Cleveland Indians: Will the team regret not retaining Bruce or Santana?

The Cleveland Indians made the choice not to keep one of Jay Bruce or Carlos Santana before they signed elsewhere. This could turn out to be a key decision moving into 2018.

The Cleveland Indians had a slow offseason where they lost more than they gained. The two biggest losses to the lineup are Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce. The team decided not to sign either for the 2018 season and beyond. Santana joined the Philadelphia Phillies and Bruce decided to return home to the New York Mets.

With the losses, Cleveland is losing two big bats in their lineup moving forward. Santana is an on-base machine who draws a lot of walks and provided power in the middle of the order.

Bruce was a late acquisition in 2017 but he proved a key piece in the offense down the stretch. He hit .248 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs in his short stint in Cleveland.

Not only did Santana provide quality offense to the lineup, his defense at first base is what will be missed the most. He has developed into a top 5 defensive first basemen in all of baseball and was a Gold Glove finalist in 2017.

What’s the impact of letting them go?

The impact of the decision to not sign either player will depend on how the current players perform in 2018. The Indians signed Yonder Alonso to fill the hole at first base but they did not make many moves for the outfield.

Alonso adjusted his approach at the plate and he saw his numbers show those changes positively. He saw career highs in home runs (28) and RBIs (67).

If Alonso can build on that improvement, he can help fill the void in the lineup left by Santana’s departure. His defense is also good and can help continue the good defense the Indians had with Santana at first.

The outfield did not see many major changes. Rajai Davis and Melvin Upton have shots to make the opening day roster on minor league deals. With Brandon Guyer and Michael Brantley questionable to begin the season, these two have a shot to at least begin the season on the roster.

The outfield will need to see second year pro Bradley Zimmer step up and become the center fielder they envision him being. They will also need to see Lonnie Chisenhall perform his best to help the overall outfield performance.

Because of injuries and limited options, they need current players to perform. A healthy Brantley and Guyer will go a long way in making that happen.

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The Cleveland Indians may or may not end up regretting the decision to let Santana and Bruce walk. It’s all up to the current players to prove they can handle the new workload and get back to October.