Cleveland Indians: Breaking down the Opening Day bullpen

Boone Logan

The Indians entered the offseason with perhaps the best left-handed reliever in the game, but he needed some help. The addition of Boone Logan should provide more than enough help.

Logan comes over from the Colorado Rockies, where he has been for the past three seasons. He appeared in 66 games in 2016, logging 46.1 innings and finishing with a 3.69 ERA. That may seem high, but remember that he pitched in what is notoriously the worst park for pitchers in baseball out in Colorado.

He now comes to Cleveland where it is a bit more pitcher-friendly. His role will primarily focus on being a matchup guy, coming in to get out one or two lefties at a time, thus saving Andrew Miller’s arm for a longer appearance in any given game.

This role was evident during his time in Colorado, as he frequently logged less than an entire inning of work in his appearances.

His presence in Cleveland is great news for Indians fans, as it saves Miller for the most important situation of a game, as opposed to bringing him in just for a good matchup earlier in games. He can still do this, but Logan is qualified to get an out or two when a lefty is needed.

He can also pitch late in games, giving the Indians another dominant option throughout the regular season, as the trio of Miller, Allen and Shaw can’t pitch everyday.

Logan’s signing was a clear sign that the front office is committed to chasing a title, so it will be fun to see if his role evolves at all in 2017.