The Cleveland Guardians, as an organization, aren’t exactly big spenders in free agency.
A few teams, like the New York Mets and Yankees, have used that model with mixed results.
The Guardians, on the other hand, believe in the power of building from within with great scouting and player development.
They create their own stars and have been very competitive in the last decade, for the most part.
They draft well, are active in the international amateur market, and have excellent coaches all around the organization.
They can’t always retain their stars, though, so they end up trading some.
They have identified this problem and are eager to sign more of these players to extensions so they can build a strong core for the next decade or so.
According to Guardians insider Zack Meisel, they are working on a few deals.
“The Guardians are in advanced negotiations with multiple players on contract extensions, sources say. Among the players they’ve discussed a deal with this spring: Andrés Giménez, Amed Rosario, Triston McKenzie, Steven Kwan, Trevor Stephan,” he tweeted.
The Guardians are in advanced negotiations with multiple players on contract extensions, sources say. Among the players they’ve discussed a deal with this spring: Andrés Giménez, Amed Rosario, Triston McKenzie, Steven Kwan, Trevor Stephan.
—Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) March 28, 2023
This tweet was a sign of things to come, as the team inked a long-term deal with Andres Gimenez worth over $100 million soon after Meisel’s initial report.
Andrés Giménez’s contract extension with the Guardians will be for seven years and $106.5 million and includes a club option for the 2031 season, sources tell ESPN. The deal starts next year and covers Giménez’s three arbitration years and potentially five free agent seasons.
—Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 28, 2023
The key words here for everyone else are “advanced negotiations”.
That means they are on the verge of reaching an agreement.
Those are some of the squad’s best players.
Locking them up early in their service time clock will dictate how good this team could be in the next five years.
They have two recent examples of players eligible for extensions in recent years.
They did extend Jose Ramirez and he blossomed into the face of the franchise and a top-ten player in MLB.
On the other hand, they failed to do the same with Shane Bieber, and they now risk losing him via trade or free agency soon.
They have, apparently, learned from their mistakes.
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Fans React To The Triston McKenzie News
