Are the Guardians done adding to their 2026 roster?

0:00So good, so good, so good. New Markdowns up to 70% off are at Nordstrom Rack stores now. And that means so many new reasons to rack. Because I always find something amazing. There's so many good brands. Because there's always something new. Join the Nordie Club to unlock exclusive discounts. Shop new arrivals first and more. Plus, buy online and pick up at your favorite rack store for free. Great brands, great prices. That's why you rack. The Toyota Tundra and Tacoma are built to keep going. Back by Toyota's reputation for legendary reliability. Step into a Tundra with the available I Force Max hybrid engine, delivering impressive torque and serious towing power. Or take a look at Tacoma with an available power lift gate. So gear goes in fast and the adventure keeps moving. Toyota trucks are built to last year after year, mile after mile. So drive one home today. Visit toyota.com to find out more Toyota. Let's go places.

1:15Welcome back to the Cleveland baseball talk podcast. I'm Joe Noga joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynesy, the Guardians signed Sean Armstrong earlier in this off season. Now they signed him from the Rangers. After last season, when Armstrong had a really strong year out of the bullpen, the Rangers in return signed a free agent veteran who was with the Guardians last season, Jacob Junis, one year, $4 million deal to join Texas and in their bullpen. It seemed like the Rangers pretty much clean house out of their bullpen and and and really do this now gives them a solid sort of piece. What do you think of the move of basically Cleveland swapping veteran middle relievers with the the Rangers, but paying about $1.5 million more for Sean Armstrong? Yeah, interesting, Joe, because Junis, like you said, was out there for a long time and he had really kind of pitched beyond expectations for Cleveland this past season.

2:16Four and one, 2.970 IRA, 57 games, 55 strikeouts, 18 walks in 66.23, two-thirds of an inning. I mean, he did a great job. He was one of those guys, Joe, kind of like Pedro Avila, who was supposed to come in, maybe spot start pitching, you know, blowouts one way or the other who really kind of ended up pitching in leveraged situations. So I'm surprised that they didn't bring them back. You know, like you said, I'm strong at a really good year for them is for Texas as well. And they brought them back at a higher price tag. So I think it shows you just how much they were committed to improving that bullpen. Yeah. If you're looking at just the the wins above replacement, the war number from baseball reference Armstrong's 1.5 war last season and Junis 0.9 Armstrong 4 and 3 with a 2.330 IRA, 71 games, 74 innings, I struck out 74 batters and

3:21had a at a 0.811 whip. So yeah, coming off of the, you know, stand the two seasons up next to each other Armstrong had the stronger year. That's why he got a little bit more money and another year option on that deal with Cleveland. I believe it's an $8 million option for a 2027. But, you know, remains to be seen whether or not the guardians are sincere about wanting to pick that up based on whatever Armstrong does. And you're talking about a guy who's going to be pitching this upcoming season at age 35. So there's, you know, something to consider there. Junis, I think I'm going to be pitching at age 33. You know, yeah, it's just interesting. Call my attention when I saw that he signed last night with with the Rangers. I was like, well, you know, basically they swapped relievers with the guardians picking up the price tag there. You know, and just, you know, obviously, you know, they needed, the

4:21guardians needed some help in the bullpen. They felt they needed help and Texas, you know, has really kind of, you know, kind of really, you know, kind of clean house in their bullpen. So they're probably looking for a deal in, in, in Junis, you know, Junis didn't sign until what February of last year with Cleveland and you know, he makes another, you know, kind of late signing. It's just one of those things. I think once you kind of shake out the, the big name free agents, which we saw a lot of movement last week with guys like Boba Shet and, you know, Suarez, you know, people were flying out of it all directions. I think now, you know, it becomes time for kind of the second and third tier free agents to find homes. Yeah, one more thing about Armstrong. When we've talked to Steven vote last week, vote said he had never really had a chance to sit down and have a conversation with Armstrong. So he's looking forward to sort of meeting him in spring training.

