Kwan is the one guy I'd love for them to sign to a longterm deal. His whole approach is so impressive. I still see him as hope for the Player Manager who we require, based on past history, to win a World Series.

However, he may be too analytical to accept terms Cleveland offers.

I've read quite a few articles what the Guardians should try to make this happen. Maybe Jose could have some input like the Dodger players who kept insisting that KiKi be handed a new contract. It happened. Maybe it could happen here.

Guardians add Means (TJ surgery) for 1 year, with '26 option (source)

12:19 PM CST

Anthony Castrovince

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- John Means will be continuing his recovery from Tommy John surgery under the employ of the Cleveland Guardians, who agreed to terms with the veteran left-hander on a one-year Major League deal with a club option for 2026, pending a physical, according to a source. The club has not confirmed the deal.

Means, who will report to the Guardians’ Spring Training complex on Tuesday for his physical, had Tommy John surgery last June, which means he won’t be an immediate option for the club’s rotation. But the contract puts him in position to possibly impact the club later this year and potentially remain with the Guardians when he is able to take on a larger workload next season.

Injury trouble has stalled the career of the 31-year-old Means, who at one time was considered the burgeoning ace of the Baltimore Orioles. He has pitched only 52 1/3 innings at the MLB level since the start of 2022 because of two separate Tommy John procedures.

Prior to the injuries, Means had been the AL Rookie of the Year runner-up back in 2019. On May 5, 2021, he threw an unusual no-hitter and near-perfect game when he retired all 27 Mariners batters faced in a game in Seattle, with the only baserunner coming on a third-strike wild pitch in the third inning.

In seven MLB seasons -- all with the O’s -- Means has a career 23-26 record with a 3.68 ERA, 123 ERA+ (23% better than league average) and 4.23 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Once Means is signed, the Guardians will be able to place him on the 60-day injured list.

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Santana adds new chapter to Cleveland story

4:10 PM CST

Anthony Castrovince

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The response was unusual when the Guardians' general manager called Carlos Santana's agent to express interest in signing the veteran first baseman -- and two-time former Clevelander -- for the 2025 season.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Ulises Cabrera said.

It wasn’t the interest that was surprising. It was the timing. That day, Santana was signing the papers to sell his longtime house in Bratenahl, an eastern Cleveland suburb.

“One day too late,” Santana said of the call from the Guards.

Though Santana sold that home, he still has one in the Cleveland clubhouse. The club acquired him as a highly touted catching prospect in the midseason 2008 trade that sent Casey Blake to the Dodgers. Santana reached the big leagues with Cleveland in 2010, made a name for himself as an on-base machine, signed with the Phillies as a free agent in 2018, came back to Cleveland in a trade that resulted in his first All-Star appearance (in Cleveland!). Then, in 2019, he spent a little time with the Royals (2021) before joining the Mariners (2022), Pirates and Brewers (2023), and Twins (2024).

As the Guardians embark upon their first full-squad workout on Tuesday, Santana is back where it all began, albeit with a different team name than he’s accustomed to.

“I’m excited, coming back,” he said. “Especially, Opening Day in Cleveland. That day, it’s my birthday [April 8], so I think that’s a special day.”

It will be his 39th birthday, and that makes Santana a bit of a marvel. As of now, he’s slated to be one of the oldest players in MLB. But his longevity says something about how well his plate discipline has aged (he still ranks well above average in chase, walk and strikeout rates). His glovework at first base has improved (he won his first-ever Gold Glove at the position last year.

On a tight budget, the Guardians allocated all of the $12 million that would have been spent on All-Star first baseman Josh Naylor (dealt to the Diamondbacks) in arbitration on a guy pushing 40.

Santana appears to be in better shape now than when he debuted. He credits conversations with Nelson Cruz (who finished sixth in the AL MVP voting in 2020) to helping him discover how to age gracefully.

“I don’t feel 38,” Santana said. “This is my No. 1 priority. I’m checking a lot of stuff. I eat healthy, sleep well, I’m not doing alcohol, I have training, I have a chef. There’s a lot of stuff I can do to keep my body like that.”

Though the Guardians have 24-year-old Kyle Manzardo coming into his own at first, the unavailability of David Fry (elbow surgery) as a DH option in the first part of the season and the departure of Naylor’s power means the Guards have a lot riding on Santana continuing to produce in what will likely be an everyday role at the start. Last year, he crushed lefties to the tune of a .286/.356/.578 slash, but his .219/.318/.358 slash against righties is a point of concern due to current roster arrangements.

