The Cleveland Indians signed veteran right hander Brett Myers to a one year, $7M deal today with a club option for 2014. They also announced that he will be added to the starting rotation, a surprise move considering the Indians rotation had already looked set and Myers spent all of 2012 in the bullpen. This move is disappointing in that it will mean Trevor Bauer will be starting 2013 in AAA with the rest of the rotation made of Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Carlos Carrasco and Zach McAllister. It is understandable that the Indians want to be careful with their prize that cost them a year of Shin-Soo Choo, but it certainly seems Bauer is ready for the Major Leagues.

Myers has been a very durable pitcher over his career and has the added benefit of being versatile, switching from starting to the bullpen when need be. After four slightly above average seasons as a starter with Philadelphia to start his career, he easily moved into the closers role in 2007 and saved 21 games. After that one season, he spent the next four in the rotations of Philadelphia and Houston, but was back in the pen for 2012. Myers is 32 and should be a decent improvement over Derek Lowe as the Indians new aging starter. 

The best thing about this signing is the added depth. Last season when a few pitchers were injured and everyone struggled, the Indians ran out of options, going as low as to start David Huff in multiple games. Having Myers will allow the Indians to spare Jeanmar Gomez, Corey Kluber and Bauer so they can be used as replacements if/when Jiminez has a repeat of last season or when the next hurler needs Tommy John surgery.

The Indians will need to make a 40 man roster move to add Myers to the team after his physical. Likely candidates are Huff, Thomas Neal  or Lou Marson (wishful thinking).

The Indians have been lucky to have some great right fielders in team history and this list includes five of the greatest Indians of all time. Outside of those five, there is a big drop off and a departure from the stereotype that corner outfielder is a power position. The top five however, can't be understated. It includes one Hall of Famers and another player that should be in. Of the other three, two are not eligible yet, but one deserves a place and a plaque in Cooperstown when he is.

10. Cory Snyder - Years Starting RF - 1987-1990

Snyder was the Indians first right fielder to place a higher value on power than average. His .245 batting average is 50 points lower than most of the players on this list, despite his over 100 home runs. He is one of just three Indians right fielders with more than 100 home runs, but his other stats make him look like a marginal player.

9. Elmer Smith - 1919-1921

Smith played just a short time in right for the Indians, but played near 700 games overall with the team. He is also the only player on the list to have won a World Series while being the starting right fielder for the Indians. His .284 average and 300+ runs and RBI would normally make him look like a player that should be higher on the list, but compared to the other players, he looks mediocre.

8. Dick Porter - 1930-1933

Porter only started four seasons in right field for the Tribe, but made the most of his time with 146 and almost 400 runs scored. Porter showed a lot of promise during his short time, but fizzled right after getting hot as he retired just after finishing the 1934 season with the Red Sox after a mid-season trade.

7. Homer Summa - 1923-24, 1926-28

Summa maintained a batting average above .300 for more than 750 games with the Indians, but was never a very productive player, scoring less than 400 runs over that time, a feat accomplished by other players on the list in far less time. Summa was still an effective player over his career, rapping 159 doubles out of his 861 hits.

6. Bruce Campbell - 1935, 1937-39

Campbell was one of many high batting average right fielders, adding little power to his all around game. He impressed while with the Tribe, scoring almost 350 runs and batting over .300. One thing that keeps him as high as he is is that the players below him had even less power than he did. His 41 triples and 37 home runs look very good compared to Summa's 49 triples and home runs and Porter's 42.

5. Rocky Colavito - 1956-59, 1965-66

The Rock could have been number one on this list if not for an ill-timed trade for Harvey Kuenn. Despite missing a few of his prime years away from Cleveland, Colavito still ranks high on the list of best Indians right fielders, ranking second in both home runs and RBI to just Ramirez.

4. Shin-Soo Choo - 2008-Active

Choo is the current starting right fielder for the Cleveland Indians and has already hit 83 home runs and stole 85 bases. From 2009 through 2012, Choo was the teams top offensive performer every season (except an injury shortened 2011), setting career highs in 2010 with 22 home runs and 90 RBI. In addition to his impressive offensive statistics, Choo also has a great arm from right field, ranking in the top 10 in outfield assists from 2009 to 2011 including leading the league in 2010 with 14.

3. Shoeless Joe Jackson - 1911-1915

Shoeless Joe is more famous for his time with the Chicago Black Sox, where he was banned from baseball for "throwing" the World Series, but he played in Cleveland first. He certainly never tried to lose with the Indians as he batted .375 over his time there including the last .400 season by any Indians hitter. As a right fielder, Jackson was also one of the top defensive players on this list with a great throwing arm to go along with his speed.