5:22And we'll find out, you know, just exactly what role he's going to settle into, but it looks like he's going to be in that sort of veteran, you know, late inning sort of leverage, you know, give a Kate Smith opportunities to get a rest and he can save a game or two, but mostly it'll be to support and then set up, you know, somewhere in that 7, 8, 9 inning range for Cleveland. You mentioned the free agent movement last week. The big move was Kyle Tucker signing surprisingly with the Dodgers on, you know, a short term deal with the big average annual salary and some opt-outs that immediately sort of got the ball rolling with guys like Boba Shett. He said, signing with the Mets. He goes to New York and the Mets really now players sort of in the Cody Belinger sweepstakes as well because rumors out of the Yankees camp are that they, they've sort of reached the end of the limit of how far they'll go

6:24in negotiations. Belinger, like Kyle Tucker, Scott Boris, client and, you know, the, the Belinger camp obviously going to push for as much as big and as long a contract as, as their guy wants. What do you make of the rumors that Kyle Tucker turned down a 10 million, a 10 year, $350 million contract offer from the Blue Jays and also turned down more money from the Mets to sign with the Dodgers on a short term deal. It's a really interesting, Joe. I think we're seeing a shift at least with some players dynamics of a contract. We saw earlier this season, Dylan Seas took a seven year deal with Toronto. And obviously, quarterly, they made the 10 year deal the Tucker for $350 million, but he turns around and takes the shorter deal from the Dodgers at $4 for $240 million. And that's a kind of, you know, I think we've seen, we've seen Breggman basically

7:27do that. You know, he signed a three year deal for 120 million last year with Boston opted out after one year and then came around and signed, you know, a five year, $175 million deal with, with the Cubs last week. So, you know, basically that was a six year deal, Joe. You did all right with that. And that we see, but shit, you know, turned down, you know, you know, I think he had a bigger offers elsewhere, but he takes a short term deal with the Mets at three years and $126 million. You know, he's like $27.28. So, you know, he'll be back out on the market. If he doesn't, I think there's two opt outs in that. You can add deal. He could be back on them in the open market in two years. So, you know, it's kind of interesting just to see what we've seen. Guys, you know, Tony take the seven, what the seven years, seven hundred or the ten year, $100 million deal.

8:28We saw Lindo are, you know, a few years back, you know, ten years for over 300 million. Now players seem to be taking a shorter term, term deals with more money for a higher annual average values. So, you know, kind of interesting strategy. I don't know if the, you know, the work stoppage, potential work stoppage has anything to do with that after the 220, 2026 season. Because if there isn't work stoppage, players don't get paid. So, we'll have to see how that works out. Yeah, that that was a question I was going to have there. You know, does the trend only become like a short term trend because of the potential work stoppage that they're taking these shorter deals with these early opt-outs in the contracts. And the teams are willing to go ahead and dance with that. Go ahead and do that for them. It is what we've seen. The Metz basically had to do something they had to sign Bichette. Once Tucker sort of spurned them, he, you know, Bichette was going to get what he wanted from New York because the Metz had to look like they were signing somebody.

9:30The names that are basically still out there, including Belinger, who hasn't signed yet, could sign with either New York team or, you know, there could be a last minute entry. You know, does he really fit in Toronto? I, who knows? But you've got a, a, any of Suarez who I would assume is going to wait and to see where Belinger signs before he does anything officially. A Luisa rise. And then you've got that, that next level like you were saying of, of free agents, you know, somewhere in there where there might be interest by the guardians of guys like Marcelo Zuna, Austin Hayes. Do you, do you see that markets starting to, to get going and gaining any momentum here over the next week to two weeks? I do, Joe. I think it's going to start taking off now. They got the, you know, the bigger, some of the bigger names, free agent names out of signed and delivered last week. I think now teams are going to, you know, be able to, you know, go through the bargain basements, so to speak, of the free agents.

