The Cleveland Indians have signed relief pitcher Tyler Clippard to a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training.
In another effort to bolster the bullpen, the Cleveland Indians have signed Tyler Clippard. Jon Heyman had the report Wednesday afternoon.
As Heyman mentions, it is a Minor League deal with a chance to make the Major League roster. With the current status of the bullpen the Indians may opt to bring Tyler Clippard with them once they leave Arizona.
This is not the first signing that the Indians have made with this structure. Cleveland signed Alex Wilson to a similar deal almost two weeks ago. Both have the opportunity to make the team out of Spring Training. Although it could be possible that both are competing for the same job. However it would be better if the Tribe left camp with both on the roster as long as they both perform well in Arizona.
Tyler Clippard is a 12-year veteran who has spent time with various clubs throughout his career. Clippard sports a 3.16 career ERA and has been quite adept at finishing games. Not to be confused with a save, finishing games is important whether the team is ahead or behind by a lot. It can save the bullpen for the next day or bail them out if the group had a rough outing. Tyler Clippard has 68 saves and has finished 186 games in his career. 22 of the finished games came just last season with Toronto. 23 came the year before with the Yankees, White Sox and Astros.
Cleveland is doing what they can to try and fix the bullpen after the departures of Andrew Miller and Cody Allen. While these moves may not be as recognizable to the average fan, they can still contribute to the group of bullpen arms.
