Cleveland Indians: Three potential free agents to add as the fifth starter

Can Anibal Sánchez recapture the 2019 World Series magic?

The 37-year-old Anibal Sanchez is fifteen years removed from dealing a no-hitter in his rookie season for the Florida Marlins in 2006. Sánchez has had a very decent major league career since that debut season. It’s been a career pocketed with the occasional spectacular season, such as in 2013 with the Tigers when he led the league in ERA, and his age-34 season with Braves when he logged 136 2/3 innings to pair with a 2.83 ERA.

The question mark, however, is the body of work over his past five seasons. 2015-17 was the absolute nadir of Sánchez’s baseball career. He led the league in home runs allowed (29) in 2015 while posting a lackluster 4.99 ERA. Things got out of control in 2016 when his ERA ticked up to 5.87, before he completely collapsed in 2017 posting an ERA of 6.41.

Redemption, however, came in 2018 and 2019 when he rebounded in spectacular fashion. He made a return to the National League, first with the Atlanta Braves and then with the soon-to-be World Series champion Washington Nationals a season later. Across both seasons he posted an eye-catching 3.40 ERA in 302 2/3 total innings.

One of Sánchez’s appealing attributes, from an Indians perspective, is the impressive command he has with all his pitches. He allows just three walks per nine innings. Another big plus is his durability; between 2010-19 he failed to start 25 games only once.

Can the former seventh overall pick, Homer Bailey, help the Cleveland Indians?

Cleveland Indians fans will have memories of their team doing battle with Homer Bailey in the Ohio Cup between 2007 and 2018 when he was a member of the Cincinnati Reds. A once highly-touted prospect, Bailey never fully lived up to the fanfare. He struggled with command early in his career before working through those issues to throw strikes more consistently.

Bailey, now 35 (feel old, yet?), may be several years removed from his best seasons as a pitcher; a three-year stretch between 2012 and 2014 when he posted a sub-3.72 ERA each of those seasons, and threw 562 1/3 total innings during that span. However, the four seasons, post-2014, were all derailed due to injury. In 2015 and 2016 he threw just 33 1/3 innings, collectively. When he did pitch, the results were appalling.

But there are reasons to believe those injury troubles may be behind behind him. In 2019, his first full season since 2014, he announced his candidacy for ‘Comeback Player of the Year’ by throwing 163 1/3 innings, between stints with the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics, and finishing the campaign with a 4.57 ERA and a 13-9 record. For a role as a fifth starter, that is a stat line most clubs would snap up in an instant.

If Bailey can convince the Indians that his health concerns are now in the rear-view mirror, then he could certainly be a solid pickup in free agency.

Is Cole Hamels healthy enough to contribute?

If it hadn’t been for persistent injuries sustained since 2019, Cole Hamels would likely be pitching in the bigs for a contender right now. Hamels now claims those health concerns are in the past as he looks to make a return to pitching. During a call with Dan Roche at NBC Sports Philadelphia, Hamels stated:

“I’m not ready [to retire] just yet. I think I still have a lot to offer, and it’s just proving to teams that I don’t give up easily, and that I have a pretty good work ethic, and the intelligence to survive out there.”

With the Indians scrambling around to stabilize the back-end of their rotation, Cole Hamels represents an ideal fit. First of all, he’s a left-hander. The Tribe optioned their only left-handed starting pitcher, Logan Allen, to Columbus last week. Sam Hentges, who has been pitching out of the bullpen for the Indians, is a lefty and will make his first Major League start on Tuesday in place of Allen but is not a long-term solution for the rotation, in my eyes. Certainly not in 2021.

Secondly, Hamels’s recent pitching performances have been very, very good. In 2019, when he missed an entire month due to injury, he still amassed 141 2/3 innings to go with a very respectable 3.81 ERA, and 143 strikeouts for the Chicago Cubs. In 2018, the year he was traded to the Cubs by the Texas Rangers, he threw 190 2/3 innings while compiling 188 punch-outs, and a 3.78 ERA.

Before the nagging injuries struck, Hamels had a reputation for not only owning one of the most devastating pitches in baseball (his changeup), but also as a workhorse who could be counted on to throw 200+ innings a season. He also has excellent command, and walks few batters; qualities that the Tribe front office should be particularly on the lookout for. If he can prove his body still has miles left on the clock, the Indians would be foolish not to pick up the phone.