Juan Uribe, Indians agree to 1-year contract

GOODYEAR, Arizona- The Cleveland Indians have agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with veteran infielder Juan Uribe, who will likely be their starting third baseman this season.

Buster Olney of ESPN.com tweets that his deal with the Indians is for one year and close to $5 million. It could be several more days before Uribe joins the Indians. Uribe also has to pass a physical before signing his contract. “It’s no secret we’ve been interested in him”, manager Terry Francona told reporters of Uribe Friday following the team’s first workout. He hit.225/.279/.330 (63 OPS+) with six home runs in 81 games, but did play a very strong third.

Uribe split 2015 with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets after going from the Los Angeles Dodgers to Atlanta in an early-season trade.

Uribe, who has been an offensive weapon late into his career, is familiar with the Indians, spending five seasons from 2004-08 with Central Division rival Chicago. 267 with nine homers and 48 RBIs last season for the Mariners and Cubs. The Tribe has been connected with Uribe for over a month now and it appears they’ve finally reached a deal.