Cleveland Indians: Signing Craig Breslow Is A Very Possible Option

The Cleveland Indians are not done in their attempts to improve their roster for the 2017 season.

MLB teams can never have too much pitching. For the Cleveland Indians, they have one of the best starting rotations and overall pitching staffs in all of Major League Baseball. Yet, they are right-handed heavy and have very few left-handed options they can turn too.

Help though may be on its way in the form of veteran lefty Craig Breslow who by many is the top left-handed reliever left on the free agent market.

According to Fox Sports and MLB.com’s’ Ken Rosenthal, the Indians are strong on Breslow. Rosenthal also mentioned Breslow’s ties to the teams with interest in him and the fact that despite the interest, he will probably wait for others to sign first.

Breslow is 36 years old and although expected figures have not been rumored, a one-year deal with an option or a two-year deal should be what he signs.

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As far as the Indians ties, they are fellow lefty Andrew Miller and manager Terry Francona. Breslow is best known for his time with the Boston Red Sox (2006, 2012-2015) and Oakland A’s (2009-2011). In 2016 with the Miami Marlins, Breslow was 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in a shortened, injury riddled 15 game season.

Should Breslow join the Indians, he would help them in two ways instantly. First, the fact that he is a left-handed pitcher helps given how the roster is constructed.

The other way is that he at the very least would provide another option as a setup man. Given all who Cleveland has used in that role over the last few seasons, if Breslow earned that role, he should succeed in it.

The reliever market is finally starting to heat up. Beat late than never right? It is getting so close to the reporting date for pitchers and catchers that it is a bit surprising that such solid relievers are still without a team. Remember, for the Indians, catchers and pitchers must report in 15 days.

Given that Breslow has a history with Francona and Miller, Cleveland should be the favorite to sign him. If Breslow decides to go elsewhere, another lefty to be determined should be a logical signing prior to the start of spring training.

Next: 5 Hidden Issues For the 2017 Indians

Waiting for others to sign before Breslow is a bit frustrating to accept. However, whether it is Breslow or someone else, it is good to know that another left-handed reliever should be added in the foreseeable future.

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