Travis Kelce Purchases Minority Stake In Guardians
Longtime Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has purchased a minority stake in his hometown club, the Cleveland Guardians, per a team announcement. It’s not clear how large a stake he purchased. He’s reportedly earned more than $111MM in career salary with the Chiefs, to say nothing of other revenue streams (e.g. endorsements, podcast).
“I have so much love for this city,” Kelce tells ESPN’s Jeff Passan. “I say it all the time: I’m just a kid from the Heights living the dream. I credit every good thing in my life to Cleveland and being raised here with the values and the people and the work ethic. Cleveland Heights is such a diverse and dynamic place. Every friend, neighbor, teacher and teammate — they all made me the man I am today. It just fueled such a deep appreciation for life and community and service. … There was nothing like Cleveland baseball in the ’90s. That’s just a core memory for me. Kenny Lofton, Carlos Baerga, Jim Thome, Sandy Alomar Jr., the list goes on, and I admire how they just continue to pour into this city and this game.”
The Dolan family still holds the majority stake in the team. The late Larry Dolan purchased the club for a reported $323MM back in 2000. Recent estimates have pegged the Guardians’ present-day franchise value at more than five times that sum.
Larry Dolan passed away at 94 years of age in Feb. 2025. His son, Paul, had succeeded him as the team’s official control person back in 2013 and remains the team’s chairman and chief executive officer. However, in 2022, the Dolan family agreed to sell a 25-30% stake in the team to David Blitzer, the managing partner of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Blitzer also has minority stakes in the NFL’s Washington Commanders and in Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake. His 2022 deal with the Dolan family also came with the option to purchase a majority stake of the club in 2028.
Kelce, 37 in October, is an 11-time Pro Bowler with three Super Bowl rings. He ranks third all-time among tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards and is fifth all-time in touchdowns at his position. His stake isn’t likely to be a significant one, though it’s always feasible that he seeks to increase his share at some point down the road. Kelce’s teammate and fellow three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes can now formally be on opposite ends of an American League Central rivalry; Mahomes purchased a minority stake in the Royals back in 2020.
Guardians Select Will Dion
The Guardians announced that they have selected to contract of left-hander Will Dion. The 40-man roster had a vacancy due to Rule 5 pick Peyton Pallette being designated for assignment a few days ago. To open an active roster spot for Dion, left-hander Logan Allen was optioned to Triple-A Columbus.
Dion, 26, was a ninth-round pick in the 2021 draft. As he climbed the minor league ladder, he worked primarily as a starter. Despite not having elite velocity, he was able to put up pretty good numbers through Double-A but struggled when he first reached Triple-A.
Here in 2026, he has been working exclusively out of the bullpen with very encouraging results. He has thrown 26 innings over 15 appearances, allowing 4.50 earned runs per nine. That ERA is obviously not going to knock any socks off but things look much better under the hood. Dion has struck out 34.6% of batters faced and only given out walks to 4.8% of opponents. The extra runs seem to have been caused by a .371 batting average on balls in play and 58% strand rate, which are both to the unlucky side. His 1.83 FIP on the year paints a much more flattering picture than his ERA.
As mentioned, Dion doesn’t light up the radar gun. He was averaging around 90 miles per hour with his four-seamer in 2024 and 2025. He has ticked up in a relief role this year but only to 91.2 mph. Statcast also credits him with a sinker, cutter, slider, curveball and changeup. Going into 2025, when he was still a starter, FanGraphs ranked him the #37 prospect in the club’s system. That report noted that Dion’s delivery resembled that of Clayton Kershaw. It also stated that Dion’s fastball can outperform the velo thanks to its riding life and that his secondaries are not outstanding but the change plays up thanks to Dion’s excellent command.
The Guards have had Erik Sabrowski and Tim Herrin as their two lefty relievers for most of the season. Allen was called up on Sunday to add a long relief option. Sabrowski hit the IL yesterday, then Allen was needed to cover four innings out of the bullpen in last night’s contest. With Sabrowski on the shelf and Allen unavailable for a few days, Dion has been added.
