The Cleveland Guardians had a busy Tuesday afternoon, signing key pieces of their future to contract extensions, including Andres Gimenez.
The Cleveland Guardians have been among baseball’s most active teams this spring in exploring potential contract extensions. On Tuesday afternoon, they agreed to a mammoth seven-year, $106.5 million extension with second baseman Andres Gimenez.
And the Guardians may not be done.
The Guardians are in talks on a contract extension with reliever Trevor Stephan, according to sources. It’s unclear just how close a deal is, but one source said the sides were “making progress.”
Stephan, 27, has emerged as a dependable reliever in the last two seasons, posting a 3.54 ERA and a 157/49 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 127 innings. He appears primed to be the long-term setup man for closer Emmanuel Clase, with his three-pitch arsenal (fastball, slider and splitter) pairing well with the flamethrowing Clase.
MLB rumors: Cleveland Guardians aren’t close to done after Andres Gimenez
The Guardians have other extension candidates, too, most notably pitcher Triston McKenzie, outfielder Steven Kwan and shortstop Amed Rosario. The team has approached each about extensions at various points this spring, as first reported by Zack Meisel of The Athletic, though it’s unknown what the likelihood of any of those deals getting done is before Opening Day.
But the priority for the Guardians was to get Gimenez done. He was the key piece in the trade that sent Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets and had a breakout season in 2022, hitting .297/.371/.466 with 17 home runs and 7.4 Wins Above Replacement.
With Gimenez done, the Guardians can go in a few different directions. Right now, Stephan appears to be the next player in line for an extension. But extension talks throughout the league are active, and could make for a busy 48-hour stretch between now and Opening Day. Stay tuned.