10:31And fill out some specific needs that they have, you know, with the players they feel they can afford. I'm really interested to see if the guardians will do this, Joe. Are they going to stick to their plan of, you know, given their young prospects or their core players, you know, all the runway they need to establish themselves in the big leagues? Or do they add a hit or, you know, a hitter or two that, you know, won't get in a way that won't threaten their players' developments. You know, they're core guys' development, but still be able to help, you know, Steven Vomit, you know, hopefully win another A.L. Central title. Well, and you and I were talking before we started recording here about a guy like Ozuna while he might be a guy you can get on a shorter deal for, you know, something that you might be able to get him down into your price range. He's not the type of player I don't think that you can put into that role that he's the kind of guy who basically needs to play every day.

11:36He's going to need to strike out 125 times a season if he's going to get you those 30 home runs you're looking for. Does he really fit as a piece, even if there were a possibility of getting them? Yeah, I don't think Ozuna is a guy, Joe. I mean, he's exactly what I think the guardians don't want to do. You know, they don't want to bring in a guy, a veteran guy that they got to play every day, like you said, it's going to, and he's going to D.H. And you're going to take it bats away from either, you know, Manzardo or a C.J. Cuyfus or, you know, Nolan Jones, whoever you cycle through the D.H. spot. So, you know, I think guys, a guy like, you know, Austin Hayes, you know, is an interesting guy. You could play him in the outfield. You don't have to play him every day. You know, if you can, if that's, if that's what they're looking for, you know, a guy outfield or, you know, a veteran versatile outfield or even an infield. Yeah, I just, I get the feeling that, you know, even those names are guys that are still, you know, going to be pursued by other teams.

12:37And the guardians are going to, you know, getting a bidding war over over a guy like an Austin Hayes for one or two years. That, to me, doesn't seem like something that this, this front office is going to want to do. Another route that they could go would be the trade route. And a guy that we've heard, even back at the, at the beginning of the off season, linked to the guardians in, in terms of a trade possibility. It would be a Brendan Donovan. And now that St. Louis is, is basically in full on rebuild mode after trading away, Nolan, Aaron Otto last week. Brendan Donovan, All-Star, a versatile guy, a completely infield, completely outfield. He's an All-Star, like we said, and he's, he's definitely going to be traded as St. Louis doesn't, doesn't really have a role for a guy who's basically, you know, entering his prime. And, you know, they're tearing things down to the studs. So what's it going to take to get a guy like Brendan Donovan out of St. Louis? And, you know, would the guardians be able to meet the asking price of the Cardinals, which has reportedly been pretty steep ever since the beginning of the off season?

13:41Yeah, you know, the Cardinals are rebuilding, like you said. They're looking for younger players. The guardians haven't, you know, they have a wheelbarrow full of younger players. So they could make this deal. It's just, you know, a matter of what younger players they want to give up and who, who, you know, what are the, the Cardinals looking for, you know, Heimblum, the, you know, the director of baseball operations in St. Louis. First year is saying, but he wants, he wants to think settled by the start of spring training. He'd like to have, you know, his situation settled. So we'll see what happens. Joe, I don't know. Is it young pitching? Is it, I would think that would be the first thing the Cardinals would want? Yeah, and the guardians have young pitching. They have some, a few no worthy, highly rated prospects, particularly even guys that have had a little bit of time in the major leagues in a guy like Parker Messick. A guy that you would think the guardians would, would value pretty highly after what he did in September of last season.

14:44But then you also got to think about the picture that they acquired from the blue jays in in Cal Steven guy that they're very high on young prospect. He's rated in their top 30, even position players like a guy like a George Valera, who's been through some injury issues, but was with the club through September. And in the post season and played in the post season last year. These are all names that have surfaced and, you know, maybe could be under consideration. But like you said, the guardians are, are low to, to part with, especially highly rated pitching prospects. We've seen that now, like you said, you could name a list of guys who, you know, the guardians might want, might want to try to move on from a guy like a Logan Allen. But just because the guardians might not have a spot for him in the rotation, it doesn't mean that the, the Cardinals would be interested. So, you know, and does that sound like a, you know, the kind of trade package that the, the Cardinals will be looking for?