For now, Dion gives Cleveland a second lefty reliever alongside Herrin and will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. Both Herrin and Dion are optionable, should the Guards decide to make a switch later in the year, or if Sabrowski is able to get healthy relatively quickly.
Photo courtesy of Arianna Grainey, Imagn Images
Guardians Place Erik Sabrowski On IL With Elbow Inflammation
The Guardians announced that left-hander Erik Sabrowski has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation. Right-hander Codi Heuer was recalled as the corresponding move.
Sabrowski has beek a key arm out of the Cleveland bullpen with an approach that is wild but effective. He now has 63 innings under his belt, thrown over the three most recent seasons, allowing just 1.43 earned runs per nine. His 15.1% walk rate is very high but he has also punched out a massive 39.8% of batters faced.
The ERA is surely at least a bit misleading. He has a .224 batting average on balls in play and 87.8% strand rate, both of which are fortunate figures. His 2.52 FIP and 2.89 SIERA are probably more accurate representations of his contributions but he would be a big asset even if his ERA regresses to that level. Thus far, he has racked up a save and 29 holds for the Guards, including 17 holds already in 2026.
Elbow issues have been an issue before. He missed the first three months of the 2025 season due to elbow inflammation and that same issue now puts him on the shelf again. It’s unclear if the Guards consider his current status to be serious but it’s always somewhat concerning when a pitcher’s throwing elbow is the focus of an injury.
For now, the Guardians lose one of their key setup arms and their primary lefty reliever. They are now left with Tim Herrin and Logan Allen as their southpaw relievers. Allen has primarily been in the rotation in his career and was starting in Triple-A until being recalled yesterday, so he’s likely slated for a long relief role, meaning Herrin could be the only lefty for key spots late in games. Herrin has a 2.12 ERA this year but not in a sustainable way. His 16.3% strikeout rate and 15% walk rate are both awful numbers. His run prevention is mostly due to an 87% strand rate that won’t last.
The Guards are 32-23, giving them a lead of 4.5 games in the American League Central. They are in a good position to go into the deadline as buyers. Most contenders look for extra relief help at the deadline and that may be a more acute need for the Guards if their lefty contingent continues to feel light over the next few months.
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
Guardians Designate Peyton Pallette For Assignment, Recall Logan Allen
Right-hander Peyton Pallette has been designated for assignment, the Guardians announced. Lefty Logan Allen is rejoining the big-league club to take his spot in the bullpen.
Cleveland picked up Pallette from the White Sox in the Rule 5 draft. As part of the standard DFA process, the club has five days to trade him or place him on waivers. If another team makes a move to add Pallette, they’ll take on the Rule 5 requirements. If Pallette passes through waivers, he’ll be offered back to Chicago.
Pallette scuffled to a 5.23 ERA in 20 2/3 innings with the Guardians. He punched out opponents at a decent 22.7% clip, but it came with an untenable 16.5% walk rate. The righty led with a 95 mph four-seamer, accompanied by a pair of breaking balls. He threw the occasional changeup. Pallette’s curveball and slider both performed well, generating decent whiffs and preventing hits. The fastball was an issue. Pallette’s heater ceded a 51.6% hard-hit rate and a .410 wOBA.
The White Sox took Pallette in the second round of the 2022 draft. He posted strong strikeout numbers in each level of the minors, which is what likely drew Cleveland’s interest. Walks were becoming a problem before Pallette moved to his new organization. The righty had a 9.9% walk rate last season at Double-A, and it jumped to 10.9% after he was moved to Triple-A.
Allen has pitched in parts of the last three seasons with the Guardians. He’s worked almost exclusively as a starter in the big leagues, posting a 4.48 ERA in 74 appearances (73 starts). Allen has struggled from a run prevention perspective through eight Triple-A outings this season, but he’s notched a solid 25.4% strikeout rate. He’ll likely step into a long relief role with Cleveland. Allen could also operate as a sixth starter if the club wants to get some extra rest for the rotation. The Guardians are playing their 10th straight game on Sunday during a two-week stretch without an off-day.