2. Elmer Flick - 1902-1905, 1907

Flick is the only current Hall of Famer on this list and he got there a different way than the average right fielder. In Indians history, Flick ranks in the top five in triples and top ten in steals as the prototypical speed outfielder. His most impressive feat was maintaining a high average through the length of his time with the Naps as he ended with over 1,000 hits during his time in Cleveland.

1. Manny Ramirez - 1994-2000

Ramirez, hated by many for his care-free attitude and lack of loyalty, was one of the best hitters in Indians history, leading all players ever in slugging percent and OPS. Among right fielders he leads in almost every statistical category, including RBI and home runs. Ramirez made the most of his time in Cleveland, starting off as a solid rookie and leading the league in RBI before he left for Boston.

Borderline: Joe Wood, Braggo Roth, Charlie Spikes, Chuck Hinton, Bob Kennedy

For fans of the modern Cleveland Indians, who may not be aware of Woodie Held, he was Jhonny Peralta long before Peralta was born. Over his seven years with the Indians, Held hit 130 total home runs and committed 123 errors. Held and Peralta remain the only Indians short stops to hit more than 100 home runs with the team. Held played long before the age of power short stops that came around in the 1990's so he was well ahead of his time. Instead of being heralded as a great power hitting short stop, Held was switched from position to position moving to second base and outfield, eventually getting traded to Washington in 1964.

Woodie Held was involved in another trade with the Indians that turned out to be one of the worst in team history. To obtain Held originally, the Indians traded top prospect Roger Maris to the Kansas City Royals for Held and Vic Power. While both Held and Power had decent careers for the Indians, Maris went on to star with the Yankees breaking Babe Ruth's single season home record by hitting 61 home runs in 1961.

Woodie Held died in June of 2009.

Jim McCormick pitched for the Blues from 1879 to 1884, in an era that cannot be compared to modern baseball. McCormick played through the entire franchise history of the original Cleveland Blues and he was the only pitcher they needed over those six years. The first season of the Blues, they used two total pitchers for the teams 82 games, McCormick and Bobby Mitchell. Apparantly, Mitchell didn't pull his weight as McCormick started 60 of those 82 games and had to relieve Mitchell twice.

Over his time with the team, he averaged more than 500 innings per season (only Jersey Bakley passed 500 IP after), a feat that seems impossible in this age. Included in his gaudy statistics are the pre-AL Cleveland records for single season wins, losses, ERA, games, starts, IP, strike outs and WHIP. In consecutive seasons (1879 and 1880) he lost 40 games, then won 45. Since then, no pitcher has come close to 40 in either decision (although Cy Young passed 30 a few times. Even when the Blues picked up a few more pitchers, McCormick maintained as the work horse, throwing 359 innings in his final season with the team. 

In his career, McCormick is second to Young in almost every pre-1901 Cleveland pitching stat, except ERA, WHIP, BAA and strike outs, where he was number one. During his career he completed 98% of his games averaging more than 8.2 innings per game. Not only was he an ace for the Blues, but he also was the top in the league as well, leading the NL in wins, starts and innings twice each and complete games three times. In 1883, in what was possibly his most impressive feat, he lead the NL in ERA (1.84) and winning percent (.700) in over 300 innings.

McCormick was just the third pitcher in American baseball history to be born in the United Kingdom, coming out of Glasglow. He died in 1918 at the age of 61.

The signing is complete and there is no looking back now, Nick Swisher is an Indian and will be one through 2016 (possibly 2017). At this point everyone knows that he will be making $56M over those first four seasons with an option for the fifth. What we don't know is what he will produce.

The first thing to discuss is Swisher's age. He is going to be 32 in 2013 and playing in his tenth professional season. He has been incredibly durable over that time, averaging more than 150 games since 2006. He has produced at a pretty even level throughout that time, but did have a notable peak in 2009 and 2010 (age 28 and 29 seasons). It is likely that he will continue to slow as he ages, with his numbers dropping all over the board. Don't expect more than 20 home runs from Swisher again or a batting average over .275.

The second thing to look at is the Yankee effect. Simply by being on the Yankees, playing with that short right field and batting before or after some of the greatest hitters in baseball history can do a lot to help your stats. This is one of the reasons players can't be evaluated using regular statistics as these numbers won't correlate to other teams. 

