6 FA options for Indians at second base 

CLEVELAND — The old Abbott and Costello routine of “Who’s on first?” and “What’s on second?” came out in the 1950s purely for entertainment purposes. But entering 2021, it’s become the Indians’ reality. The Tribe didn’t bring back first baseman Carlos Santana, who signed a two-year deal with the Royals

CLEVELAND — The old Abbott and Costello routine of “Who’s on first?” and “What’s on second?” came out in the 1950s purely for entertainment purposes. But entering 2021, it’s become the Indians’ reality.

The Tribe didn’t bring back first baseman Carlos Santana, who signed a two-year deal with the Royals on Tuesday, leaving Jake Bauers, Josh Naylor and Bobby Bradley to battle for the starting job in Spring Training. At second base, Cleveland has even fewer options. The Indians are trying to keep their payroll tight for next season, but if they decide to tap into the free agent market at all, a second baseman might be their first target.

Fans shouldn’t expect any big signings like DJ LeMahieu or even someone like Kolten Wong. There’s a familiar face in Jason Kipnis on the market, but the Tribe hasn’t shown much interest in a reunion since he left after the 2019 season. The Indians do have Yu Chang or Ernie Clement as in-house options at second, but who could they consider outside of the organization?

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Let’s take a look at a few free agents who could be attainable:

Cesar Hernandez
Both Hernandez and the Indians expressed desire for the second baseman to return to Cleveland next year, but the Tribe will have to figure out if it can afford to bring him back. Hernandez signed a one-year, $6.25 million deal last year and was one of the club’s most consistent hitters. With Cleveland’s payroll trimming more and more, it’s a question of whether the Indians would be able to afford a second baseman who could make $6-8 million. Of the current second basemen on the free-agent market, Hernandez had the fourth-best fWAR in 2020 (3.6).

Jonathan Villar
Villar’s numbers from the 2020 season might not stand out to an Indians fan looking for some offensive help, however the 29-year-old could be a decent fit in Cleveland. In 52 games split between Miami and Toronto last year, Villar hit just .232 with a .593 OPS, but it’s difficult to make an accurate judgement based on such a small sample size. In 2019, Villar hit .274 with a .792 OPS and 40 steals in 162 games with the Orioles. Back in 2016, he led the Majors with 62 steals and could bring a bit of speed to the Tribe’s lineup. But most importantly, Villar could be signed to a cheap deal, which would be priority No. 1 for the Indians.

Tommy La Stella
Unlike Villar, La Stella’s numbers would quickly catch an Indians fan’s attention. The soon-to-be-32-year-old is coming off a year in which he hit .281 with an .819 OPS in 55 games split between the Angels and A’s. He had an All-Star season in 2019, batting .295 with an .832 OPS, 16 home runs and 44 RBIs before he broke his leg and ended his year after just 80 games. Last season, La Stella signed a one-year, $3.25 million deal. If he could stay in that ballpark, he could be an excellent option for the Tribe.

Jonathan Schoop
The Indians have seen quite a bit of Schoop the last two seasons, as the second baseman played for the Twins in 2019 and the Tigers in ’20. In 44 games last year, he hit .278 with a .799 OPS, eight homers and 23 RBIs. He’s one of the younger second basemen on the free-agent market at 29 years old and is coming off a year in which he posted a 114 wRC+ and .316 batting average on balls in play. Schoop signed a one-year, $6.1 million contract in 2020. If the Tribe is looking to spend that amount (or even slightly higher), it would probably go after Hernandez instead. But if Schoop would agree to a small deal, he’d certainly be on the Indians’ radar.

Brock Holt
Holt could be a perfect cost-efficient signing for the Indians. He’s coming off a rough year, hitting .211 with a .557 OPS between 16 games with the Brewers and 20 games with the Nationals after two strong years at the plate with the Red Sox in 2018-19. If he could rediscover the swing that led to a .297 average with a .771 OPS, 14 doubles and two triples in 87 games in ’19, Holt could be a low-risk, high-reward option. However, one concern could be that the second baseman has only played more than 100 games (and never more than 129) in just three of his nine Major League seasons. He may be viewed as more of a utility option than the starting second baseman.

Hanser Alberto
In a world of home runs and OPS, Alberto is reminding us that it’s OK to just get on base. In 2019, he hit .305 with a .751 OPS and 21 doubles in 139 games for the Orioles. In those 550 plate appearances, he struck out just 50 times. Last season, he hit .283 with a .698 OPS, 15 doubles, 22 RBIs and a .314 batting average on balls in play in 54 games. After the Tribe struggled to get baserunners last season, having someone who can just get on base may not be a bad idea.