Photo courtesy of David Richard, Imagn Images
The Guardians’ Faith In Their Own Players Is Paying Off
The Guardians had a very disappointing offseason. Despite winning the American League Central in two straight years and three of the past four, they did almost nothing to upgrade their roster for 2027. They made no trades of significance and spent less than $12MM in free agency.
Even that very modest outlay was offset by savings elsewhere. Emmanuel Clase was supposed to make $6MM this year but he probably won’t see any of that due to his ongoing gambling investigation. José Ramírez signed an extension that technically increased his 2026 salary from $21MM to $26MM but the new deal defers $10MM annually, so it actually saved the club money in the short term.
After MLBTR published its Offseason In Review entry for the Guards, readers mostly panned the club’s actions. In the poll at the bottom of the post, both the F and D options got 37% of the vote. C was next with 19%. The B option got just a 5% share, followed by A at 2%.
But almost two months into the season, they are thriving. They are currently 30-22, one of the few American League clubs comfortably above .500. They are 3.5 games clear of the White Sox and six up on the Twins. Coming into the season, the Tigers were considered by many to be the division favorite, but they are 9.5 back.
How are the Guards doing it? The pitching staff is quite good, which isn’t really a surprise, since they were strong in that department last year. But they have taken a big step forward offensively. The team has a collective .230/.324/.377 line and 101 wRC+. That may not sound too impressive, being just barely above average, but consider where they were last year. The 2025 Guards hit .226/.296/.373 for a wRC+ of 87. They were successful in spite of that lack of offense thanks to their pitching and defense. Cranking up the offense, even just to be middle of the pack, is a notable improvement.
Since they made almost no effort to add external options, the gains are clearly coming from inside the house. Some of this was to be expected. Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana came into the season ranked among the club’s top prospects and both are contributing, but the Guards are also getting improved results from guys who have already been on the team for years, as each of Brayan Rocchio, Angel Martínez and Daniel Schneemann have boosted their numbers this season.
Rocchio came into this season seemingly on the fringe of the roster. By the end of 2025, he had 911 career plate appearances. He had just 13 home runs, a .222/.293/.327 line and 77 wRC+. He had exhausted his final option season. On paper, he and Gabriel Arias had the middle infield jobs but Bazzana was on the way, along with Juan Brito and Angel Genao. There was a non-zero chance of him getting pushed off the roster.
But instead, he’s been taking a step forward. The Guards somewhat surprisingly started the year with Bazzana in the minors and Rocchio at second base. Arias hit the IL in April, leaving Rocchio in charge of the shortstop job. Rocchio has stepped to the plate 188 times and has a .290/.376/.420 line, leading to a 130 wRC+. A lot of that is due to plate discipline. He came into the year with a 7.7% walk rate and 21.3% strikeout rate in his career. Those numbers are at 10.1% and 10.6% this year.
His contact hasn’t made huge strides. In fact, his hard hit rate and exit velocity are actually down relative to last year. What seems to be working for him is some extra patience. His swing rate is down 3.4 percentage points. Perhaps more importantly, his first pitch swing rate is down by 11.5 points. That has led to more walks and fewer strikeouts.
There is a bit of luck at play, as he has a .309 batting average on balls in play. Since he is striking out so rarely, that means lots of balls in play and the luck is really helping him. Perhaps there is some regression coming but Rocchio has already racked up 1.7 wins above replacement in the eyes of FanGraphs, with his solid shortstop defense and nine stolen bases also helping.
Martínez was sent to the plate 653 times over the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He had a tepid .226/.277/.353 line and 77 wRC+ in those, hitting 14 home runs. His 21.9% strikeout rate was around average but his 5.8% walk rate was quite low. He wasn’t guaranteed playing time in 2026, as Cleveland came into the year with an outfield mix consisting of DeLauter, Schneeman, Steven Kwan, George Valera, CJ Kayfus, David Fry and Petey Halpin.
