GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Cleveland’s complex is sprawling with starting pitchers — some with elbow scars following a year of rehabilitation, others with mental scars following a year to forget.
The Guardians made a concerted effort this winter to bolster their starting pitching depth, and they seem to have a type. If you’ve recently had your elbow reconstructed, the Guardians may be able to help you.
John Means is the latest recovering hurler to join the organization, a team source told The Athletic. He’ll take a physical Tuesday in Goodyear and if he passes, his one-year contract (with a club option for 2026) will become official. He underwent Tommy John surgery in June, his second such procedure in a 26-month span. That explains why Means, an All-Star as a rookie in 2019, made only 10 starts in the last three years.
So, add his name to the pile. Shane Bieber, who threw a bullpen session over the weekend, is targeting a midseason return from his elbow surgery. Vince Velasquez, who underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2023, is unrestricted and tossed a live batting practice session Sunday. Those pitchers are all hoping to follow Matthew Boyd’s path back from surgery. Boyd joined the Guardians last summer and never seemed rusty. He parlayed eight impressive regular-season starts and three strong playoff outings into a two-year deal with the Cubs.
A 31-year-old southpaw, John Means was an All-Star during his rookie season in 2019. (Mitchell Layton / Getty Images)
There are healthy contenders, too. The Guardians traded for Luis Ortiz, an edge rusher-sized sinkerballer with sequoia trunks for thighs who could follow ace Tanner Bibee in the rotation.
“His smile lights you up. He’s joyful,” manager Stephen Vogt said of Ortiz. “Except when he’s on the mound; (there), he’s pretty nasty.”
The Guardians signed veterans Jakob Junis, who will be built up as a starter but told the team he’s amenable to any role, and Kolby Allard. They’re also banking on steps forward from Triston McKenzie, Gavin Williams, Joey Cantillo and Logan Allen.
McKenzie, who will start the Cactus League opener Saturday, hit 95 mph in his first live bullpen session over the weekend. Cantillo peppered the strike zone on an adjacent back field. Slade Cecconi, a trade acquisition from the Diamondbacks, flashed some heat as well.
Carlos Carrasco, in the twilight of his career, logged the third-most innings of any Cleveland pitcher last season. Somehow, a rotation mired with injuries and inconsistency didn’t stand in the way of an AL Central title. The Guardians are working to ensure that will remain the case in 2025, to stockpile enough arms to find sufficient quality among the quantity.
Looking for a candidate for the spring trope of “Best Shape of His Life”? How about the guy who will turn 39 in April?
“I don’t feel 38,” Carlos Santana said Monday.
A couple of years ago, Santana consulted Nelson Cruz, who played his final big-league game two days after he turned 43, for advice on how to keep his body in big-league form. Santana hired a trainer and a chef. The changes helped him win his first Gold Glove Award last season, and they have him thinking he can play for “one or two more years.”
After stints with the Royals, Mariners, Pirates, Brewers and Twins, he boomeranged back to Cleveland this winter (one day after he sold his house in Bratenahl). This is his third tour with the club, and when hearing him talk about the organization, well, it’s no surprise he’s back. (OK, a $12 million salary probably helps.)
“Cleveland hits in my heart,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of things in my life in Cleveland. People ask me, what is your favorite team? I say Cleveland. Who is the best (front) office? Cleveland. Manager? Cleveland. Everything? Cleveland. … This is my house.”
The Guardians are replacing Josh Naylor, a vocal and emotional leader, Andrés Giménez, a quiet guy who led by example and Boyd, who wasn’t a member of the roster for long, but had teammates leaning on him for guidance.
Who will fill the leadership void? Austin Hedges, the caffeine-guzzling catcher with coaching aspirations, is a natural. Bieber, Bibee, Santana and reliever Paul Sewald could fit the description. And don’t overlook Steven Kwan, who is entering his fourth big-league season, boasts one of the more decorated resumes on the roster and is an ambassador for the mental side of the game.
It may be hard to believe, but Steven Kwan is set to embark on his fourth year in the Cleveland organization. (Nick Cammett / Getty Images)
Kwan said he hesitates to describe himself as a veteran player, but it’s impossible to ignore as he scans a room full of teammates with limited big-league experience.
“I still can’t believe I’m in this position,” he said.
Perhaps no player has a better handle on the strike zone than Kwan, who has totaled 185 walks and 186 strikeouts in his three major-league seasons. But even Kwan needs a refresher on the precise location of balls and strikes.
As Kwan exited the batter’s box during a live batting practice session Sunday, he turned toward the bleachers behind the fence, where Guardians evaluators monitor the action with an array of technological equipment. Kwan asked if the final pitch was low.
“It takes some reps to get back into it,” Vogt said. “A lot of times, what we lose sight of, is the June and July versions of players, they’re not there yet. You have to get back into the swing of things of doing it every day.”
José Ramírez showed off his new gold Rolex to teammates Monday morning, and even (jokingly) offered the watch to a team staffer at one point. Ramírez arrived to camp in early February, well ahead of the club’s mandatory report date. It’s no surprise, then, that his teammates followed suit. The entire roster reported early. Ramírez, embarking on his 13th big-league season, has finished in the top five in the AL MVP balloting in five of the last eight seasons (and the top 10 in seven of the last eight).
“You miss that presence during the offseason,” infielder Tyler Freeman said. “The one guy who will make you laugh as soon as you step into the locker room is José.”
(Top photo: Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images)
