The Cleveland Guardians have declined their team option on John Means for the 2025 season.
The Cleveland Guardians made their first big decision of this offseason on Thursday. The organization was running out of time to decide whether to exercise its team option for the 2026 season on LHP John Means.
When Cleveland made multiple moves centered on the 40-man roster on Thursday, it ultimately decided to decline its option on the contract, making Means a free agent.
Means didn’t pitch in a big-league game during the 2025 season, as he was still rehabbing from his second Tommy John surgery, which he had during the spring of 2024.
The 32-year-old did make seven rehab starts over the final month of the minor league season, but struggled in these outings.
Means 6.08 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 26.2 innings pitched. The real concern with Means’ minor league stats was that he struggled with his command, only registering roughly seven strikeouts and three walks per nine innings.
Jun 15, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Orioles pitch John Means walks to the dugout before the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn ImagesFor a pitcher who has been known for swing-and-miss and punchout stuff throughout his career, these were certainly some alarming numbers.
There’s also the fact that the Guardians already have a surplus of starting pitchers in their rotation as it is. Cleveland ended out the final month of the regular season with a six-man rotation, which worked out extremely well for them. That said, even Stephen Vogt admitted this is something that wouldn’t have been possible without the expanded rosters.
The more Cleveland’s rotation was coming to form, the clearer it was that Means wasn’t the long-term pitcher.
When Means has been healthy, he's always been one of the top pitchers in baseball and even has a no-hitter on his resume. Some teams desperate for more pitching depth will likely jump at the idea of signing him to a minor league deal at the very least.
When the Guardians initially signed Means last offseason, their team option was reported to be $6 million for the 2026 season. With Means’ unencouraging numbers in the minors and their already solid pitching depth, it isn’t too surprising to see the team turn down this deal for next season.
The question now is, where will this surplus of money go, now that it isn’t being directed to Means?