Cleveland Indians sign Brandon Guyer to two-year deal with 2019 option

The Cleveland Indians have agreed to a multi-year extension with outfielder Brandon Guyer that will keep the 30-year-old right-handed hitter under team control through 2019. Guyer will earn $2 million in 2017 and $2.7 million in 2018, and the Tribe will then have a $3 million team option for 2019, with a $250,000 buyout if they decline the option. Indians beat writer Jordan Bastian adds that there are some playing time bonuses that could add a few hundred thousands dollars to the deal in 2018 an 2019.

Guyer was acquired in what felt like a minor trade with the Tampa Bay Rays at the deadline last year. He played primarily against left-handed pitchers, and did very well, batting .333/.438/.469 in 96 plate appearances after the trade. He hit .333/.500/.389 in 24 plate appearances during the postseason. For his career, Guyer has hit .289/.391/.470 against left-handed pitching, making him a great platoon option and late-game pinch-hitting option as well.

Guyer was in his second year of arbitration-eligibility, and the midpoint of his and the team's arbitration offers was $2.1 million, so this deal represents a small drop from that number for 2017, along with a modest raise for 2018, and potentially another modest raise for 2019. This deal involves almost no risk for the Indians, and if Guyer continues to perform so well against lefties, the 2019 option (covering a season when Guyer would otherwise have been a free agent) could provide the team with very good value.

Guyer was the only one of the team's arbitration-eligible players who didn't agree to a one-year deal before the offer deadline last Friday, which means all eight of those players are now under contract for 2017.