The Cleveland Indians have signed left-handed relief pitcher Tom Gorzelanny to a minor league deal, as confirmed through Twitter. This is the second lefty specialist the Indians have signed in the past week as they attempt to even out their bullpen, which currently lacks a domin. Last Thursday, the Indians also agreed to a minor league deal with Joe Thatcher. Both signings were made official today.
Gorzelanny is a 33-year-old reliever who has some experience is as a starter, but has not done so since 2013. His role on the Indians, should he make the roster out of Spring Training, will be a veteran lefty presence out of the pen. Over a whopping 880.2 career innings, Gorzelanny carries a 4.34 ERA, a 4.36 FIP, and an 18.4 percent strikeout rate.
With the additions of Gorzelanny and Thatcher, the Indians will have a legitimate battle coming out of Spring Training to take the place of ex-Indians reliever Nick Hagadone, who recently joined the Milwaukee Brewers organization with a minor league contract. Unless the Tribe makes some kind of trade or other signing, one of these two should make the roster out of Spring Training to shore up the bullpen.