CLEVELAND — Bryan Shaw has pitched his way back into Cleveland’s bullpen.
The 33-year-old right-hander, who signed a minor league deal with the Indians this offseason, was told Wednesday that he will make the club’s Opening Day roster. He will get a one-year contract paying a $1 million salary in the major leagues and $125,000 in the minors and will have the chance to earn $1.3 million in performance bonuses based on pitching appearances: $100,000 each for 35 and 40, $150,000 apiece for 45, 50 and 55, and $200,000 each for 60, 65, 70 and 75.
Shaw was a dependable reliever from 2013-17 with the Indians before signing with Colorado as a free agent.
He came into camp determined to show he had something left, and Shaw has shown the Indians everything they wanted go see.
Manager Terry Francona said he let Chris Antonetti, the team’s president of baseball operations, deliver the news to Shaw.
“We’ve actually had some really tough conversations, and I thought Chris should get to have one that’s a little more fun,” Francona said. “I told Bryan, ‘You’re home,’ and he said ‘I know.’ We’re happy. We’re happy for him, but we’re also happy for ourselves, because I think we all feel like he’s really going to help us.”
Shaw gives the Indians experience in the back end of their bullpen, a veteran to help bring along young relievers James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase.
Shaw appeared in 378 games over five seasons with the Indians, and Francona didn’t hesitate to use him in consecutive games. And while he was a workhorse, Shaw was sometimes inconsistent and became a target for some fans.
He struggled while in Colorado like so many other pitchers, and Shaw pitched in only six games for Seattle last season.
The Indians may have been a last chance to revive his career, and Shaw’s done that.
“We were honest with him coming in,” Francona said. “We said we can’t promise you something we can’t promise you. And he said ‘I feel good.’ I think his one concern was how poorly he had pitched in the past in spring training.
“Frankly, I wondered how that would go, also. But he’s really done well.”