But some struggles from the guys in that group have opened time for Martínez that he has taken advantage of. Unlike Rocchio, there are no big improvements here in terms of discipline. His 19.4% strikeout rate is a bit better but he’s also walking less, with just a 3.4% rate this year. But he already has nine home runs, almost matching his previous career tally, in just 175 plate appearances. That has helped him hit .256/.298/.488 for a 119 wRC+.
Also unlike Rocchio, there are some tangible shifts in the Statcast data. His 36.2% hard hit rate is only around league average but a big jump from the 29.3% rate he had last year. His 88.6 mph average exit velocity is exactly league par but a mile and a half better than his own mark from last year. His 41st percentile bat speed isn’t too impressive but he was in the 21st percentile last year. Making those kinds of gains can sometimes come with more whiffs but, as mentioned, he is actually striking out less.
He also may have found a defensive home in the outfield, depending on who you ask. Martínez was bounced between second base, third base and the grass in 2024 and 2025. His outfield results were poor, as he was given minus-9 Defensive Runs Saved and minus-5 Outs Above Average. DRS is still not convinced this year, giving him a minus-3 grade. Since that’s in roughly one third as many innings, it’s roughly the same pace as last year. But he has been credited with 3 OAA on the year. He has also stolen eight bases, already matching last year’s total. He’s been credited with 1.2 fWAR on the year.
Schneemann spent 2024 and 2025 in a utility role, playing everywhere except first base and the battery. He hit .210/.290/.358 for a wRC+ of 84 in 643 plate appearances. He has been sent to the plate 150 times this year with a .246/.327/.403 line and 109 wRC+.
It’s possible that Schneemann’s improvements are more fluky than those of Rocchio or Martínez. While Rocchio is showing an improved approach and Martínez is hitting the ball with more authority, Schneemann’s gains look to be based on luck, as he has a .333 BABIP so far. HIs 10.7% walk rate is nice but only a slight gain on the 9.8% pace he had coming into the year. His 28.7% strikeout rate is high and only a marginal improvement over the 29.1% rate he had in previous seasons.
In terms of the Statcast data, his hard hit rate and average exit velocity are actually down relative to last year. If there’s one big bright spot, it’s that Statcast has his launch angle sweet spot percentage in the 97th percentile, whereas he was in the 23rd percentile last year. The regression may already be setting in, as Schneemann is hitting .143 in May after batting .321/.391/.564 through the end of April. Even if it was just one big month, some solid offensive results have combined with his speed and defense to give him a tally of 1.0 fWAR on the season.
These three guys aren’t going to get any MVP votes but their contributions are significant in the larger context. As mentioned, the Guards did almost nothing to add outside help. There are seven players on the team who have received at least 150 plate appearances this year. Ramírez is doing his usual thing. DeLauter is having a strong rookie season. But Kwan and Kyle Manzardo are struggling so far. Rocchio, Martínez and Schneemann have stepped up. Those three have a combined .265/.335/.439 line, 120 wRC+ and 3.9 fWAR on the year so far.
Time will tell if they can keep it going but those strong starts have already pushed the Guards out to a nice division lead. If the gains do prove to be sustainable, then it could lead to some interesting decisions down the line.
Bazzana was called up at the end of April and has taken over the second base job, having hit .288/.409/.384 for a 133 wRC+ in the early going. The Guards also have one of the league’s top infield prospects in Genao. He was promoted to Triple-A earlier this month and has put up a .305/.359/.576 line at that level so far. A promotion is arguably already viable and his knocks on the door should get louder every day. His defense is still a work in progress but evaluators expect him to be a viable big league shortstop as he refines his tools.
