Cleveland Sports Forum

CLEVELAND -- The Guardians avoided arbitration with all seven of their eligible players on Thursday.

Sources told MLB.com that Cleveland settled on one-year deals with ace Shane Bieber ($13.125 million), reliever Scott Barlow ($6.7 million), first baseman Josh Naylor ($6.55 million), reliever James Karinchak ($1.9 million), starter Triston McKenzie ($1.6 million), reliever Sam Hentges ($1.1625 million) and reliever Nick Sandlin ($1.075 million) on Thursday afternoon. The team had already locked up outfielder Ramón Laureano to a $5.15 million deal earlier this offseason.

The Guardians have been able to avoid arbitration hearings each year since 2019.

Barlow is primed to be the setup man to closer Emmanuel Clase. Hentges and Sandlin should fill similar roles in the ‘pen to the ones they have the past few seasons. But Karinchak will have to prove that he can get back to the 2020 version of himself, when he owned a 2.67 ERA in 27 appearances during the COVID-shortened season. He started off hot in ’21 before he lost a feel for his stuff in the middle of June and has struggled to regain the same consistency since.

There are no questions when it comes to Naylor. Although his name has popped up in trade rumors this winter, it would be shocking to see the Guardians -- who are focused on improving their offense -- part ways with arguably their best hitter from last season. Naylor enjoyed a career year, slashing .308/.354/.489 with 17 homers, and was rewarded for it on Thursday. The projections seem to believe that level of production (or close to it) is attainable for the first baseman. And if that’s the case, the Guardians will need his bat again in 2024.

It’s not until we get to the starters that more questions arise. For McKenzie, it’s all about health. He had a history of injuries in the Minor Leagues but had been durable for the Guardians through his first three seasons in the Majors. Last year, injuries were an issue again. He started the season with a shoulder strain that sidelined him until June. He made just two starts before elbow troubles kept him out again until the final week of the season. If he’s healthy in 2024, the Guardians know they can count on him. It’s just whether he can bounce back for an injury-free year that remains unknown.

And then there’s Bieber, who’s set to hit free agency at the end of the 2024 season. For now, he’s still the ace of this rotation. But the Guardians will need to determine if they’ll trade him before the season gets underway.

On paper, it might make more sense to hang on to the righty, considering the rotation is without Cal Quantrill (who was traded to the Rockies) and will once again be relying on three young starters in Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen. Their starting pitching depth isn’t as full as they probably would like it to be, and if Bieber is out of the mix, that depth would be stretched tremendously thin. Plus, the starter’s trade value isn’t what it used to be.

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So, it looks like nobody is offering anything good for Bieber. They see the same red flags and aren't willing to pony up just now.

Looks like Bieber will have to go thru ST with the G's for teams to get a better look.

Guardians Invite 12 More Non-Roster Players To Spring Training Camp

Kyle Manzardo, Petey Halpin, and Anthony Gose are among 12 additional non-roster players whom Cleveland has invited to its 2024 Spring Training camp.

LOGAN POTOSKY 1/19/24 2 HOURS AGO

The Cleveland Guardians will begin their spring training in less than a month, when pitchers and catchers will have their first workout.

With spring training on the way soon, Cleveland has added more players to its Major League squad that will be in Goodyear, Arizona.

On Friday, the team announced that they have extended 12 more internal non-roster invitations to their Major League Spring Training camp.

With the invites for pitchers Jaime Barria and Adam Oller having already been announced earlier this offseason, the Guardians now have invited 14 total non-roster players to spring training.

Here is a breakdown of the team’s 12 newest spring training invitees, in alphabetical order.

Franco Aleman

The hard-throwing relief pitcher was a 10th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of the University of Florida.

After beginning last season with High-A Lake County, the 23-year-old right-hander had an incredible rest of the year with Double-A Akron. In 19 Double-A appearances, Aleman did not allow a single earned run and converted each of his seven save opportunities, going 2-2 with two holds, a 0.58 WHIP, a .111 opposing batting average, and an average of 14.25 strikeouts per nine innings.

Michael Berglund

The catcher was claimed off waivers by the Guardians in early December of 2022.

The 26-year-old played 52 games with Double-A Akron last season, hitting .161 with 25 hits, four doubles, five home runs, 21 RBI, and a .593 OPS.

