Chad Durbin Signs One-Year Contract With Indians As Late-Inning Reliever

You don't often see a lot of signings this late. By this point, teams are generally satisfied with their rosters and ready to proceed through Spring Training and into the regular season. The Indians, though, saw an opportunity they apparently couldn't pass up, and on Tuesday officially signed Chad Durbin to a one-year contract.

Durbin had been a free agent after spending the last three years as a reliever with the Phillies. He'd attracted interest from a number of teams, but it was the Indians who seem to have offered the best combination of money and potential role. So he's signed for $800,000, with an additional $1 million available in incentives. In Cleveland, the righty reliever will pitch in middle relief, or he may occupy a setup role.

The 33-year-old Durbin was once a busted prospect for the Royals, but he's come into his own out of the bullpen, posting a 3.62 ERA over those three seasons in Philadelphia. He's able to eat a lot of innings, and his strikeout rate has recently picked up, turning him into a viable weapon. While his control comes and goes, and he doesn't generate a ton of groundballs, with a broad repertoire he's able to remain effective, and he should help the Indians out for however long he sticks. He already looks like a good candidate for a midseason trade to a contender.