With Opening Day just three days away, the Guardians continue to bring us good news.
The final week of Spring Training has come and gone, and it could not get out fast enough. While the Guardians barely crept out with two wins on the week, there were still some moments to smile about. As we take on the final two games before the season begins, let’s take a look back on the week’s positive moments.
Jones Returns to Cleveland
Saturday marked a happy day for some, and a sad one for others. Such is life when a player is traded. You’re either ecstatic about the return player or crushed over the loss of one. I’ve had a lot of crushing moments the past few off-seasons, but I must say I’m a tad bit excited about this one. It was announced Saturday evening that the Cleveland Guardians had traded utility player Tyler Freeman for former #1 prospect Nolan Jones. The team had originally traded Jones to Colorado in the 2022 off-season for Juan Brito. Now the team has both Brito and Jones on their side. Yes, it came at the cost of Freeman, but if Jones can replicate his stellar 2023 season, that won’t matter much.
LTA Makes the Rotation
The team announced on Sunday that Logan T. Allen would be the fifth starter, rounding out the rotation behind Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz, and Ben Lively. While his 2024 was nothing to write home about, he has certainly proven his worth this Spring Training. Pitching 19 innings, he gave up just four earned runs and struck out 19. His 1.89 ERA is exactly what you want to see from a starter. While there’s no guarantee he will carry that success into the regular season, I feel completely fine betting on him. With two seasons under his belt and a solid spot in the rotation to boost his confidence, I’m certain we haven’t seen the best of him just yet.
Bibee is Back
While the Guardians have had a pretty quiet off-season in the front office, they made a big move on Saturday. The team extended ace Tanner Bibee by signing him to a five-year, $48 million contract with a club option for 2030. After pitching to a 2.98 ERA in his rookie season and a 3.47 last year, there’s no doubt that this was the right choice. Bibee loves it in Cleveland and the fans love him and the success he’s had on the team. Totaling 328 strikeouts over his 315.2 career innings, he continues to prove why he’s our ace. Until Shane Bieber returns, he’ll stay in that role.