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Signed OF Andy Abad and OF Jeff Liefer to minor-league contracts and Invited them to Spring Training

Both are AAAA* players, and will probably spend most of the season with Buffalo.

Abad is an interesting player. He's only had 18 total at-bats in the majors, yet has posted numbers that should have garnered him more of a shot. He could easily be a fourth outfielder, or a platoon first baseman. I have no idea how good he is defensively, aside from what little time he spent in the majors. I don't see him getting a shot with the Indians unless there's a massive amount of injuries. Probably the quickest way to Cleveland is at first base, where Ryan Garko is the only major-league ready 1B in the high minors. Abad has shown real good plate discipline his entire career, and although he's not much of a home run threat, hit 35 doubles for Pawtucket in 2003.

Jeff Liefer is more of the same; a first baseman/outfielder. You might remember him with the White Sox in the past couple years; he was also part of the package that brought Bartolo Colon to the Sox. Liefer is still living off his 18 home runs in 2001, but at this point in his career he's properly cast as a AAA slugger. He's not a good defender at first or in the outfield.

*Refers to players who are good in AAA, but aren't good enough to play regularly in the majors