Indians send Plutko to Orioles for cash

The Indians had to clear three spots on the 40-man roster to make room for Oliver Pérez, Bryan Shaw and Ben Gamel. In order to do so, they moved reliever Cam Hill to the 60-day injured list, designated for assignment backstop Beau Taylor and traded Adam Plutko to the Orioles in exchange for cash considerations.

While placing Hill on the IL wasn't a shocking move, considering he broke his wrist in a car accident in November and hasn’t pitched in a game setting since, trading Plutko was the more difficult decision.

“As we were approaching the end of camp,” Indians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said on Sunday, one day after the roster moves, “we decided Adam wouldn’t be on the team and so we spent the last day or two trying to find a match for him and were pleased we were able to place him with the Orioles, where he’ll be able to compete for a spot, I believe, in their rotation.”

Plutko has been the perfect sixth starter for Cleveland the past few years, but it got trickier in 2020, when he ran out of Minor League options. He spent the majority of the year in the bullpen, but was also called upon to make a few spot starts. With the depth that the Indians have in the rotation, he would have had a similar role again in 2021.

Plutko was drafted by the Indians in the 11th round of the 2013 MLB Draft and made his Major League debut on Sept. 24, 2016, when he tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings against the White Sox. He made just one other appearance that month and stayed in Triple-A Columbus for the 2017 season. But beginning in 2018, he became a more regular face in the Indians’ clubhouse.

“I was at the game [on Saturday] and talked with Adam, I think it was in the ninth inning or so,” Antonetti said, “and that was a big part of our conversation, is that he’s meant so much to our organization and it’s been fun for us to see him grow and develop from the time we drafted him in the 11th round, really to a leader on our team.”

Plutko posted a 5.05 ERA in 50 games (36 starts) over four seasons with Cleveland. The Indians loved the leadership Plutko demonstrated -- he was an assistant to Francisco Lindor as the club’s player representative during the 2020 season. That veteran-like presence carried over to the clubhouse this spring with an extremely young roster.

“He stepped forward into a leadership role on our team and helped us navigate [2020], and we are really grateful for the way in which he led,” Antonetti said. “And that made the decision in some ways, made it harder, because we were reluctant to trade a guy like that, but in some ways, it also made it easier, knowing that we’re helping him get to a place where he will have a better opportunity than he was going to have with us.”

According to a report by MLB.com’s Joe Trezza, Plutko likely will fill a multiple-innings role in Baltimore’s bullpen to start the season and could become a candidate to start games later in the year.

“I’m confident that Adam’s going to go and contribute to the Orioles,” Antonetti said, “and establish himself as an effective pitcher for them.”