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The Indians are hopeful Durbin provides some stability to the bullpen (Photo: AP) |
Some news, notes, and thoughts from my Tribe notebook…
Tribe signs Durbin
On Tuesday the Cleveland Indians officially announced the signing of free agent right-handed reliever Chad Durbin. Reports had surfaced late last week that he was set to sign, and after completing a physical on Tuesday he put the finishing touches on a one year deal with the Indians for $800,000 that includes up to $1 million in incentives.
Durbin, 33, has pitched in parts of 11 major league seasons and in 308 career appearances in the big leagues (75 starts) he is 36-44 with a 5.05 ERA (691.0 IP, 735 H, 98 HR, 302 BB, 453 K). He pitched for the Indians briefly in 2003 and opened the 2004 season with the team and in 20 total appearances over those two seasons with the Indians he went 5-7 with a 6.75 ERA (60.0 IP, 81 H, 12 HR, 27 BB, 46 K).
While his career numbers are not very impressive, Durbin has seen some recent success after a full time shift to the bullpen in 2008. He was a solid contributor for the Philadelphia Phillies the past three years where in 194 appearances over the 2008-2010 season he went 11-7 with a 3.62 ERA (226.0 IP, 306 H, 20 HR, 109 BB, 188 K).
It is unknown at this time what role Durbin will pitch in out of the bullpen with the Indians. The Indians will likely use the right-handed trio of Durbin, Joe Smith and Jensen Lewis in a matchup based formula where any one of them could pitch the seventh or eighth innings as setup options to get to closer Chris Perez.
Durbin is a journeyman pitcher who has average stuff at best, but with the Indians having so many unknowns with the starting rotation going into the season this is a move to try and shore up and provide more stability to the bullpen. It looks like he is filling the Jamey Wright role from last season as a veteran bullpen arm to bring in for a few months and be a solid contributor while the Indians align the service clocks for their young relievers and finish off their development in Triple-A Columbus to start the season. Several high profile bullpen prospects like Josh Judy, Zach Putnam, Bryce Stowell, and Vinnie Pestano are all expected to be sprinkled in over the course of the season.
It still begs the question though why the Indians are even bothering with Durbin as right-handed relief is arguably an area of strength for the team. In what is viewed as a developmental year, wasting time on the likes of a journeyman like Durbin at the expense of letting some of their younger bullpen options pitch at the big league level to evaluate them there appears to be a waste of time and finite resources.
Barring injury, with Durbin in tow six of the seven bullpen spots are locked in as he should join right-handers Perez, Lewis, and Smith along with left-handers Tony Sipp and Rafael Perez in the opening day bullpen.
The lone bullpen opening to start the season will probably be filled by one of several right-handers in camp such as Frank Herrmann, Jess Todd, Joe Martinez, Vinnie Pestano, Justin Germano or Doug Mathis. Herrmann is probably the favorite at this point to win the job, but there is a long way to go this spring.
Laffey dealt to Mariners
To make room on the 40-man roster to add Durbin, the Indians completed a trade on Wednesday night by shipping left-handed pitcher Aaron Laffey to the Mariners for minor league infielder Matt Lawson.
Laffey, who turns 26 next month, pitched in 79 games (49 starts) over his four year career with the Indians going 18-21 with a 4.41 ERA (320.1 IP, 359 H, 128 BB, 155 K). He appeared to be a near lock to make the Indians roster as a long man in the bullpen or maybe even as the fifth starter. He still had one option remaining where he could have been sent to the minors if needed, and considering his versatility and him being left-handed, it is sort of puzzling to see the Indians pull the plug on him so quickly, especially for a low upside minor leaguer. If anything, his departure at least now brings the opening day bullpen and starting rotation a little more into focus.
Lawson, 25, has spent four seasons in the minors in the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners organizations reaching as high as Double-A. In 405 career games he owns a .283 batting average with 27 homers, 165 RBI, and a .758 OPS. He was acquired last July from the Rangers as part of the four player package the Mariners received in exchange for Cliff Lee.
The Indians have openly stated that they like the versatility Lawson provides, but in all honesty he is a long shot to make the big leagues and even if he does his staying power is very limited. He brings a solid bat where he can hit for average, but he lacks much power and his plate discipline is shaky. His best attribute is his ability to play solid defense, particularly at second base.
Lawson will probably start the season at Double-A Akron and play second base, though could play some third base, shortstop and outfield since his future is as a utility player. Interestingly, this past offseason he played shortstop in all of his 20 games he played in the Arizona Fall League, so he could potentially be an option to fill the open shortstop void at Triple-A Columbus to start the season.
