Hold on to your keys and wigs, kids: the Cleveland Indians have signed Austin Kearns to a minor-league deal!

Now, this may not sound as exciting as the other big-ticket deals that have been happening this winter, but for fans of cheap, useful talent, this is an intriguing acquisition. Formerly of the Reds and Nationals, Kearns has long been touted as a supremely talented player who, for one reason or another, simply never put it together. This is due partly to his outstanding rookie campaign in which he hit .315/.407/.500, albeit in only 435 PA. But even since then, he's not been unproductive; his age 26 season (.264/.363/.467, 24 HR) was nothing to scoff at, and he's been an above-average player for his career (104 OPS+, though a 67 and 72 mark in the past two seasons, respectively, are admittedly troubling). Normally, I'm not a fan of bringing in veteran talent in favor of young players, but when you can get a guy like Kearns on a minor-league deal, it's win-win.

So what can we expect from Kearns in the upcoming season? It appears that he will slot in as a reserve outfielder, backing up some combination of Michael Brantley and Shin Soo-Choo. This is an ideal situation for him, because he's a very good glove man (career 9.8 UZR/150 in right field. Plus, a 47.0 mark in left...in 13 innings. But still.) and can acquit himself with the bat well enough – particularly considering his outstanding plate discipline (career .353 OBP, even mustering a .336 mark last season despite a sub-Mendoza batting average). If his injury woes haven't sabotaged the power he flashed earlier in his career, the Tribe may have done a great job of upgrading their bench at little cost.

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