Since 2008 (the year before the Yankees bought a World Series), the Yankees have had five starting players leave the team and go on to play elsewhere. These players, Bobby Abreu, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Hideki Matsui, all had significant trends in their numbers after leaving New York. While most of these players were older than Swisher and past their prime when they left, the fact that Cabrera is included and has the same trends shows that it isn't simply a matter of age.

Averaging together each players three final years with the Yankees and first three years away from New York, it is easy to see the difference. On an average, each player lost 22 RBI and 22 runs per season, the most important stats to note, because they have the smallest basis in actual talent. The extra base hits that have lowered have to do with the aging players and the park factors more than the actual lineup around them. 

The most important individual player to look at is Melky Cabrera, because he is the exception where he actually improved as a hitter after leaving the Yankees. He has since played with Atlanta and Kansas City, most recently won a batting title (unofficially) with the Giants. The best seasons to compare are Cabrera's second full season in 2007 and his 2011 year with the Royals. Each year he played around 150 games, but in 2011 he hit ten more home runs and batted over .300 for the first time. Despite these amazing improvements he only knocked in 14 more runs (making him the only player to actually average more RBI after leaving the Yankees than before). 

The Yankees buy players, use them up and throw them away. It has been their team strategy for more than a decade and looks only to be increasing in severity. They want to win the World Series in 2013, just like they do every year and if they thought Swisher could have helped them, they could have afforded to resign him. As a 30+ year old outfielder, Swisher's numbers will more likely resemble Abreu and Damon rather than Cabrera. It's too late to do anything, but play him, but everyone should temper their excitement now, or risk wanting the home town kid's head when next summer comes around. The combination of age and leaving the Yankees look to smack Swisher back to reality, so expect numbers closer to 20 home runs, 70 RBI and 50 runs scored. These are still good numbers compared to the average Indian in 2012, but simply don't seem worth more than $56 million.

Oh, yeah. Merry Swishmas.

Here are the numbers for those who want to check my math:

Brook Jacoby was never a great player, but he ended up being one of the best third basemen in Indians history after a fairly long starting career at that position. In 1983, the Indians sent aging starter Len Barker to the Atlanta Braves for two young hitters, Brett Butler and Jacoby. The trade worked incredibly well for the Indians who aquired their starting third baseman and center fielder for most of the next decade.

Jacoby's best years came from 1985-1987 when he averaged more than 20 home runs a season with almost 80 RBI per season. Even after his prime, he continued to produce, ending his time with the Tribe with more than 500 RBI and runs, 190 doubles and 120 home runs. Nearing the trade deadline in 1991, Jacoby was traded to Oakland to finish out the last year of his contract. In 1992, he resigned with Cleveland as a free agent to finish out his career. The Indians already had their new third baseman (Jim Thome) ready to go, so they no longer had any need of Jacoby's services in 1993. Brook Jacoby is the current batting coach for the Cincinatti Reds.

Russ Canzler seemed like a great pick-up in 2012. The Indians didn't have a starting first baseman and Canzler had just came off a season when he won International League player of the year. Canzler was just the kind of young player the Indians wanted to build the team around and looked to be under team control for a few years. Then in the following weeks the Indians signed Casey Kotchman and Jose Lopez, pushing Canzler back to AAA.

The Indians were in a similar situation going into 2013, but this time Canzler had just played a few games as a September call-up and impressed, totaling 26 games at four different positions over the last month. He batted .269 with three home runs and 11 RBI, impressive numbers compared to the rest of the team. This time, the Indians filled their hole at first base with Mark Reynolds, leaving Canzler on the outside again as he was dropped from the 40 man roster and released (and subsequently picked up by the Blue Jays). 

The problem with this is that there are still holes remaining on the roster that Canzler could have filled. Right field and designated hitter have no prospective players at this point and Canzler could have played either. There is also an opening for a corner utility infielder following the departure of Jack Hannahan, another role Canzler would have fit in perfectly. This would have been an ideal place for Canzler as he could play either corner outfield spot or first base on any day. He could even play third base if needed since he did so in the minors from time to time.

Instead of Canzler, the Indians decided to hold on to a few players that will almost certainly not be on the roster at the start of next season. David Huff is the first as he is out of options and the Indians rotation is completely full (Justin Masterson, Carlos Carrasco, Ubaldo Jimenez, Zach McAllister and Trevor Bauer) with extra to spare (Jeanmar Gomez and Corey Kluber). There is no way that Huff will pass enough of these pitchers on the depth chart during Spring Training to make the team, so he may as well be released now.