15:44Yeah, that's something around there, Joe. Definitely. I would think you'd be, like you said, sick is an interesting guy, a young guy. You know, we really made an impact. I thought down to stretch with Cleveland last season. Do they, you know, and, but that's probably the kind of guy you would have to trade to get him. Yeah, and, and they don't really know what they've got in, in Cal Steven, just because they didn't get a lot of, a lot of an opportunity to look at him. He was injured when he first came over from the Blue Jays organization in the Shane Bieber trade at the trade deadline. Then, you know, he, you know, pitched at double A Akron is the kind of guy is the kind of prospect that, you know, that they value and I think they might want to take a look at him a little longer. But who knows if the opportunity presents itself to pick a guy up like Donovan, you don't want to pass that up. Steven vote would, would be very excited about a guy that could play the infield, play the outfield and can hit the ball out of the ballpark. It's, it sounds like a match made in heaven for the two of them.

16:47I mean, you're talking about, you just described every player on the Guardianstein, you know, outfield infield with the exception to hitting the ball out of the ballpark. They all play all over. Yeah, and that's the kind of player that Steven vote like a guy who can contribute in a lot of different ways. So, Donovan seems to be the, the perfect fit there. Let's see if we'll keep an eye on whether or not the Guardian's pursuit. All right, Hoynesy, we're getting close. In fact, tomorrow, we find out who the National Baseball Hall of Fame inductees for the, the 2026 Hall of Fame class, a class that you will be a part of as the winner of the Platinum Penn Award, the Baseball Registration of America Lifetime Achievement or Career Excellence Award. So, you'll be in, Joe Buck will be in as the Ford C Frick Award winner. And then the, the players that will be in as well, the, the veterans, the error committee elected Jeff Kent will be there in Cooperstown. The chances that a couple more guys will be elected.

17:48Right now, the most likely candidates, Carlos Beltran, Andrew Jones. These are guys who were both above 65% on last year's ballot. So, very close. We're talking about needing 75% to get in. Do you see those two as being the, the other two members of the Hall of Fame class or could it be more? Yeah, I think those two are the favorites, Joe. They showed really well last season. Beltran got over 70%. Usually when you get that close, you know, the next, the next cycle of voting, you, you usually get inducted. So, at least Beltran, I believe will get in. Andrew Jones has been an interesting candidate. Oh, he had the great first part of his career then kind of, you know, kind of, you know, when he was on, he was, what a great player, great center of fielder. You know, had big time power. He got last year, he received 66.2% of the vote. So, you know, he's up there too and all the pre-election ratings.

18:50Both those guys are showing very well. So, I would think both those guys have a great chance of getting in. Then you've got Chase Utley who received right there as well in his third year of eligibility. So, we'll see how he does. I think Beltran and Jones are the favorites. Yeah, Jones, obviously, in his ninth season on the ballot, is getting close to the point where, you know, voters have to basically choose, hey, are we going to, you know, normally ninth and tenth year guys get that sort of, that bump in their last year to get them over the top. Looks like Jones is trending that way right now. A couple of Cleveland or former Cleveland guys who are still on the ballot. Mani Ramirez, he got 34.3% of the vote last time around. He's in his tenth and final season. Does, does, does Mani maybe get boost and jump up there high enough? It would be a pretty significant, have to be a pretty significant jump for Ramirez to get into the hall.

19:51Yeah, Joe, that's, that would be a miracle. Mani, we all know what's counting against him, you know, tested positive twice for, you know, steroids. It's really sidetracked his candidacy. It's, I don't think, I can't see a way that he gets in, Joe. And it's a shame, but, you know, he's now it's on to the year of committee. But Mani, we'll have to see how he fares in, in those, in, you know, the, the newest version of the veterans community. Yeah, and that's an opportunity to be in that cycle, you know, in the next, next three years. Marva Skull as well. He had 17.8% of the vote last season, but he's been on a downward trend over the last several years because of other, you know, off the field allegations against him, you know, really with all those resolved. He's stayed on the ballot, but he's in his ninth year trending, you know, away from a possible election.

