Headlines

  • Rangers Option Josh Jung
  • Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement
  • Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture
  • Braves Designate Alex Verdugo For Assignment
  • Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin
  • Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

Remove Ads
  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2025 Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Indians Claim A.J. Cole

By Jeff Todd | January 11, 2019 at 4:49pm CDT

The Indians have claimed righty A.J. Cole off waivers from the Yankees, per club announcements. Brandon Warne of Zone Coverage first tweeted the news.

Cole, who recently turned 27, had failed to catch on with the Nationals before landing with the Yanks last year. He carved out a role in the New York bullpen, where he worked to a 4.26 ERA in 38 innings over 28 appearances. The out-of-options hurler could function as a long man for a Cleveland org that is looking for ways to improve on the cheap.

There were certainly some positives last year, as Cole worked off of a mid-nineties fastball and logged 11.6 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 with the Yankees. He continued to struggle with the long ball, though, and has allowed nearly two per nine innings during his 148 career innings in the majors.

Share 0 Retweet 12 Send via email0

Cleveland Guardians New York Yankees Transactions Washington Nationals A.J. Cole

Indians Avoid Arbitration With Francisco Lindor
Main
White Sox Avoid Arbitration With Jose Abreu
View Comments (32)
Post a Comment

32 Comments

  1. acarneglia

    6 years ago

    Wish Cole nothing but success in Cleveland. He actually pitched better than his ERA would lead you to believe once he got to NYY.

    3
    Reply
    • kenneth cole

      6 years ago

      No. Lol. He sucked his last 10 appearances

      Reply
      • costergaard2

        6 years ago

        Yes, but several were excellent prior to that

        Reply
  2. PipptyPoppitygivemetheZoppity

    6 years ago

    Ayy

    1
    Reply
  3. Samuel

    6 years ago

    Thought they might get him.

    Better chance of fixing him were Callahan still there.

    Carl Willis has a long track record as a pitching coach…..

    Spotty. Mostly shades of awful. Cliff Lee got fed-up one year. Over the winter he hired his own pitching coach. Won the Cy Young the next season.

    3
    Reply
    • ryno

      6 years ago

      Thanks for that insider account, Sammy!

      Reply
      • Samuel

        6 years ago

        @ ryno;

        Insider account?

        I read and heard about it from following the NE Ohio sports media via the Internet. Was an open story. Cliff Lee wanted out of there for years before they traded him.

        Reply
    • sufferforsnakes

      6 years ago

      Who’s Callahan? Dirty Harry Callahan? Yeah, he’d really fix him…..for good.

      Reply
      • moe 3

        6 years ago

        Make my day

        Reply
      • Michael Chaney

        6 years ago

        No, Bo Callahan. None of his pitchers showed up to his birthday party.

        Reply
  4. HalosHeavenJJ

    6 years ago

    Getting out of NY, and the East in general, should help limit the HR’s a bit I would think.

    1
    Reply
    • thelastonetodie

      6 years ago

      Prob much better in that weak division and better pitching ballparks

      Reply
  5. bernbabybern

    6 years ago

    I will not miss the whiplash.

    1
    Reply
  6. Gwynning's Anal Lover

    6 years ago

    I was hoping Cole would get claimed by the Pirates so I didn’t feel out of date with my jersey.

    5
    Reply
  7. Michael Chaney

    6 years ago

    The peripheral numbers alone were enough to take a flyer on, but he’s still young and at least has the pedigree of being a former top prospect. I like the Indians’ strategy of throwing a bunch of low-risk relief arms at the wall and seeing what sticks; every year they seem to come up with a meaningful contributor that way, and hopefully that continues.

    4
    Reply
    • thelastonetodie

      6 years ago

      Seems like most teams like that approach, other than the dodgers, Yankees, cubs, cards, A’s and oddly enough the Rockies who pay big for bullpen pieces..

      2
      Reply
  8. Francys01

    6 years ago

    Good move Cleveland. Definitely Cleveland should take a look at Hunter Pence. He could play left or right field.

    Reply
  9. Yankeepatriot

    6 years ago

    Hope he does well but Indians fans will tire of him quickly

    Reply
  10. Cuso

    6 years ago

    Thank you for taking Boone’s toy away.

    2
    Reply
    • gotothevideotape

      6 years ago

      Lolol are so right!

      2
      Reply
  11. norcalguardiansfan

    6 years ago

    It is nice to see all the positive stories about Cole’s stuff. I’m sure that is why the Indians picked him up, but I’m given his option situation, I’m skeptical that he makes the team.

    Reply
  12. Polish Hammer

    6 years ago

    Sounds like they found their new McAllister…

    Reply
  13. sufferforsnakes

    6 years ago

    Does he give up more home runs than Tomlin?

    1
    Reply
    • Samuel

      6 years ago

      Stay classy!

      Reply
      • sufferforsnakes

        6 years ago

        Less home runs?

        Reply
      • sufferforsnakes

        6 years ago

        @Samuel – stay ignorant.

        2
        Reply
    • The Ghost of Bobby Bonilla

      6 years ago

      That’s a negative. NO ONE gives up more HRs than the tiny cowboy. I was at a Columbus AAA game last year and watched him get rocked. Absolutely mauled by a bunch of minor leaguers. Horrific to watch.

      Reply
      • debubba

        6 years ago

        He said Tiny Cowboy

        Reply
  14. The_Porcupine

    6 years ago

    I’m surprised he made it through the waiver wire far enough for the Indians to claim him. I mean why wouldn’t the Orioles, royals, Marlin’s, etc take a flyer on him. He is still young enough that he has upside. Don’t the pirates typically turn someone like him into a quality piece of the rotation.

    Reply
  15. tank62

    6 years ago

    AJ Cole
    Bay bay

    Reply
  16. Matthew De Lorge

    6 years ago

    Bye Felicia!

    Reply
  17. driftcat28 2

    6 years ago

    Thank heavens he’s gone

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.

Log in Register

    Top Stories

    Rangers Option Josh Jung

    Kevin Pillar Announces Retirement

    Braves Place Spencer Schwellenbach On IL With Elbow Fracture

    Braves Designate Alex Verdugo For Assignment

    Giants Exercise 2026 Option On Manager Bob Melvin

    Yordan Alvarez Shut Down Due To Setback With Hand Injury

    Astros Place Jeremy Peña On Injured List With Fractured Rib

    Tucker Barnhart To Retire

    Tyler Mahle To Be Sidelined Beyond Trade Deadline

    Reds Release Jeimer Candelario

    Dave Parker Passes Away

    Griffin Canning Diagnosed With Ruptured Achilles

    Pirates Reportedly Have Very Few Untouchable Players At Trade Deadline

    Griffin Canning Believed To Have Suffered Achilles Injury

    Mariners Looking For Corner Infield Bats; Ownership Willing To Bump Payroll

    Wander Franco Found Guilty Of Sexual Abuse

    Mariners Place Rowdy Tellez On Release Waivers

    Max Meyer To Undergo Season-Ending Hip Surgery

    Whit Merrifield Announces Retirement

    White Sox Sign Noah Syndergaard To Minor League Deal

    Recent

    MLB Mailbag: Braves, Cubs, Sasaki, Angels, Volpe

    MLBTR Podcast: Depleted Mets’ Pitching, The Pirates Are Open For Business, And More!

    Trade Deadline Outlook: Washington Nationals

    Mets To Select Rico Garcia

    D-Backs, Seth Brown Agree To Deal

    D-Backs GM Mike Hazen Discusses Deadline Possibilities

    Orioles Sign Jose Barrero To Minor League Deal

    Zach Pop Elects Free Agency

    MLB Announces 2025 All-Star Starting Hitters

    Diamondbacks Designate Kyle Nelson For Assignment

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Sandy Alcantara Rumors
    • Luis Robert Rumors
    • Alex Bregman Rumors

     

    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android App Store Google Play

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Remove Ads, Support Our Writers
    • Front Office Originals
    • Front Office Fantasy Baseball
    • MLBTR Podcast
    • Trade Deadline Outlook Series
    • 2025-26 MLB Free Agent List
    • Contract Tracker
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • RSS/Twitter Feeds By Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    hide arrows scroll to top

    Register

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version