Fans of the Cleveland Indians can at least give them credit for trying. Yet it's hard to lure players to a Midwestern team without the best history of winning in the AL Central.
The Indians attempted to fill the void at first base with Prince Fielder and even Carlos Pena this off-season, but it wasn't meant to be. So instead they grabbed a nice contact hitter coming off of a career best .306 average to fill the void on a one-year deal. It's not the division-shaking move the Tigers made with Prince Fielder, but it does make an AL Central rival a bit stronger through the line-up as Kotchman is not an easy out.
"The team agreed to terms Thursday night on a one-year, $3 million contract with Kotchman, a free agent, two people familiar with the negotiations told the Associated Press. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal is not expected to be announced until Friday. Kotchman can make an additional $1.75 million in performance bonuses, one of the sources said."