Pedro Avila: Everything you need to know

The Guardians agreed to a minor-league contract with Avila on Sunday, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports. The right-hander was released by the Guardians on Tuesday but is quickly back in the organization on a minor-league pact. Avila spent last season in Japan but had a 3.81 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 82:36 K:BB across 82.2 regular-season innings between the Guardians and Padres in 2024.

The Guardians released Avila on Tuesday, SI.com reports. The 29-year-old joined Cleveland on a split contract in December but is being cut loose after giving up three earned runs with a 4:1 K:BB across 8.1 innings during spring training. Avila will now look to latch on elsewhere but may have to settle for a minor-league deal.

Avila agreed to a one-year split contract with the Guardians on Sunday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports. Avila pitched in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball in 2025, logging a 4.04 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 61:30 K:BB in 82.1 innings while primarily working as a starter. The split contract means he will earn a higher salary for whatever portion of the season he spends in the majors. Given his poor 17.8 percent strikeout rate and middling 43.9 percent groundball rate in Japan, Avila will likely be used as a low-leverage reliever if he makes the big club out of spring training.