Guardians Add Another Arm to Bullpen Mix, Sign Codi Heuer to Minor League Deal
The Cleveland Guardians continue to stockpile bullpen depth this offseason, adding another intriguing arm to the mix. On Monday, the team signed right-hander Codi Heuer to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training - the latest in a string of December moves aimed at reinforcing the relief corps.
Heuer, 29, is no stranger to the big-league grind. He’s logged time with four different clubs - the White Sox, Cubs, Rangers, and Tigers - and brings a career 3.67 ERA across 89 relief appearances.
His most recent major league work came in 2024, when he made a pair of outings for Detroit and one for Texas. The bulk of his season, however, was spent in Triple-A, where he quietly put together a solid campaign with a 3.14 ERA over 44 appearances.
Originally a sixth-round pick by the White Sox in 2018 out of Wichita State, Heuer showed early promise in Chicago’s bullpen. Between 2020 and 2021, he made 61 appearances for the South Siders, posting a 3.74 ERA and flashing the kind of upside that made him a valuable piece in the Cubs-White Sox trade that sent Craig Kimbrel to the South Side.
But Heuer’s career has been anything but linear. He missed the entire 2022 and 2024 seasons due to a pair of elbow surgeries - a tough setback for a pitcher who had begun carving out a role as a reliable middle-innings option.
Still, when healthy, he’s been effective. Over 95 2/3 career innings, Heuer has struck out 86 and walked 34, while picking up 10 wins and three saves along the way.
For Cleveland, this signing is part of a broader strategy. Heuer becomes the fifth reliever added by the Guardians this month, joining Shawn Armstrong, Colin Holderman, Connor Brogdon, and Rule 5 selection Peyton Pallette. Unlike Heuer, the other four are already on the 40-man roster, but the invitation to spring training gives him a shot to compete for a spot - or at least prove he’s worth stashing in Triple-A as depth.
It’s a low-risk, potentially savvy move for a team that has long thrived on developing bullpen talent. If Heuer can stay healthy and rediscover the form he showed early in his career, he could become a valuable piece of the Guardians’ relief puzzle. And given the volatility of bullpens - and how much Cleveland leans on theirs - that kind of upside is worth a spring look.