Tanner Burns

The right-handed pitcher was the 36th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of the University of Auburn.

The 25-year-old has spent the last two seasons with Double-A Akron, going 8-10 with a 3.29 ERA, one complete game, one hold, one save (in his only opportunity), 178 strikeouts, a 1.31 WHIP, and a .222 opposing batting average.

Raynel Delgado

The second baseman was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Calvary Christian Academy (FL).

After playing his first seven games of last season with Double-A Akron, the 23-year-old played his final 104 contests with Triple-A Columbus. In Triple-A, Delgado hit .254 with 87 hits, 15 doubles, seven home runs, 33 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and a .714 OPS.

Nic Enright

The relief pitcher was a 20th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Virginia Tech University.

After being selected in the 2022 MLB Rule 5 Draft, the 27-year-old was returned to the Guardians last season. Upon his return, Enright made his final 25 relief appearances with Triple-A Columbus, going 5-2 with a 5.45 ERA, one hold, one save (in five opportunities), a 1.50 WHIP, and an average of 9.87 strikeouts per nine innings.

The right-hander has an inspiring story for Cleveland fans to follow, as he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December of 2022.

Anthony Gose

After beginning his professional baseball career in 2008 as a center fielder, the 33-year-old has been a left-handed relief pitcher since the 2017 season.

Gose’s most recent game action at the Minor or Major League level was with the Guardians in 2022, when he went 3-0 with a 4.71 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .197 opposing batting average, and an average of 12.00 strikeouts per nine innings. However, a left triceps strain in early July ended his season early.

Petey Halpin

The center fielder was a third-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of St. Francis High School (CA).

The 21-year-old ended the 2023 season as the Guardians’ 21st-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Halpin spent all of last season with Double-A Akron, hitting .243 with 110 hits, 23 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 38 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and a .684 OPS.

Ahead of this season, Baseball America named him the Best Defensive Outfielder among Cleveland’s prospects.

Bryan Lavastida

The catcher was a 15th-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Hillsborough Community College.

The 25-year-old played 108 games across Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus last season, hitting .240 with 94 hits, 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 70 RBI, 16 stolen bases, and a .719 OPS.

Lavastida made his MLB debut with the Guardians in 2022, going 1-for-12 at the plate with three walks and four strikeouts in six games.

Kyle Manzardo

The first baseman was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last season in the Aaron Civale trade.

The 23-year-old ended the 2023 season as MLB Pipeline’s 58th-ranked prospect, and was announced earlier today as their second-ranked first baseman prospect ahead of the upcoming campaign.

In his 21 games with Triple-A Columbus after being traded, Manzardo hit .256 with 20 hits, eight doubles, six home runs, 16 RBI, and a .938 OPS. This offseason, he was named a 2023 Arizona Fall League Fall Star and participated in the league’s home run derby.

Micah Pries

The first baseman/outfielder was a 13th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Point Loma Nazarene University.

The 25-year-old spent all of last season with Triple-A Columbus, hitting .232 with 93 hits, 27 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 43 RBI, and a .752 OPS.

Pries was also named a 2022 Guardians Organization All-Star after hitting .266 with 119 hits, 29 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs, 73 RBI, 20 stolen bases, and an .814 OPS with Double-A Akron.

Eric Rodriguez

The catcher was a 21st-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Wallace Community College.

Last season, the 25-year-old had four different stints on the Development List, and spent four days on the 7-day injured list. In all, Rodriguez played nine games with Triple-A Columbus, hitting .263 with five hits, one double, one RBI, and a .634 OPS.

Daniel Schneemann

The utility infielder was a 33rd-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Brigham Young University.

The 26-year-old spent all of last season with Triple-A Columbus, hitting .267 with 112 hits, 30 doubles, 13 home runs, 60 RBI, 17 stolen bases, and a .797 OPS. Schneemann also showed considerable defensive versatility, playing 66 games at third base, 30 games at shortstop, and 15 games at second base.

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Manzardo headlines Guards' list of Spring Training non-roster invitees

CLEVELAND -- The Guardians have released their list of non-roster invitees for this year’s big league Spring Training camp.

