Clevelinks: Cleveland Indians Sign Brady Aiken; Marcum Designated

The Cleveland Indians signed their first-round pick Brady Aiken, designated Shaun Marcum, optioned Zach Walters, and called-up a pair of relievers

Yesterday was a pretty exciting day for fans of the Cleveland Indians, as the team signed first-round pick Brady Aiken. The bonus figure has not been realized as of the time of this writing, but it is expected to be over the slot value of $2,393,600, according to Jim Callis. While this may seem like a lot of money – and indeed it is a large sum of money – it is likely to not even be close to the roughly $5 million offered to Aiken after the Astros discovered an abnormally small UCL.

In other news, the Cleveland Indians designated Shaun Marcum for assignment and optioned Zach Walters to Triple-A. Shaun Marcum mightily struggled in the starting rotation this season, pitching to a 5.40 ERA and a 5.76 FIP. Posting solid strikeout and walk numbers, the long-ball served as the culprit of Marcum’s failures.

More from Cleveland Guardians News

• Cleveland Guardians tantalizingly close to locking up AL Central tiebreakers
• Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona becomes meme in profanity-laced ejection
• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season

Zach Walters didn’t play much better than Marcum. Since returning to the big leagues on the 10^th of June, Walters hit 3-10 with three singles and two RBI. Also included in those ten plate appearances were four strikeouts and no walks. He has yet to hit something other than a single this season, which is one of a few reasons why he is the owner of a wRC+ of -24.

On the flip side of the deal, Kyle Crockett and Jeff Manship will make their returns to the big leagues. Crockett, 23, briefly pitched for the Tribe this season, allowing no runs and striking out four across 2.1 innings. He also walked three batters, leading in part to his demotion to Triple-A. His command has been solid in Triple-A, although he has also allowed 14 earned runs over 21 innings.

Manship, 30, pitched for the Twins, Rockies, and Phillies before signing with the Tribe in the off-season. Across 31 relief innings in Triple-A, Manship has pitched very well, as evidenced by his 1.99 ERA and 3.33 FIP. He could help bolster what has been a mediocre bullpen so far for the Cleveland Indians.

More from around the AL Central:

Cleveland Indians Designate Shaun Marcum for Assignment – Wahoo’s on First

Series Preview: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Indians – Wahoo’s on First

Kansas City Royals All-Time Best Managers – Kings of Kauffman

Chicago White Sox: Potential Trade Bait – Southside Showdown

Next: Series Preview: Tampa Bay Rays vs. Cleveland Indians