Cleveland Indians find a first baseman in Yonder Alonso

The Cleveland Indians have reportedly found their next first baseman in Yonder Alonso.

The Cleveland Indians went out and got Carlos Santana‘s replacement on the day he was introduced to Philadelphia. It comes in free-agent first baseman Yonder Alonso.

Alonso spent 2017 in both Oakland and Seattle where he had the best year of his career. He hit 28 home runs and slashed .266/.365/.501 between the two cities, by far the best marks in his career. While he is certainly not Carlos Santana, he is a year younger and less than half the price.

A large point of this offseason appears to be clearing cap space to lock up the Indians’ core players long-term. $8 million a year is not a major cap hit for someone with Alonso’s upside. While it is tough to replace a Gold Glove finalist, he is not a bad defensive player. But he earned this contract from his play at the plate, particularly in 2017.

Alonso has never had a full-time spot on a team that finished above .500, something that may have contributed to his move to Cleveland. In order for Cleveland to keep their winning ways going, they are going to need Yonder to continue his power hitting from 2017.

LIke most players, Alonso appeared to benefit from the “juiced ball” that was supposedly introduced last year. (It’s only a theory.) He hit four times as many home runs in 2017 (28) as he did in 2016 (7). He also slugged above .500 for the second time in his career, but the first time when playing in a full-time role.

This signing is beneficial financially

His career year undoubtedly played into this signing. But his asking price looks to be a key role in the move as well. A two-year, $16 million dollar contract is an affordable option for the Tribe, and one with high upside. Should that upside show, there is also a third-year option.

Ideally, the Indians are investing in these contracts knowing that they have players they need to lock up down the road, (Lindor, Kluber, Miller, etc). This is the type of contract that positions the team to do just that.

From first impressions, fans seem as torn on this deal as they are on The Last Jedi. And they have good reason to be. Before 2017, Alonso was a sub-par bat. But he seems to have benefitted from moving to a hitter-friendly park and from the existence of juiced balls; a trend that may continue in 2018.

Having Yonder Alonso in the lineup and at first should give fans more confidence than putting an outfielder at the position. And think about how fun it will be to hear this.

Next: Breaking down the top offseason rumors

If this doesn’t make the signing enjoyable to you, then the door is just over Yonder.