The Cleveland Indians have reached an agreement with Boone Logan pending a physical. The deal is for one-year, $5.5 million with a club option for 2018 worth $7 million with a $1 million buyout per Ken Rosenthal. While Logan wanted a guaranteed two-year deal due to his age of 32, he had to settle on a one-year deal with an option, forcing him to perform well in 2017. This is his fifth team to play for since his rookie season in 2006, which includes the New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, and Atlanta Braves.
Track Record
The past few seasons he was with the Colorado Rockies, a notorious hitter’s ballpark. Last year, he pitched a 3.69 ERA, very respectable at Coors Field, with a 11.1 K/9 in 46.1 innings. He also is much better against lefties than righties. Lefties have a career .233 average against him with 292 strikeouts. Righties have a .294 batting average against him with only 145 strikeouts. Cleveland will use Logan to punch out lefty hitters for the most part, allowing him to pitch to his strengths.
Depth
Terry Francona, the Indians Manager, knows that Progressive Field is easier for lefties than righties to hit in. Logan has proven that he can pitch well against lefties in the hardest ballpark to pitch in. Therefore, he is well suited to perform for the reigning AL Champions. This move also allows Cleveland to add to the depth of their already great bullpen. They have one of the best relievers in the game in Andrew Miller, a dominate lefty. They also have Cody Allen and Bryan Shaw, both righties. The addition of Logan allows Francona to control the in game match-ups all night long. As a result, the bullpen should be well rested the entire season, and perform on all cylinders as they hope to push for another pennant and get back to the World Series.
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