The Indians added another option to the bullpen on Monday, signing right-hander Craig Stammen to a minor-league deal that includes a nonroster invitation to camp this spring.
Converted to a reliever in 2010, Stammen, 31, has spent his entire major-league career with the Washington Nationals. In 229 appearances, he has compiled a 3.91 ERA with 370 strikeouts in 490⅔ innings.
Last season, Stammen pitched only four innings before being shut down on April 19 with forearm/elbow complications that required season-ending surgery. In 2014, he went 4-5 with a 3.84 ERA and 56 strikeouts in 72⅔ innings.
The Indians now have 19 pitchers vying for a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Zach McAllister and Jeff Manship figure to have the first four spots secured. Giovanni Soto, Kyle Crockett, Shawn Armstrong, Austin Adams and Dan Otero are all currently on the 40-man roster.
That leaves 10 pitchers who will be in camp on minor-league deals competing to make the big-league roster, including Joba Chamberlain, Joe Thatcher, Ross Detwiler, Tom Gorzelanny, Felipe Paulino, Joe Colon, Jarrett Grube, Adam Plutko, Will Roberts and now Stammen.
3B option?
The market on free agent third baseman Juan Uribe is still in a holding pattern.
The Indians have been connected to Uribe for a while. Last season Uribe, who turns 37 in March, hit .253 with a .320 on-base percentage, 14 home runs and 43 RBI in 119 games between the Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. He amassed a 1.9 WAR, per FanGraphs, after finishing 2014 with a 3.6 WAR with the Dodgers.
Defensively, he’s been an above-average third baseman for most of his career. In 2013 and 2014 he had 15 and 17 defensive runs saved, respectively. That number dipped to one last season, though.
ESPN’s Buster Olney reported the San Francisco Giants recently moved on from Uribe because of his asking price. Olney then reported that Uribe and his agent were dissatisfied with the Indians’ offer of about $3 million, creating a holding pattern.
For now, Uribe, third baseman David Freese, shortstop Ian Desmond, outfielder Dexter Fowler and several others represent a talented free agent crop still available — a bit of a surprise considering pitchers and catchers report in less than two weeks.
Uribe would relieve some everyday pressure at third base for Giovanny Urshela, coming off his first full season and still only 24 years old. The Indians know they couldn’t properly evaluate Urshela, as he played through back and shoulder injuries all last season. But they might not want to hand him the position every day, either.
Urshela played well defensively — his advanced fielding metrics are similar to that of Uribe, though one season isn’t an ideal sample size — but hit just .225 with six home runs in 81 games.
Uribe represents a veteran option to split time with Urshela and provide an offensive upgrade at third base or even take over the position full time if Jose Ramirez can stand in as the primary backup.
As of now, the club is mulling over its options as it prepares to head to Goodyear, Ariz., for spring camp.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians.