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It took awhile but Juan Uribe is officially a Cleveland Indian. Some passport issues aside, Uribe is slated to be the Tribe's starting third baseman this season and add a solid veteran presence to what is hopefully a contending team.
What happens now with Giovanny Urshela? It seems likely Jose Ramirez will back up Uribe at the hot corner, meaning Urshela probably will begin his 2016 season with Triple-A Columbus. But stuff happens, as Abraham Almonte proved a few days ago, so we'll just have to wait and see how the next few weeks go out in Arizona.
Tribe News
Indians officially sign Juan Uribe | Cleveland.com
Uribe signed a one-year, $4 million dollar deal that includes an extra $1.5 million built in for incentives.
Juan Uribe's kids have amazing names | Twitter
Let's just say "Juan" played a significant role in the naming process.
Joey Butler and Carlos Carrasco now friends | Indians.com
Carrasco was one strike away from a no-hitter last July when Butler, then a Tampa Bay Ray, singled to center field to ruin the moment. Butler was claimed this winter off waivers by the Tribe and hopes to make the team as an outfielder.
Indians increase available tickets for home opener | Cleveland.com
Tickets go on sale Monday at 10 a.m. for the season opener. From Paul Hoynes:
The team, because of fan backlash last year when only 2,500 tickets were made available to the public for the home opener April 3 against Detroit, will make 10,000 tickets available Monday for the season opener that should feature Corey Kluber against Boston's David Price.
Last year the Indians sold most of the opening day tickets to groups, including season ticket holders and ticket brokers, before the public sale. The season opener sold out in 15 minutes, but many fans were unhappy because when they went to the brokers to buy tickets, the prices had skyrocketed.
"We're trying to make the tickets available to as many fans as possible," said Curtis Danburg, Indians senior director of communications.
Around the League
- More drama with MLB's qualifying offer system, as Ian Desmond signs with Texas on a one-year, $8 million deal,which is much lower than was expected. Desmond also will be moving to left field.
- The small-market Pirates look to have made a PR goof by playing hard-ball with Gerrit Cole over his 2016 salary.
- Here's a detailed look at Pablo Sandoval's weight issues.
- Can an organization become too reliant on analytics?