The Cleveland Indians announced they have signed three players to Minor League contracts and have invited them to their Major League spring training camp. They are outfielder Brandon Barnes, right-handed pitcher Evan Marshall and right-handed pitcher Neil Ramirez.
Barnes, 31, has spent five seasons in the Major Leagues with the Houston Astros and Colorado Rockies and spent the 2017 season in the Miami Marlins organization with Triple-A New Orleans, batting .276 (113-410) with 22 doubles, 2 triples, 11 home runs and 49 RBI in 109 games while stealing a professional career-high 15 bases. He appeared at all three outfield positions and 16 games at first base and batted .325 (26-80 off LHP for the year. He owns a career Major League average of .242 (279-1153) over 465 games with the Astros and Rockies from 2012-16. He was Houston’s sixth round pick in the 2005 First-Year Player Draft.
Marshall, 27, split the 2017 season in the Seattle Mariners organization between the big league club, AAA Tacoma and a three-month stint on the disabled list with a hamstring strain following six seasons in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He has appeared in 91 Major League games with the D-Backs and Mariners, posting a 4.94 ERA, setting an Arizona club rookie record with 19 holds during his 2014 rookie campaign. He was the fourth round pick of the Diamondbacks in the 2011 draft out of Kansas State and was claimed off waivers in April by Seattle.
Ramίrez, 28, split the 2017 season between the San Francisco Giants, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals organizations, appearing in 29 games at the Major League level with 44 strikeouts in 31.1 innings with the Giants and Mets. He owns a career Major League ERA of 4.22 in 116 games since debuting with the Chicago Cubs in 2014, where he posted a 1.44 ERA, 3 saves and 17 holds over 50 outings during his rookie campaign. He was Texas’ first round “sandwich” selection (44th overall) in the 2007 draft and was traded to the Cubs organization in August 2013.
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