Kwan agreed to a one-year, $4.175 million contract with the Guardians on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports. Kwan slashed .292/.368/.425 with 14 homers, 44 RBI and 12 stolen bases over 122 games last season -- good enough to earn himself a $3.4 million salary bump in his first year of arbitration eligibility. While reaching 10 home runs again in 2025 is far from a guarantee for the 27-year-old outfielder, he's still worthy of fantasy attention based on his contact skills.
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Kwan agreed to a one-year, $4.175 million contract with the Guardians on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports. Kwan slashed .292/.368/.425 with 14 homers, 44 RBI and 12 stolen bases over 122 games last season -- good enough to earn himself a $3.4 million salary bump in his first year of arbitration eligibility. While reaching 10 home runs again in 2025 is far from a guarantee for the 27-year-old outfielder, he's still worthy of fantasy attention based on his contact skills.
Thomas agreed to a one-year, $7.825 million contract with the Guardians on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. The 29-year-old will receive a modest raise in his penultimate year of arbitration eligibility after making $5.45 million last season. Thomas had 15 homers and 32 stolen bases with a .709 OPS in 130 games between Washington and Cleveland in the regular season last year, and he should be a key piece of the Guardians' outfield mix again in 2025.
The Guardians signed Frias on Thursday to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training. Frias, 26, battled a shoulder problem in 2024 and struggled during his 9.2 major-league innings, yielding 16 runs (15 earned) with a 12:7 K:BB. He's collected a 28.4 percent strikeout rate at the Triple-A level, so the Guardians felt Frias was worth a shot on a no-risk, minor-league pact.
The Guardians signed Santana to a one-year, $12-million contract Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. Santana's signing came shortly after Cleveland traded Josh Naylor to Arizona for pitcher Slade Cecconi, so Santana appears set to take over as the starter at first base for the Guardians. The $12-million contract represents a nice pay raise for the veteran slugger, who joined Minnesota on a one-year $5.25 million dollar deal last February and enjoyed a solid campaign with a .748 OPS -- his highest since 2019 -- while slugging 23 homers and notching 71 RBI over 594 plate appearances during the regular season. Santana is nearing the end of his career -- he'll turn 39 years old in April -- but should provide a decent amount of run production in the middle of Cleveland's lineup while serving as a bridge to the team's future.
Cecconi was traded from Arizona to the Guardians on Saturday in exchange for Josh Naylor, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports. Cecconi appeared in 20 games for the Diamondbacks last season, with 13 of those outings coming as a starter. He put up poor numbers with a 6.66 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 18.9 percent strikeout rate over 77 innings, but his FIP was better at 5.02, and he ranked in the 92nd percentile leaguewide with a 5.0 percent walk rate. Cecconi could begin 2025 at the back end of Cleveland's rotation or continue to serve in a swingman role.
The Guardians re-signed Nunez to a minor-league contract Monday that includes an invitation to spring training. Nunez slashed .202/.330/.339 with five home runs over 68 games with Triple-A Columbus in 2024. The 29-year-old will give the Guardians some catching depth with big-league experience.
Bieber (elbow) said Wednesday that he has been throwing from 90 feet three times per week, Tom Withers of the Associated Press reports. Bieber is encouraged by the progress he's made since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April, though he also said "there's a long way to go." The 29-year-old agreed to a one-year deal Friday to remain in Cleveland for 2025, and his rehab is expected to extend a few months into the regular season.
The Pirates traded Ortiz, along with Josh Hartle and Michael Kennedy, to the Guardians on Tuesday in exchange for Spencer Horwitz, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. Ortiz took a massive leap in 2024, posting a 3.32 ERA and 1.11 WHIP alongside a 107:42 K:BB in 135.2 innings. The Pirates used him as both a starter and reliever last year, though Shane Bieber's (elbow) injury and a general lack of starter depth could prompt Cleveland to keep Ortiz in its rotation full time.
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