More bullpen help?

The Indians have signed veteran reliever Brendan Donnelly to a minor-league contract. Donnelly, 36, went 2-1 with a fine 3.05 ERA last year for the Red Sox, after five years with the Angels (which explains the hat he's wearing in that photo). He hasn't pitched since June 11 because of a strained right forearm, and he had Tommy John surgery in August, which means he'll miss the first half of '08. He's pitched in a World Series -- not last year, obviously, but in '02, with the Angels. And he was an All-Star in 2003, which is pretty rare for a bullpen guy who's not a closer.

Donnelly is mentioned in the Mitchell Report, alleged to have purchased steroids at some point. He insists that when he found out the substance he was considering was classified as a steroid, he changed his mind. What can we do but believe him? Given how many players apparently used steroids, it's virtually impossible to build a team with guys who are above suspicion.

What does this signing mean for the Tribe bullpen? Maybe nothing. The man's going to turn 37 on the Fourth of July, and he's coming off major surgery. It would be imprudent to expect much from him. But if he can return to form, he's been a fine setup man for a few years, and you can never have too many of those guys.

He becomes the third veteran reliever the Indians have signed this winter, after Masahide Kobayashi (not the eating champ, but a longtime bullpen guy in the Japanese leagues) and Jorge Julio. This despite the fact that the Tribe had one of the best bullpens in baseball last year. Mark Shapiro's philosophy seems to be that you can never have too many arms, and who can find fault with that?