Nowadays, it is time that the Tribe needed to decide whether to offer pitcher Lewis a contract for 2011. And finally Jensen Lewis got the happy mood, and went to Quicken Loans Arena to witness NBA superstar LeBron James' first return trip to Cleveland as a member of the Miami Heat.
Because shortly before the deadline, and after Lewis watched James drop 38 points in a win over his former team in Cleveland, the pitcher avoided arbitration and signed a one-year, $650,000 contract with the Tribe. Right-hander Joe Smith also avoided arbitration by inking a one-year pact worth $870,000 plus incentives.
Lewis and Smith were among a group of six arbitration-eligible players for the Indians this offseason. The others include relievers Chris Perez and Rafael Perez, as well as outfielder Shin-Soo Choo and shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera. The Tribe tendered contracts to each rostered player affected by Thursday's deadline.
Lewis and Smith -- both 26 years old and both eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason -- spent the bulk of last season in the Tribe's bullpen. Lewis posted a 2.97 ERA over 37 games and Smith fashioned a 3.83 ERA over 53 appearances for Cleveland.
Beyond addressing their own roster, the Indians were also keeping an eye on moves around baseball on Thursday night. One of Cleveland's priorities this winter is searching for help at third base and the tender deadline was expected to produce some possibilities.
Oakland non-tendered third baseman Edwin Encarnacion and Kansas City did the same with Josh Fields, making both players free agents. Encarnacion boasts solid power -- he belted 21 homers in just 367 at-bats for the Blue Jays last year -- but has struggled defensively. Fields missed most of last season due to right hip surgery.
Lewis and Smith could have a happy Christmas, and a steady season next year, what a happier thing?
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