Bryan Shaw, a durable and dependable reliever who was often under-appreciated by many fans during his time with the Indians, has agreed to terms on a multiyear deal with the Colorado Rockies, according to multiple reports.
Shaw, 30, and the Rockies have an agreement in place for a three-year deal, according to multiple reports, including those from ESPN, FanRag Sports and the New York Post. The deal is believed to be in the range of $9 million per season, according to those reports.
In his five seasons with the Indians, Shaw appeared in 378 games, the most appearances by any reliever in baseball over that span. In his 358 2/3 innings _ tied for the most by any qualified reliever in the past five years _ Shaw posted a 3.11 ERA and 1.19 WHIP to go with 333 strikeouts.
Among relievers to throw at least 300 innings in the past five years, Shaw's 3.11 ERA ranks 17th in baseball. Shaw also brought consistency each season. In his five seasons with the Indians, Shaw never had an ERA higher than 3.52 or a WHIP higher than 1.26.
Although never the focal point of the back end of the Indians' bullpen such as Cody Allen or Andrew Miller, Shaw played a key role in supporting the group as a whole by affording the club an quality option to throw a large number of high-leverage innings. And he was a trusted member of the bullpen for manager Terry Francona, who saw additional value in how often Shaw was able to pitch.
"Sometimes I think the way I view it is it's almost like the offensive lineman that shows up every game and the only time people really talk about them is when he misses a block," Francona said in an end-of-the-season news conference following the American League Division Series in October. "He took so much pride in being available. And he carried so much of the load for us for five years. It is remarkable. ... But my goodness sakes, he is so reliable and if he's not in our bullpen, it will probably take two guys to do what he did. It's amazing."
Still, Shaw seemed to be a marked man, either for his inclination to be roughed up to a high degree in one outing _ there are instances of Shaw not allowing an earned run for several weeks only to be blown up for four or more runs in one game, leaving a bad memory in the minds of fans _ or for his being on the mound when the Indians lost in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
Once a free agent, Shaw received interest from a number of teams. According to Newsday, the New York Mets were believed to be one of several teams to have offered Shaw a three-year deal. That was before he reportedly accepted the Rockies' offer on Tuesday, and for an annual price tag comparable to what the Indians will pay Miller for the 2018 season.
Francona had said it would likely take two pitchers to make up for Shaw's absence. The Indians will now have to find out to what degree that statement really was true.
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