Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti is hopeful he can reach contract extensions for the Cleveland Guardians' future.
For years fans have asked, called on, and begged, for Cleveland to extend the All-Star caliber talent that they had on their roster. It made goodbyes such as when Francisco Lindor and Corey Kluber got traded difficult knowing what they meant to the team.
Even though it's rare for them to hand out extensions, they're not against it. Before the 2022 season kicked off the Cleveland Guardians handed out extensions to Emmanuel Clase, Myles Straw, and most surprisingly Jose Ramirez.
It appears that the front office could have another few deals in the works before the 2023 season gets going.
Cleveland has a number of players who deserve to get extensions and are eligible to sign one. This includes Shane Bieber, Trison McKenzie, Steven Kwan, and Andres Gimenez.
When asked about whether or not the Guardians will reach terms with any of these players, president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti responded by saying, “I’m optimistic something will happen. … Hopefully, that optimism translates to reality.”
It's a vague response that leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Of course, the organization would be open to extending some of its star talents, but it's anyone's guess as to how close the two parties may be. All three extensions that took place a year ago came as a (welcome) surprise.
The Guardians were MLB's youngest team last season and were still able to reach the ALDS. This means that there's still a lot of growth for their team and if they can lock up the core now then they can focus on winning as a team.
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Cover Photo Credit: © David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
