Cleveland Indians Officially Sign Wily Mo Pena to Minor-League Deal

The Cleveland Indians officially signed Wily Mo Pena to a minor-league deal as the slugger looks to make a return to the MLB.

Part of being a great professional sports franchise is taking chances. These do not need to be high-risk moves, but rather those that are low-risk with high potential rewards. This is exactly what the Cleveland Indians have done by signing Wily Mo Pena to a minor-league deal.

The signing was first announced last week by Jon Heyman, but the Indians did not confirm the move until today.

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We've signed OF Wily Mo Peña to a one-year minor-league contract. He has 84 career home runs in eight MLB seasons: https://t.co/Hcyg5LBnFY pic.twitter.com/3Z4W59qJB7

— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) February 6, 2017

Pena has not played in a MLB game since 2011, but he has had some success in Japan, where he played from 2012-2015.

The deal is one that is low-risk in nature, as the Indians are not relying on Pena to be a major part of the team’s success in 2017. Acquiring Edwin Encarnacion gave the team an upgrade on offense, so few fans will fret if Pena never even makes it to the big league roster.

But if he does tear it up in the minors and earns a spot with the Indians, it will only be a good thing. There may not be a spot for him unless someone goes down with an injury, but Indians fans know not to disregard any potential outcome after all the craziness in 2016.

Pena could also be a trade asset if he plays well, making his signing an easy one for the front office to make. If anything, the Indians are giving an exciting power hitter from the past a chance to make a comeback. No better city to do it in than Cleveland.