CLEVELAND — It was a mid-January day in 2018 when Jason Kipnis returned to the clubhouse at Progressive Field ahead of the Cleveland Indians' annual 'Tribe Fest.'
Upon arriving at his locker -- where reporters were already waiting for him -- the Indians second baseman took note of his belongings, which had been mysteriously boxed up.
"I guess they really thought the trade went through," Kipnis said with a laugh.
Earlier that offseason, the Indians had reportedly agreed to a trade that would have sent Kipnis to the New York Mets. The deal, however, only fell apart when the Mets allegedly balked at being on the hook for the $30.5 million that was guaranteed to Kipnis over the course of the next two years.
"Guys get traded all the time," Kipnis said at the time, addressing the trade report. "They know I love playing here and I want to stay here, but I understand the business side of it. Stuff like that is usually out of the players' control and our job is to only take care of what we can take care of."
Kipnis' career in Cleveland could have very well been over then and there and truth be told, it wasn't like the Indians didn't try. But between his high salary, inconsistent production and injury issues, Cleveland was unable to find a trade partner to deal Kipnis to over the course of the next two years.
As a result, the 2-time All-Star would play out the final two seasons of his contract with the Indians. But as of Tuesday, his time in Cleveland may finally be coming to an end.
On Tuesday, the Indians announced that Kipnis would likely miss the remainder of the 2019 season after suffering a fractured bone in his right wrist. With a $2.5 million buyout available to Cleveland at season's end, it seems likely the Indians will opt not to keep Kipnis under contract at $16.5 million in 2020.
Although the possibility exists Cleveland could sign Kipnis to a smaller figure, the writing appears to be on the wall that he and the Indians will part ways. In each of the previous two seasons, the Arizona State product had lost his spot as the team's starting second baseman by the start of the playoffs -- another indication that the franchise has come to view him as expendable.
While Kipnis is still valued as a locker room leader and actually enjoyed an uptick in production in 2019, the reality remains that it may simply be time for Cleveland to inject some new life into its infield. With Jose Ramirez also sidelined for the rest of the season, Yu Chang has gotten meaningful reps at third base, which could result in Ramirez moving back to his more natural position of second base in 2020.
It's also worth noting that the top prospect in the Indians organization, Nolan Jones, is a third baseman, whose midseason promotion to Double-A Akron could mean that his big league debut will be occurring sooner rather than later.
Nevertheless, Kipnis' potential -- and perhaps likely -- departure from the Indians would mark the end of an era in Cleveland, considering his history with the team. Selected in the second round of the 2009 MLB Draft, it didn't take long for the Illinois native to become the Indians' every day second baseman, a position he held for the better part of the past eight years.
While his production wasn't always consistent, his effort was, earning him the nickname "Dirtbag" from former Indians manager Manny Acta. Kipnis' team-first approach was perhaps most exemplified during the worst years of his career, when he willingly made the move to centerfield to accommodate his Terry Francona's lineup options.
There were plenty of good times too and it's far from a coincidence that arguably the best season of his career came during the Indians' run to the 2016 World Series. But after Michael Brantley left in free agency and Yan Gomes was traded last offseason, there always seemed to be a sense that Kipnis was the last man standing from his era in the Cleveland clubhouse.
And that era may now officially be over.