Late Signings Could Pay Off For Tribe

After the Indians signed Joe Borowski to solidify their bullpen most analysts expected the Tribe to go to Spring Training without making another big splash. Mark Shapiro maintained that there was room in the budget for one or two additional moves, but when he missed on power arm Octavio Dotel and former stud closer Eric Gagne even he admitted that chances of another signing were slim. In the last two weeks, however, Shapiro was able to add two big names to his roster, former Red Sox closer Keith Foulke and slugger Trot Nixon. Question marks surround both players, which allowed them to fall into the Indians' bargain bin, but they may make a big impact this season. Here's a look at what each player can bring to the Tribe this summer.

Keith Foulke, RP- The 34-year old Foulke is a former world champion who had one of the best October runs in history as the Red Sox closer in 2004. That postseason, his ERA was a microscopic 0.64 as he allowed only one run in 14 innings. Foulke's 2004 season capped a six-year run as one of the most dominant closers in the American League; from 1999-2004 his ERA was under three each year and he accumulated 171 saves. He never had a true power arm but was able to flummox hitters with a scintillating and at times unhittable changeup. 2005 brought Foulke a series of injuries (many credit manager Terry Francona for ruining Foulke's career by overusing him in the 2004 postseason; Foulke threw 257 pitches that October), first in his knees and later in his throwing arm. He lost his closer's job that year after he posted an ERA of 5.91. Last year was not much better as he had a 4.35 ERA as his arm tendinitis persisted. However, in the last month of the season, a finally healthy Foulke had eleven consecutive appearances without giving up a run, giving the Indians confidence that he could return to his old form. This move could certainly blow up in Shapiro's face if Foulke is injured again, but if Foulke can even be close to his old self he will give the Tribe the dominant closing presence it has lacked since the unhittable Steve Karsay/Paul Shuey combination of early 2001. It's a classic risk-reward acquisition, but the potential payoff could be huge and if healthy Foulke could put this team over the top.

Trot Nixon, OF- Nixon is a classic lefty slugger who in his prime was good for 20-30 homers and a high on-base percentage. Injuries and age have robbed him of some bat speed and his power and average have dropped, but as a platoon player he has excellent value. Although he only hit for a .268 average this past season with 8 home runs, he hit .288 against righties. Six of his eight home runs also came against right-handers. He is worthless against left-handed pitchers (.204 average) but with Casey Blake and Jason Michaels available to platoon he won't have to worry about facing them often. Nixon also boasted a robust .385 on-base percentage against righties, making him a legitimate threat to hit in the 2-hole. A noted leader with postseason experience, Nixon will be a major asset in the clubhouse and makes for a perfect complementary player for a contending team.

These two pickups could potentially have a huge impact on the Tribe's success this season, and since they have numerous other options in the bullpen and outfield, neither player is being counted on too heavily. If they bust it's not a major blow to Cleveland's hopes, but if they play well and the rest of the team comes together we could be looking at an October playoff run for the first time since 2001.