The Guardians have historically not been shy about trading from their middle infield. Francisco Lindor was their regular shortstop for most of the 2015 to 2020 period before getting flipped to the Mets. Amed Rosario and Andrés Giménez came back in that trade and were fixtures of the middle infield for the next few years. Giménez even got a nine-figure extension. But both were eventually traded, Rosario to the Dodgers and Giménez to the Blue Jays. With Bazzana, Genao, Rocchio, Arias, Schneemann and Brito all now in the middle infield mix, maybe they can make someone in that group available to address another part of the roster.
In the outfield, it’s probably just nice that things are going relatively well out there, as Cleveland has been struggling for years to get production from the grass. Their outfielders hit a collective .225/.288/.341 last year for a 77 wRC+, putting them ahead of only the Royals. This year, they are up to the middle of the pack with a .232/.316/.384 line, thanks to Martínez and DeLauter.
Perhaps the Guards will have to move on from Kwan at some point. He is under club control through 2027. He’s making $7.725MM this year and would be due an arbitration raise going into next year. But his offense slipped to league average last year and he’s down to .202/.330/.260 in 2026, so perhaps a non-tender or a trade are becoming possibilities. Even without Kwan, they have DeLauter, Martínez, Valera, Schneemann, Fry, Halpin, Kayfus, Brito and Kahlil Watson in the mix and controllable for years to come.
Photos courtesy of Brett Davis, Rick Osentoski, Ken Blaze, David Richard, Imagn Images
Guardians Re-Sign Kolby Allard To Minor League Deal
The Guardians are bringing left-hander Kolby Allard back on a minor league contract, reports Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. Cleveland had granted the southpaw his release yesterday, but it seems Allard didn’t find an MLB opportunity with another club.
Cleveland’s front office and coaching staff clearly appreciates what Allard brings to the table as a depth arm. He’s capable of working multiple innings and held a low-leverage relief spot for the majority of the 2025 season. Allard worked to a 2.63 ERA across 65 innings a year ago despite sitting 90 mph with his fastball and running a well below-average 15.8% strikeout rate.
Allard fills up the strike zone but has fringy stuff. He has given up 16 hits to allow 10 runs across 8 2/3 MLB frames this year. He has pitched three times with Triple-A Columbus, surrendering seven runs with an uncharacteristic seven walks over 5 1/3 innings. The Guardians have signed him to five minor league contracts over the past two seasons.
Gio Urshela Announces Retirement
Infielder Gio Urshela has announced his retirement as a player in a post on his Instagram page. In the post, he thanks the people who contributed to his career, including his family, friends, fans, baseball organizations, coaches, the people of Colombia and more.
Urshela, now 34, was signed by Cleveland back in 2008. An international amateur out of Colombia, he secured a signing bonus of $300K. He quickly developed a reputation as a plus defender at third base while also dabbling at the other infield positions. His bat was a bit more questionable. He didn’t strike out much in the minors but also didn’t draw many walks and it wasn’t clear how much thump he could produce with his contact approach.
He cracked the majors in 2015. His initial big league opportunities matched his profile. He could pick the ball at third and didn’t strike out a lot but also didn’t produce offensively. He was eventually designated for assignment in 2018 and flipped to the Blue Jays in a cash deal. The Jays put him on waivers later that year and the 29 other clubs all declined a chance to claim him. At that time, he had 499 major league plate appearances and a .225/.274/.315 line.
The Jays traded Urshela to the Yankees for cash late in 2018. He began the following season as non-roster depth for Miguel Andujar, who had just finished a solid rookie campaign, finishing second in American League Rookie of the Year voting behind Shohei Ohtani. Early in the 2019 campaign, Andujar suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder, an injury that would eventually require season-ending surgery. Though that was unfortunate for Andujar, it turned out to be the opportunity for Urshela to break out.
Urshela took over the third base job in the Bronx that year with a big step forward offensively. He hit 21 home runs and slashed .314/.355/.534 for a 132 wRC+. FanGraphs credited him with 3.1 wins above replacement. He may have hit his personal zenith that year with some help from external forces. His .349 batting average on balls in play was well above average. That was also the juiced-ball year, with home run records set all around the league.
