Bryan Shaw will be returning to Cleveland, as he and the Indians agreed to a minor-league deal that includes an invite to major-league camp, along with reliever DJ Johnson. The Indians also signed reliever Heath Hembree to a minor-league deal that includes an invite to camp.
Shaw, 33, in five seasons with the Indians posted a 3.11 ERA, 3.45 FIP and struck out 333 batters in 358 2/3 innings, often pitching in high-leverage, set-up situations ahead of closer Cody Allen. From 2014-2017, he led the league in appearances three times, throwing at least 75 innings twice in that stretch and three times in five years in Cleveland. Shaw signed with the Colorado Rockies and struggled, posting a 5.61 ERA in two years. He took another downturn last year with the Seattle Mariners, giving up 12 runs and six home runs in six innings.
The Indians will be able to see if Shaw can find his former self and limit the home runs, though he also had a tendency to struggle in spring training even when one of his better seasons was to follow, making it difficult to judge how his performance in February and March might affect April, May and beyond. Hembree, 32, also had a rough 2020, giving up 19 runs in 19 innings with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. In 2019, Hembree had a 3.86 ERA and 4.78 FIP with 46 strikeouts in 39 2/3 innings with the Red Sox. Johnson, 31, spent 2020 with Rakuten and Hiroshima in Japan’s NPB, posting a combined 3.81 ERA in 30 outings. In the two seasons prior, both with the Rockies, Johnson finished with a 4.88 ERA, 3.81 FIP and 24 strikeouts in 25 innings.