Cleveland Indians: Shaw agrees to contract; Atchison joins coaching staff

The Cleveland Indians agreed to terms with Bryan Shaw to avoid arbitration and also added former Tribe reliever Scott Atchison as a staff assistant.

The Cleveland Indians continue to whittle down their list of arbitration-eligible players as they agreed to a $2.75 million deal for the 2016 season with reliever Bryan Shaw. He joins Zach McAllister, who agreed to a deal worth $1.3 million for nest season. That leaves Josh Tomlin, Lonnie Chisenhall, Cody Allen and Jeff Manship to work out deals before it goes to an arbitrator.

Over the last three seasons, Shaw has been one of the most consistent out of the Tribe pen, posting a 2.93 ERA in 224 outings, striking out 191 in 215 1/3 innings. He’s appeared in at least 70 games each of his three seasons in Cleveland and was a league leader in appearances with 80 in 2014.

One of his former bullpen mates has been brought back to Cleveland as a major-league advance coach and staff assistant. Scott Atchison pitched a brilliant 2014 for the Indians, posting a 2.75 ERA while going 6-0 as a reliever. But he failed to replicate that success last season and was released in June. The Twins picked him up but he failed to latch on there as well.

Atchison will work closely with the pitching staff and pitching coach Mickey Calloway, as well as offer scouting advice on upcoming opponents and do some advanced scouting.

The final group of players shouldn’t have too much of an affect on the payroll whether they go to a hearing or not. The Indians front office has factored these in and will continue to keep an eye out for any potential free agents that could be helpful to 2016 at a “bargain” price.

Next: Is Naquin the next rookie to shine?

The Tribe may have to wait until the eleventh-hour when some free agents have exhausted their possibilities and are looking for a place to play. There could be a few steals out there at better than market price if they can hold out. What better do they have to do?