Fans can dream about a salary cap, but the real fight is still between the people in the room who actually negotiate the deal.
That was the blunt answer in this round of Guardians mailbag questions, where one reader asked what a lifelong Cleveland baseball fan could do to push the players association and owners toward a cap. The response was straightforward: emails to Commissioner Rob Manfred and Bruce Meyer, the MLBPA executive director, are about all a fan can send.
Even then, the point was clear that the talks now underway before the basic agreement expires Dec. 1 are not really about the fans at all. They’re about money, with players pushing for more and owners trying to hold the line.
Another question turned to the idea of a salary floor and whether it would help the Guardians keep their homegrown talent before those players hit free agency. The answer: yes, it would. The obstacle, though, is getting the players to accept it, since they view a floor as part of a salary cap.
The Guardians’ roster decisions also came up, especially the club’s claim of Jose Tena on waivers Friday. That move stood out because Cleveland already has utility options in Angel Genao, Welbyn Francisca, Milan Tolentino, David Fry and Daniel Schneemann. Tena is out of options, which means he is either filling a temporary spot or more changes are coming.
There was also a question about the futures of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, both still on Cleveland’s restricted list. If Clase’s court case ends in his favor, the final call on his salary will be in Commissioner Rob Manfred’s hands after the trial is finished, with the MLBPA also having a say.
Clase was scheduled to make $6 million in 2026, the last guaranteed year of the five-year, $20 million deal he signed in 2022. That contract also includes club options worth $10 million each for 2027 and 2028, along with a $2 million buyout for each year.
Ortiz’s 2026 salary would have been just above the major league minimum of $700,000.
Steven Kwan’s place in the lineup drew another question, this one about whether the Guardians understand how central he is to the offense and whether they’ll pay to keep him. The answer was yes, they do understand his value.
Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations, recently said the team expects Kwan to be in the Opening Day lineup next year. Under the current basic agreement, Kwan becomes a free agent after 2027, and that makes an extension tough to pull off when a player is this close to free agency.
The mailbag also took a wider look around the league, asking how many former Cleveland pitching coaches are now in the same role elsewhere. The answer listed four: Joe Torres with the Reds, Ruben Niebla with the Padres, Matt Blake with the Yankees and Brian Sweeney with the Royals. Blake had been Cleveland’s director of pitching development before the Yankees hired him in 2019.
Postseason pitching decisions came up twice, too. One reader asked why Tanner Bibee didn’t line up well for the Guardians in the playoffs.
After dropping the first two games of the ALDS to Chicago, the team considered Bibee for Game 3, but with elimination looming they went with lefty Foster Griffin, who had relieved opener Daniel Espino in the first inning, because he matched up better against the White Sox. In Games 4 and 6 of the ALCS against the Rays, Bibee was again discussed as a starter, but the club preferred opener Shawn Armstrong and Griffin in Game 4, then wanted to keep Bibee available in Game 6 in case the game went extra innings and needed length.
Another reader argued that Stephen Vogt overmanaged the pitching staff in the ALCS, saying the reliever-heavy approach was about avoiding defeat rather than going after a win. The response didn’t fully embrace that criticism, but it did note that the Guardians always seem to alter their pitching plan in October and that there can feel like too many cooks in the kitchen when those decisions are being made.
The final note in the mailbag came from a fan thanking the Guardians for their 2026 season, disappointed they didn’t reach the World Series but impressed with the results from the players, senior management and coaching staff. The reply captured the familiar rhythm of a baseball season: only one team gets to celebrate, but it doesn’t take long before everyone is already looking ahead to next year.
In Other News...
Guardians Could Be Closing In On A High-Upside Infield Boost
The Guardians have spent the last few seasons leaning into youth, and it has helped push them into contention, including a recent trip to the ALCS. That approach has made Cleveland one of the more intriguing development stories in the league, with the front office continuing to look for the next wave of infield talent to add to the pipeline.
John Cruz appears to be the latest name to watch. The Dominican shortstop prospect is reportedly favored to sign with Cleveland, though he is not eligible to put pen to paper until the Jan. 15, 2027 international signing period. There is still plenty of time before anything becomes official, and details on Cruz remain limited, but the Guardians seem to be positioning themselves for another potentially high-upside addition. [Read more 🡒]
Two Guardians Arms Just Earned Serious October Respect
Postseason reputation can change fast, and two young Guardians arms just got a sizable boost from one of the games more familiar evaluators. Dan Plesacs list of the top 10 pitchers based on October impact included Cade Smith and Gavin Williams, a notable nod for a Cleveland staff that leaned heavily on both pitchers during its 2026 postseason run.
Williams checked in sixth after turning in a 2.16 ERA with 33 strikeouts in 16.2 innings, while Smith landed seventh with a 2.38 ERA across 11.1 innings and nine appearances. For a club that has spent plenty of time building around pitching depth, seeing both names land that high on a postseason list only reinforces how much those two mattered when the games tightened up. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Could Make Three Tough Roster Calls Before Deadline
With the non-tender deadline approaching, the Guardians are staring at a familiar kind of winter decision-making, the sort that can quietly reshape a roster before the real offseason even gets going. Three arbitration-eligible names sit in the middle of it all: Jo Adell, Slade Cecconi and David Fry, each bringing a different mix of recent performance, cost control and trade interest that could make them more useful as chips than as keepers.
For Cleveland, the question is not just who can help in 2025, but who fits the payroll and the long view. The article frames all three as possible trade candidates as the front office weighs whether to move on before the deadline rather than carry them deeper into arbitration talks, and the speculation alone says plenty about how tight these roster calls can get. Nothing is settled yet, but the Guardians appear to be weighing a few uncomfortable choices in the name of flexibility. [Read more 🡒]