The Indians announced that they have signed veteran left-hander Tom Gorzelanny to a minor league deal with an invitation to Major League Spring Training. Cleveland also confirmed its previously reported minor league deal with lefty Joe Thatcher. Gorzelanny is represented by Relativity Sports, while Thatcher is a client of Platinum Sports.
Gorzelanny, 33, spent the 2015 season in the Tigers’ bullpen but found himself unable to recreate the strong results had delivered from 2012-14 with the Nationals and Brewers (combined 3.13 ERA over 178 1/3 innings). With Detroit, Gorzelanny totaled 39 1/3 innings but struggled to a 5.95 ERA. While an elevated BABIP played some role in the struggles, Gorzelanny also saw his strikeout rate dip and, most troublesome of all, his walk rate soar to 5.3 per nine innings — far and away his worst mark since becoming a reliever. Bloated walk rate notwithstanding, Gorzelanny still held lefties in check for the most part, yielding a .219/.317/.347 batting line. However, right-handers clobbered Gorzelanny to the tune of a .349/.454/.610 slash line. Gorzelanny has long had a platoon split, but 2015 was easily the most notable it has ever been.
The pair of lefties will compete for spots in the Cleveland bullpen, where Kyle Crockett and Giovanni Soto are the current options for manager Terry Francona.
Good pickup if he can return to his old form
Absolutely trash for most of the year, he did ok after fixing his arm angle
Fixing? They had him go to the minors, scrap his delivery and convert to side arm.
What about that isn’t fixing his arm slot?