Signed OF David Dellucci to a Three-Year, $11.5M Contract
First, a quick overview of David Dellucci.
David was originally drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1995, and made it to AA by the end of the next season. He made his major-league debut with the Orioles towards the tail end of the 1997 season, and was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in that winter's Expansion Draft. He was a regular for Arizona in the first year of their existence, but was reduced to a reserve outfielder after that. He was dealt to the Yankees in a semi-interesting deadline deal in 2003. After the season, he signed with the Texas Rangers, where he got regular at-bats over the next two seasons. He was dealt to the Phillies before the 2006 season, and hit .292/.369/.530 in 264 at-bats.
Dellucci's strength is hitting against right-handed pitching (career .263/.348/.449). His defense is such that he should only be playing in left field. Platooning in left field with Jason Michaels would make a lot of sense. It also creates a logjam in the outfield, which the Indians should use to address other needs.
The contract isn't all that bad, considering what other outfielders have been getting, and it shouldn't preclude the Indians from making a move that they could have made before the signing. In fact, I'd wager that this signing will directly lead to further deals. Ryan Garko could be used to procure a better closer than the free agent market holds. Jason Michaels could be used to land a decent reliever. And so forth.
In isolation, it's a nice deal, but other moves have to be made for it to look good in the big offseason picture.