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CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians continued to add pieces to their field mix on Thursday by agreeing to terms with veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton, according to a report by Venezuelan journalist Daniel Álvarez Montes.
Montes tweeted that Hamilton and the Indians had an agreement, pending a physique, on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The club are familiar with Hamilton who hit the switch as the 30-year-old played 36 games last year for the Cubs and Mets but spent six seasons before that with the Cleveland spring training partners. of Cincinnati (2013-18).
The Indians could not confirm the signature Thursday evening.
Earlier Thursday, the club signed former Mariners and Brewers outfielder Ben Gamel with an invitation to spring training. These moves give Cleveland several field options before training camp, including Oscar Mercado and Bradley Zimmer at center with Daniel Johnson, Jordan Luplow, Josh Naylor and Jake Bauers in the corners.
The club signed former Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario to a one-year contract worth $ 8 million last week.
Hamilton is likely to serve as insurance in the central field of Mercado, which ended spring training last March by treating a sore wrist before the COVID pandemic closed camps. Mercado appeared in just 34 games during the 60-game regular season, batting .128 with a .328 OPS.
Hamilton stole at least 56 goals each season from 2014 to 2017 and was second in the National League Rookie of the Year by voting against Jacob deGrom in 2014. A second-round pick by Cincinnati in the 2009 Draft, the season Hamilton’s most productive was 2016 when he cut. .260 / .321 / .343 with three homers and 17 RBIs in 119 games as the club’s main center-back.
Hamilton was No. 31 in baseball in 2012 when he stole a record 155 bases for Class A Macon and cut .311 / .410 / .420, but since 2016 he has been unable to maintain any consistency at home plate . , hitting a .234 combined with a .611 OPS for four clubs.
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