Factory Of Sadness
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5 Moves The Cleveland Indians Must Make To Contend For a World Series In 2016

By Nick Dudukovich

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Jun 29, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Bryan Shaw (27) throws a pitch during the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Cleveland Indians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 7-1. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Find A Late Inning Reliever

The Tribe’s bullpen was one of the best in baseball in 2015, as Tribe relievers posted a 3.12 ERA–the fourth best mark in baseball, but Terry Francona’s lack of trust in the back end of the pen was concerning.

Too often, Francona relied on Allen to covert four-out saves, or turned to BryanShaw, who has pitched a ton the past two years. Shaw appeared in 153 games between 2014 and 2015, while logging

Allen has develop into a gem at closer, as the reliever converted 34 of 38 save attempts.

Jeff Manship has been a real find, posting a 0.93 ERA in 31 games. He’s taken over the role that Scott Atchinson exclled in last season, but he’ll be 31 next season, and there’s no telling whether the journeyman can replicate his 2015 campaign..

McAllister also appears to have found home in relief. As long as he has to fire fastballs, Z-Mach is effective. Hopefully the Indians won’t experiment with him as a starter this spring.

Free agent Ryan Webb has also been effect in long relief, and has expressed interest in re-signing with the Tribe.

Next: Indians Draft Failings: A Case Study

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