Indians sign two old guys
So, what does 3.7 million buy you?
If you answered a 42-year old pitcher who was considered a veteran when I was in middle school and just had surgery, you're correct.
Roberto Hernandez has come to Cleveland about eight years too late. His numbers (0-3, 3.11) don't look too bad, and certainly better than anything the Indians had last season.
But he's 42. Unless he has some magic potion (which is not banned in the steroids policy), how long will he last?
I had never even heard of Aaron Fultz, which either means I haven't been paying as much attention to baseball as I used to, or Fultz isn't that good.
I wanted to believe the latter, but then I read this quote by Indians' GM Mark Shapiro:
“We had a hard time getting left-handers out last season,“ he said. “This won’t put all the burden on our three young lefties — Tony Sipp, Juan Lara and Rafael Perez.’’
Ummm ... who? (OK, I have heard of Perez, and Lara I vaguely remember from the cast of thousands the Indians' called up when the season was over. Like, in May.)
Fultz is 33, which I'd think is a tad old, except he's comes in with Hernandez, which makes him look like an extra in Good Morning Miss Bliss.
And honestly, 33 is pretty young for a reliever. Besides, at 33, he's still young enough to play a college junior in the movie The Program.
I do approve of Shapiro being proactive in the bullpen, and I understand that finding a strong bullpen often takes luck and timing.
I hope that by August I'm eating crow on the two signings.