Regardless, Urshela still proved to be a viable major league hitter in subsequent seasons. Over the shortened 2020 season and the 2021 campaign, he hit 20 homers in 159 games and slashed .275/.320/.438 for a 108 wRC+. He was credited with 2.4 fWAR for that span.
Going into 2022, Urshela was part of a big trade. He and catcher Gary Sánchez were flipped to the Twins for third baseman Josh Donaldson, infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa and catcher Ben Rortvedt. Urshela had a solid campaign in Minnesota, hitting 13 home runs and putting up a .285/.338/.429 line, translating to a 118 wRC+. FanGraphs put another 2.6 WAR on his ledger that year.
Ahead of the 2023 season, Urshela was traded to the Angels for pitching prospect Alejandro Hidalgo. That was unfortunately just before things started to turn sour for Urshela. He hit a respectable .299/.329/.374 for the Halos but went on the injured list in June due to a pelvic fracture. He didn’t require surgery but he missed the second half of that season and was never really able to get back on track after that.
He became a free agent and signed a $1.5MM deal with the Tigers going into 2024. He got into 92 games for Detroit but hit .243/.286/.333 for a wRC+ of 74. He was designated for assignment and released that August. He latched on with Atlanta and finished on a slightly higher note, slashing .265/.287/.424 in 36 games.
That strong finish was enough to get him a $2.15MM deal with the Athletics for 2025. He hit .238/.287/.326 in 59 games for the A’s before getting designated for assignment and released in August. He returned to the Twins on a minor league deal this past offseason. He hit .192/.250/.231 in spring training and was released at the end of camp.
Urshela finishes his career having played in 851 games with 3,028 plate appearances. He only walked in 5.9% of those but also limited his strikeouts to an 18.3% pace. He collected 759 hits, including 147 doubles, nine triples and 73 home runs. He scored 312 times, drove in 352 runs and stole seven bases. His career slash line finishes at .270/.314/.407. That leads to a subpar 97 wRC+ but is dragged down by his slow start and soft finish. From 2019 to 2022, he hit .290/.336/.463 for a 118 wRC+. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference credit him with about eight wins above replacement, mostly from that four-year peak. Baseball Reference pegs his career earnings over $25MM.
We at MLB Trade Rumors congratulate Urshela on a fine career and wish him the best for his post-playing days.
Photos courtesy of David Butler II, Jesse Johnson, Nick Wosika, Imagn Images
Guardians’ Kolby Allard Granted His Release
The Guardians granted left-hander Kolby Allard his release yesterday, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. Allard had an opt-out clause in his contract, and Cleveland apparently didn’t have a spot for him on the big league roster. He’ll be free to explore opportunities with other teams, though Stebbins adds that the Guardians would prefer to re-sign Allard on a new minor league pact if possible.
Allard, 28, has been hit hard in a small sample of 8 2/3 innings with Cleveland this season. He’s served up 10 runs on 16 hits and three walks in that time, fanning nine of his 45 opponents (20%). He’s also allowed more runs than innings pitched in an even smaller sample of 5 1/3 Triple-A frames.
Though his 2026 season hasn’t gone as planned, Allard was terrific with Cleveland as recently as last season. In 2025, he ate up 65 innings in a swingman role and notched a tidy 2.63 earned run average. Allard’s 15.3% strikeout rate was about seven percentage points shy of league average, but his 5.3% walk rate was excellent (more than three points lower than average).
A former first-round pick, Allard was dogged by repeated back injuries early in his career with Atlanta. He never wound up establishing himself as the steady No. 4 starter many believed him capable of becoming, but he’s consistently found big league work as a journeyman bouncing from team to team in the same type of swing role in which he thrived last season. Allard has never thrown particularly hard, though this year’s 89.4 mph average four-seamer is down about a half mile from last year’s 89.9 mph and well shy of its 92.4 mph peak back in 2019.
