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As first reported by Mark Feinsand, Eddie Rosario will remain in the AL Central, but as a member of a Twins rival:
The Indians have agreed to a one-year, $8 million deal with free-agent OF Eddie Rosario, per source. The deal is pending a physical.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 30, 2021
Rosario’s departure from Minnesota was a near certainty when the Twins declined to offer him a contract in December. With multiple teams reporting interest yesterday, Cleveland ended up landing the veteran outfielder on a one-year deal.
For Cleveland, Rosario’s addition provides another power-but-whiff bat in their lineup and provides a defensive upgrade in left field from Franmil Reyes, who will probably shift to designated hitter. Reyes graded negatively in significant defensive measurements (e.g. a minus-0.5 UZR), so Rosario should help with the glove and arm in that area.
For Minnesota, Rosario’s departure opens up left field for some combination of rising prospects Alex Kirilloff and Brent Rooker, expected after Rooker played a strong seven games and Kirilloff made his MLB debut in the 2020 postseason.
Best of luck, Eddie. May you represent the C proudly, but may your teams not beat Minnesota’s either.