Cleveland

Guardians

Kent will get a chance to win one of the final bullpen spots with the Cardinals this spring. The 27-year-old pitched well in Triple-A Columbus with a 2.84 ERA, but he struggled at the highest level as seen in a 4.58 ERA, albeit in a small sample of 17 2/3 innings.

The 20-year-old Chourio is more than holding his own in a league filled with far more experienced players, having hit .299/.386/.402 in 114 plate appearances. He was a little disappointing in the minors last season, missing time with a shoulder strain and hitting .237/.379/.286 in 87 games while mostly playing in High-A. Still, while he’s not the phenom his older brother Jackson is, he has a chance to become a capable major league leadoff man down the line.

It’s worth $900,000, according to Zack Meisel. With his velocity having bounced back to where it was a few years ago, Brogdon had a solid 49/18 K/BB in 47 innings for the Angels last season. Since he gave up 11 homers, it only amounted to a 5.55 ERA, but the Guardians will almost surely be able to get more out of him in middle relief. He’s out of options, so he should have a roster spot coming out of spring training, and if he has a strong season, the Guardians will also be able to keep him through arbitration in 2027.

Fry underwent surgery to repair a deviated septum and fractured nose and missed the postseason after being hit in the face by a fastball from Tarik Skubal. Jones will likely be a platoon outfielder for Cleveland in 2026, while Festa should again work in the middle innings.

All three players now free agents. Brennan underwent surgery to repair the UCL in his left elbow back in May, but should be ready to go early in the 2026 season. Both Hentges and Enright will likely see non-roster interest to help needy bullpens.

The 43rd-ranked prospect in baseball, per Baseball America, Genao enters next season in the upper minors with a chance to reach Cleveland before the end of the year. The 21-year-old prodigy is protected from next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Cleveland’s decision to move on from Enright qualifies as a surprising one since he posted a strong 2.03 ERA and 30/12 K/BB ratio across 31 innings over 27 appearances last season in his first taste of the majors. The 28-year-old reliever, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, figures to draw some interest on waivers in the coming days.

It seems likely that with the Cardinals heading into a rebuild, that they’ll look to move the versatile 28-year-old, who has two years remaining on his contract. Goold also notes that the Dodgers and Yankees had interest in dealing for him at the trade deadline in 2025 and could circle back again this offseason. It’s looking increasingly likely that Donovan could be donning a new uniform on Opening Day in 2026.

Vogt received 17 first-place votes to edge John Schneider, who got 10 first-place votes to finish second. Dan Wilson came away with a pair of first-place votes and Alex Cora also received one to finish third and fourth, respectively. The 41-year-old skipper, who helped guide the Guardians to an improbable late-season comeback to wrestle the AL Central division crown from Detroit this past season, earns the honor for the second straight season, joining Bobby Cox, Kevin Cash and Pat Murphy as the only repeat winners since 1983. He’s gone 180-143 (.557) in two seasons at the helm in Cleveland.

Passan adds that Ortiz was arrested earlier this weekend, while Clase is not currently in custody. The pair could face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges, which include fraud, conspiracy, and bribery. Prosecutors allege that Ortiz was paid $5,000 for throwing an intentional ball June 15, with Clase receiving the same amount for facilitating it. The indictment also claims they repeated the scheme on June 27, earning $7,000 apiece. The pair of Guardians pitchers were placed on administrative leave in late July amid MLB’s ongoing sports-betting investigation and both appear highly unlikely to ever pitch in the majors again. A final decision on their status won’t come until the criminal proceedings play out. We’ll have updates on the developing situation as it unfolds.