There's Plenty of Help for the Indians Bullpen in 2018; Here's Some Options

Free agency has not been kind to the Indians’ bullpen. The departure of Brian Shaw (three years, $27 million to Colorado), Joe Smith (two years, $15 million to Houston) and Boone Logan (one year, 2.5 million to Milwaukee) has left the Cleveland bullpen in a state of flux.

There are answers out there, sitting on the extensive list of unsigned MLB free agents, but identifying them is the challenge.

In the NFL, player-personnel directors make names for themselves not with what they do in the first few rounds of the annual NFL Draft, but for what kind of talent they can find in the later rounds.

Sure, anyone could have picked Myles Garrett with the first overall pick, but it takes a keen eye for talent to pluck a Carl Nassib in the third out of Penn State.

There is a parallel between finding talent in the NFL Draft and identifying and spending money wisely on players in the free agent market.

The Indians have to rebuild the middle of their bullpen, and without a trade Indians president Chris Antonetti will be scouring the free agent wire, both now and when cuts begin during spring training.

We at NEO Sports Insiders would like to give Antonetti some help and have identified a few relievers available who will not cost a ton of money and could give Terry Francona some big innings this summer.

Unless you are a hard-core fantasy baseball player or absolute baseball junkie there are probably a couple of names here you are not familiar with. These are the kind of ‘meat and potatoes’ guys every team needs, signings that wouldn’t generate a lot of excitement among the fan base.

They would, however, help the team as it looks to claim a third consecutive American League Central crown and return to the post season. Middle relievers aren’t sexy, but they are critical.

Matt Albers, RHP (2017 team – Nationals)

Indians fans should be familiar with Albers, who pitched for the Tribe in 2013. He came to the Indians in December, 2012, along with Shaw and Trevor Bauer.

The 35 year-old righthander spent 2017 with the Washington Nationals, posting a 7-2 record in 63 appearances with a sparkling 1.62 ERA.

He made the team after signing a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training and took advantage, getting called up to the big league team in early May and sticking all season.

Albers is a power pitcher. His out pitch is a heavy mid-90’s sinker he compliments with a power slider and curve. He also throws strikes, walking just 17 batters in 61 innings while striking out 63 last year.

Albers is also relatively durable. He missed time in 2014 with a shoulder injury when he pitched for the Astros and also hit the disabled list when he suffered a broken finger in a bench-clearing brawl against the Royals while pitching for the White Sox in 2015.

Albers had a down year in 2016 with the White Sox. His sinker wasn’t sinking and he struck out just 30 in 51.1 innings while surrendering 67 hits and posting an awful 6.31 ERA.

However, it all came together last year in a magical season in the nation’s capital.

Albers also has strong incentive to put together a quality season. He will enter the 2018 campaign with 9.141 years of Major League service time. If he can stick with a team all season he will cross the 10-year threshold. The pension for a 10-year major leaguer is $210,000 a year if they start taking their pension at age of 62. Not bad.

Albers won’t cost much. His deal with Washington last season was for $1.15 million, but after his strong campaign will expect a pay raise. With relievers cashing in this off-season there’s a good chance he will want something in the neighborhood of $4 million over two seasons.

David Hernandez, RHP (2017 teams – Angels and Diamondbacks)

Hernandez is a quality match-up righty who strikes a lot of batters out. He throws a mid-90’s fastball and also features an above-average change and slider he can throw for strikes. Over his eight seasons, Hernandez has struck out 546 in 542 innings.

The 2005 Orioles draft pick is 32 years old. He signed for just $535,000 last season with the Angels after making $3.9 million in 2016.

It was money well-spent. In 38 games for the Angels Hernandez struck out 37 in 36.2 innings and posted a 2.23 ERA. On July 31 the Angels moved Hernandez to Arizona in a straight-up swap for Luis Madero.

The Mexican-born Hernandez throws strikes as well after struggling with walks early in his career. In 2010, while pitching for the Orioles, he walked 4.8 batters per nine innings. Those numbers have steadily gone down. He walked just nine batters last season, 1.5 per nine innings.

At 32 years old it wouldn’t be much of a gamble to give Hernandez a multi-year deal…something in the neighborhood of three years at $2.5-$3 million per would probably be enough to get him to Cleveland.

Ian Krol, LHP (2-17 team – Braves)

Krol was at one point, with four legitimate big-league pitches that he can throw for strikes, one of the hottest pitching prospects in baseball. He showed signs of, with apologies to Kevin Costner’s character Crash Davis, possessing a million-dollar body with a 10-cent head. The jury is still out on Krol, but the 26 year-old’s history is interesting to say the least.

He was suspended twice from his high school team, Neuqua Valley High School in California, for alcohol-related incidents…including his entire senior season.

