The Cleveland Guardians reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with RHP Shawn Armstrong.
After making the bullpen a priority heading into the offseason, the Cleveland Guardians continue to add to the group with another free agency signing on Thursday evening.
The Guardians signed RHP Shawn Armstrong to a one-year, $5.5 million contract for the 2026 season. The deal also includes a mutual option for the 2027 campaign, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
Even with all of the most Cleveland has done to add depth to their bullpen, they finally have the high-leverage arm that had been missing. Armstrong will perfectly slide into the setup role, Hunter Gaddis, behind closer Cade Smith.
Armstrong is coming off a stellar season with the Texas Rangers, where he registered a 2.31 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, and even notched two saves along the way. He also has strong advanced metrics, recording a strikeout rate of 26.1 percent, while also limiting hard contact.
Oh, and who can forget, Armstrong ranked in the 76th percentile in arm extension last season, too.
In a way, the Guardians' signing Armstrong is also a homecoming for the 35-year-old. Cleveland originally selected him in the 18th round of the 2011 MLB Draft. Armstrong then made his big-league debut with Cleveland in 2015 and pitched in a handful of games over the next three seasons.
During Armstrong’s first stint in Cleveland a decade ago, he had a 3.53 ERA and a 1.246 WHIP in 39 appearances.
Since debuting in 2015, Armstrong has pitched for seven other teams, including the Seattle Mariners, Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, Tampa Bay Rays, St. Louis Cardinals, Chicago Cubs, and Rangers. In each of those stops, the right-hander has been the pinnacle of consistency.
The Guardians have added some other pitchers to the mix to revamp the bullpen, but this is the first move that includes an established, proven big-league pitcher in high-leverage situations.
The next question is, what will the corresponding move be? Cleveland’s 40-man roster is full, so once the team makes the signing official, they’ll have to designate a player for assignment or pull off a trade to free up space.
It’ll certainly be interesting to see which player ends up being the odd man out. But for now, Armstrong’s addition is an exciting move for the organization.