Opinion: Four Relievers That Could Help Fix Indians' Bullpen

By: Tim Whelan It's no secret. The Cleveland Indians bullpen has been downright dreadful. Some would argue it has cost the Indians eight or nine wins. Luckily

By: Tim Whelan

It's no secret. The Cleveland Indians bullpen has been downright dreadful. Some would argue it has cost the Indians eight or nine wins. Luckily for the Indians, they play in a weak AL Central division. The Indians are currently 30-28 on the season. They are 2.5 games ahead of the Detroit Tigers, who are 28-31.

The bullpen has been the main problem for the Indians this season. With the loss of Bryan Shaw and Joe Smith via free agency, the Indians have been looking for their replacements. So far, not good. The Indians have tried different pitchers throughout their farm system. They've also tried putting starter Josh Tomlin in the bullpen, who’s given up 18 home runs this year. That mark is the worst among active pitchers. Add to the fact that Andrew Miller also went on the 10-day DL with right knee inflammation and it’s a mess right now for the Cleveland relief staff.

The Indians have also looked outside the organization for help. They've recently signed Oliver Perez, who appeared in 50 games with the Washington Nationals last season. With the trade deadline approaching on July 31st, who are some of the relievers the Indians may target?

Brad Hand, LHP, San Diego Padres:

Brad Hand is a guy the Indians could use to help bridge the gap between Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. Hand has appeared in 27 games this season. He has 17 saves with an ERA of 2.15. Hand is 28 years old. He is in his first year of a 3-year, $19.75 million contract. Hand will make $4,083,333 million this season.

As long as the Indians window is open, Hand would be a big upgrade to the Indians bullpen and add some much-needed depth.

Sergio Romo, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays:

Romo is an interesting case. Romo was the long-time San Francisco Giants set-up man/closer. He won multiple World Series titles with the Giants. Since then, Romo has spent time with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays. Romo has an ERA of 5.96 currently. That isn’t too good. But he has 28 strikeouts and only 11 walks this season.

Romo is on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract. He is a cheap option for the Indians. Though this one seems unlikely.

Zach Britton, LHP, Baltimore Orioles:

Britton was the top closer in 2016. He owned a 0.54 ERA and had 47 saves. For those keeping score at home, that's really good. Unfortunately, Britton has yet to pitch in 2018. He’s set to return from the DL soon. Britton is returning from a surgically repaired ruptured Achilles tendon in December. The other issue surrounding Britton is the fact that he will make $12 million this season. He’s also an unrestricted free agent this off-season. He would be a rental for the remainder of the season and postseason.

It would cost the Indians a top-10 prospect at the very least. How would the fans respond to the Indians trading for a guy worth $12 million when they could’ve kept Bryan Shaw or Joe Smith at $9 million? This is unlikely to happen but could put the Indians potentially over the top.

Raisel Iglesias, RHP, Cincinnati Reds:

In 2018, Iglesias had a career-low 2.25 ERA. He has tallied 9 saves on the season. For the Indians, Iglesias could be a potential fit. Iglesias has already racked up 24 innings pitched on the season. His career-high is 95.1 innings pitched. Iglesias would be under team control until 2021. This season, he will make $5,214,285. Over the next two seasons, he’ll be due for $5,714,285. That’s affordable and controllable.