dietrich also played at first, second and third base. This versatility could prove quite valuable to any team.

To put it lightly the Indians need players who can play the outfield. Cleveland is quite thin at the position and are lacking any sort of proven bat heading into 2019. The outfield currently consists of Leonys Martin, Tyler Naquin, Greg Allen and Jordan Luplow. Bradley Zimmer might be in the mix, but he is still recovering from an injury. Just about any addition to this group will help. That is where Dietrich comes in.

Dietrich has a career slash line of .254/.330/.421 with an OPS of .751. These numbers are hardly eye-popping, but considering the alternatives on the roster this is an upgrade. In 2018 Dietrich had career-highs in games played (149), hits (132), doubles (26), home runs (16) and unfortunately strikeouts (140). Considering that most teams are not necessarily worried about high volumes of stakeouts this should not be an issue when discussing Dietrich’s value as a free agent.

Dietrich is nowhere near the talent level of the big name free agents available this offseason. For a team like the Indians looking to upgrade the roster, Dietrich could provide versatility and a fairly steady bat. Cleveland needs another bat in their lineup and everyone likes a homecoming. So why not bring Dietrich back to his hometown?