CLEVELAND – Eddie Rosario went from hammering to helping Indians.
The free agent outfielder, who has spent the past six seasons with the Minnesota Twins, agreed on Friday to a $ 8 million one-year contract with the Cleveland Indians, ESPN sources confirmed on Friday.
The Rosario contract is awaiting the completion of a physical, according to sources.
The Indians know Rosario well, 29 years old. He was an enemy of rival AL Central Twins, hitting more career players (22 in 93 games) against Cleveland than any other team. He hit 11 of those tournaments at Progressive Field, the most at any road stadium.
Earlier on Friday, the Indians signed a $ 5 million one-year deal with free agent Cesar Hernandez’s second baseman, who was a solid free agent pickup in 2020 when he won his first gold glove. .
Rosario is a huge addition to the Cleveland field, which has been a problem for the past two seasons as the team has used a platoon 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, president of baseball operations of the team, tried to soothe some outraged Cleveland fans by committing to putting the money back on the list.
He did this by bringing back Hernández and acquiring Rosario, who will supply a series of parts needed by manager Terry Francona’s team after the losses of Lindor and Carlos Santana.
Rosario had his best season in 2019, when he reached career highs with 32 homers and 109 RBIs in 137 games. During the 2020 season shortened by COVID-19, he beat .257 with 13 homers and led in 42 races in 57 games.
Rosario, who was eligible for his third and final year of refereeing, became a free agent a season earlier after the twins refused to offer him a contract for 2021. A left-hander with an average career of .277, with 119 homers and 388 RBI.
Hernandez’s deal with the Indians includes a $ 6 million club option in 2022 without a purchase.
Hernández, 30, was an invaluable addition last season. He drove the AL with 20 doubles and helped the Indians secure a wild-card berth. He beat .283 with three homers, 20 RBI and 35 runs in 58 games.
Cleveland acquired midfielder Amed Rosario and Andrés Giménez from the Mets in the Jan. 7 Lindor deal, a four-time All-Star under contract last year and turned down numerous long-term offers.
MLB Network first reported the Rosario agreement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.