Cleveland signed RHP David Riske to a one-year, $1.025M contract last week. Riske, who was arbitration-eligible, pitched well for the Indians last year, working as a setup man and as their closer at various points in the season. The 27-year-old has maintained a high strikeout rate throughout his time in the majors, and in 2003, he combined that dominance with solid control. As a flyball pitcher, Riske has proven somewhat susceptible to giving up home runs, but the quality of his other skills should insure that he will continue to provide Cleveland with dependable service as a reliever.

Given Cleveland's other pitchers, I'm not sure Riske's even third in line to close in 2004. However, if the Indians' alternatives suffer from injury or inconsistency, or if the club chooses to deal their closer once he's accumulated some trade value, Riske should be an effective replacement. Unfortunately, Cleveland trapped themselves into paying Riske close to half a million dollars more than necessary when they chose to remove RHP Danys Baez from his role as closer in 2003. That decision ruined Baez's trade value and presented Riske with the opportunity to pad his arbitration case with saves, a sure fire way to win a bigger salary.

Rather than conserve a few dollars while relying on young talent to fill out their bullpen, Cleveland chose to throw money at an extra reliever when they realized they were coming in below their budget this off-season. In early January, the Indians signed RHP Jose Jimenez to a one-year, $1M contract. Jimenez was a successful closer for the Rockies, and Colorado's decision to remove him from the role was even more misguided than Cleveland's Baez move. However, while he performed a valuable service for the Rockies, outside of Colorado, Jimenez becomes a fairly inconsequential reliever. The 30-year-old is a groundball pitcher with solid control and ran into trouble last year because of Colorado's shoddy fielders. Jimenez should pitch effectively as long as the Indians support him with a reliable defense, but given the talent already present in the Cleveland system, I see little need for the Indians to invest in him unless they're planning on running a closer nursery in 2004.

RHP Jake Westbrook, who was arbitration-eligible, signed a one-year, $925,000 contract in mid-December. While the salary feels a bit high for someone with Westbrook's limited history of effectiveness, I don't like non-tendering players and there would have been little to gain in the Indians risking losing a few hundred thousand more in arbitration. Westbrook will compete for one of the two open slots in Cleveland's rotation this spring. His September performance is expected to give him an edge on winning one of the spots, though his fairly weak skill set leaves him vulnerable to his competition. If the 26-year-old fails to break camp with the team, I expect him to be up at some point during the year as a replacement for an injured or ineffective starter.

LHP Scott Stewart, who Cleveland acquired from Montreal early this month, signed a one-year, $850,000 contract last week. I was quite surprised at how much his 2003 injury problems kept his salary down. Provided the 28-year-old rebounds in 2004 as expected, he should be a bargain at this salary, though RHP Bob Wickman is first in line for saves and Jimenez may be second.

The Indians also signed RHP Jeff D'Amico, RHP Luther Hackman, RHP Matt Miller, UT-R Lou Merloni, and 3B-R Kevin Orie to minor league contracts. D'Amico will join Westbrook in the competition for one of the two open slots in the rotation. After two seasons of struggling with his homer rate, D'Amico made progress in 2003 towards returning to the more moderate G-F of his early years in the majors. The 28-year-old isn't a big strikeout pitcher, but his solid control allows him to pitch effectively when he's not giving up home runs left and right.

If he's healthy, RHP Jason Bere will provide D'Amico and Westbrook with most of their competition. Bere re-signed with the Indians on a minor league deal this off-season and hopes to win a starting job in Spring Training. However, I'll be a little surprised if the 32-year-old doesn't suffer a setback in his rehab from shoulder surgery, as he'll only be slightly more than nine months removed from the procedure when the season opens.

Hackman will compete for a spot in the Indians bullpen in Spring Training, but I don't expect him to break camp with the club. While the 29-year-old isn't a bad guy for Cleveland to keep at AAA in case a string of injuries leaves them crunched for relievers, none of Hackman's skills warrant a steady job in a major league pen.

Miller has demonstrated solid skills as a reliever in the minors and should have received an extended look in a major league pen sometime in the last two years, but the 32-year-old only spent a short time in the big leagues with Colorado in 2003. He'll compete for a spot in the Indians' pen in Spring Training and should have a better shot at making the team than Hackman, but Cleveland doesn't have many open spaces, so he'll probably spend most of 2004 at AAA Buffalo.

Merloni possesses neither speed nor power, but he has sufficient plate discipline to make him a decent utility player given his position flexibility. Since the Indians have so many players battling over positions, I'm not sure Cleveland will have room for Merloni on the roster, but the 32-year-old will certainly have a shot to win a job in Spring Training.

Orie has displayed solid speed and power skills while maintaining impressive plate discipline in the minors, but various injuries have prevented him from finding a steady job in the majors. The 31-year-old missed all of 2003 following March surgery to repair a torn labrum. He's been invited to Spring Training, but I doubt he'll win a job. An impressive showing at AAA Buffalo may earn him a mid-season promotion if injuries or ineffectiveness clear an opening on the major league roster.