Nick Wittgren

Wittgren was traded to the Indians prior to the season after he was surprisingly designated for assignment by the Marlins despite posting a strong 2.94 ERA in 33.2 innings for the team in 2018. The righty established himself as one of Cleveland's more reliable relievers following his promotion to the majors in mid-April, finishing with a 2.81 ERA, 12 holds and four saves -- second most on the team -- in 57.2 innings. Wittgren did well to limit free passes, which led to a career-best 1.08 WHIP, and he posted a respectable 26.0 K% despite his lackluster 9.0 SwStr%. He doesn't check out quite as well under the hood as he allowed a lot of loud contact (1.6 HR/9) and benefitted from a high left-on-base rate (83.3%), which helps explain his 4.17 FIP. Wittgren will return to a setup role in 2020, forming a strong bridge to the ninth alongside the likes of James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase.

Wittgren carved out a nice role for himself in the Marlins' pen last season after being called up from Triple-A New Orleans in late May. He finished the season with a strong 3.14 ERA. The right hander succeeded in large part due to his marginal walk rate of just 1.74 BB/9, which negated his rather low 7.32 K/9 strikeout rate. He has the track record to back up his 2016 performance as well, with his walk rate never topping 2.00 BB/9 prior to 2016. Barring an injury or significant regression, Wittgren will begin the 2017 season in Miami, where he could see more high leverage situations if he starts off strong. He had six holds and two blown saves with the Marlins in 2016. He has closed out games in the past, with seasons of 25, 20 and 19 saves in the three seasons prior to 2016.