Defensively, though, Santana, who was worth an MLB-best 14 outs above average at first base last season, figures to give the Guards a substantial upgrade at the position. And that’s a credit to the work he’s put in after shifting there full-time back in 2015. Santana said the attention he’s had to place on his conditioning has helped him become a more agile, reliable defender, even as he’s aged.

“It just shows me that he’s dedicated to be great,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “Fifteen years in the big leagues doesn’t happen by accident.”

Santana has every intention of extending that career as long as possible. He would have kept that home in the Cleveland area -- the first home he purchased in the United States -- for as long as possible, too, but he teared up as he told reporters that when the woman who took care of the home for him passed away, he decided to sell it.

The timing was unfortunate. Santana would love to be staying in that home this season. Instead, he’ll rent a place close to the ballpark.

But that’s OK. Even without the house, he’s back home.

“Cleveland,” he said, “is in my heart.”

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Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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5h

McKenzie, Lively and Junis are probably favorites for spots 4/5 as well as long reliever. All three are out of options.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
·

Favorites might be Junis, Lively and McKenzie as they are out of options.

Allen, Cantillo, Cecconi and Nikhazy all have options remaining.

Allard is only one not currently on the 40-man out of those names.

Logical. Of course there's the significant possibility that one of those will be on the IL.
I'd like to see Cantillo on the team, a lefty arm for some variety, although we get by with nearly all RH starters most seasons

Who has options is always important when you are thinking about who will be on the opening day roster. Right now barring injury you would think that Cecconi has very little chance to make the roster no matter how well he pitches.

Looks like Bibee, Ortiz, Williams, McKenzie and Lively are the 5 starters barring injury to be the rotation.

Guardians kick off spring workouts looking to 'pick up where we left off'

2:23 PM CST

Anthony Castrovince

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- By the time it actually arrived, “first full-squad workout” was strictly a ceremonial title. The daily schedule mapped out in intricate ink by field coordinator Kai Correa was fully fleshed out for the first time, necessitating double-sided printing. But by this point, all the 40-man and non-roster invitees had been here long enough to quite literally know the drill.

Heck, many of them got here in January for crying out loud.

Still, Tuesday was a day to officially launch the 2025 operation, which means it was the day for manager Stephen Vogt to stand before his team and pump everybody up.

What was Vogt’s message?

Win seven more games than last year.

Well, no, he didn’t say exactly that. But that’s the gist of what the ALCS runners-up aim to accomplish this year.

“It's pick up where we left off,” Vogt told reporters, “and keep pushing to get better.”

The only thing better than reaching the LCS is reaching the World Series, so … there you go. That’s the goal. Though the Guardians didn’t overwhelm anybody with their winter, the fact that they came tantalizingly close to the World Series last year despite limited external expectations going into 2024 and difficulty finding able-bodied starters throughout the summer, they deserve to be taken seriously, no matter what the computer projections (FanGraphs has them fourth in the AL Central) might suggest.

There will be plenty of time between now and the conclusion of the Cactus League season -- a season that begins with Saturday’s Goodyear Ballpark opener against Terry Francona’s Reds -- to assess what the Guardians have on hand.

For now, though, this club looks better equipped to handle the rigors of the season on the pitching side.

John Means reported to camp Tuesday for his physical exam that will presumably complete a one-year, $1 million Major League contract with a club option for $7.5 million for 2026. Recovering from his second Tommy John procedure in the last three years, Means, a one-time ace for the Orioles, could provide a late-season boost in the mold of Matthew Boyd in 2024.

The Guardians also have Shane Bieber, who looked terrific in his first post-Tommy John bullpen session, eyeing a midseason return. They’ve added veterans Paul Sewald and Jakob Junis to what was the best bullpen in MLB last year. They’re trying to work their established organizational magic on trade acquisitions Luis Ortiz and Slade Cecconi and non-roster invitees Kolby Allard and Vince Velasquez. Triston McKenzie is hitting 95 mph on the back fields. Joey Cantillo looks ripped, Doug Nikhazy looks feisty, lefty prospect Will Dion looks fun if only because he’s a little guy (5-foot-10) doing a dead-on impression of Clayton Kershaw’s delivery.

With the necessary caveat that we only recently passed Presidents’ Day, there’s better pitching depth here than there was a year ago.

And look what happened a year ago.

