The Cleveland Baseball Club is bringing back the reliever on a minor league deal
He’s back! Bryan Shaw has agreed to a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training according to Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Shaw spent 2013-2017 with the Cleveland Baseball Club before spending two season with the Colorado Rockies and one with the Seattle Mariners.
Bryan Shaw was a mainstay of the Cleveland bullpen during his time with the club. Shaw led all of baseball in appearances during the 2014 (80) and 2017 (79) seasons while leading the American League in 2016 (75). He earned the trust of Terry Francona and became one of his go-to guys. While that sometimes has been problematic, there is something to that when it comes to managers like Tito.
Bryan Shaw appeared in 378 games in Cleveland, finishing with a 3.11 ERA, 1.188 WHIP, and 8.4 K/9. Shaw signed a large contract with the Rockies prior to 2018 and things did not go well. For someone who is often criticized for giving up ill-timed home runs, going to Colorado was probably not the best idea. Shaw made 131 appearances for Colorado and his performance suffered, a 5.61 ERA, 1.547 WHIP, and 8.0 K/9 was not what the Rockies expected from the right hander. A brief pit stop in Seattle was not any better as his 18.00 ERA, 3.167 WHIP, and 6 K/9 in 6 games was not ideal.
By signing with Cleveland there is hope that Bryan Shaw can revert back to his former form. Perhaps just being in a place where there has been a long track record of success will make him feel more comfortable and result in better and consistent pitching performances.