The Cleveland Indians have signed pitcher Jarrett Grube to a minor league deal. He had been pitching in the Mexican League this year after making his major-league debut with the Angels in 2014.
Grube struggled to be consistent in his professional career stateside, but he presents an interesting signing for the Indians after putting up stellar numbers with Quintana Roo in Mexico this year. In 11 starts, the 33-year-old posted a 2.89 ERA with a 7.5 K/9 ratio and an even more impressive 8.33 K/BB ratio.
While pitching to big-league hitters is an entirely different challenge, watching Grube transition back into the American game will be intriguing. Baltimore’s Miguel Gonzalez took a similar (albeit, shorter) career path, struggling in the minors with the Angels and Red Sox before turning things around in Mexico and ultimately landing in Baltimore.
With minimal rotation depth, Cleveland will hope Grube can continue to put up strong numbers in his return to the United States and ultimately position himself to help the big-league club. The Indians have gotten solid although inconsistent results from their major-league rotation this year, though a surprise contribution from Grubbe could help them climb back into the race as they sit just eight games out of first place.