After two injury-plagued years, free-agent outfielder Shane Victorino could be a solid buy-low candidate for teams seeking depth in the outfield this offseason.
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Cleveland Reportedly Contacted Victorino
Saturday, Nov. 28
According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Victorino is "one of the many outfielders the Indians have contacted" so far this offseason.
Cleveland is desperately seeking depth in the outfield, especially with star left fielder Michael Brantley undergoing shoulder surgery in early November that could keep him out of action up to six months.
The Indians are always limited in what they can spend on the market, so Victorino could be a nice stop-gap player for them to focus on while waiting for Brantley to return. The soon-to-be 35-year-old was on Cleveland's radar three years ago before he eventually signed a three-year deal with Boston.
Victorino helped the Red Sox win a World Series in 2013, hitting a memorable grand slam against Detroit in Game 6 of the ALCS, but injuries have limited him to 101 games the past two years and he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels in July.
The Flyin' Hawaiian posted a .230/.308/.292 line with one home run in 178 at-bats between the Red Sox and Angels last season.
Even though Victorino is a limited player at this stage of his career, he does boast value as a platoon player with an .859 career OPS against left-handed pitching.
As long as Victorino can stay healthy, which is a huge question mark at this stage of his career, there's the potential for him to be a quality outfielder for another season or two.
Stats per Baseball-Reference.com
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