Any team in need of some length in the bullpen or perhaps a handful of spot starts in the near future could plausibly consider Allard as an option. He’d have a stronger case for a big league spot with better 2026 performance, but Allard was great last year, solid this spring (4.05 ERA in 13 1/3 innings) and isn’t going to cost a new club much more than the league minimum for any time spent on the big league roster.
If Allard does end up back in Cleveland, they’ll be glad to keep the depth. The Guards have managed to make it to this point in the season only needing five starters: Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi. However, Cecconi has struggled to a 5.60 ERA, and the depth options in Triple-A are somewhat lacking.
Logan Allen, Trent Denholm, Pedro Avila and Ryan Webb all have ERAs of 5.45 or higher with the Guardians’ top affiliate in Columbus — the latter pair closer to 9.00. A triceps injury has limited Austin Peterson to four starts, though he recently returned from the injured list. Yorman Gómez has yet to pitch this season due to a shoulder injury. Former top prospect Daniel Espino is working exclusively in short relief after a yearslong injury absence. Twenty-six-year-old Rorik Maltrud (2.50 ERA in 39 1/3 frames) is the only starter in Columbus who’s taken the mound at least five times and kept his ERA under 5.00.
Guardians Outright Connor Brogdon
The Guardians have sent right-hander Connor Brogdon outright to Triple-A Columbus after passing him through waivers, according to Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. He had the right to elect free agency but has accepted the assignment.
It’s not surprising that Brogdon has waived his right to head to the open market. Players with at least three years of service time have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of heading to the open market. However, they need at least five years of service to become free agents and keep their salary commitments in tact. Brogdon is making $900K this year and his service is in between three and five years. That makes it understandable that he’s heading to Columbus to keep his paycheck coming.
The Guards took a shot on Brogdon this winter by giving him that $900K deal. He wasn’t coming off a great season, having posted a 5.55 earned run average with the Angels in 2025. The Guards were perhaps looking last that ERA and seeing positive momentum. Brogdon’s fastball velo had ticked up to 95.5 miles per hour, a nice jump from the 92.8 mph he averaged in an injury-marred 2024 campaign. His strikeout rate also leaped from 15.8% to 24.6%.
The gamble didn’t pay off, or at least hasn’t yet. Brogdon tossed 15 1/3 innings out of the Cleveland bullpen before being designated for assignment. His 5.28 ERA was only a marginal improvement over last year. His strikeout rate dropped to 20.9% as his velo dropped slightly to 94.5 mph.
Brogdon is out of options. Since things weren’t going well for him in the big leagues, the Guards bumped him off the 40-man. Since he has accepted his assignment, they can keep him in the system as depth without him using a roster spot. If he gets in a nice groove for the Clippers or the big league club simply needs some fresh arms later in the year, he can be added back to the roster.
Photo courtesy of Scott Marshall, Imagn Images
MLBTR Podcast: Patrick Bailey To Cleveland, The Struggling Astros, And Arizona’s Outfield Changes
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Giants trading Patrick Bailey to the Guardians (1:25)
- The Astros losing Carlos Correa to season-ending ankle surgery (18:40)
- The Diamondbacks calling up Ryan Waldschmidt and trading Alek Thomas to the Dodgers (28:05)
- The Mets calling up A.J. Ewing (38:25)
- The Marlins calling up Robby Snelling (42:55)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Are the Tigers struggling due to injuries and will be fine as guys get healthy? Or should fans be more worried? (49:30)
- Which starting pitchers can the Cubs pursue? (53:25)
- When will the Yankees realize they need to upgrade on David Bednar as the closer? (58:20)
Check out our past episodes!
- Skubal’s Injury, The Marlins’ Catchers, Eldridge Called Up, And Volpe Sent Down – listen here
- The Alex Cora Situation, Lucas Giolito Signs, And The Phillies Fire Rob Thomson – listen here
- Kevin McGonigle, The Padres’ Franchise Valuation, And Edwin Díaz To Miss Time – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of David Dermer, Imagn Images