Predictions for Each Top Offseason Acquisition's Career with the Indians

The Cleveland Indians didn't have the biggest offseason, nor did they have the best. MLB columnist Joel Reuter gave the Indians a well-deserved "C" as a grade for the team's offseason, and it doesn't appear they'll do much between now and spring training.

However, the focus here is not on anything other than the players the team obtained, and the Tribe brought in three players over the offseason to contend for spots on the team's 25-man roster.

We'll analyze these three players and make predictions for their future with the organization, starting with Brandon Moss, formerly of the Oakland A's.

Brandon Moss

Brandon Moss made his way to Cleveland prior to the winter meetings, and he's the headline acquisition of the Indians' offseason.

Moss made his first All-Star team last year, a reward for a gaudy stat line, including a .268/.349/.530 batting line with 21 home runs, 17 doubles, 66 RBI and 45 runs scored, along with an 86:35 strikeout-to-walk ratio during the first half. Moss was riding on cloud nine, and so were the A's.

Unfortunately, the 31-year-old fell off in a big way during the season's second half. Over 58 games (216 plate appearances) Moss managed just a .173/.310/.274 triple slash with just four home runs, six doubles, 15 RBI, 25 runs scored and a 67:32 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

For that reason—as well as the fact that he's 31 years old and hadn't done much prior to the 2012 season—the Indians were able to pry him away from Oakland in exchange for relatively little.

Moving forward, Moss will likely fill the role the Indians had intended for Nick Swisher when they signed him to a multi-year deal. Swisher's production has declined so much that Moss and his inconsistencies are still an upgrade.

In that role, we could expect Moss to accumulate a batting average somewhere in the vicinity of .240 to .250 with north of 20 home runs, as well as 80 RBI.

Moss is a free agent following the 2016 season, so forecasting his future with the club is somewhat difficult.

A lot of the decision-making will ride on what the front office decides to do with Nick Swisher. Swisher was rumored to be on the trade block, and most recently, The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo noted that the club was still very interested in trading the 34-year-old outfielder.

If Swisher is traded—and it's likely that he will be at some point—then Moss is a prime candidate for extension following the end of his run on arbitration. He hits the free-agent market following the 2016 season.

Prediction: Moss reaches career 162-game averages in each of his first two seasons, and receives an extension following the 2016 season.

Scott Downs

For most of his career, Scott Downs has been a very effective reliever. The 38-year-old lefty is the proud owner of a career stat line including a 2.68 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. He's also struck out 7.1 batters per nine innings, walked 3.3 batters per nine innings and has a 2.2 strikeout-to-walk ratio as a reliever.

Michael Dwyer/Associated Press

Downs is outstanding against left-handed hitters. He has held them to a .219/.287/.322 slash line over 1,102 career plate appearances against them.

Downs was brought in on a minor league deal, but he would be a great complement to Marc Rzepczynski, working as a second left-handed specialist.

Though he was given a minor league deal, the veteran hurler has a great shot to win a job in the bullpen. His skill set lends itself well to the Indians' needs, and given his success with the Kansas City Royals toward the end of last season, as well as his overall track record, Downs could beat out Kyle Crockett for a chance at full-time relief work.

Prediction: Downs beats out Kyle Crockett for a spot in the bullpen and pitches to an ERA between 2.80 and 3.20. Downs' career with the Indians will run just one season, though. Crockett will replace him in 2016.

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

Gavin Floyd

Gavin Floyd was picked up by the Indians on a one-year, $4 million deal. The 31-year-old right-hander boasts a career stat line including a 4.40 ERA, a 1.33 WHIP and ratios including 7.1 K/9, 3.0 BB/9, 2.35 K/BB and 9.0 hits per nine innings. 

Floyd spent a brief time last season as a member of the Atlanta Braves. Through the first month of the season, Floyd was on a minor league rehab assignment as he attempted to work his way back from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent in the previous season.

Floyd made it back to the big leagues in early May, but made just nine starts with the Braves. The Maryland native allowed just a 2.65 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP in that time, while striking out 7.5 batters per nine innings and walking just 2.2.

Floyd suffered another injury in mid-June and underwent surgery to repair a fractured olecranon in his right elbow, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.

Floyd should be ready to go for the start of the 2015 season, and the fine folks over at Roster Resource have him pegged as the team's No. 4 starter for the year. I see him slotting in as the fifth starter, behind Danny Salazar, but the important point here is that he'll make it into the rotation.

Beyond 2015, Floyd's future with the team gets a little dicey, as he could easily be beaten out by prospects like Cody Anderson or Dylan Baker. In addition to that, the team could also look to make a deal for a starting pitcher, as they could use another front-end option to pair with Corey Kluber.

Prediction: Floyd pitches the entire 2015 season as a member of the Indians' starting rotation, but is allowed to walk in the 2015-16 free agency period to make room for prospects like Anderson and Baker.