4:50pm: Cleveland has announced the deal via press release.
4:20pm: The Indians and left-hander Ross Detwiler have agreed to a minor league contract, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (links to Twitter). If he makes the club, Detwiler will earn a $1MM base salary, and his contract also contains an additional $1.5MM worth of incentives.
Detwiler, a client of CAA Sports, split last season between the Rangers and Braves but struggled at both stops. The former No. 6 overall draft pick had spent his entire career prior to 2015 with the Nationals, the organization that drafted him, compiling a 3.82 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 across 471 innings. Detwiler split his time fairly evenly between the bullpen and rotation with the Nationals — 69 starts, 63 relief appearances — but he started just seven games last season (all with the Braves). Home runs were Detwiler’s undoing in Texas, as he yielded nine of them in just 43 innings of work with the Rangers en route to a 7.12 ERA. Upon going to the Braves, the lefty displayed significant control problems — 15 unintentional walks in 15 1/3 innings — which have never been a problem for him in the past. Ultimately, a hamstring injury suffered in early September ended his season and his time with the Braves.
There weren’t many positive takeaways from the 2015 season for Detwiler, but the 29-year-od did hold lefties to a .660 OPS and has always been pretty effective against same-handed batters, yielding just a .233/.314/.301 batting line to such opponents. He’ll join fellow southpaws Joe Thatcher and Tom Gorzelanny as non-roster invites in Spring Training, hoping to edge out one or both as he seeks to land a big league roster spot. Unlike those two, however, Detwiler could conceivably battle for a rotation spot, although with Corey Kluber, Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco, Trevor Bauer, Cody Anderson and Josh Tomlin all ahead of him, that looks unlikely at this juncture.
Indians seem like one or two bats away from blowing away the competition.
That’s what I read when I see “minor-league contract”, the Indians are more than a couple of bats away
TJ House is a sleeper for that rotation too
He never started for the Braves just the Rangers.
Why do I even have this app as an Indians fan. I like these moves, but they don’t matter unless ownership spends on a legit bat.
As a fellow Tribe fan it is naturally frustrating.. However this success is going to have to come from within most likely. The Indians cannot afford a sure offensive thing because those players clearly command way too high a cost. Or if obtained in trade would likely have to cough up way too much of the pitching which HAS become a near sure thing (and controllable). So the Indians will need to have someone step up from within the organization. Taking pressure off of guys like Santana by adding a bat like a Napoli is a smart move. Will it truly make a huge difference.. Possibly not.. But in our market that’s essentially how things have to be done. Smart drafting, extremely sound trades, and maintaining control of strengths (SP). Now it’s basically the final stage of waiting game to see if we can have similar success to a KC (similar market, many of key youngsters developed together).. The Indians do have some weapons on the horizon in Zimmer, Naquin, and Ramsey.. Further out still Frazier. It’s certainly not easy being a Tribe fan.. But I feel the org is on right track. Just not always fun playing the waiting game.
Naquin and Zimmer can’t contribute in 2016 and I worry that they won’t be ready in time for this window. The KC comparison is fine, but their payroll was 90 million when they made that run and 110 this last year. If the Indians bumped to the 90 million mark that leaves us 10-15 million for a bonafide bat, not these spare parts.
Need to add TJ House to that list of starters. Dude hasn’t had a bad stretch since he’s been in the big leagues.
The Tribe shopping in the scratch and dent section again. Hoping to resurrect another career so they can skip town and cash in once they do. Not sure why MLB refuses to have a legit salary cap when every other league does and the well run teams are able to maintain.