The Indians have signed 31-year old righty starting pitcher Jeff Weaver to a minor league contract. Weaver pitched poorly in AAA ball this season for the Brewers before they cut him loose. He started 9 games in AAA ball for the Brewers this season and he was 2-4 with a 6.22 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Weaver has pitched in 284 games (267 starts) in his major league career and he is 93-114 with 2 saves, a 4.72 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP. It’s possible that Weaver will replace C.C. Sabathia in the Indians’ starting rotation if he’s traded and that’s not a good thing for Indians’ fans.

The Cleveland Indians have started to think about the future as they have designated righty relievers Joe Borowski and Rick Bauer for assignment. Borowski was giving the Indians’ brass migraines watching him blow leads with his 83 mph fastball so he will not be missed at all. He should thank the Good Lord above that his agent is related to Indians’ GM Mark Shapiro. Rick Bauer had a rough go in his short stint with the Indians. Bauer pitched in 4 games (0 starts) for the Indians this season and he was 0-0 with a 13.50 ERA and a 2.17 WHIP. The Indians have recalled righties Jensen Lewis and 27-year old righty Brian Slocum from the minors to replace Borowski & Bauer in the bullpen. Lewis has already pitched in 21 games (0 starts) with the Indians this season and he is 0-1 with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.57 WHIP. Brian Slocum has pitched in 18 games (11 starts) in AAA ball this season for the Tribe and he is 3-5 with 1 save, a 4.62 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Slocum made his major league debut last season with the Indians working in 8 games (2 starts) in which he compiled a 0-0 record with a 5.60 ERA and a 2.04 WHIP. These moves are addition by subtraction as Borowski and Bauer were pitching batting practice for the Indians this season.

After last night I’ve seen enough of Joe Borowski. If Eric Wedge continues to use him as the Indians’ closer it might wind up costing him his job. Borowski has pitched in 18 games for the Indians this season and he is 1-3 with 6 saves, a 7.56 ERA and a 1.92 WHIP. Borowski has pitched in 87 games for the Indians in the last two seasons and he is 5-8 with 51 saves, a 5.57 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. The Indians should give Japanese import Mashide Kobayashi a chance to close instead of Borowski. He has pitched in 38 games for the Indians this season and he is 4-3 with 4 saves, a 3.15 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. The start of rebuilding the Indians’ bullpen is getting rid of some of the trash in it and it all starts with Borowski who should be released.

UPDATE: The Indians have finally got rid of Joe Borowski as they designated him for assignment today. He will likely have a hard time finding another job as he has been absolutely awful this season for the Indians. Good Riddance!

The Indians have signed 29-year old righty reliever Juan Rincon and 36-year old righty swinging Tony Graffanino to minor league contracts. Rincon has pitched in 24 games (0 starts) with the Twins this season and he is 2-2 with a 6.11 ERA and a 1.75 WHIP. But, Rincon has been an effective pitcher most of his career in the majors so the Indians seem willing to give him a chance to re-establish himself. Rincon has now pitched in 386 games (3 starts) in his major league career and he is 30-26 with 3 saves, a 3.69 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Tony Graffanino has not played this season as he has been recovering from a couple of surgeries. Graffanino has played in 974 games in his major league career and he is 743 for 2,787 (.267 avg, .732 OPS) with 441 runs scored, 58 homers, 302 RBIs and 53 stolen bases. These were two good depth signings for the Indians.

The Boston Red Sox are getting irritated with starting shortstop Julio Lugo. With that in mind the Indians have been wanting to move Jhonny Peralta for some time now. So maybe the Indians could trade Peralta along with outfielder David Dellucci to the Red Sox for shortstop Jed Lowrie, outfielder Brandon Moss and relief pitcher Craig Hansen. The 23-year old switch hitting Jed Lowrie has been compared to Dustin Pedroia which would be fine with the Indians. He would take over as the starting SS from day #1 if this trade went down. Lowrie has played in 17 games for the Red Sox this season and he is 13 for 42 (.310 avg, .816 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. He has a nice upside. 25-year old lefty swinging outfielder Brandon Moss would get a chance to battle for at bats in the Tribe’s crowded outfield. He has played in 16 games for the Red Sox this season and he is 10 for 39 (.256 avg, .788 OPS) with 4 runs scored, 2 homers and 5 RBIs. 25-year old righty reliever Craig Hansen appears to have been overrated by the Boston press but the Indians could use another arm in the bullpen. Hansen has pitched in 18 games (0 starts) for the Red Sox this season and he is 1-2 with 1 save, a 5.79 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP. This is a trade that would make the Red Sox better right now and maybe the Indians down the road.