Lou Marson is another player there seems to be little reason to keep around. He has proven over the past three seasons that he has no desirable characteristics and the Indians traded a decent relief pitcher to get his replacement, Yan Gomes, on the team, so it would seem they think so as well. One option here would be to carry three catchers however, using Carlos Santana or Gomes as part time DH or first baseman.

Finally, there are a couple of players that seem close to the same value as Canzler in Thomas Neal and Rule 5 pick Chris McGuiness. Both players need to make the 25 man roster in 2013 or will be lost (Neal to waivers, McGuiness back to Texas). Both are secondary options for right field and at DH just like Canzler. The difference is that Canzler has more experience at the Major League level and can play multiple positions.

The Indians obviously believe that Canzler was the lesser of these three players, but I have to disagree. He has already proven at the major league level that he can contribute, something Neal and McGuiness (highest level was AA in 2012) have yet to do. To keep McGuiness, he will have to bypass AAA entirely, something most players are unable to do successfully. It would have been a much less risky proposition to simply keep Canzler and drop Neal, still taking a chance on McGuiness, or to release Huff and let the three of them battle it out in Spring Training.

This isn't a huge deal, as Canzler doesn't look to be a future Hall of Famer, but the Indians are not at a point right now where they can waste talent of his level. In fact the upside on McGuiness is almost certainly higher than Canzler's, but with that higher chance of reward is a higher risk as well.

The Cleveland Indians began using good pitchers in the bullpen for the first time in the 1940's, but it was still of a time when the starting pitcher felt the need to complete every single game. As time has went on, the relief pitcher position has become more specialized, with players being used in important, late game situations rather than simply as mop up men. This list includes pitchers of both varieties, ranging from the 1941 Indians to the present day. While it takes at least 200 innings to get noticed for the rankings, relief pitchers are judged more on their average performance than their cumulative totals. Longevity still counts, but much more important is the players effectiveness during their time with the team. This list only includes right handed relievers, while the left handed list can be found here.

10. Ed Klieman - Years as Relief Pitcher - 1943-1948

Despite pretty good average numbers, Klieman holds a precarious place at the end of this count down. An active Indians pitcher is poised to skyrocket up this list assuming he throws at least 63 more innings at his current level. With a longer term view point, most of the early relievers will probably end up being removed as relief pitching becomes more specialized.

9. Steve Gromek - 1941-1942,1947-1953

Gromek was one of the first pitchers used as an exclusive reliever who could have been a starter. In fact, the Indians couldn't help themselves and when Bob Feller and a few others left the team for World War II, Gromek was thrown into a starting role, becoming the ace in 1945. With the return of Feller for the end of that season, Gromek moved back into the pen for the rest of his time. He ended his career with the second highest total of innings pitched among pitchers who were primarily relievers during their time with the Indians.

8. Paul Shuey - 1996-2002

Shuey lead the Indians in holds each of the first two seasons the stat existed, placing himself as record holder early on for both the single season and career marks (he has since lost both). Shuey was the go to reliever during the end of the Indians run in the mid 1990's, throwing in over 360 games in relief. His 10 strike outs per nine innings rank number one among every Indians pitcher ever who has thrown at least 200 innings.

7. Frank Funk - 1960-1962

Funk has thrown the least amount of innings of the players listed, but deserves consideration because he holds the second lowest ERA among right handed relievers. In just two seasons (61-62) Funk threw in over 100 games (all in relief) and dominated constantly, never allowing his BAA get above .222 or his WHIP above 1.20.

6. David Riske - 2002-2005

David wasn't anywhere near as risky as his name would make you think, holding an ERA at 3.55 and BAA under .220. Like another pitcher further on the countdown, Riske was a big part of the great 2005 Indians bullpen, pitching 72 innings in 58 games.

5. Gary Bell - 1962-1967

Bell was the penultimate right hander in Indians history, throwing more innings than any other reliever during his time with the Tribe. He was used as a starter, long reliever, short reliever and closer during his time with the team, striking out over 1,000 batters (good for top ten among all Indians pitchers), while no other relievers had more than 600.

4. Stan Williams - 1965,1967-1969

From 1967-1969, Williams was the Indians go-to relief pitcher, pitching in over 100 games and moving into the closers role by 1969. He was on the outside of the rotation during that time and bounced between a starting role and his place in the bullpen. The fact that some of his best performances came as a starter is the only thing keeping him from the top of this list.

3. Joe Smith - 2009-2012 (Active)

The most impressive thing about Joe Smith (outside of his very unique name) is his ability to keep runs from scoring. Over his three years, he has maintained an ERA under 3.00, in fact, the best for any pitcher to throw at least 200 innings since Gaylord Perry left for Texas in 1975. Smith is still active, so he could move either way on this list depending on his future results, but for now his incredible batting average against (.209), ERA (2.90) and K/BB (1.93) will keep him fairly high on the list considering his limited innings pitched.

