Is former New York Yankees relief pitcher Dellin Betances an option for the Cleveland Indians as they fill out their bullpen?
On the surface this seems like an easy question. Yes, the Cleveland Indians should be interested in Dellin Betances. Betances at his best is one of the best relievers in the game. It is not about his performance, rather his injury filled 2019 season.
Dellin Betances missed all but two-thirds of an inning in 2019 with a right shoulder injury. This kept Betances sidelined until Setpember. In Betances‘ only appearance, he ended up with a partial tear of his left achilles tendon. This could be what keeps Cleveland from considering Betances as an option.
Cleveland is historically a risk averse franchise. For the Indians is not about flash or production. It is about a perceived lack of risk. With the two injuries that Betances had last season that points to risk. They are more likely to sign someone who may not have as much upside, but appears to be safer. Essentially, the Indians cannot afford to sign a player, depend on him as key part of the bullpen and have him miss time due to injury.
With Cleveland shedding some salary in an effort to (apparently) still be competitive, they cannot take on an expensive risk. Cleveland will look to maximize on-field production without breaking the bank. Unless Dellin Betances is going to take a bargain bin type deal in order to rebuild value and make people forget about the injuries which kept him sidelined for all but two-thirds of an inning in 2019, he might not be a realistic option for the Tribe in 2020.
