With the exception of the trade for righty starting pitcher Derek Lowe, the Indians have been collecting players on minor league deals.  Here is a look at the new players for 2012 so far:

In the field:  Behind the plate, the Indians have signed catcher Matt Pagnozzi.  The Indians love to have veteran catchers to work with their young pitchers in the minors and that’s likely why they signed him.  In the infield, the Indians have signed Jose Lopez, Andy LaRoche and Chin-lung Hu.  Lopez can play everywhere in the infield except SS, so I can see him having a good chance of making the team with a strong spring.  Andy LaRoche is a natural 3B, but he can also handle 2B or 1B just like Lopez can.  He hasn’t been as good of a player as Lopez  to this point in their careers.  Chin-lung Hu is a middle infielder but he has struggled badly at the plate in the majors when he has gotten the chance to play.

On the mound:  Acquiring Derek Lowe from the Braves was the biggest addition to the Indians’ pitching staff by far this winter.  The Indians also signed righty relievers Chris Ray and Robinson Tejada to minor league deals and they both have really live arms.  They will get a shot to compete for spots in the Tribe’s bullpen this spring.

Overall:  The Indians have exhibited nice patience this off-season so far, but they still have a huge hole at 1B as Matt LaPorta is running out of time to prove himself in Cleveland.