While the team had previously announced two names on the list, it extended 12 more invitations on Friday afternoon to four pitchers, three catchers, four infielders and one outfielder. Within that group are three of Cleveland’s Top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.

Pitchers

Franco Aleman, RHP
Jaime Barria, RHP (previously invited)
Tanner Burns, RHP
Nic Enright, RHP
Anthony Gose, LHP
Adam Oller, RHP (previously invited)

Catchers

Michael Berglund
Bryan Lavastida
Eric Rodriguez

Infielders

Raynel Delgado
Kyle Manzardo
Micah Pries
Daniel Schneemann

Outfielder

Petey Halpin

There are certainly a handful of names that will stand out to Guardians fans. Let’s start with Gose.

Gose is the outfielder-turned-pitcher who was impressive for Cleveland in just a handful of appearances in 2021. He returned in '22, posting a 4.71 ERA in 21 innings, but he was shut down in July with arm trouble that led to Tommy John surgery. After missing more than a year of activity, the 33-year-old will be back in competition for a bullpen spot.

Manzardo is Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect, and his bat was the reason why the Guardians felt comfortable parting ways with Aaron Civale at last year's Trade Deadline. Manzardo was sidelined in the middle of the season last year with shoulder pain, but he started to gain steam toward the end of the year. He showed off his power in the Arizona Fall League, hitting six homers in 22 games with 19 RBIs.

Burns has been in Cleveland’s system since he was selected with the 36th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. The Guardians’ No. 20 prospect has been steady over the past three Minor League seasons, owning a 3.57 ERA in 18 starts with High-A Lake County in '21, a 3.55 ERA in 21 starts with Double-A Akron in '22 and a 3.01 ERA in 29 appearances (14 starts) with Akron in '23. He could become an option in the rotation or out of the 'pen moving forward.

Halpin is the last Top 30 prospect on this list. Ranking at No. 21, Halpin made a strong impression on former manager Terry Francona last year, when he was used as a fill-in for the late innings of a few Cactus League games. In one of his few at-bats in front of the big league coaching staff, he smacked a three-run double that earned him $50 as the MVP of the game from Francona. The Guardians liked Halpin's poise and hustle, and now they’ll have an opportunity to see him more frequently.

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This list has 41 names on the 40 man roster?

What's up?

https://www.espn.com/mlb/team/roster/_/ ... guardians

That is a great question;
First I thought I'd count them myself and got the same answer.
Then I looked for Arias on IF and OF lists but nope.

THE ANSWER IS:

Delete Cam Gallagher; he signed somewhere else

MLB.com has it right

https://www.mlb.com/guardians/roster

and also has the complete Invitee list which is 20 names long

https://www.mlb.com/guardians/roster/nri

There's been a bit of excitement about inviting Carrasco and suggestion he will compete with Curry for long reliever role.
I am very happy to have Cookie in camp and I like the idea of him retiring as a Guardian. But I would be awfully surprised if he makes the roster for any purpose other than having the chance to retire, maybe on opening day just after the eclipse. And then return Curry or whoever else is bumped aside to the roster for Day two.
Curry did a wonderful job as a swing man, a really tough job.
Carrasco had a very unfortunate 2023, as did Kluber. I think they're probably both done. But hard workers like both of them could outlast expectations.

Austin Hedges Truther
@mlbfeeelit
Guardians - 2nd worst team at pulling flyballs

Adam Duvall - Free Agent who happens to be the best player at hitting pulled flyballs

seems like a good fit yeah?

Duvall is what Bill Walsh use to call a progress stopper. Someone that would be getting in the way of finding a more permanent solution. I am all for going with the position players currently on the team. Add all the pitchers you want.

Most fly balls are outs whether you pull them or push them.

Fly balls over the outfielder's head are what we need....especially if they're standing at the fence.

That's as good a description of a home run as i've heard of

rusty2 wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2024 2:16 pm Duvall is what Bill Walsh use to call a progress stopper. Someone that would be getting in the way of finding a more permanent solution. I am all for going with the position players currently on the team. Add all the pitchers you want.

russ - while I hear you here I only agree with that since there is no way I consider this team a true contender. So yeah let em all play.

That also said, there is the issue of having the proper veterans around to help the kids' progress. Not coaches...veteran players who have been in the league so that the kids naturally want to learn from and be like.