With injuries to both Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis the Cleveland Indians should look into adding the versatile Brad Miller.
The Cleveland Indians will be without both Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis on Opening Day. This leaves the Tribe with Eric Stamets and Max Moroff manning shortstop and second base respectively. Considering that both of these options are far from optimal, the Indians should look into adding Brad Miller.
Brad Miller was. recently released by the Los Angeles Dodgers and is currently a free agent. While Miller is not exactly a dynamic player, he is a veteran that can play in the infield and the outfield. This would allow Terry Francona to mix and match his lineup on any given day, even after the return of Lindor and Kipnis. Miller has experience at every position besides pitcher and catcher in his career. Although Miller has not played at third base or center field since 2015.
While Brad Miller’s career slash line is not all that impressive (.239/.313/.409/.722), there have been times when he has been productive at the plate. Miller is only three years removed from a 30 home run campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays. Even after a couple of down years due to injury there is the possibility that Miller could turn things around. Miller was having a productive spring with the Dodgers (.385/.429/.615/1.044 slash line in 12 games). Now that Miller appears to be healthy, he could be worth taking a flier on.
Now Brad Miller is not a superstar player by any means, but that is not what the Indians need right now. They need someone who can be versatile in the field and average at the plate. Brad Miller can be just that. Miller can provide Cleveland with value while they are without their regular starting middle infielders. It all depends on whether the Cleveland Indians are willing to take a chance on him.