20:57And this is a guy who, you know, he won, what, 13 gold gloves, 11, 11 gold gloves. He's just ridiculous, the best defensive shortstop that we've ever seen play. And, you know, he's, he's probably going to have to cast his fate with the, the veterans committee there. Two guys who played for Cleveland in their careers, they are on their first years on the ballot this year. So we'll, we'll track just how much they, how much of the vote they can manage to get. Probably going to be harder for, for guys like that. Again, you look at everyone at Karnacea on, you don't think about it, his, you know, what is his, his home run total 425, 424. He had 424 home runs in the big leagues. That's, that's something that you have to at least consider. It's why he's on the ballot and chew a pretty solid hitter in his own rate of 122 career OPS plus. So what do you think about those two guys and where should they land in terms of, you know, should they at least stay on the ballot another year?

21:58They just seem to stay on the ballot, Joe. They've got to get 5% of the vote. I don't see it happening of the ballot was kind of real. This year's ballot was a little player wise. It was kind of thin. There was no doubt about it guys first ballot guys. So, you know, it, it depends, you know, just on how the voters take this. But I would be surprised if either one gets enough votes to stay on the ballot for more than one year. I think about a guy like a Dustin Pajaroia and, you know, he was an MVP to second year on the ballot. He's down around 11.9% after last year's vote. You know, he's got a possibility of falling off the ballot. It's just, you think about a guy like that that played for as long as he did and did the kinds of things that he did. Where do you think he ends up, you know, or even a Jimmy Rollins, a guy who's in his fifth year on the ballot. He's only at 18%. I think those guys stay on the ballot, Joe. I think they'll get enough support. Obviously, people have been voting for them in the past.

23:00I don't know if they're ever going to get to 75%. But, you know, Rollins was, you know, a shortstop that really kind of was a defensive-minded shortstop that turned out to be a home run hitter. He kind of fooled people a little bit. And Pajaroia was kind of, to me, he was like the heart and soul of those Red Sox teams. They went to the World Series. He got the most out of his body and it wasn't a very big body. So I think people remember that and really an injury kind of ended his career. Or he, you know, might be, who knows, he might be still flying. But, you know, just, I think both those guys will get enough support that they'll stay on the ballot for at least one more year. Any guys who were in their first year on the ballot, Cole Hammels, Alex Gordon, Hunter Pence, Gio Gonzales, Matt Kemp, these are all guys who were in their first year on the ballot this year. Any of those guys you think might surprise with their first year vote total? Yeah, I think, you know, Cole Hammels has a chance with the changing, you know, the kind of changing landscape of a starting picture.

24:08You know, he's kind of a good example of that. You know, teams don't allow you to go too deep into games. They monitor your innings and he's still, you know, had a, you know, pretty, you know, he had a, you know, solid career pitched a number of innings. He was in the postseason. So he might, he might get enough to stay on. Yeah, I've got to, you know, consider guys like that, like Hammels, like you said, pitched in the World Series, it was a World Series MVP, four-time All-Star, won a championship with the Phillies in 2008. Yeah, but, you know, what stands out there, you never want to sign on. Yeah, the thing that, you know, sort of stands out, that kind of hurts in there, I think. But, you know, he finished in the top 10, a couple of times. So, yeah, I just, interesting to see some of these names and we'll find out later on tomorrow, afternoon when the, the Hall of Fame makes that call. You've gotten a taste of what that feels like to hear your name called and, you know, hear from it.

25:11You'll be, sort of, sharing that with these guys as they, as they learn their fates. That's going to wrap up today's edition of the Cleveland baseball talk podcast. We'll be back to talk more tomorrow. Deal, Joe. Woo! Two good and co-coffee creamers are made with farm fresh cream, real milk, and contain three grams of sugar per serving. That's 40% less than the five grams per serving in leading traditional coffee creamers for a rich, delicious experience. Whether you enjoy your coffee hot, cold, bold, or frothy, two good coffee creamers make every sip a good one. Two good coffee creamers, real goodness in every sip. Find them at your local croaker in the creamer aisle.