Where it could get hairy is on the offensive side. Second base is unsettled, thereby spicing up the spring as Angel Martínez, Juan Brito, Gabriel Arias (out of Minor League options) and Daniel Schneemann vie for the bulk of at-bats. Out in right field, neither Will Brennan nor Jhonkensy Noel have yet proven worthy of a true, everyday assignment, and the most intriguing prospect in camp -- Chase DeLauter -- has had trouble staying healthy in his young professional career. Meanwhile, David Fry’s ongoing recovery from elbow surgery necessitates an everyday role for the 38-year-old Carlos Santana, an adept defender and a “Clevelander” at heart but one whose splits against right-handed pitchers were unsightly last season.

So we’ll see, as we tend to do. But the Guards believe they have a separator in their abilities to max out the potential of their pitching staff with the wisdom of Carl Willis and his crew, the insights of veteran catcher Austin Hedges and the talents of their training team. They also believe in their overall chemistry.

“We have a group of just good people,” Vogt said. “They’re going to continue to hold themselves accountable.”

Off they go, one full-squad workout in, with 32 Cactus games looming. You don’t build off great things by thinking about those great things. You move forward with some new people, some new processes and the same sense of confidence that you can achieve great things again.

The Guardians are ready to get ready.

“I think this is my eighth organization, so I've seen camp run a number of different ways,” Vogt said. “But I think a successful camp is when everybody's ready to play seven months, and they're definitely going to be that.”

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Guardians' Lane Thomas focuses attention on center field as training camp gets underway

Updated: Feb. 18, 2025, 3:32 p.m.|Published: Feb. 18, 2025, 10:20 a.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Guardians center fielder Lane Thomas says he is ready to hit the ground running as spring training begins, no matter who is next to him in right.

Thomas, acquired from Washington at the July trade deadline, struggled at the plate for a few weeks after joining the club before coming alive as the Guards headed into the playoffs. He delivered two of the biggest home runs of the postseason, including a grand slam off Tarik Skubal that turned things around in Game 5 of the American League Division Series as Cleveland defeated Detroit.

Highlights of his slam against Skubal have been looping on social media all offseason, and Thomas admits he would occasionally stop to watch as he saw them pop up on Instagram.

“It brings back a lot of cool memories for sure,” Thomas said. “Once you get a taste of it like that, you just kind of want to be back in that situation even more. So that’s where my mind’s at going into this season.”

Thomas said he arrived at the Guardians' facility in Goodyear, Arizona, early just to get the lay of the land for his first training camp with the club. Thomas will focus the majority of his early work in center field because he has not played there with great regularity since 2022 with the Nationals.

“I’ll be ready to play anywhere,” Thomas said. “I’ll kind of bounce around, but I think game-wise, probably center field and a little bit of right field every once in a while. It had been a few years since I had mainly played center field, but I’m getting back into it.”

The Guardians do not have too many major league ready options in center beyond Thomas unless they decide to move a player from another position.

Will Brennan made eight appearances including five starts in center last season, but has a -2 career defensive runs above average at the position according to FanGraphs. Angel Martinez appeared in 21 games there and posted a -3.5 DEF last season.

Steven Kwan would be a natural fit in center, given that he played there the majority of his games in college and in the minors. But Kwan has won three consecutive Gold Glove awards in left field, and the club does not seem to want to move him from a position where he has been dominant defensively.

Cleveland also has prospects Petey Halpin and Kahlil Watson in camp along with former top draft pick Chase DeLauter who can play center. But for the time being, it appears as though the job belongs to Thomas as long as he is healthy.

Thomas dealt with a knee injury last season before joining Cleveland. He had been leading the National League in stolen bases when he got traded, but managed just four in his final 53 games. Part of that, Thomas attributes to a lack of opportunity.

“To steal a lot of bags you have to get on base, which I didn’t do a whole lot of that first month I got here,” Thomas said. “But I definitely got more comfortable being in a new lineup and everything. I felt like most of September and then the playoffs I got a couple of bags then, so it’s new but I’m getting used to it.”

Thomas said he is looking forward to watching the competition for the right field job and that he hopes he can help whoever is there based on his experience over the last few years in Washington.

“We get along pretty well out there and just kind of talk things out and figure out what’s the best thing,” Thomas said. “It’s a lot different taking drills out here and then when the lights come on and how you react to certain things. Hopefully I can help in that aspect of stuff if someone hasn’t had as much experience out there.”

Thomas said he was impressed with the athleticism that Jhonkensy Noel displayed in right despite his 6-foot-3, 250-pound frame. He believes the work Noel puts in clearly pays off.

“He focuses on a lot of those tougher plays and he is really out there checking out the ballparks on the road and just making sure he’s kind of checked everything off the list,” Thomas said. “When you’re prepared, good things happen.”

