Over the course of the offseason, a number of teams have expressed some level of interest in free agent 1B Russell Branyan, but now it appears he’s down to two suitors:
Russell Branyan Field Narrows To Two
Branyan down to #Indians, #Rays. #RedSox no longer factor. Indians still favorite.
As for the latter bit, Buster Olney offers some confirmation:
Heard this: Some involved in the Russell Branyan negotiations believe he'll wind up with the Indians.
Branyan wouldn’t step into an immediate regular role with either team, backing up Pat Burrell in Tampa and backing up Matt LaPorta in Cleveland. However, both jobs would come with the promise of potentially frequent playing time should something not work out with the starter, as LaPorta is coming off surgery and Burrell is coming off a horrible season. The Rays would offer Branyan a greater shot at the playoffs, but Cleveland, of course, offers the homecoming appeal.
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