Indians and Mets Score Big with Bullpen Acquisitions

Heading into this winter, virtually every team was in the market for relief help whether it be on the free agent market or trade market.While some teams accomplished that goal, others still have not and have even fewer options following a few signings by the Cleveland Indians and New York Mets.

To begin, the Cleveland Indians started the parade on Thursday when they announced that they had signed free agent, left-handed reliever, Boone Logan, to a one-year deal. It was later announced that the deal was worth $5.5 million dollars and comes with a 2018 option worth $7 million dollars along with a $1 million dollar buyout.

Not only was this a bargain for the Indians, it also builds up their bullpen even more to give Terry Francona & Company plenty of options heading into the 2017 season. Of course, the ever-so-talented, Andrew Miller, will likely continue to close out games, but Logan is an extra piece that the Indians possess, along with Ryan Merritt, as another left-handed option.

In addition to acquiring Logan, Cleveland made another under-the-radar move by picking up, Carlos Frias, off of waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. 27-year old, Frias, provides the Indians with more depth in the pen, but has struggled up to this point in his career at the big league level. Dating back to 2014, Frias has posted a 4.50 ERA in 114.0 IP with 75 strikeouts, while surrendering 11 home runs and 34 walks in that span.

After the Indians finished making their moves, the Mets started off the morning on Friday by announcing that they had agreed to terms with veteran left-handed pitcher, Tom Gorzelanny. It was later announced that the deal was a minor league contract, but gives the Mets another potential option either in the starting rotation in the event of an injury or the bullpen. While Gorzelanny could potentially be a nice pickup, he does come with his struggles, posting a 4.40 ERA in 883.2 IP over the span of 12 seasons at the big league level.

Following the announcement by the Mets of the Gorzelanny signing, New York still wasn't done as they resigned right-handed reliever, Fernando Salas. Salas was traded to the Mets last August from the Angels, where he struggled severely, and finished last season strong. Over the course of 17.1 IP, Salas recorded 4 earned runs, 19 strikeouts, 0 walks, and a 2.08 ERA.

In addition, yesterday evening, the Mets made another move to solidify their bullpen by re-signing free agent, left-handed reliever, Jerry Blevins. According to Jon Heyman, the contract is for one-year, includes an option for 2018, and is speculated to be around $6 million dollars. Like Salas, Blevins was a solid option out of the Mets bullpen last year and will provide more force to go along with the aforementioned, Fernando Salas, Addison Reed, and Jeurys Familia, depending on what happens with Familia and the potential punishment he could face.

Although this winter's free agent market certainly wasn't one to write home about, the Indians and Mets both played the market smart by waiting as long as possible to make moves to solidify their bullpen and appear as though both will have strong bullpens heading into the 2017 season.