Thomas spent his offseason working out at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, but now that camp is underway, the challenge of building on last season’s success is clear: It’s not about trying to “run it back,” but rather, build and become even better.

“That’s been the focus of the camp so far is just trying to be better than we were the year before,” Thomas said. “That’s been the focus, and a lot of detailed little things and that’s kind of been our mindset.”

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Thomas has had some very good offensive stats in the past couple years, except for that disasterous arrival in Cleveland. They could certainly a solid bat with power like his hitting 4th or 5th. Not too excited about the bottom 4 of the lineup unless and until Rocchio, Brito and Naylor start putting up some consistent results. Noel could make a huge difference but I doubt it.

Guardians begin 2B tryouts in Spring Training opener

25 minutes ago

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Spring Training’s methodical pace won’t make for any quick picks to fill the second base void in Cleveland.

As the first week in the desert drew to a close Saturday, one of the key questions the Guardians face -- make that, the question -- remains how to move forward from three-time Gold Glover Andrés Giménez. The former All-Star, one of the best defensive infielders in baseball, was dealt to the Blue Jays in December.

Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt said Saturday that “four or five guys” are in the mix to take over at second, with plenty of reps to go around at a camp full of 66 players.

“The playing time is gonna be tough to navigate, but at the same time this is what we do,” Vogt said. “We get creative with things.”

Gabriel Arias, entering his fourth year with the club, got the starting call at second Saturday in the Guardians' 6-3 loss to the Reds, their Goodyear Ballpark mates. He lined a 2-2 slider to center in his first at-bat. Milan Tolentino replaced Arias in the fifth and delivered a triple in the ninth.

With Saturday marking the first of 32 Spring Training games, look for the second base slot on the daily scorecard to rotate around.

“The best way to go about it is just have everyone pull for each other,” said Daniel Schneemann, who’s among those in the rotation. “I don’t even worry about who’s competing against who. You’re cheering for your team. I don’t think anyone’s really worried about who’s ahead of who or anything like that.”

Schneemann knows a thing or two about being open to versatility. In his first season in the Majors in 2024, the 28-year-old played six different positions, mostly in the outfield and at shortstop, but with three starts at second.

Angel Martínez is another who played mostly in the outfield as a rookie in 2024, but he did tally 180 starts at second base in five Minor League seasons. The 23-year-old mostly batted second in the lineup last year, hitting .232 in 43 big league games.

Arias, who turns 25 at camp on Thursday, has eight starts at second base in the Majors. He started in rookie ball eight years ago as a 17-year-old and made his MLB debut in 2022.

A candidate yet to reach the Majors, Juan Brito, 23, has made 275 starts at second base in the Minors. Brito is the No. 8 Guardians prospect according to MLB Pipeline.

“It just comes down to how naturally the position comes to me,” Brito said through team interpreter Augustin Rivero. “I feel very natural, very smooth playing second.”

Tyler Freeman, Kahlil Watson and Chase DeLauter, the Guardians’ 2022 first-round pick, are also in the second base conversation in Goodyear.

Any of the candidates can also back up Brayan Rocchio at shortstop. Batting leadoff Saturday, Rocchio hit the first pitch Cleveland saw for a double, then lined a single in his next trip to the plate. He hit another double in the fifth.

Adding to the aggressive approach at the plate in the 2025 opener, Lane Thomas, batting cleanup, launched a first-pitch 420-foot home run in the first inning that went 111 mph off his bat.

Saturday’s opener also saw right-hander Triston McKenzie start on the bump for the Guards.

The 27-year-old was out to turn the page from a disappointing second half in 2024. He posted a 3.23 ERA across his first nine starts but struggled over his final seven and ended the campaign in Triple-A Columbus.

“I came into Spring Training [last year] a little stagnant, a little behind the eight-ball in terms of just how I was feeling off the mound, and I really just wanted to get ahead of that [this year],” McKenzie said after his Saturday start. “I was throwing a little bit more in my bullpens, getting a little bit closer to game speed before I stepped foot on the mound out here.”

McKenzie tossed two innings with one strikeout. His only hit allowed came by way of Reds All-Star shortstop Elly De La Cruz, who took him deep for the first of his two homers -- one from each side of the plate.

“I felt good,” McKenzie said. “Got some quick outs, gave up the home run to Elly, but overall I felt good.”

Righty Ben Lively will throw Sunday for the Guardians, who will be in Goodyear again, this time as home team as the Angels visit for a 3:05 p.m. ET first pitch (watch FREE on MLB.TV).

