Cleveland signs Heath Hembree to minor-league deal

The Cleveland Baseball Club has signed the right-handed reliever to a minor-league deal.

It appears it is lottery ticket bullpen arm time for the Cleveland Baseball Club. The club agreed to a one-year deal with Heath Hembree worth $1.25 million plus incentives per Jon Heyman. Hembree spent parts of last season with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies.

The fact that Cleveland is signing Heath Hembree to a minors deal shows that they are not going to just put him in the bullpen from the get go, he has to earn it. Hembree struggled mightily for the Red Sox and Phillies last season, finishing with a total ERA of 9.00 and 1.789 WHIP. Things were slightly better in Boston, but that isn’t saying much. Hembree’s 5.59 ERA and 1.241 WHIP with the Red Sox being better than the 12.54 ERA and 2.357 WHIP with the Phillies is hardly an accomplishment.

What the Cleveland Baseball Club is hoping for is that Heath Hembree recaptures his former form. Hembree has a career 3.70 ERA, 1.366 WHIP, and a 8.9 K/9 during his Red Sox tenure. If Cleveland can get something close to resembling that it would not be a bad deal. Of course that is assuming that Hembree makes the leap from minors to majors at some point in 2021.