Oakland, noting his MLB-ready four-seam fastball, took a chance on the lefty, drafting him in the seventh round of the 2009 draft. In five seasons since he has been traded three times. He was the player to be named a three-team deal that sent him with University of Kentucky star A.J. Cole and Blake Trienen to Washington, sent John Jaso from Seattle to Oakland and sent Mike Morse from the Nationals to the Mariners on Dec. 2, 2013.

In December he was on the move again, getting shipped, with Steve Lombardozzi and Robbie Ray, from Washington to Detroit for Doug Fister.

On Nov. 20, 2015 the Tigers sent Krol and Gabe Speier to Atlanta for Cameron Maybin.

Krol had a big year for Atlanta in 2016, posting a 3.18 ERA in 63 appearances, striking out 56 in 51.0 innings. He crashed to earth in 2017, giving up 50 hits (including eight home runs) in just 49.0 innings. Atlanta outrighted Krol to Triple-A Gwinnett in October, but he instead elected to become a free agent.

Krol would be a project. His stuff is electric, with a four-seam fastball that touches 96, a two-seamer that settles in the low-90’s, a sweeping curve he controls and a change that shows good separation off his fastball.

Cleveland could be a good landing spot, and an unlikely mentor could be there for him to lean on. Trevor Bauer has always had electric stuff. Bauer had the scouts drooling over his arm while cringing over what sits between his ears. After a solid 2017 campaign it appears as if things have clicked for Bauer.

The same could happen for Krol in Cleveland, but it would be a risk. He would be relatively cheap, but the potential payoff is immense.

Peter Moylan, RHP (2017 team – Royals)

If someone were to write a book about the life of Peter Moylan it would be required reading. His story is amazing, from selling pharmaceuticals and playing semi-pro baseball in his native Australia to dominating right-handed batters in 2017, the 39 year-old Moylan is the kind of guy the most creative fiction writer couldn’t make up.

He is a guy that possessed an upper-80’s fastball that didn’t move much. He decided to try pitching sidearm, and ended up with one of the most devastating weapons in baseball…a fastball that touches 97 and starts behind a right-handed batter’s ear.

Moylan has been released seven times in his career. In 2015 the Braves signed him as a minor league coach while he recovered from his second Tommy John surgery. He ended up back in the majors that year.

The heavily-tatooed righty once shaved the top of his head for a promotional photo and tweeted a picture of himself wearing a black cocktail dress prior to the 2011 ESPYs. He inspired a line of t-shirts that read, “Chicks dig the ground ball.”

Moylan bought an espresso machine for the Braves’ clubhouse and introduced the team to his favorite drink…the “Sledge-iato.” This combination of espresso and chocolate milk was wildly popular with Moylan’s teammates.

As bizarre as Moylan is off the field, he is effective on it. Righthanders hit just .161 off him last season in his 59.1 innings for the Royals.

Moylan will turn 40 this year, but he wants to pitch a couple more seasons. A two-year deal at around $2,3 million would most likely do the trick.

Sergio Romo, RHP (2017 team – Dodgers and Rays)

Most National League fans know exactly who Romo is, as he spent nearly a decade in San Francisco as one of the top middle relievers in baseball. He also spent a couple of seasons as San Francisco’s closer.

Romo does not throw hard, topping out at about 90. What he does, however, is know how to pitch. He appeared in over 500 games with the Giants, recording three saves in the 2012 World Series.

He has made a lot of money during his career, but right now, after struggling last season, is looking for a place where he can prove he can be the effective pitcher he once was.

Romo would sign a one-year, incentive-laden contract. He would be a good gamble for the Indians.

Koji Uehara, RHP (2017 team – Cubs)

Many would scoff at the idea of bringing in a 42 year-old pitcher, but Uehara is worth the risk. Age hasn’t meant anything to the Japanese righty who was a big part of the Red Sox’ World Series-winning bullpen in 2013.

Over the last three seasons, Uehara, a match-up righty, has been very consistent. In 2015 with Boston he had a 2.23 ERA in 40.1 innings, striking out 47 and walking nine while surrendering 28 hits. In ’16 he pitched 47 innings, striking out 63 and walking 11 while giving up 34 hits.

Last season, after signing a one-year deal with the Cubs that paid him $6 million, Uehara pitched 43 innings, striking out 50 and walking 12 while surrendering 38 hits. He did miss some time with a strained pectoral muscle last season and was sidelined with back tightness in September, but if healthy, Uehara could produce.

Uehara came to the United States after pitching 10 seasons for the Yomiuri Giants in the Japan Central League. He piled up 112 wins against 62 losses in Japan, with a 3.01 ERA. He struck out 1376 in 1549 innings.

Uehara has made over $50 million in nine Major League seasons and, with the market for relievers at an almost ridiculous level this winter, is in line for a hefty payday. It wouldn’t hurt the Indians to kick the tires on Uehara to see what it would take to get him to come to Cleveland.