Laffey's departure is not expected to be the last with regard to the 40-man roster this spring as some other moves could be coming soon, especially when you consider that the Indians may decide to go with waiver claims, trades, or the non-roster guys in camp to fill voids at third base, catcher, backup outfielder, utility man, and maybe even in the bullpen.
Infirmary report
We are about three weeks into spring training and as expected some players have experienced some minor setbacks due to a few bumps and bruises. Here is a quick rundown how some of the walking wounded are doing in Indians camp:
Outfielder Grady Sizemore has all but been ruled out to start the season with the club after GM Chris Antonetti's remarks earlier in the week saying he probably won't be ready. He is progressing well as he has been taking part in live batting practice and has really stepped up his conditioning program with more aggressive sprint and agility work. On Friday he also started to participate in outfield drills by catching fly balls and fielding grounders. He is still on schedule to begin playing in Cactus League games in about two weeks.
Right-handed pitcher Anthony Reyes had been shutdown since last weekend because of elbow soreness, but on Friday he restarted his throwing program and was throwing out to 90 feet. If he has no setbacks in his throwing program, he may see some game action soon. His setback has all but likely removed him from consideration for the vacant fifth starter spot in the rotation.
Outfielder Shin-Soo Choo returned to the field and played right field on Friday. He had been held out of a few games and only been playing as a designated hitter because he had been out nursing a sore left elbow.
Outfielder Trevor Crowe is still out with a sore shoulder (rotator cuff), but is expected to start throwing again soon. Because of the injury he will probably open the season on the 15-day disabled list or at Triple-A Columbus.
Outfielder/first baseman Shelley Duncan has been missing in action because he pulled a muscle in his back during batting practice over a week ago. He may be cleared to play later this week. He is expected to make the team as a reserve outfielder and backup first baseman.
While not injured, left-hander Rafael Perez was mysteriously absent from game action the past week and many people asked if he was hurt. I am happy to report he is in good health and was instead back home for the birth of his child. Right-handed pitcher Carlos Carrasco will also be absent for a little while as he has also gone home for the birth of his child.
Indians have interest in Johnson
While the Indians have chosen not to comment nor have made any official announcement, they have reportedly come to an agreement with first baseman Nick Johnson on a minor league deal. The deal would supposedly also include a club option for 2012.
Johnson, 32, is a very good hitter and very good defender at first base. In his nine year major league career he owns a .270 average with a nice .844 OPS and has slugged 91 homers in 794 games. He is more of a hitter along the lines of Sean Casey who can hit the ball out of the ballpark, but relies more on pounding gaps and getting on base. He also exhibits some very good patience at the plate as he walks a lot and limits the strikeouts. In a lot of ways he is the player Indians fans hoped Jordan Brown would be, but with much more defense.
So how are the Indians able to pickup such a player this late in the game, and on a minor league deal to boot?
Well, Johnson has a lengthy injury history and is coming off two major surgeries to his wrist last year where a lot of teams believe he is pretty much done as far as being an effective player. The Indians are taking a low risk shot in the dark here where assuming he passes his physical and the signing becomes official he will continue his rehab with the team and if all goes well he could be an option for them late this season.
The medical is a big question mark though, and any expectations of him possibly playing in Cleveland
Departing for Goodyear
I'll be heading out to Goodyear , Arizona on Thursday, so be sure to check out my site and my blog on SportsTime Ohio
Speaking of Goodyear, anyone reading this who is either already out in Goodyear or who may soon be going out for spring training, the team shop at the ballpark now has my new 2011 Indians prospect book in the store. So check it out! You can still purchase it through me here on my site, and it should be available on Amazon.com sometime this week.
Also, while I am here, if you have any Indians questions or comments please e-mail them to me at tlastoria@indiansprospectinsider.com. I plan to kick up my weekly/bi-weekly IPI Inbox feature next week, so feel free to ask anything that’s on your mind.
Parting Shots
The Indians are using infielder Jared Goedert a lot of different ways this spring. He is a third baseman, but because of his sub par defensive abilities at the big league level they have been using him at first base and he is expected to see some time in the outfield too. ... Infielder Cord Phelps may also see some time in the outfield, and if not will probably get some action out there once he is sent down to minor league camp in a week or so. ... Outfielder Austin Kearns was charged with a DUI back on February 12th, which by the advice of his lawyer he just told the team about earlier this week. The matter is being handled internally. ... Two former fan favorites from the 2004-2005 Indians teams have retired. Outfielder Jody Gerut and right-handed reliever Bob Howry have called it a career.
Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).
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