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Lane Thomas homers. Rocchio, leading off goes 3-3 with 2 diubles. That's a good sign. Arias was 1-2. Naylor 0-2 with 1 K.

Guardians’ Triston McKenzie, working with a clean slate, goes two innings in 6-3 loss to Reds

Updated: Feb. 22, 2025, 8:00 p.m.|Published: Feb. 22, 2025, 6:12 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Ballplayers have good memories. They remember the good, and they especially remember the bad.

Triston McKenzie, the starting pitcher for the Guardians in Saturday’s Cactus League opener, was asked about his bad memories after throwing two decent innings in a 6-3 loss to the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark.

McKenzie was limited to four starts in 2023 because of injuries to his right shoulder and right elbow.

The injuries messed with his offseason preparation for 2024, but he said he went into last season healthy. The results, however, were not what McKenzie wanted.

In 16 starts, he went 3-5 with a 5.11 ERA (43 earned runs in 75 1/3 innings). He was optioned to Triple-A Columbus at the end of June and was never recalled.

“It’s always going to be on my mind,” said McKenzie, when asked about the last two seasons. “It’s part of your career. Baseball players have those weird memories where you remember everything.

“I don’t think it’s anything I’m going to forget. But it’s definitely good to have a clean slate and be moving into a new year. I know I have good guys around me and we have a chance to be really successful this year.”

McKenzie allowed one run on a two-out homer by Elly De La Cruz in the first inning. Cruz hit a curveball for the homer, but McKenzie threw his fastball between 93 mph and 95 mph.

“I felt good,” said McKenzie. “I was a little anxious, excited to get out there for the first time. I got some quick outs. I gave up the homer to Elly, but overall I was happy with it.”

Said manager Stephen Vogt, “I thought Triston’s stuff was electric. His fastball was really jumping. He threw the curveball over the heart of the plate (to Cruz), but overall he looked phenomenal.”

Vogt was impressed with McKenzie’s velocity, adding that he’s been as high as 97 mph in camp this spring.

Lane Thomas gave the Guardians a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the first off Hunter Greene. Shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who went 3 for 3, opened the game with his first of two doubles off Greene’s first pitch of the game.

“It’s good to see Brayan pick up right where he left off in the postseason last year,” said Vogt. “He added a lot of muscle in the offseason.”

The switch-hitting De La Cruz used his power to even matters. First he homered off McKenzie. Then he homered off Logan Allen in the fourth to tie the score at 2.

“There’s no better way to start your season than going deep from both sides of the plate,” said Vogt.

Allen, competing with McKenzie and others for a spot in the rotation, allowed one run on one hit in two innings.

“I love seeing our guys attack the strike zone,” said Vogt. “Logan and Triston’s stuff looked really good. This spring is important for all of our guys.

“This is a camp that has a lot of opportunities for guys.”

The Reds won it with four runs in the sixth as spring training invitee Luis Frias struggled with his command and minor leaguers Yordys Valdes and Kahlil Watson made errors.

Frias hit Will Benson to start the sixth. Valdes, who replaced Rocchio at short, made an error on a ground ball behind the bag to put runners on first and second. Will Banfield followed with a three-run homer to give Cincinnati a 5-2 lead.

Dominic Pitelli reached on a three-base error when Watson misplayed his fly ball to left field. A single by Jay Allen made it 6-2.

“We gifted them a couple of runs there,” said Vogt. “But I thought Frias threw the ball pretty well, he just didn’t get the results.”

The Guardians' final run came on a sacrifice fly by Valdes in the ninth.

This spring, MLB is testing the ABS (Automated Ball-Strike) challenge system. The Guardians used it twice Saturday and broke even.

Carlos Santana challenged a strike call against him in the fifth inning on a pitch from Taylor Rogers. ABS ruled it a ball, showing on the scoreboard that the pitch was above the strike zone.

In the eighth inning, Johnathan Rodriguez challenged a strike call on a pitch from former Cleveland prospect Lenny Torres Jr. This time the strike call stood and the Guardians lost one of their two challenges.

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McKenzie 2 innings, 1 homer. Allen 2 innings,1 homer. First day in spring training means nothing but they both need to do a much better job of keeping the ball in the park. 19 off Allen in 121 innings last year; 16 off Mc in 99 innings. Not quite Josh Tomlin territory.
Looking further at Mc's stats: only 82 hits in the 99 innings, but he walked 42. Allen also walked too many 46 and allowed just over 1 hit per inning