CLEVELAND — With some spots to fill in their bullpen, the Cleveland Indians signed durable reliever Bryan Shaw to a minor league contract and invited him to big league spring training.
The 33-year-old Shaw spent five seasons with the club, appearing in 378 games during a tenure when he was invaluable for manager Terry Francona. The right-hander had a 3.11 ERA and led the American League in appearances three times with the Indians.
Shaw never pitched in fewer than 70 games during his first stint with the Indians, and he often took the ball on back-to-back days for Francona.
Shaw left as a free agent after the 2017 season and signed a three-year contract with Colorado. He was 1-0 with a 18.00 ERA in six innings over six games with Seattle last season.
Cleveland needs relievers after not re-signing closer Brad Hand and trading Adam Cimber.
Right-hander DJ Johnson also signed a minor league deal. The 31-year-old split last season with the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan’s Central League and the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan’s Pacific League.
Johnson made 35 relief appearances for Colorado Rockies in 2018 and 2019.
