Since his call-up to the majors in 2011, Jason Kipnis has been a fixture in the Cleveland Indians’ lineup, hitting .268/.340/.422 lifetime while playing mostly second base for the Tribe. He’s been worth 19.7 fWAR across 3,737 plate appearances, helping to lead the club to postseason berths in 2013, 2016 and 2017.
But shoulder and hamstring injuries in 2017 limited Kipnis to 373 plate appearances, and were probably at least partially responsible for his putrid .232/.291/.414 batting line en route to a career-low-tying 82 wRC+. Breakout infielder Jose Ramirez took over at the keystone for Kipnis during his recovery from the hamstring injury, and appears to have displaced him at the position.
After an injury to defensive wizard center fielder Bradley Zimmer, Kipnis took over the position upon his return, manning center throughout the latter half of September and the playoffs. However, he posted supbar defense during that time, so Zimmer is most likely slated to reclaim his spot in the outfield in 2018. This would leave Kipnis without an official position in the Tribe’s defensive alignment.
The Indians could move Kipnis back to second base once again and simply shift Ramirez back to third, where he’s a Gold Glove finalist anyway. But Cleveland might not be done giving Yandy Diaz a look at third. They’ve also been giving top prospect Francisco Mejia reps at the hot corner in the Arizona Fall League. The club could very well decide against blocking all that young upside at third base just to return Kipnis to his natural position.
Kipnis could be utilized in a corner outfield position. Assuming his bat bounces back, it would profile fine in left or right, and it’s easy to imagine him playing passable defense at one of the corners. Unfortunately, the Indians already have a glut of left-handed-hitting corner outfielder options that includes Lonnie Chisenhall, Tyler Naquin, and Michael Brantley, not to mention switch-hitters Greg Allen and Abraham Almonte. To make matters even more complicated, the organization is apparently exploring the possibility of a reunion with lefty Jay Bruce, who became a fan favorite after being traded to the team in August.
If the club declines Brantley’s option and opts not to re-sign Bruce, there would be a bit more space for Kipnis in the outfield. He’d probably be one of their top offensive options out there in that scenario. But if one or both of Brantley and Bruce are brought back in 2018, Kipnis might not fit well into the corner outfield picture.
So with a crowded infield and an outfield that is already lefty-heavy, the Indians might not have a clearly defined role for Kipnis. The former second-round pick is set to make $13.5 million this year via the terms of a contract extension he signed in 2014. That might be more than the Indians are interested in paying for a part-time player. There’s a possibility they could end up exploring trade scenarios. Of course, dealing Kipnis coming off one of the worst offensive seasons of his career would be selling low; the club might not have interest in doing that.
Kip’s newfound positional flexibility could have value to a club that expects to contend in 2018. It’s no secret that Tribe skipper Terry Francona likes having players that can move about the diamond. He could get plenty of at-bats between second base, the outfield and designated hitter. But it’s not a given that Kipnis will rebound offensively, either, and that could leave him without a clearly-defined role on the team in 2018 and beyond.
What do you think? Will the Indians play Kipnis in the infield, move him permanently to the outfield, utilize him in a part-time role or trade him this offseason? (Link for app users.)
really depends on what they do with the roster around him, too early to know what to do with him. put him in LF, Brantley at 1B if Bruce doest want to stick around.
Wouldn’t write him off for one bad year. For 13M, I’d keep him around while the team is competitive and hold off on the prospects for a year.
Agree. Have a hard time seeing Kipnis finished at age of 30 because he played hurt last season when he was one of the best 2b for years previously. Signed to a decent contract for 2 more years to boot. Would be a mistake to move him when the Tribe is still a powerhouse.
Trade him to the White Sox.
Nah we’re good with Moncada
“We’re”? You pitch for them or something? Lol
Does it matter what he refers to his team as?
Trade him to the Texas Rangers. He could play first base.
The Brew Crew could always use some help at second and they certainly have some prospects to get a deal done. I can’t imagine it would take much if they already are debating cutting him. It could easily turn into a win win if the Indians have options to replace Kipnis at second
The brewers don’t have the players to make a trade. However it would start with Keon Broxton. Even though the Indians don’t really need a cf.
@Wrek305 the brewers have one of the deepest farm systems in baseball
That’s so wrong
Your crazy if you think the brewers don’t have the pieces to get that trade done. Broxton would be a great starting point for the trade. He’s blocking the Brewers OF prospects and he’s still has upside. I would say a package of Broxton and M. Dubon for Kipnis and 10M could get it done.