2. Rafael Betancourt - 2003-2008

The 2005 and 2007 bullpens were two of the greatest Indians relief corps of all time, despite never having a dominant closer. The main reason they were so great was the combination of Betancourt the other late inning set-up men that gave those closers many more chances than they deserved. In 2005 Betancourt set a new high for single season holds with 31 (a record that has since been broken by Vinnie Pestano) and he maintains the all-time career record with 84. 

1. Eric Plunk - 1992-1998

Plunks postseason exploits marred the end of his time with the Tribe, so many people forget that he was a dominant part of the bullpen for most of a decade. The 1990's Indians were famous for come from behind wins and Plunk took advantage, winning more games than any other pure reliever in Indians history.

Borderline: Cal McLish, Steve Karsay, Don McMahon, Vinnie Pestano (Active), Art Houtteman

Bobby Avila took over for the Hall of Famer Joe Gordon in 1951, knocking in 58 runs in 141 games, an impressive total for a mid century second baseman. Avila joined a strong offense including 1953 MVP Al Rosen and future Hall of Famer Larry Doby. 1954 was the best season in Indians history as far as winning percent goes and it had a lot to due with that strong offense. That year, Avila lead the team in runs scored and batting average (he also lead the league) as he provided a spark at the top of the lineup for Doby and Rosen to knock in.

Avila was one of the top second basemen of his era, starting twice for the American League in the All-Star game in a three year span. He remains one of the top ten Indians second basemen of all time, leading the position in walks and ranking second in games, at bats, runs, hits and total bases while ranking third in home runs. When his career was in a down turn in 1958 the Indians traded Avila to Baltimore. In 1959 he was DFA'd  three times by three different teams before retiring after just a ten year career. Bobby Avila died in 2004.

There have been rumors going around for weeks now that the Cleveland Indians are interested in acquiring the services of former Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher. The latest rumors say that Swisher has visited Cleveland and met with Chris Antonetti and was offered a deal worth more than $50 million for the next four seasons. After years of claiming poverty it is inexplicable where the Indians are coming up with this kind of money for a very average outfielder that has already passed his prime. When offering amounts of this level, what the team really has to focus on in how many actual extra wins a player will provide for the money offered. In this case, the Indians have a few true replacement level players available to play right field (including Ezequiel Carrera and until yesterday, Russ Canzler), so judging Swisher against a replacement level player is fair. Any replacement level player used by the Indians would likely be paid league minimum for 2013 in order to provide a fair comparison.

We rarely discuss WAR (wins above replacement) on this site, but in this situation, it is the most applicable stat there is. Since joining the Yankees in 2009, Swisher has averaged 2.5 wins above replacement each season (the best season in his career was 4.1 during his age 26 season in Oakland). As Swisher gets older and further away from the numbers of his prime seasons, we can expect his value to decrease even more. Assuming the production Swisher gave to the Yankees, the Indians would be paying Swisher almost $5M for each win above replacement. Assuming Carrera (.5 WAR in 2012) is the replacement right fielder, he would be paid about $1M for each extra win. 

The fact is that a win is a win, however much you pay for it. While most of the moves the Indians have made this year have been great (especially the Esmil Rodgers and Trevor Bauer trades), this is going too far. A small free agent market and pressure from the fans are forcing the Indians to make the same mistakes they make year after year. Every season the Indians make mistakes in the free agent market, over paying for players they don't need, but giving $50 million to Nick Swisher could be the biggest mistake in team history. Travis Hafner barely made as much per season with his extension after he hit 42 home runs in a single season and Swisher hasn't hit more than 30 since 2006. This contract would saddle the Tribe with an unnecessary contract for the next four seasons, crippling their ability to resign players and making Swisher impossible to trade in two years when his talent diminishes to the level it almost surely will.

It isn't too late. The Indians need to retract their offer to Swisher and move to acquire another outfielder through trade or look internally for another option. They are out of their depth offering such a gigantic contract to such a mediocre player. Swisher is not the answer on his own to bringing the Indians back to the World Series, but if they sign him to that contract, he will be the only player they will be able to add. It was bad enough the Indians had to trade Shin-Soo Choo because they couldn't afford to resign him. It will be worse when they can't sign Jason Kipnis to a long-term deal because they are still saddled with a terrible contract with Nick Swisher.