Cleveland Indians Bring Back OF Austin Kearns

Do you always hate it when the Cleveland Indians trade away their best players? If that describes you, then you might be excited about the fact that the Indians are bringing one of those "traded away players" back: outfielder Austin Kearns. If that doesn't get you excited about the Indians, then I don't know what will.

Seriously, though, Kearns was one of the team's best hitters last season before being traded to the New York Yankees. With the Indians, Kearns hit .272 (83 for 301) with 42 runs, 18 doubles, eight homers and 42 RBI. He didn't do much with the Yankees in limited time, hitting two home runs and driving in seven runs.

Cleveland agreed to a $1.3 million deal with Kearns, according to Paul Hoynes of the Plain Dealer. At the moment, Kearns is projected to serve as a utility outfielder with the team, with Michael Brantley, Grady Sizemore, and Shin-Soo Choo filling the starting positions. Kearns offers the advantage of being a right-handed batter, whereas the other three outfielders are all left-handed batters.