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MLB on FOX’s Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Cleveland Indians are set to acquire right-handed relief pitcher Nick Wittgren from the Miami Marlins in exchange for minor league pitcher Jordan Milbrath. Wittgren had been designated for assignment back on Jan. 29 to make room on the Marlins’ roster for free agent signee Neil Walker.
The Tribe have also bumped pitcher A.J. Cole from the 40-man roster to create space for Wittgren.
The 27-year-old Wittgren is a former ninth round pick out of the 2012 MLB Amateur Draft and has bounced between Triple-A and the Marlins’ bullpen for the last three seasons. In 127.2 big league innings over that span, Wittgren has produced a 3.60 ERA and amassed 116 strikeouts. He had offseason surgery prior to the 2018 season, which saw him record a career-best 2.94 ERA, 3.13 FIP, and .220 BAA in 32 games with the big league club.
This is a solid but not spectacular acquisition that is very much in line with the low-key offseason we’ve seen thus far from the Indians’ front office.