Guardians start Opening Day by signing Trevor Stephan to an extension

HAPPY OPENING DAY!

Now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about Trevor Stephan. The Guardians and their star reliever have reportedly agreed to a four-year, $10 million deal that includes a pair of club options. Pending a physical, of course.

Assuming the deal starts this season as reported, it will buy out all of Stephan’s arbitration years and could go into free agency with the options.

A former Rule 5-draft pick, Stephan broke out last year thanks to a split-finger changeup he developed that helped him keep more balls on the ground. He finished with a 2.34 ERA and held batters to a .239 wOBA with a career-high 30.7% strikeout rate. With Stephan and Emmanuel Clase both on long-term deals, the Guardians have the back end of their bullpen locked up through at least 2026 and potentially as far as 2028.

Now get out there and make it count.

Cleveland Guardians news

Al Roker surprised by Slider with Cleveland Guardians’ jersey on opening day | WKYC
Al Roker, YOU ARE a Cleveland Guardian.

Guardians 2023 Opening Day roster breakdown | Akron Beacon Journal
One last look at the roster before the games start going. Not much has changed since it was revealed that they would be going with three catchers, but Xzavion Curry is replacing Triston McKenzie on the roster.

FanGraphs Power Rankings: Opening Day 2023 | FanGraphs
FanGraphs projects the Guardians to finish 82-80. Let’s react calmly and rationally to this projection that is not a guarantee but simply a set of simula— ... ope, someone already started a fire.

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