After acquiring A.J. Cole off waviers, the Cleveland Indians also designated him for assignment, this time passing though waivers and being assigned to AAA.
After being designated for assignment by the New York Yankees, A.J. Cole was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians. Almost a month after claiming him, Cleveland also DFA’d Cole after the acquisition of Nick Wittgren from Miami. This time Cole passed through waivers and will be assigned to AAA Columbus.
Like many other players, Cole is being given a minor league contract with an invite to Spring Training. This will give Cole the chance to make Cleveland’s big league roster if he performs well in Arizona.
Cole has previously been a member of the Washington Nationals and the aforementioned New York Yankees. Consistent success has not come easy for Cole, his career 5.05 ERA in 148 innings shows just that. A converted starter, Cole was utilized out of the bullpen by the Yankees last season. In 28 games, Cole pitched 38 innings, struck out 49 batters, finished 13 games and had an ERA of 4.26 for New York. Cole’s strikeout numbers and ability to finish games are impressive. The nine home runs given up, not so much.
How will the Indians use A.J. Cole?
Ideally if all goes well the Indians could use A.J. Cole out of the bullpen. Of course that is if he performs well enough in Spring Training to earn a roster spot. If not, Cole will spend time in AAA working on his pitches and potentially making the jump back up to the Major Leagues.
Cleveland has made some moves to try and address the bullpen, claiming Cole is certainly one of them. Almost anything that the Indians can do to improve their bullpen is a good move. A.J. Cole could become a valuable arm in the Tribe bullpen or could spend the entire season in AAA. Either way having Cole in the system is a step in the right direction. It at least shows an effort to improve the team, even if some do not believe the front office is willing to do so.
