CLEVELAND – Eddie Rosario helped the Indians from hammering.
The free agent, who has spent the past six seasons with the Minnesota Twins, on Friday agreed to a $ 8 million one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians, sources confirmed to ESPN on Friday.
According to sources, Rosario’s contract is pending the completion of a physical product.
The Indians know the 29-year-old Rosario well. He was an honor at the AL Central rival Twins and has hit more careers (22 in 93 games) against Cleveland than any other team. He hit 11 of the visitors at Progressive Field, the most on any road ball.
Earlier Friday, the Indians signed a $ 5 million one-year contract with Cesar Hernandez, a second player of the free agent, who was a good free agent in 2020 when he won his first golden glove.
Rosario is a big addition to Cleveland’s outfield, which has been a problem for the past two seasons because the team has used a peloton of players.
After the Indians sent All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor and starter Carlos Carrasco to the New York Mets earlier this month and cut more than $ 30 million from their payroll, Chris Antonetti, the team’s president of baseball operations, tried to soothe some angry Cleveland fans by promising to put money back on the roster.
He did so by bringing Hernández back and acquiring Rosario, who will provide the necessary doll for manager Terry Francona after the losses of Lindor and Carlos Santana.
Rosario had his best season in 2019, when he reached his career highs with 32 homers and 109 RBIs in 137 games. During the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, he batted .257 with 13 homers and drove 42 runs in 57 games.
Rosario, who is eligible for his third and final year of arbitration, became a free agent early one season after the Twins refused to offer him a 2021 contract. He is a left-handed hit and has a career-high average of .277 with 119 homers and 388 RBIs.
Hernandez’s deal with the Indians includes a $ 6 million club option in 2022 without a buyout.
Hernández, 30, was a valuable addition last season. He led the AL with 20 doubles and helped the Indians find a game card berth. He batted .283 with three homers, 20 RBIs and 35 runs in 58 games.
Cleveland acquired midfielders Amed Rosario and Andrés Giménez from the Mets in the January 7 trade of Lindor, a four-time All-Star who entered his final year under contract and turned down numerous long-term offers.
MLB Network first reported the Rosario deal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.