The Brewers do have the players! They have a Top Ten minor league system. Plenty of good young cost-controlled talent to trade.
What in the world make you think they are debating cutting him? No chance Cleveland cuts Kipnis this year. None.
Kyle, I don’t think they would trade him. Having him play the outfield was probably less wear and tear on his body. Putting him back in the infield would probably make him more comfortable, however we sre seeing a rising trend on players not having just one position and succeeding. I hope the tribe keeps him, wherever they feel fit.
Wont they need a first base option if carlos santana leaves. Seems like fait acompli…
No mention in the article what the terms of the extension are. How long is he under contract?
Ramirez or Chisenhall or Kipnis or Minor Leaguer or Edwin E. at 1B. Could try one of the Catchers their.
Both catchers are catchers due to their defense behind the plate. Perez wouldn’t make a good 1B at all, he should be dealt to open up PT for Mejia.
Trading Kipnis at a career low with $28MM owed over the next two years simply won’t happen without eating a vast majority of that contract. Even then, there isn’t any real demand at 2B.
For the Indians, it would be best to hold onto a guy who is 30 years old and could easily bounce back at any moment.
Very true, and they’re not a franchise that can afford to absorb contracts to watch the guy go elsewhere and rebound. Much of what happens here will be all tied to the direction of Santana and Bruce and then all the dominoes will fall around accordingly.
Angels should try for a trade. Simmons/Kipnis combo would be stupid nice.
Wait to see who all stays on roster. Felt he hurt them in CF. Paid to much to be a part time player. May have to consider eating some salary and trading him
Putrid?
Why is this not posted in the Cleveland Indians feed?
Why would they even consider moving Meija to 3rd. He’s a good catching prospect.
And part of the draw with him is his defense behind the plate, specifically his arm. They do have both Perez and Gomes locked up but one should be moved to open up some PT instead of moving him to a different position.
Mejia is the best C prospect in baseball, he isn’t getting moved anywhere.
You’d think so, but they did shift him to third in the fall league which I think is a mistake.
You can’t trade him because his value is at its lowest and second base isn’t a position of need for anyone. Maybe start him at first with Santana walking or move him around the diamond like Zobrist.
That’s a good idea, with his versatility and Ramirez and other guys being flexible there will be plenty of ABs to go around.
I think the Dodgers
and Angels
and the Brewers
could be looking for 2nd baseman !
Brantley is good, but always injured. Decline the option. Santana and Bruce are FAs. Santana can probably get more elsewhere. Sign Bruce for 1B. Kipnis takes LF and can sub in the IF. Cleveland won’t be able to afford to keep everyone.
He was so bad this season and is owed minimum $31-ish million – they really couldn’t get anything back for him in a trade unless they pay most of that. I think they’re stuck with him until he rebounds, and he most likely will due his .256 BABIP last year compared with his normal .314 in his career, they’re probably going to use him like Zobrist, then trade him when he proves his 2017 was an outlier, and goes back to his .800 OPSing self.
Like him for next year in Clev, but don’t like the odds of him finishing that contract there.
If they decide to pick up Brantley’s option and let Santana walk, Kipnis in LF, Brantley to 1b and leave JRam at 2b and Diaz/Urshella at 3b is not too bad.
Like a mlb game changing up all the positions. Kip you play left, Brantley let’s move you over to first. Unlikely.
I say trade him to the Mets for Lagares. They don’t need another outfielder but Lagares can be a good backup and his contract will offset some of the money so they won’t need to eat anything to get rid of Kipnis.
Slotting Kipnis in the OF just isn’t a viable option. He doesn’t have the arm for it, and opponents caught onto that real quick. 2B is the only real defensive option for him. Tribe needs to figure out a way to trade him even though his value is down.
Can he play third? He’d be a much better option for 2/28 than Todd Frazier. Would be a good fit for a number of teams.
How likely is it the Indians dump Brantley? I cannot imagine that happening but the subject comes up often enough that it might be a possibility.
What if the Tribe loses Santana ? Then couldn’t Kipnis slide over to play 1st base? Seems like the most logical place to me! Keeps him in the lineup
and fills the hole left by Santana
and keeps EE at DH!
I agree he should be given a shot at first and you hope for a rebound but if he hits like last year they cant afford to have that big of a hole at a premium offensive spot.
Unsurprisingly the 2B moving to CF for the last few weeks of the season and post season didn’t grade out well defensively. All for gio urshela to play 3rd.