The Cleveland Indians have signed left handed slugger Jason Giambi to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to Spring Training. Giambi, 42, has spent the last four seasons with the Colorado Rockies as a part time player and pinch hitter.
Appearing in 60 games for Colorado in 2012, Giambi hit .225 with 1 HR, 4 2B and 20 walks while his season was cut short with a hernia to his right groin. The last time Giambi was in the American League was in 2009, when he began the year in Oakland.
The signing of Giambi, the 2000 AL MVP and five time All-Star (none since 2004) , should put to rest the rumors of the Tribe’s pursuit of Jim Thome for a third go-round in Cleveland.
Giambi, an 18 year veteran, is eighth among active players with 429 home runs and owns a career average of .280. In 2007, Giambi was one of 89 players named in the Mitchell Report, Major League Baseball’s formal investigation into steroid use among Major League players (Giambi has publicly apologized for using performance drugs).
[Related: Travis or Thome- I choose neither]
