Ex-Indians Pitcher Esmil Rogers Designated For Assignment By Jays

Esmil Rogers Designated For Assignment By The Toronto Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays have designated former Cleveland Indians pitcher Esmil Rogers for assignment to clear the way for former Minnesota Twins pitcher Liam Hendriks to be added to the roster. Rogers has bounced between starting and relieving while with the Blue Jays and has struggled to keep the ball in the park this season. The Blue Jays will have 10-days to try to work out a trade before placing him on waivers.

The Cleveland Indians acquired Rogers after he was designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies on June 12, 2012. At the time he was struggling with a 8.06 ERA (23ER/25.2IP) and had issues with his command walking 18 batters (two intentional).

There was not a huge trade market for him so when the Indians agreed to send the Rockies $150K (Reported by Kevin Goldstein [Twitter]) the Rockies were quick to agree to the deal.

As soon as he arrived with the Indians he became a completely different pitcher and finished the season appearing in 44 games and posting a 3.06 ERA (18ER/53IP) striking out 54 batters while only walking 12. He had truly become the poster boy for the change of scenery argument.

In the offseason following the 2012 season the Indians dealt Rogers to the Toronto Blue Jays for Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes.

Our own Lewie Pollis characterized the trade in his article titled What Do Indians Gain from Esmil Rogers-Mike Aviles Trade? – Remarkable how accurate Mr. Pollis was in his evaluation.

"Trading Rogers made sense. The flamethrowing right-hander struck out more than a batter a frame and pitched to a 3.06 ERA (2.75 SIERA) in 53 innings with the Indians after coming over from the Rockies in June and showed that he could handle pitching in late-inning and high-leverage situations. In other words, he established himself as a valuable asset to a contending team in need of bullpen help, but he was an extravagance for a ballclub that just lost 94 games.Nor are Aviles and Gomes a bad return. Avlies isn’t a very good hitter (he hit .250 with a .663 OPS as the Red Sox’ starting shortstop in 2012), but he has good speed and a strong glove; per wins above replacement he was a roughly-league average player this year. Gomes is a right-handed hitter who has a history of hitting for power in the minors and can play behind the plate, in left field, or at either corner infield spot. That’s a pretty nice haul for a pitcher who’ll throw at most 80 innings a year and owns a career 5.95 ERA."

Rogers time in Toronto was spent bouncing between starting and relieving. In 2013 he appeared in 44 games and made 20 starts while posting a 4-9 record with a 4.77 ERA (73ER/137.2IP). This season he has been used exclusively out of the bullpen appearing in 16 games with no-record and an ERA of 6.97 (16ER/20.2IP).

Meanwhile as Indians fans we have seen the usefulness of Mike Aviles who has played at 3b, 2b, ss, and all three outfield positions while posting a triple slash line of .258/.286/.372 with 11 HR in 525 PA with the Tribe.

Yan Gomes has been the steal of the trade as he has settled in to take over the everyday catching duties for the Indians. While he may have a defensive lapse here and there he is able to control the running game and has developed into one of the games better pitch framers.

His bat has developed quicker and at a higher than anticipated level. With the Indians he has posted a slash line of .289/.340/.479 with 17 HR in 477 plate appearances.

His play with the Indians in 2013 earned him a contract extension which guarantees him $23M. More details in the article by Kyle Downing Yan Gomes Extended Through 2020 And BeYand

"On Saturday, the Indians made a key investment by ensuring catcher Yan Gomeswould remain in the fold through at least 2020. Recent reports indicate that Gomes and his fantastic chin will make $23 million over the course of the next six years, all in a Cleveland uniform. The deal covers two pre-arbitration seasons and one free agent year, and includes a pair of club options for 2021 and 2022, making him the longest-controlled player on the current roster."