Indians Sign Pitcher Ohka to Minor League Contract

By Bill Jordan
Updated: December 5, 2008

General manager Mark Shapiro made a move on Friday to add some more pitching depth to the Cleveland Indians by signing pitcher Tomo Ohka to a minor league contract.

Ohka has been around the league in the past nine years as be has played with the Blue Jays, Brewers, Nationals (Expos) and Red Sox, but has never really been able to establish himself in any system.

The most games Ohka has won in a single season was 13 with the Expos in 2002. Last season, he was 2-5 in 10 starts with a 5.79 ERA for the Blue Jays. Shapiro has not commented on the signing publicly yet, but it can be assumed that Ohka was signed simply to add some depth to the starting rotation. The Indians are looking for someone to hold Jake Westbrook’s spot in the rotation until he is fully recovered from surgery some time in July.

At 32-years-old, Ohko made $1.5 million last season in Toronto, and may spend most of the season as a fill in starter or a long reliever. It is conceivable that he could be bouncing back and forth between the Indians’ new AAA home in Columbus and Cleveland.